Kids or dogs? Very amusing! 😆

What’s that?

Some posts in this thread mentioned cleanliness - what level of cleanliness of the outer part of the car is expected? Am I expected to clean the chassis or the engine itself?

My car is 1.5 years old, it went through an inspection at dealer last month, but I'm starting to get worried after reading some of the comments here. While I'm pretty certain that no oil leaks can happen, I don't know how exactly clear should be the car.

Dogs. Of course.

YMMV - Your mileage may vary. Which pretty much applies to any comment about how things work in Switzerland.

Why do you need one on a car that is 1.5 years old?

Yes, but the garage dude has got them through with minor oil leaks, etc.

Tom

Moving to Switzerland. Mfk test is required when getting Swiss plates for an "imported" car, even when it's brand new.

Why are MFKs so scary?

- importing a new car, they will see it's new and be more interested that it confirms to EU standards. If you have an oil leak on such a young car
- if your car is old and you did not get a letter, sit back and relax. Why worry about something out of your control? Just ensure you maintain your car according to the schedule set by the manufacturer

This is probably a lot canton specific. However, where I come from (Nidwalden/Obwalden) - the MFK guys are actually pretty helpful and even when they have come across something not conformant - they have only given me some sort of acknowledgement that I would correct that non-conformity within one month (without going back to them to validate). Obviously - these were some minor things - e.g. worn-out tires which in their opinion could have represented risk; worn-out propeller on the boat etc). I have pushed a lot of inspections through MFK (various vehicles) and I've predominantly seen car owners being there for inspection with exception to old-timers (accompanied by mechanics). In terms of cleanliness - just give it a good sprey out-side (including the bottom) and some basic vacuuming inside and you should be fine.

Since my car is relatively new, I was planning only to manually clean the engine with damp cloth, clean the inside carefully and go to local car wash for a normal program with cleaning of felgs and underbody. However, I checked the website of Zurich's Strasseverkehrsamt and found the following: "Das Fahrzeug muss den Vorschriften entsprechen, betriebssicher und gereinigt sein (Unterbodenwäsche der Autowaschanlage genügt nicht)."

That sounds oddly specific. If I follow the rules literally, then I would need to order a Pre-Mfk cleaning at a garage, but I want to avoid jet wash of engine at all costs. Anyone had a recent experience in Zurich and can share how anal are they when it comes to cleanliness?

It's not so much the engine as the brake lines etc. They need to be able to see if there any fluid leaks, rust holes etc. If the wheel arches are caked in crud then they'll probably grumble.
I used to take mine to Aesch Waschanlage where they have a couple of lifts.
I've never done anything to the engine other than wipe the accessible parts down with a cloth.
You don't need to do a full concourse clean but many people seem to think this way.

Quick jet wash of a newish car will be fine, thats what I did with cars aged from 8 to 30 years & never had an issue.

Well, my old 1979 Harley failed its MFK because the bottom of the engine was not clean. They said it needed to be clean so they could check the gaskets were sealing properly, had nothing to do with brake lines being close.

This thing leaked oil when brand new in the showroom back in 79...

Just got the "invite" to come to Pfaeffikon for MFK of a now 9 year old car that I bought 4 years ago with fresh MFK. I am thinking about jet washing the engine at one of those self-service car washes and then taking it there as is. Had a service done some weeks ago.

Does anyone have recent specific experience in Pfaeffikon and views on whether "nit picky" rep is justified?

An otherwise clean car should pass. Otherwise it is not the fault of the MFK, but whoever did the "service".

Yes. I moved back to CH last year and imported a 2009 BMW Z4. It's a BMW so of course it leaks a bit... I went through the car wash at the migrol gas station next doo about 15 mins before my test and included the underfloor washing in the program. The other thing I did was to buy a new first aid kit as mine was expired for years (and apparently passed German Tüv with it). My tires had lots of thread but are a bit old (six or seven years). The Swiss tire shop told me I had to exchange them or had "not a chance" to pass MFK. I asked for a legal requirement of the age and the tire shop guy said "its a rule of thumb". So I decided to not only take a chance but actually asked the MFK guy about it. He was friendly, helpful and basically told me that the tire dealers are taking the piss and oversell a lot in CH. I passed without issue. He told me that I should check my gear box as it seemed to leak. i told him that I just got it fixed and he said "ok, so the stains are probably from before then, just keep an eye on it". I'd argue that it helped a lot that I speak German though...

Thanks. First aid kit is a good point.

As for tires, I will await the inevitable letter from the dealership that will undoubtedly inform me that there are only 5 mm left and attach an offer for 900 CHF to replace them. Will not buy new ones unless we are getting close to 2 mm. Official limit is 1.6, right? So in theory 2mm should pass?

I’ve noted that many self-service car washes specifically prohibit washing of engines. Something to do with how they reclaim/reuse the water. YMMV.

I recall that they ask for a steam clean of the engine

Is the engine really dirty or at all oily? if not don't bother as it can cause problems. As I wrote before you do need to have clean brake lines etc.
I don't think first aid kits are required. Certainly not in Basel.

You are right, I just checked it: both first aid kit and high viz vests are "recommended" but not mandatory. I'd highly recommend them though as they are mandatory in all neighbour countries...

"Where do I need I high visibility vest?" according to TCS:

Federal laws and regulations, thus same rules in all of Switzerland.

The only mandatory equipment in Switzerland in a passenger car is the warning triangle. Anything else is optional, recommended.

Here the source of Treverus' map:
https://www.tcs.ch/de/camping-reisen...igatorisch.php

Be aware, because the Swiss license plate has not incorporated the distinguish sing (the CH), you need an oval CH sticker when driving abroad. Same goes for motorcycles, where you need the same size of stickers as on cars. In praxis, you most often get away w/o any stocker, or a small sticker on a motorcycle. However, if the foreign police does not like your nose or how you looked at their car, they could give you a fine in the range of €20 up to €400 depending on country. It happened t people which thought they could be smart asses, arguing with police about other technicalities.

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What?