Just to make the thread more fun I'll explain what I did. The oil check light was coming on and off intermittently and I ignored it for like 2 or 3 months and didn't check the oil level. In fact the car would have been fine if I had simply checked and topped up the oil. Instead, it broke down once on the freeway, I started it after a bit and drove to the nearest garage. They said it was fine and topped up the oil. Then I was driving down in Tessin and it broke down again on the freeway. Now the car is at a garage in Biasca and apparently the engine is so messed up that it would require a rebuild or a replacement, and the car is a 2006 so it's done.

What do I do? I assume a few things:

1. Get the car towed to a scrap place. I guess because it is a Swiss car it will not *cost me money* to have it scrapped, but I will not get any money for it probably. I do have a full set of winter tires in good condition though-- maybe try to sell on Ricardo or something?

2. Ask the Strassenverkehrsamt to nullify my plates? Until I get a new car (if I do)

3. What do I do with the gray ownership slip? I guess they take it when they destroy it?

Depending on the canton, it may cost you something to dispose of the car. Since you cannot drive, ad the cost of transport to the disposal site. But there are other options, read this old thread

https://www.englishforum.ch/transpor...t-rid-car.html

Sell it on EF for 2'000 Fr.

Would you listen anyway if someone told you what to do? ;-)

Unless the red oil light was coming on it's unlikely that driving around caused catastrophic failure but it may have made a made situation worse.

If you believe the garage maybe you can just tell them to keep it. They'll top it up then sell it on

By the time the idiot light comes on the average car is a goner. Perhaps a motor transplant can be done. Average cost 1K if similar motor can be found. Otherwise have the garage deposit your plates at the motor vehicle and junk it. Cost of junking is around 300 SFr. Once returned the plates can be used for another car for up to one year.

I keep getting a leaflet in the letterbox from a company who say that they wil pay cash for any car in any condition .

I assume they export them to some place like Africa where they get fixed up and sold .

Unfortunately I trashed the leaflet but maybe if you ask around you can find somebody like that . I think the guy had an Arabic sounding name but can’t remember more than that.

Better to be offered money than to have to pay it .

Rubbish.

The car already broke down due to lack of oil, so probably destroyed the mains.

Adding oil made the light go out, but did not undo the damage, which then only got worse with time and use, resulting it catastrophic failure.

Tom

I left an Opel Ascona in Biasca many years ago. The timing chain was shot and every time I accelerated it let out an explosion and wouldn't go over 70kph! The Gotthard tunnel was a step too far.

The first garage I came to in Biasca as he was closing on a Saturday evening said he'd take a look at it the next week.

I managed to get a black taxi to Zurich with the garage owner's son for CHF300. I took the plates off and everything out of the car that wasn't screwed down.

The following week I was informed my CHF3500 bargain that I had driven for 4 years, including a trip to the UK, wasn't worth repairing and the garage would drive it to the scrapyard for me. Normally he'd charge CHF50 that , but didi for free.

I cashed my plates and grey book in the Zurich road traffic office...

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My old Landrover was never the same after a mountain accident, and after multiple garage visits to fix various quirks, the garage owner called me, thanked me for funding his holidays, but recommended that I call it a day for the old truck when I took her in for yet another breakage.

I went back to the garage, stripped out all accessories (roof racks, rubber mats, winch etc) - sold them all online. ....and the garage then took out whatever parts were useful to them, and then they sold it on my behalf to some one else for "scrap". The garage made some bucks, they gave me CHF 500 from the deal, and took the plates back to the verkerhsampt for me as well, so I got a pro rata refund for my annual reg. My insurance company also gave me a pro rata refund, so the whole process was very easy.

I am not sure, but suspect the beast left Switzerland to do service in another country...If I'd been in England at the time, I'd have probably scoured the wrecking yards to rebuild her, and certainly would have been able to drop in a rebuild engine, but at Swiss prices, these major fixes just weren't a sensible option.