DMV

[Ted Myrus]

Whenever possible I try to avoid the DMV. This is the only store in town, I know of, if you are there on Monday at opening time the employees have an attitude.

Last month Michael Harris wrote an article for the Witness about "YOM", year of manufacture, license plates. I was inspired as the owner of a 1964 356 with blue California plates. The car was a European delivery (Austria). Blue plates were issue in 1970. I have a set of black plates (the correct vintage) from my stolen 1964 356 race car and I thought why not make it correct? So I went to the Auto Club to avoid the DMV. Unfortunately the Auto Club, all though, familair with the program could not perform the change. They said I must go to the DMV and advised me not to go on Monday! Tuesday I went off to the dreaded DMV with my old (blue) plates, registration, replacement black plates and a copy of my pink slip to illiustrate where they came from. Filled out the necessary form and waited 3 1/2 hours to see an employee When I came up to the window she reviewed my form, asked for my old plates and registration and proof of insurance, inspected my "new" black plates for condition and entered the plate number into the computer and announced she couldn't do it. I asked why and she replied that the plates were in the system. My reply was how can that be? I owned the car the plates came from, it was turned into a race car, stolen, recovered, parted out and sold at auction. I have the plates, in my possession, from a car I owned and registered. She consulted a supervisor and they determined that they would have to call Sacramento to see what could be done! I went home frustrated and empty handed. They said they call me and I'm anxiously waiting.

[gocart]

Count your blessings. At least you still have a chance to get it done.

[MR LIPP]

With the budget cuts and cut back on the DMV hours, I have found them to be even less responsive than before.
Who ever thought that was possible.

[Tawfik]

Try AAA.
They offer most of the DMV services, no line and quite pleasant.

[mrondeau]

Try AAA.
They offer most of the DMV services, no line and quite pleasant.

So I went to the Auto Club to avoid the DMV. Unfortunately the Auto Club, all though, familair with the program could not perform the change. They said I must go to the DMV and advised me not to go on Monday!

Looks like he tried that first.

[kleggo]

if you must go to the DMV, go to San Clemente.
very minimal wait time and a pretty drive to and fro.

good luck

[John Straub]

Yep...the DMV at it's best!

John

[ttweed]

I never go to DMV without an appointment anymore. You can make them online. I have never waited more than 10-15 minutes to get anything done with an appointment. You bypass the line stretching out the door and just sign in at the front desk, they give you a number, and it gets called fairly quickly. It takes 10-14 days lead time to do this, so you can't be in a hurry, but it is worth it.

One of the key steps you left out in the YOM plates process, Ted, is to call DMV Special Processing Customer Service in Sacramento to check the plates before trying to register them--(916) 657-6560 or (800) 777-0133. They would have shown in their computer as still in use and you could have explained the situation and perhaps started the process to get them cleared without standing in line and going through this hassle above. If "it was turned into a race car, stolen, recovered, parted out and sold at auction," does that mean the chassis still exists somewhere? If you can't prove to them that the car was destroyed, they may not free up the plate number, although with you being the former registrant, maybe they will listen and let you do it. There is no incentive for them to be flexible, however....

I had good luck doing this myself, but it was not without hassle. The DMV field office guy who processed my application was colorblind, and put the wrong color down for my YOM sticker on the plates (they were pink, not orange, but somehow that's what he wrote down) plus he charged me only $12 instead of $45. I asked him if that was really the right amount and he said "that's what the computer says." 3 months later, I got a bill from Sacramento saying they needed another $33 to process my application. I sent that off, and 2 months later I got a call asking me if my sticker was really orange. I said no, it was pink, and I could send them a picture of it to prove it. Three weeks later, I finally got my new registration, several months after the temporary permit had run out.

It's never easy, but it can be done. Hope you can work it out with them.

TT

[Ted Myrus]

DMV update.

Today I went back to the DMV to speak to a supervisor. I thought they opened at 8:00 am, except it turns out that it's 9:00 am on Wednesday I waited 45 minutes for them to open. From the time I got there a line had formed the length of the building at least 300 feet. Must have been a 100 people.

When I got inside I thought why not just try again, maybe I'd get a different clerk. My luck I got the same clerk. She said didn't we do this yesterday, didn't my supervisor call you? She called her supervisor over and we spoke. It seems the insurance company settled with me and took the car to auction. The car was sold, however, the DMV computer shows the plates belonging to my old car. The car has never been registered but shows a new owner. The superisor said that the owner would need to register the car and receive new plates. Not likely seeing that it was stripped hulk. The other thing that would have to happen was for the old plates to show no activity for 5 years, then they would be released. Unfortunately its only been 3 years.

[ttweed]

The superisor said that the owner would need to register the car and receive new plates. Not likely seeing that it was stripped hulk. The other thing that would have to happen was for the old plates to show no activity for 5 years, then they would be released. Unfortunately its only been 3 years.

Well, at least you got some "closure" on the issue, Ted. I was wondering what the final disposition of the tub was. I figured the plates would stay linked to the chassis until it was either destroyed or re-registered. I hadn't heard about the "5-year" rule before. That's good to know. At least you have a chance to try again in another 2 years.

Do your black plates still have the original white w/ black letters "1964" year-of-registration sticker on it, like this? Usually, these got removed or buried under subsequent year stickers. You still need to have one to be able to use the plates.



They can be bought online if you don't. That was the first snag I hit in trying to register my black plates. They must have the same year sticker as the car you are trying to use them on, even though a '64 model car could have been bought and first registered in 1963.

TT

[Ted Myrus]

No. The sticker on my plate is green with black letters and says 2007. Although the car was no longer street legal and not driven on the street I kept the registration current for years. The difference, at the time, between the registration renwel fee and "non-op" fee was minimal.

Today I went to the Auto Club and transferred some personal plates I had to the 356. I was in and out of there in less then 10 mintes

[Autobahn]

The California DMV is just amazing !?! Everybody is in line to give them money, and some how they F it up. Imagine if they were running health care! One DMV trick is to get in the door right before 5pm. They have to help anybody inside the building after they close the doors. Somehow, they work faster??? Hmmmmm?

[ttweed]

No. The sticker on my plate is green with black letters and says 2007.

Well, that would have bounced you out of the process anyway, even if the plates were otherwise clear. When they release them in two years, though, you could buy a '64 sticker on evilBay and put them on. Or sell them then--people are getting $100-300 for a pair of DMV-cleared black plates, depending on condition and year.

TT

[galis]

After my 944 was in non-op storage, 2001-2009, I went to get it registered in March, only the cycle renews in April. Guess what, I had to pay 1 year registration for the 4 weeks, which was less than renting a car for the month...

[gocart]

Some DMVs are closed on some Fridays. Only about 40% of what the DMV collects in fees goes to DMV operation, the rest goes into that black hole in Sacramento. So how does being closed save them money? Not much makes sense about the DMV.
Each DMV office makes up it's own rules about how things are run. At the Chula Vista office they won't let you in for licensing after 4:30.