Arrested at the DMV

[vintagecamping]

Almost! I just about blew my stack at the Ca DMV today. I drove 500 miles and spent all weekend getting a 66 shasta road worthy to tow home.( basket case ) $250 for the trailer $250 for new tires $300 in gas six hours on the road to get it home. That was yesterday. Today I went to the dmv and started the paper work. I had no title for the trailer so I made up a loss of title with the old owners info. All seamed good the first trip...they started up a record I paid $38.00 and was told to bring the trailer in for VIN verification. Towed it down the VIN checked out they pulled out a new plate and were about to hand it over when the worker said Wait you owe a lot of money! They said that because you can live in the trailer it is a "trailer coach" thus even though its out of the dmv system they charge 3 years of back fees and fines totaling $585.00 . THE NEW PLATE AND $38.00 REG WAS ALMOST IN MY HAND WTF!! I WAS SO MAD MY HANDS WERE SHAKING. ALL DAY AT THE DMV AND NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT. PLEASE HELP ME WITH YOUR ADVISE. THANKS MARC

[62shasta]

That is crazy! I would take the toilet out and tell them because it is not self contained no one can live in it. I don't know if that would work but, I don't think they are being very realistic. This makes me so mad and its not even my trailer. You can use my address if you want to register in Utah lol.

[62shasta]

Oh and shouldn't your bill of sale show you are not responsible for the back fees? As you did not own it until the other day??

[mary1960]

I feel for you ... got stuck for back fees on my shasta too because the previous owner had never registered it or signed the title so they backdated it to when HE had bought it which was several years before and in order for us to title it, we had to pay the fines.

They didn't say anything about living in it but here in Nebraska, we can't even get a trailer/camper titled without a title ... a bill of sale is worth nothing in this state ... totally pointless to even try.

My heart goes out to you Marc!

[Gone Kayaking]

Hi
I just went through the CA DMV process only 4 months ago here in Oakland. took forever to actaully find the Vin# to verify but once that happened, they didn't even want to look inside or even check if it was roadworthy (this kind of surprised me).
If your trailer is below a certain size then it qualifies for the PTI designation. Do you have a bill of sale from the previous owner? It's on the DMV website, I would go back armed with that information. Send me a pm, and I'll send you my phone number and we can talk.

[vintagecamping]

Update... Because the trailer is over 16 feet it's called a "trailer coach" and if its out of the DMV system they hit you for three of back fees. I feel stupid because they asked me how long it was and I said 19 feet ( the trailer is 16 + 3 foot of tongue ) If I knew I would have said 16 feet. I may have gotten away with it. I don't think the DMV workers are smart enough to read a tape measure. The vehicle code is bumper to tip of hitch.

[diamondrelics]

And that is one more reason I no longer live in Cali..Good luck!

[ModernMe]

I feel your pain.

I just towed mine down to the DMV on Wednesday. It was a 3 hour ordeal, it took 5 clerks, and it was 120 degrees! They argued with me repeatedly that my VIN 'W2515' was incomplete and therefore could not be used to register a trailer in CA. Never mind that the registration from Washington state had that VIN number. So, the second clerk finally prepped my paperwork and charged me $180 (also a 19ft trailer) then told me to go pull it into the inspection lane out front.

So I loaded up both kids and my mom and pulled around as told, I was the second car in line. There were two lanes of cars, left lane for driving tests and right lane for inspections, with ONE clerk manning both lanes. A security guard approached my window to tell me that after the car ahead (Also out of state registration transfer from WA) was finished, the clerk would be leaving on a drive test with the first car in the left lane. And because they do vision driving tests on Wednesdays only, that the test would be 45 minutes. Then, I would be next! Oh, yea!- literally under the covered portico it was 120 degrees in the shade! We sat. We waited. The kids argued. Tempers flared.

Finally Mr. Clerk arrived. He started the paperwork for his inspection. He told me that was not the VIN. Even though my stamp is plain to see. He asked for any other documentation or plaques or something to substantiate the VIN. I went into detail on how the Shasta VIN system worked, what the letter meant, and that I was certain this was my VIN. He was really rude about my trailer, (obviously vintage in need of restoration was not his style). Finally he stamped my papers, handed them back to me, and told me to park, go back inside, get another number, and wait to be called.

I pulled out of the portico to find that my extra long parking spot was gone and that I had to parallel park my Tahoe and trailer on a curved curb, between two cars. I'm new to this trailer towing/driving experience and this nearly maxed my skill set. My nerves were a little raw by the time I got parked, but I actually managed to do a fair job. So then I went back inside for my new number. I did as told. I waited.

I got to the clerk, handed her the paperwork, and she said "This is incomplete." The inspection clerk had checked the box to confirm that the VIN on the vehicle matched the prior registration, but he had failed to HAND WRITE in the VIN in the boxes on the form. Guess what? He had left on another 45 minute drive test! So there we all sat. He finally came back, wrote in the 5-digit VIN, and this clerk tells me THAT THIS ISN'T ENOUGH LETTERS AND NUMBERS TO BE A VIN! I was ready to scream. I don't know what the word is for going postal at the DMV, but I was close to that breaking point. The final clerk, the inspection clerk, and a supervisor had a pow-wow and finally decided to plate my trailer. Three hours late, totally exhausted, completely starving, boiling hot, and fuming mad, we all tromped out of the DMV.

I will be joining auto-club. From now on I will handle all of these transactions at a non-DMV facility.

[offspringin]

I didn't know we had it so easy in GA. I feel for all of you guys. Bought mine, no title. fine in GA under a certain weight i believe. bill of sale fine. got it with a plate that went to a car/truck, and the little sticker went to an 06 flatbed. tried to register the camper. was told chain of ownership was broken. had to have police come out to my house and verify the vin. he seemed confused since the vin was only 5 characters. i tried to explain this is how it was in the 70s. at the time we couldn't find the vin on the tongue. only the very faded sticker on the side. he ran everything. everything checked out. went back to the tag office the following week. in and out under 5 minutes new tag in hand $12 dollars....

[safetybruce]

Oh man, I feel the pain of my fellow Members who live in California and other states with extremely strict regulations...these kinds of stories make me even more thankful that I am living in Mississippi where they are very laid-back regarding vintage bumper-pull campers...

[LittleVintageTrailer]

Gosh, it sounds like a real pain in the you-know-what to get them titled/plated in CA. Here in MI it's easy with a bill of sale. All we did was have to have the Sheriff come out and verify the vin number. He came out within 30 minutes of calling him, found the Vin and off we went back to the DMV. The other nice thing about MI is once you have your title and plates, the plates are forever. No renewal fees...EVER.

[offspringin]

no renewal fees ever sounds nice, does that go for cars too or just trailers?

Our trailer will be 12 bucks a year forever for a little sticker that says we paid them 12 bucks.....

[LittleVintageTrailer]

Just the trailers. Our cars we have to renew.

[vintagecamping]

Update: I got some great advise from a fellow trailer guy about dealing with the dmv he said you have to size up the dmv agent. If it starts going bad...STOP tell them you changed your mind and get out of there...Go to a different dmv and try agian... put in some leg work untill you find someone thats thinking like a person and not a state operated machine. I'm going to try agian in a few months and worse case wait untill after its restored. No reason to pay registration when its ripped apart.
If vintage camping was easy everyone would be doing it.

[Vintageshopnut]

I posted this on a different string but thought I'd mention it again. I bought my Compact with a Bill of Sale on a trailer that hadn't been registered in 25 years. I paid a registration service $100, ($50 for the service and $50 for the house call to verify my VIN). I had the classification changed from a Coach to PTI. DMV charges were $20 for the plate and $5/year for registration. This is in Cali which I'm told is one of the most difficult states. So, for anyone trying to register, I highly recommend these 3rd party DMV Registration services. Of course its annoying to pay extra for a government service but the time/heartache it saves was soooo worth it! The Registration peeps have contacts/relationships with the DMV so they can get it done without beng hassled. Best $100 I've spent so far on Miss Sunshine!

[lvglvk]

I have this same issue, In CA. Contacted one registration service, but they do not handle this. Do you have the name of a service you would recommend?

[vikx]

lvglvk,

Do your homework first. Find out exactly what Calif requires for registration, make SURE the VIN is on the tongue and legible and any paperwork in hand. (keep copies too)

A local vehicle dealership may be able to point you in the direction of a title company. American Licensing has a Calif section:

www.americanlicensingservices.com/CaliforniaRegistration.htm

Let us know how you do.

[Gone Kayaking]

I agree on the registration service if you need to. You might also try a different DMV. I encountered no issues...other than silly me thinking that the trailer needed to be roadworthy prior to the process. In CA they literally don't care whether it is safe (lights work, etc...). If you don't belong to AAA, now might be a good time to join. They may also be able to help, and their premier membership inlcludes a very good towing and emergency package.

[thehorsepeople4]

I really feel for those who were trapped in the California DMV time warp. I have been a member of AAA for a number of years and love their towing and roadside packages as well as the myriad of other services that are actually helpful. I have not been in a DMV office for over 10 years and for just the reasons you mentioned. (they keep renewing my license without having to come in)

Here was my 57 Deville trailer renewal scenario. Trailer gets here from Utah and we have clear Utah title. Show up at my local AAA office with the trailer at opening time and am greeted in the lobby by a person who asks what I need and she hands me off to the first open representative and asks whether I would like coffee. "With cream", I said. I explained what I was doing to the rep and showed my paperwork. There was a brief discussion of whether I qualified for PTI plates and I shared the length and no full time living (no head in our little Deville)...a brief consultation with a more senior rep and she pulled out the permanent plate. She walked out to the parking lot with me and noted the VIN stamped on the frame and walked back in. Total time from being handed a cup of coffee and saying, "Good Morning" to walking out with plate and paperwork complete...15 minutes. My coffee was just barely cold.

That's why I will never register or do any DMV transfer stuff at anyplace other then my local AAA office. What a pleasant experience.

[offspringin]

your story made me go get a fresh cup of coffee (butter toffee flavor).... thanks for that, i am sipping at i thank you

[schweetcruisers]

I gotta say I am dreading this, although the p.o. had it titled and registered, I refuse to pay for plates while mine is being restored and its off the road. For the most part Colorado has some of the dumbest dmv laws around.

['59PinkDeluxe]

Wow...Nevada was a cakewalk! I'm feeling lucky as I had no issues. @schweet...no use worrying until you know what's gonna go down. Maybe it'll turn out just fine... best of luck!

[offspringin]

Feb 19, 2012 11:16:47 GMT -5 schweetcruisers said:

I gotta say I am dreading this, although the p.o. had it titled and registered, I refuse to pay for plates while mine is being restored and its off the road. For the most part Colorado has some of the dumbest dmv laws around.

I had that same thought when we did ours. HOWEVER if i did it again i would at least get it registered and plated before i start the work on it. If i had done all this resto work and went to register the trailer and it turned out it had been stolen etc i believe there was a chance i would have been forced to return it to the original owner (stolen from).

What does CO charge to get the plates and register for the year? GA was only 12 bucks, new plate and years fees. If its as cheap as that it might be worth registering and getting a plate for it and if your resto takes more than a year just let the tags expire until your travel ready again. At least then you know all your work wont go to waste.....

[schweetcruisers]

You don't know how much its going to be until you get there, since they charge sales tax even when buying from a individual. We also get charged a bunch of ridiculous fees like bridge improvement and prior ownership tax and so on and so on.

[offspringin]

Feb 20, 2012 11:57:16 GMT -5 schweetcruisers said:

You don't know how much its going to be until you get there, since they charge sales tax even when buying from a individual. We also get charged a bunch of ridiculous fees like bridge improvement and prior ownership tax and so on and so on.

tell them you will avoid bridges, save some $$$