SCDMV Rant. Yes, the DMV disappoints once again... (Page 1 of 2)

I think I see your problem.

Most of the states I've lived they require that they physically inspect the VIN for out of state cars whether the number matches the formula or not.

If you can't bring the car down to the DMV any police officer can inspect the VIN and sign the form.

As much as other people may crucify me for this I'll say the NJ DMV is not bad at all.

It has not always been the case, it used to be the lowest pit of hell I have ever experienced, but over the last 4-5 years its really come around.

I went to register a car yesterday and was in and out with new plates, title and reg card in hand in under 10 minutes.  And it wasn't because the place was empty, it was packed.  They just finally stumbled on a system that works....I have no idea how.

This is not an isolated incident either, in the past 4 years, as long as I do my homework in advance and bring all the required papers it has never taken me more than 15 minutes to get through DMV.

The closest to a "oh shit here it comes" moment I had in recent times was when I registered the Wartburg.  Lady took my papers and asked me to have a seat, which was odd because part of the new process is you are at the counter, start to finish, no take a steat and wait BS.  So a few minutes later she calls me over and flips her computer screen around and informs me that when they get a car they've never heard of they are supposed to google it to make sure the photos I gave them are of the right kind of car Im claiming it to be.  but all the photos she pulled up were of my car.   I offhandedly said "welcome to my hell"  she laughed and handed me my new plates and registration.

What gets me is the attitude of people who don't really have "customers" to satisfy.  In your case, will that unhelpful person ever be fired because everyone he/she dealt with left unhappy?  Not a chance.  If I piss off our customers my boss will make sure I don't continue to do so via the unemployment line.

That's awesome.

The State of Louisiana doesn't recognize bonded titles. This is primarily because of problems "washing" (pun intended) of titles on flood cars following Hurricane Katrina. The problem here? Most of the states that neighbor Louisiana don't issue titles for vehicles over 10+ years. And then there's the whole "lost title / mechanic's lein" route, which believe me is more trouble than worth.

My old boss tried that with an abandoned bike we had in the shop. After 10 months of back and forth with the state (with no success) jumping through each hoop "Oh, you have to be a certified service station...oh you also have to be a certified towing station...blah blah blah" we finally just said "Screw it" and sold it for parts (with a notarized bill of sale) because it was clear we were never going to see a title.

This is why titled frames are sometimes worth their weight in gold....

-=Tom

Other than the hour or so long wait my DMV experience registering an Opel that had been abandoned in a field for 25 years went surprisingly well. When asked the make of the car I replied "Opel.", and she asked who made it? "Opel'. (Alan registered his as a Buick.) But other than that amusing glitch it went well. I showed her our paperwork, she looked up our car, it was still in the computer, and a few minutes later I had my plates and temporary title. The official title came in the mail a week or so later.

The thing about the wait was I got to watch these people work. The work looks like a real grind, and it is tedious, and mistakes, when made, can really screw people's day. The rules are not actually complicated in the abstract concepts sense, but there are so many of them as there are so many types of vehicles, licenses, situations... like ours, registering a derelict car. I actually admired them for being able to get it all done and keep the line moving and not going postal on us.

And then there are the people they serve, ranging from marginal to whatever, not a clientele that I would enjoy working with day in and day out, not that I am some kind of snob or anything, but it really helps if you can read. Considering the aggravation the "customers" are already experiencing, well, I doubt I'd make any friends in that crowd. And these DMV folks deal with "us" everyday, except Fridays, because now we have furloughs thrown in on top of this.

I've never had an issue in the past with registering any of my aged/ decrepit fleet; as mharrel points out the older cars were a mish-mash of this and that for VINs.  My Volvo Amazons from the 60's only have a 5 or 6 digit VIN.  The "standardization" seems to have occured right around the '80-'81 timeframe, and for American makes it's probably no big deal, but for "dem ferrin cars" it took a bit longer. 

I also got the impression the DMV was implementing some nationwide system of tracking VINs, and it may have been this system that was causing the hiccups. 

Yeah, why do different states call it different things?  DMV was the old standby, but I guess that acronym ended up with so much baggage and so many horror stories some states tried to "remake" their DMVs into MVAs, DOLs, and god-knows what all.  Irritatingly, in SC you have to pay your car taxes at a different building than you get your plates at, though in Greenville city those building are across the street from each other, so that's usually where I end up going.

I can't vouch for the whole state of FL, but I can tell you that Pinellas County has a good system. I've done walk-in and been out in anywhere from 20-45 minutes usually. But, they also have a system where you can make an appointment online or via phone. And if you make your appointment early in the day (to be sure they're not running behind on their appointments... just like at the docs office) and don't pick a day like at the beginning of the month or Monday, you can get in and out REALLY quickly.

My wife was dreading registering her new car and asking for a temp tag for the old car while we sell it. She made an appointment last week, was in and out in about 10 minutes, and had nothing but good things to say about how courteous, professional and knowledgeable the lady who helped her was!

Here's what she said about it on Facebook:
"How bizarre is it that the best customer service experience I've had in a long time came from the DMV today? They were fast, friendly, courteous, and had a clue."

So, yes... it is possible for a DMV office to be run well!

You should see our LTD Landau.  It has 15 years of Georgia mold encrusted into the paint.  Its filthy.  I've told the team to make sure they don't inadventently clean any of it off, either.  You guys are going to have your work cut out for you scrubbing 1500 square feet of sheet metal.  Oh, and mind the vinyl top- I don't want any more of it peeling off!  Come to think of it, we should try to fill all those rust holes in the roof so you guys don't get soap scum all over the nice interior.

I've got a DMV story to share...  Back in '09 we had a huge hail storm here, which totaled out my car, a '91 Sentra.  Oddly enough, I never bothered to change it from having full coverage (I was the original owner), so I decided to take their offer and buy back the car, but I had to present the title to do this.  So, my wife and I went through every box of important papers we could find, looking for a 19 year old title.

We found information from the bank when the loan was paid off, found the original window sticker, maintenance records from the original dealer, all sorts of other papers, but no title.

Called the local DMV, they had no record of any title.  Called the main Texas offices, same story.  Called the DMV in Illinois where we used to live when we bought it, nothing.  Called the offices in Missouri (where the car was purchased), nothing.  Called the bank, in case maybe they never mailed it when we paid off the car, nothing.  Lots of running around and finger pointing, but nothing at all productive.  And the insurance folks insist they can't do anything without a title, but suggest getting a bonded title.

So, back to the DMV to get the forms, got a notarized statement from the bank that they have no financial interest in the car, and finally got a bond statement (whatever they call that) from the insurance company.

Back to the DMV to turn it all in, paperwork from the insurance company had a field typed wrong and it didn't match, back to them, back again to the DMV.  Another error on another page, back to the insurance company, back to the DMV.  Vaguely remember some other hiccup, had to come back yet again after correcting that.  Finally get all the paperwork done, back at the DMV, they take all the papers in the back, supervisor comes out, lots of consultation, and finally they end up sending me to another office 20 miles away to turn it in there because they can't process it at their location.

So, eventually, several weeks after beginning the process, I finally received the bonded title, for a car that I originally purchased new 19 years prior, all so that I could have the insurance company total it out and allow me to buy it back.  But, the happy ending was that I then sold it so that it begin its new life as a Lemons car.