I am trying to import my 5 year old car, always serviced well/ nothing special. However even after careful reading this informative forum and the official websites as well my car did not pass the MFK.

As recommended here, I took my 1 and 7 year old kids there. Did not help.
I even send my wife.

As recommended I did (in my eyes very strange) the engine bay steam cleaning, asked the garage to do a check and did the exhaust test. All fine (although it sets me back 300 CHF - there were 2 lights not working).

All paperwork from customs to import the car was OK too (some getting back and forth between French and Swiss customs, not a problem as I live in Basel).

The points were:
1- oil leakage ('motor Dichtheit"). The car sleeps in underground garage, concrete floor underneath is spotless clean, car is there or 1 month already.
2- rain wipers were not good. No idea why, I changed them not so long ago.
3- little scratch on back lights. I know this, the garage said it would be 'klein mängel', i.e. can be fixed afterwards by sending a letter to the MFK. Not. Anyone having a back lights (left) Peugeot 307 plastic cover? Is there a car recycle near Basel where to buy one 2nd hand?
3- Sound that the car made was not measured (Gerausch messen). I never saw this before. The car runs on gas, motor 1.4 - with other words it is pretty silent. Can please somebody explain?
4- The maximum speed was not documented. Again, never heard of. Do I need to test it? Please again, help is appreciated. Again, car is normal, maybe goes 140 km/h if you are lucky (on german highway, preferable downhill).

Especially the sound test and maximum speed worries me. Do I need to visit an expensive garage again? Do I need to pay the MFK CHF 120 again? What is COC on the MFK (without the test is cheaper)?

thanks

The maximum sound levels and the maximum speed data can be supplied by the car manufacturer.

You can spend a lot of time going backwards and forwards to the testing station, satisfying their whims, or you can go to a major garage for your car marque and ask them to put it through the test again for you.

If you have the type number riveted to the bodywork (Typenschield: usually near the engine), you won't have too much trouble, as it refers to the previous auto type testing done by the manufacturer.

Thank you. I did go to a marque garage before, although not for all they wanted to do (change oil etc, as it was done 2 months ago in my home country (Holland) where is did pass a similar 'old car' test). To aks the garage to do all would cost me 1000 CHF I guess as they are not cheap.

The type number is (of course) in the body work. It is a pretty normal car (Peugeot 307 from 2006). I still don't get it.

Sounds about correct, as I paid that when I imported a motorcycle from the US when I moved here in '86.

The alternative is to get the Swiss importer to give you a certificate stating compliance, which costs CHF 1500 or so (did that too, when I bought a new motorcycle in Italy in 2007).

Tom

There are only 2 types of people who import a car

1) Those who know what they are doing and know it will be cheaper
2) Those who think they know they are doing and think it will be cheaper

I thought I was in 1) - but when it came down to the details I was in 2).

LOL too true

unless you have every bit of paperwork then your snookered! do you have a certificate of conformity for your car (available from the main dealer, of course at a cost) that will have all the facts and figures the MFK people need.

We just let our local garage deal with the mfk people, he got it through first time, at a cost of course.

it all looks easy to fix. This oil seapage, did you also clean the underside of the engine ? For the gerausch / max speed, call the dutch importer and ask for a 'certificate of conformity', this has all this type of info on it.

I imported both a VW van and a scooter from Holland into CH, no problems but I did have all the paperwork (coc's) and, most of all, none of the vehicles was a french p.o.c.

funny detail: when a van goes to the MFK you need to fill it to max. capacity (so load it with a 1100 kg weight). I didn't know this and luckely they didn't fail me on this but they warned me for next time...

__________________
Happiness is a full tank of gas (or better yet, diesel !)

It seems there is a bit of "luck of the draw" when getting the MFK done. I brought my RHD '95 Wrangler with me and had it done in Zug.

I had a small oil leak, he let it go.
I was asked to remove two rear light chrome covers, never had to send a letter to confirm it was done. Ah the honor system.
No COC available for my car. No prob in the end.
I had the sound test done during the MFK.

Also, I was allowed to follow him round while he did the whole thing. Is that the norm or do most people wait in the waiting rooms?

It sucks that your car failed. Maybe do what Bigblue2 did and find a garage to sort it for you if it is financially viable.

Good luck anyway.

Just realised, my next one is due in December.

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"What makes a good man go neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?"

It is a bit sad. In a 3rd world country you would expect to pay too much, and you have too to do so to overcome the paperwork- but in Switzerland?

But thank you all for the reactions.
About the certificate of conformity (COC) is this a trustworthy service?
http://www.eurococ.eu/en/

Switzerland is the land of paperwork.
There is a whole industry devoted to managing bureaucracy , which in turn generates more paperwork. It's a recursive function keeping many people in work. It's something the Swiss do very well

Pournelle's Iron Law