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Anon
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A good reason to never go to Austria

As some of you may remember, a few months ago Beddie, some friends and myself completed a tour of Europe, from the UK to Poland, Czech Republic, Eastern Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and back again.

During that trip, we made the mistake of arranging to go to Austria. Specifically, Vienna. Upon entering Austria from the Czech Republic, although there are no "official" borders anymore as both countries are in the EU, we were pulled over by an old rusty VW police van. We were told that we had to follow them back to the borders to go through an inspection.

What we did not immediately realize, was that they wanted to do a technical inspection on Beddie, equivalent to the MOT test. They started testing things and announcing that they found several things wrong. I talked directly to the tester, and asked him to demonstrate to me how he found things to not be working properly. Of the several things he had initially pointed out, he realized that he could not really demonstrate any. So eventually he switched to the "me no speak english" routine. I tried in German, but he refused to talk to me and I was taken away by a cop.

He printed a piece of paper in German, according to which the cop demanded we pay 72 euros to be allowed to enter Austria, but then we would have to go to the nearest garage and fix all the things the piece of paper mentioned. He specifically said "it's an old vehicle, not allowed in Austria". We refused to comply, so we were held for four hours and then deported, along with the vehicle.

Well, today I found that piece of paper again and decided to translate it and see what they found wrong:

1) Brakes

2) Balljoints

3) Frame and other structural parts

4) Emissions and Silencer

5) Body and Drivetrain

6) Liquid Spills


Here's a one-by-one list of the situation:

1) During the discussion with the tester, I remember that he was unable to demonstrate how the brakes had any problem, as the readings on the screen showed that the braking power was more than efficient and there was no significant difference left and right.

2) That was the point where he refused to talk to me, so he did not show me what was wrong with the Ball Joints.

3) This, he didn't even mention to me. My CF's frame and any structural points are as solid as can be, as they had been coated from new. No rust whatsoever. Never been in an accident. Everything there is in like-new condition. Mentioning this on an official document is simply outrageous.

4) He did NOT test my emissions. There was nothing ever inserted in Beddies tail-pipe, and the exhaust is clear, with no smoke at all, so no chance of a "visual inspection" proving that something is wrong. Again, a blatant lie.

As for the silencer, it's still there, and the MOT tester found it working fine.

5) Body: most of the surface rust that was there when I got the vehicle had been sanded and primered. The paintwork is aesthetically not really nice, as it is a patchwork of white and spots of brown primer and some black top-coat paint. So there is no surface rust and no issues with the body.

Drivetrain: Got us all the way around Europe and back, and is still holding strong. Drives extremely well, no vibrations, and just a rattling gearstick can be heard at cruising speed. I cannot possibly see how the drivetrain was tested to prove it was faulty.

6) Liquid Spills? I assume he means a slight oil seep that was there at the time? I wonder what he would say now, that there is a proper oil leak.


So, to make it even better, several months after ignoring all this, back in the UK, I went through an MOT, and passed first time. The MOT tester gave me an advisory notice for the passenger side top ball-joint, saying "It's not really that bad, but you might need to replace it before the next MOT if you're going to be driving around Europe a lot".

During the four hours of waiting at the Austrian borders, I called my embassy in Austria, and was told there is nothing they can do about it. I was told that the Austrian government is notorious for doing this to foreign vehicles entering the country, and often truckers find themselves at risk of having their vehicle confiscated unless they shell out the money they are asked for. I was advised to be careful of what I say and do, as I would be at risk of losing my vehicle if I made them angry.

So, MOT tester, embassy and myself have now verified that the Austrian inspection was a money-making scam of a rogue government. It comes as a surprise to me too that Austria has turned out to be a rogue government, but at these times, anything can be expected.

My friends, family and myself will not be going anywhere near Austria again until the government spectacularly collapses. We refuse to boost the economy of this organized crime syndicate that they dare call a government. Anytime I meet anyone from Austria, I will be informing them of this, so they can adjust their vote accordingly.

Some friends and I have also recently started the "Weird Vehicles Club", aiming to end discrimination against older/weirder vehicles and limit government involvement in private vehicle use, which is rapidly becoming worse. As the club states: "We want to be free to operate any vehicle we like, wherever we like, in any manner we like, as long as this does not interfere with anyone else's freedom to do the same".

I also welcome anybody interested to come and have a look at the vehicle in question, to decide for themselves whether any of the "issues" the Austrian tester found make sense. Especially the frame, body, and drivetrain, have not been touched since then, and their condition can't have changed for the better.

I will soon be compiling a folder including all the details which will be published on the internet, probably on the WVC website, for anyone interested in visiting Austria to know what to expect. Free movement of people and vehicles within the EU was supposed to be a fundamental right of Europeans, in exchange for all the freedoms the EU has taken from us. I personally do not take this lightly and the matter will not end here. I will not accept this terrorist attack on older vehicles. The border was full of dumped classic cars, whose owners found it cheaper to just dump them and fly back where they came from, than to pay their way out of it.

Anyone planning on driving through Austria should be aware of this, as it can have a very serious impact on your travel plans and your wallet. I am lucky that as a touring musician, I am very used to dealing with cops, and being held for 4 hours won't scare me out of my very hard-earned 72 euros.

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Thu 07 Oct 2010 @ 21:41 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
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You are very brave - what a tale ! I'm trying to summon up the courage to go to Jersey or France next year and thats giving me sleepless nights already Thanks for telling us though, I enjoy reading such epic tales. Sounds like the Austrian guy just failed the 'test' on everything a beddy has!

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Fri 08 Oct 2010 @ 07:26 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
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Luckily not all of Europe is like Austria and Switzerland, they seem to have a problem with older cars for many years now.

Since i got my Beddie i have only been pulled over once by the cops after stopping it turned out they just wanted to have a closer look at my van because they liked it so much

SO if you cross the water come to Holland

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Fri 08 Oct 2010 @ 07:54 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
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I love the idea of a weird vehicles club - I have had a few in my time and would be interested in seeing the website once it goes live

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Fri 08 Oct 2010 @ 08:22 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
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ScoobyDoo: France is definitely more chilled out, although not the best place to drive in Europe.. I got pulled over a lot in France, but they just checked my passport and V5 and let me go within 5 minutes each time. So not much to worry about. Just allow plenty of time on top of how long you think it will take you to get somewhere, for the time-wasting of the authorities. Also, tolls are quite expensive in France, but luckily they have plenty of small roads that don't have tolls and are usually much more scenic. Although I did once get fined for going 1 km/h over the limit, in the tunnel in Mont Blanc, bordering Italy. Generally whenever I cross the channel, I just drive straight out of France into Belgium as soon as possible, and head for nicer and friendlier places, like Belgium, Holland and Germany. After all, I see the frequent police checks as a statement to the effect of "we don't welcome tourists". Well, if they don't welcome tourists, I'll get my coat and take my money elsewhere.

As for the test, well, he didn't say anything about the lights (worked fine), surprisingly!! No mention of the tires (brand new) either..! I bet he just got tired of writing by that point..

mikus: Indeed. Most of Europe is much more fun to drive around than the UK. Holland has always been a good experience. Never got pulled over there. The roads are good, there are no road tolls, the speed limits are reasonable, and local drivers are not too bad. I have been around there quite a bit. I don't remember ever having to talk to a cop in Holland, which is always a good sign. Also, it is fairly easy to communicate in English there, as opposed to France and most of Belgium, where you will have a hard time if you don't speak French. Plus, Germany is right next door, which is another lovely place for a road-trip.

Ed-Don: A very primitive version of the website is up here: http://otherside.servebeer.com/gearhead/wvc/

The text on there is far from final. It is a general indication of the direction of the club, and is kind of strongly worded at the moment. We are in the process of compiling a club "constitution" of sorts, where all members are more than welcome to contribute. Decisions within that club will be made collectively, to represent the views of all members. The logo will also be available in hi-res, to download and make your own stickers. Membership is free of charge, as we want to keep the club free of any financial interests whatsoever.
Fri 08 Oct 2010 @ 13:16 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
bluebedouin
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It's obviously something in their genes.I remember a megalomaniac in the thirties - forties with a funny moustache that came from Austria.:#

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Fri 08 Oct 2010 @ 18:06 View bluebedouin   Email bluebedouin   Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
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Hi all i`ve moved this thread from the blog section to here,more suited to here,thanks,and thanks to jimbeam for insight on austrian regulations.;]

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Fri 08 Oct 2010 @ 18:53 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
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sounds like those Austrian cops need to chill the fu** out.

They would probably have kittens if they saw how I'd been driving my SJ this week.....

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Fri 08 Oct 2010 @ 21:37 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
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Yeah Hitler came from there!!

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Sun 10 Oct 2010 @ 00:24 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
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JimBeam tried that link but didn't work have you a link to your wvc weve been over to France only for 7 days but we've really got the bug for more its just a case of money isn't it .
Mon 01 Aug 2011 @ 10:27 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
Anon
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Server down at the moment, and somewhere in England, where I have to go and rescue it and take it to Germany where I have a hosting offer. Sorry guys, the link and website are offline at the moment. Check back in a couple of months (not much time to work on it now).
Tue 09 Aug 2011 @ 18:26 Edit this messageQuote this messagePMQuote this message
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