registering a vehicle

[jeannamacs]

I have a friend who bought a large pick up truck 3 yrs ago on finance from a garage. He insured it and MOT's were carried out at the garage. However he was never given the log book and he always gave them the money to tax it. He no longer wanted anything to do with them after the van was paid for. However they have now said they havent got the registration documents, so he cannot tax the van himself. Unfortunately in the process of this he drove the vehicle to the garage without tax, and was clamped and had to pay a fine. He now cannot use it until he gets the money together to pay all of this. He has been told by the police he will have to go to the vehicle registration centre with proofs of ID and a charge and the fee to tax the car, i think this is highly irregular behaviour on behalf of the seller/ garage. Has anyone any comments/advice on this.

[Gok Wan]

I find it strange that he is only just querying it now, after 3 years! I've never heard of anyone giving money to a garage for them to tax a vehicle on your behalf, didn't he think this was strange? Did he not question why he hadn't received the documents?

[Hymie]

At least your friend should be prove that he/she owns the vehicle from the finance payments � but if a friend of mine told me this story, I would immediately be suspicious that he/she was in league with the garage, not insuring the vehicle in his/her name.

To tax the vehicle, the garage would have had to take your friends money and insurance documents. What kindly garage would take the time & trouble to do this for nothing? Your friends insurance company would want to know whether he/she was the registered owner of the vehicle � which seems in doubt.

I suspect the garage were claiming insurance under their policy, and that is why your friend was going along with this.

Your friend has now discovered the problems with such an arrangement.

[jeannamacs]

Thank you for your answers. He is definitely insured to drive the vehicle as i have seen the documents. I am wandering now whether it was a legal tax disc that they were giving him? its all over with now, but i think he will encounter problems on his visit to register the vehicle and I am concerned that this is not his fault and feel it is the garage who should sort it out? He wants to sell the vehicle and doesnt want to do anything illegal - this is why he is going to register it in his name. any thoughts?

[markja]

if you think they were dodgy tax discs report them to the police. the garage, if it was doing this , would have invalidated his insurance possibly. and may have given him a dodgy mot as well.
if his insurance was invalidated and he pranged who would have paid all the bills, injury claims and fixed his motor?
we pay �30 on every insurance policy to cover this type of thing
if the garage are kosher they won't mind if they are bent, lets get them stopped before someone else comes a cropper. tell the plod!!