Well after finally picking up the new car,i decided to go to the garage and fill it up,drove there and on the way back was pulled over by the police,saying the car had no insurance,i explained that i had only picked it up last night and that it was insured for me to drive,anyhow they said the computer showed no insurance and that they were seizing the car,as i was only about a 100 yrds away from my house i said i would go and get my documents and prove i was all legit,unfortunately as i had ,had the car less than 12 hours,i did not have a copy of motor insurance to prove it ws insured.

After me pleading my case and offering to phone the insurance company at the roadside they stated that if i could not produce my certificate there and then ,they were taking my new vehicle,which they did.

So now i have no car until tomorrow when i can take down my certificate(had to drive 70miles to get it) to the compound,my insurance covers me to drive any vehicle that is insured,i pay thousands every year in road tax,insurance and i get this crap.

So it will now cost me £175 to get my own insured car back,it's no wonder that so many people are bitter towards the police,when they are so bloody petty.

Rant over

That's just not right.

I had a similar situation once many years ago and when I showed the bill of sale with the date, the fine was waived.

Hope that happens for you, too.

Thanks john

Apparently i can claim the money back if i can prove i was insured ,which i can,although to claim the money back i have to claim against the garage who holds my car and not the police so i may as well kiss that money goodbye

Its more frustrating than anything,when you are treated like a criminal, when you know you are in the right.

You should make a claim MZ, I'm sure you should not have to pay the release fee if you were right.

My car went into the garage last Friday as it had broke down with a broken fuel pump. As it is a 1984 Reliant it was hard to find and they finally said they are going to electrify it. £200

Then they said the rear brakes need attention. Another £400 as they have to take off the fibre glass to lift off the fuel tank to get to them to stop them sticking???????

Today they left a message saying the fuel tank is rusted on top and I should phone them, I was at work, (left them my work number grrrrr), so now have more worry until the morning.

Hellfire and Brimstone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Hi colonel,

Me and the wife have decided this evening that we are moving abroad(who knows where as of yet maybe down under).

Today was the straw that broke the camels back,i can understand that the car showed no insurance due to the fact i had only owned it about 10 hours and the computer was'nt up to date,but what the computer did show was that i had insurance for 2 other personal cars and a block insurance for my company vehicles,so common sense would suggest that i do pay car insurance and that i was telling the truth.

I have had one run in with the police before when i was arrested for drunk and disordely(i was 22),even though i had not had a drink all night(they refused to breathalise or blood test me after i demanded it)i gave them the benefit of the doubt as i was a little annoyed when talking to them and had just left a club.

This today has left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and total disdain for the police force.

I've never been one to tar all police officers with the same brush as there are plenty of nice officers(my stepdad is a retired police inspector,my 2 uncles are in the force one in cid the other in the british equivalent of internal affairs and my mum worked for the police for 20yrs)unfortunately nowadays the public are tarred with the same brush by the police and to me that is just not good enough.

What happened to innocent until proven guilty, i am now guilty until i prove my own innocence and a good few pound out of pocket.

Egad, enough to make one weep with frustration, mz30 - and I too hope you apply for the money involved to be returned. While I understand that police officers must often feel jaded, surely a simply phone call to the insurance company shouldn't have been unreasonable.


Oh dear, The Colonel, it sounds like your poor car may be wanting to be retired - or about ready to cost a fortune to be repaired. That old adage of for every year a car ages, one can multiply the years x $100 ... each and every single year - eep!

You could certainly come to America,

if you don't mind learning a new language.

Down Under, is the best place to come,Mike. You can make your fortune here, quite easily.
The weather is mild, and no pistol packin Cowboys, roaming the streets.
Most Police, enjoy the Power Trip, of causing honest people headaches.They enjoy it.
A special Breed.

Or ... you could come to Canada!

Here at my end of Canada one can swim in the Pacific or less than an hour later ski on the snow mountains ... or even live in the Arctic. Yup, with a total of 9.9 million square kilometers (3.8 million square miles ) and a highway between one end (Victoria, BC) to the other end (St. John's, Newfoundland) of Canada running a length of 7,821 km (4,860 mi.), there's lots and lots of room for new Canadians!

Isn't that what he is trying to get away from?



On the other hand, mz30, maybe you could find a job that has you working with or for law enforcement?

Then you'd be "one of them".

I wish you well in your choice, whatever it maybe MZ. Sounds as though you have been shabbily treated. When I was young, I was walking down the unlit middle of nowhere hill out of Esher to my home, after a quiet night in my local pub, when two police in a car jumped out and manhandled me against a fence. I was told that if I said the wrong thing I was going to be nicked. Luckily I am pretty even tempered and just told them where I had been and where I was going. After a few radio messages the policeman that continued to pinion me quite harshly to the fence let me go and they drove off as quickly as they came, with no apology, leaving me somewhat bemused. That was 1980, so times have not changed much.

My choice would be Japan, hardly any crime, graffiti etc., with nearly the entire population in posession of impeccable manners. They are crying out for English English Language teachers. A course of around one year in teaching English as a foreign language costs around £300 and is almost certain to gain the necessary papers and work. One word of caution only, it takes many years, I can't remember exactly, to become a Japanese citizen.

My second choice would be NZ, followed by Oz then Canada.

By the way my fuel tank is another £100 plus another one hours labour.......groan.

Sounds like your mechanic is giving you the run around, proper parts are never too hard to find (provided you know were to look and actually want to look)



Don't move to Virginia, USA. I wouldn't mind you're company but it's bad here. I get pulled over at least once a month, mostly for "Proable DWI" (drunk driving, and I've always been sober) and "Vehicle Height Check" (even though the new ,to me, pickup is stock they swear my bumper is too high off the ground, It's a 4x4)

Well after being pushed from pillar to post i finlly got my car back yesterday,after being sent to the wrong compound 3 times,i did have one stroke of luck the guy at the garage sympathized with me and only charged me £150 flat fee instead of the proper amount of £225.

Anyhow have made a complaint to the police,and am seeking legal advice.


Colonel sorry to hear about your struggle to get your car fixed,all garages attempt to rip you off.

Nice stroke of luck there mz30. Sounds like he's seen too much of the gambit.

I smiled when reading, "Don't move to Virginia, USA" as, although I know it's a stereotype foisted upon the States, after watching so many news programs about harsh treatment by Police Officers, one grows leery of driving through your beautiful Country.

And it's perhaps a very good thing that you didn't live in present Canada when you had your own experience, The Colonel - some of our Police seem to have developed a huge love with stun guns - often with nasty consequences. Being left bemused was more than enough - being left both bemused and stunned - egad!

Glad you were to get the woes straightened out, mz30 - at least to the point of getting your car back. But please do think long and hard about "legal advise" as often it costs far more than the actual money involved. My heart is so, so sad for what you've been through but standing in front of a Judge, one often finds they go 'by the letter of the law' and even though one simple phone call could have clarified everything, the officers involved will assuredly say they were 'following the letter of the law'.

No matter what you and Catherine decide, I'll be rooting for you though!