Hi all, I'm a resident here in Switzerland of a few years, currently residing in Ticino. I bought a car last year and have been summoned for it's first MFK in Camorino, TI with myself as the owner. Due to work commitments I was unable to attend the original designated appointment but postponed the appointment to the end of the period, on a date that should have worked. However, a close family member has just passed away and the new appointment now clashes with my trip abroad to attend the funeral and pay my respects. None of the other dates available on the online booking system are suitable, and it appears as though I am unable to postpone the appointment beyond two months after the original designated MFK appointment date. Since the journey is also quite significant, I have requested and been granted some additional time off work to tie in some long overdue family visits and so I do not expect to be available back in Switzerland to attend the MFK for at least a few weeks beyond the supposed deadline.
I would like to know if anyone here has had a similar experience and been able to delay the appointment further as necessary. I am award that the number plates can be cancelled if the two month deadline is not met, which I would absolutely like to avoid.
I searched the forums looking for similar threads but to no avail, so I apologise if I missed something relevant.
Take your car to a garage and ask them to take it to the MFK. It's quite normal.
100% this. I did it on two occasions and all went well without an issue.
Alternatively park it on private property and deposit the plates.
Same. When i get the letter i just pay it and take it to my garage and they deal with it. I tell them I dont want to know the details. Just call me when to pick it up.
Joining the chorus...
I always have the nice gentleman at the local garage take my car in for the MFK.
Off the top of my head, I think I paid CHF 150 for a pre-MFK check-up and for the mechanic's time to take the car to the testing facility.
I don't have to deal with what for me would be quite a headache, a small local independent garage gets additional business, the car passes every time. Win-win all around.
But it could be that the garages are a little too cautious and would repair things that would not really be a pass/fail issue at the test. For example, at the last service, my garage added a remark to the service report that the end section of the exhaust pipe had signs of rust and categorised this as "MFK (test) relevant". Some 9 months later, I took the car to the test and it passed without even mention of this problem.
Normally, I just let the garage do everything including taking it to the test. This time, however, I wanted the test done as soon as possible after receiving the invitation, which was just before the onset of Winter.
I also have had the experience, quite some time ago now, that the garage (incidentally, the same garage) phoned me up to tell me to come a little later than the agreed time to collect the car. They had taken it to the MFK test on my behalf and it failed due to a problem with the hand brake so they had to do a quick fix and a return visit.
The last thing a garage wants, is to make 2 trips to the MFK. That happened with my Audi once. They told me it hadn't happened to em since 10 years. So yes! They do tend to prep cars too much.
Not my garage guy, he will wash it and take it in, and sees what, if anything, fails.
I also do the bikes (and sometimes the cars) myself, and he told me to do the same.
Tom
Maybe with newer vehicles, but certainly not with older ones. Three of our cars, and five of our motorcycles, are 20+!
Tom
If you are a member of the TCS, you could also see if there is a more convenient appointment available at their test centre at Rivera, TI.
https://www.tcs.ch/it/corsi-controll…e-collaudo.php
Google translate:
In Switzerland it is mandatory to have cars subjected to an official technical examination at pre-set intervals. At this point, it is checked whether the vehicle complies with the statutory safety requirements.
Where to take the official exam?
The competent authority may entrust the official vehicle examination to companies or organizations which carry it out in accordance with the relevant regulations. The TCS technical centers in the cantons of Aargau, Bern, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, St. Gallen, Solothurn and Ticino are authorized to do this.
In some cantons it is only possible to have the examination carried out in the TCS centers before the summons to the official acceptance test. Technical modifications to the vehicle, for example the fitting of non-approved rims or towing devices, must also be submitted to the cantonal road traffic office for approval. For further information, contact the nearest TCS technical center directly.
Given the situation the OP finds thereself in, I believe EF has provided a solution. Get a garage to do it. It might cost, but it is a solution.
Where in Ticino are you located?
Tom
The other way of looking at it is that the combined knowledge of the EF members can result in a palette of possible solutions allowing the OP to chose one optimally fits his needs.
You can only do that if Camorino hasn't called you in yet, or your appointment is at TCS, which they often do, so too late for OP.
Tom
The other 9'998 who failed, too, got to hear the same remark.
OK. It used to be like that in Bern, that is you could take your car in any time, but before the official summons was issued, and get it tested. That was actually an advantage because you could book the test just after a service so the car would be clean and also more likely to pass. Now you have to wait until an official summons then make your appointment with the TCS, which then has the effect of cancelling the official appointment.
I guess I only found out because they had to inform me that I should collect it later than agreed.
I suppose, usually, they would not say anything to the client and simply find some in-transparent way of inflating the bill to compensate for the extra time taken by the appearance at the repeat test.
If OP is near me, I can suggest someone, but as Ticino is one of the largest cantons (#5), it's hard to say without pulling teeth!
Tom
Yup, "I bet you say that to all the girls".
With that said, it'll also depend on bill and circumstances. If you have 15-20min each way it's fair to bill 50-60mins with one try.