Transporting a car from Spain to Ireland

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ALEXA

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A friend of mine spent the winter 2019 -2020 in Spain but when Covid became a major problem there she had to fly home and leave her car behind. Her car has been parked at Murcia airport since February 2020. She could probably travel over now and collect it, drive back to Ireland but in the meantime the NCT has expired and this would render her insurance invalid. I have suggested using the services of a transport company to collect the car and bring it home for her. However, I don't know of any company that provides that type of service to Ireland ( there are a number in UK). It would have to be totally reliable and legit with proper insurance in place and familiarity with whatever documents that would be required. Could anyone recommend such a transport company?
Many thanks in advance.
 
Any Irish removals that does international business will quote you for it.

They will most likely need the owner present when it is being loaded in Spain.

My guess is a cost of anything from €3k-€5k.

The alternative is registering and insuring it in Spain (getting Spanish plates), then driving it back to Ireland to register and insure again in Ireland. AFAIK to register in Spain you need a permanent address there.
 
As a by the by, to register a car in Spain costs around 1100 from what I've heard and not very straight-forward and the owner will need a tax number (non- resident probably) called NIE.
 
SparkRite said:
Hmm, are you sure about that?
Have you/she rang her insurer to check?
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Even if it is the case, I'd be surprised if the existing insurer wouldn't provide temporary cover, to get the vehicle back into Ireland etc.

Given the length of time involved, is it actually still insured with an Irish insurer though - I thought they typically only covered short term trips abroad ?
 
There's the option of a long drive to Bilbao, then on to the ferry to Roslare.

Between travel, fuel and time, this will still be a costly enough exercise.

Is the car actually worth much, or would it be easier to sell it in Spain, maybe to a Spanish car dealer, and buy something here?
 
MrEarl said:
Is the car actually worth much, or would it be easier to sell it in Spain, maybe to a Spanish car dealer, and buy something here?
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Hard to find a buyer for a RHD in Spain. If you do, a discount to fair value will be 30% or more.

SparkRite said:
Hmm, are you sure about that?
Have you/she rang her insurer to check?
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Your insurance usually expires after six months absence from country of insurance. Maybe they are doing some kind of Covid-related exceptions.

Otherwise for registering the car in Spain her Irish NCB can be used for the Spanish insurance she would have to take out.

peemac said:
Some options come up when you search in Google
https://cars-go-transport.com/es/car-transport-services-ireland-to-spain-portugal/
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This most likely relies on the vehicle owner driving it to a collection point, and if insurance is your problem......
 
The car is a 2017 Honda Civic so fairly new and not an old car that could easily be left in Spain. The first NCT on the car was due in March of this year. My friend does not own property there but rents when she travels over. AFIK she has still some level of insurance cover but I thought that once the NCT had not been carried out it may cause a problem with the insurance - perhaps not.

I used to live in Spain myself and have brought my Spanish car back and forth in the past and also re-registered it here in Ireland and eventually put it back on Spanish plates before selling it so I know what it entails and my friend has no wish to do that only to get the car back to Ireland with as little difficulty as possible. She will have to check insurance cover and probably fly over to either bring it back herself or to have it collected to bring home.

As so much time has passed and due to the severe heat over 2 summers it is possible that the car has deteriorated and may not start or be driveable. Fortunately I do know a mechanic over there who could check everything over for her.

I'll have a look at the web site peemac has mentioned and hopefully it may be possible to transport the car home at a reasonable cost. If it were my own car I'd fly over, stay for a while and have it completely checked over then drive it to Bilbao but all this would depend on having insurance cover.

Thanks everyone for your advice.
 
ALEXA said:
AFIK she has still some level of insurance cover but I thought that once the NCT had not been carried out it may cause a problem with the insurance - perhaps not.
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If you could be precise on this point you would get the most useful advice about how to get it home :)
 
ALEXA said:
A friend of mine spent the winter 2019 -2020 in Spain but when Covid became a major problem there she had to fly home and leave her car behind. Her car has been parked at Murcia airport since February 2020. She could probably travel over now and collect it, drive back to Ireland but in the meantime the NCT has expired and this would render her insurance invalid. I have suggested using the services of a transport company to collect the car and bring it home for her. However, I don't know of any company that provides that type of service to Ireland ( there are a number in UK). It would have to be totally reliable and legit with proper insurance in place and familiarity with whatever documents that would be required. Could anyone recommend such a transport company?
Many thanks in advance.
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Another factor is what are the charges for airport parking for 20 months?! Airports not renowned for cheap parking.

I can just picture her strolling up with her ticket to the machine and inserting it to see some astronomical figure and a subsequent card payment meltdown.
 
Pity about the NCT as there was a 4 month extension due to Covid so would not have been due until July, haven't missed it by much.

But I would ask insurance company about whether or not it has any affect on the insurance, if it didn't I'd definitely chance it, be very unlucky to be stopped and it's a hell of a good excuse! Have an NCT appointment booked before even leaving Spain with it.
 
NoRegretsCoyote said:
Hard to find a buyer for a RHD in Spain. If you do, a discount to fair value will be 30% or more......
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Good point, although there's a lot of Irish and British ex pats over there, so there's probably some market for it.

Considering resale value, compared to the costs of travel, parking, fuel, maintenance, insurance, NCT, and the person's time, selling it might still be the best option here. Much depends on the individual's free time to look after this problem, I suppose.
 
deanpark said:
Another factor is what are the charges for airport parking for 20 months?! Airports not renowned for cheap parking.

I can just picture her strolling up with her ticket to the machine and inserting it to see some astronomical figure and a subsequent card payment meltdown.
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Assuming the car is even still there, has someone checked? I would have expected it to be towed as abandoned.
 
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I’d also be concerned about it being towed under normal circumstances, Covid may change that though, but I’d also be concerned about parking charges.

I would just call the insurance company and explain NCT and time out of Ireland situation. I’d be surprised if they can’t sort out cover for you for free or for a small charge! ?
 
SparkRite said:
Hmm, are you sure about that?
Have you/she rang her insurer to check?
Click to expand...
There was early-Covid coverage in the media on how the insurers would take a sympathetic view of those with expired NCTs due to difficulties getting a test booking, extending their normal grace periods. It's likely this case has gone well beyond any grace period now though.

Regardless, an insurer is likely to have issues covering a car that has been sitting parked for this length of time unless it gets a safety check.
 
Leo said:
Regardless, an insurer is likely to have issues covering a car that has been sitting parked for this length of time unless it gets a safety check.
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Totally agree, however we are all just 'second guessing' really, the OP needs to contact their previous insurer or any motor insurance company, for that matter for a definitive answer.

presidenttttt said:
I would just call the insurance company and explain NCT and time out of Ireland situation. I’d be surprised if they can’t sort out cover for you for free or for a small charge! ?
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Yes more than likely they can provide some sort of cover, but I don't think it would be just a 'small charge' and certainly not 'for free'.
 
SparkRite said:
Totally agree, however we are all just 'second guessing' really, the OP needs to contact their previous insurer or any motor insurance company, for that matter for a definitive answer.
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Absolutely, the insurance company are the only ones who can answer that aspect, and I'd advise getting any assurance of cover in writing.

OP, remember, if there is an accident where the time the car was sitting idle could be deemed a factor, the insurance company can use this in their favour.
 
No attempt should be made to start the car until a mechanic does the following:
  1. Drain the fuel and clean the tank and fuel pump(s), lifter pump and injector pump if it's fuel-injected
  2. Replace the fuel filter
  3. Drain engine-oil, leave over night to drain if possible. Maybe drop the sump and check for sludge would be a good move. Clean if necessary, replace with new gasket and drain plug & washer.
  4. Replace oil-filter
  5. Check spark-plugs and if possible compression each cylinder
  6. Check that the parking brake isn't bound with rust to the drums/discs
  7. Check the parking brake cables or electronics if it's an electric one.
  8. Check the brake discs aren't rusted and pitted and that the pads/shoes are still serviceable and the brake lines aren't rusted
  9. Drain, clean brake lines and replace the brake fluid and bleed brakes
  10. Drain and replace coolant, checking rad and hoses for cracks or leaks; replace as needed
  11. Replace air filter and cabin-filter
  12. Check A/C pump, condenser and gas
  13. Check power steering replace fluid if not electrically powered
  14. Check battery, replace or recharge
  15. The tyres are probably flat and may have suffered side-wall damage from the sun and the weight of the car on them, Replace as necessary as you cannot safely repair side-wall damage. Check spare/repair kit.
  16. Wiper blades are probably perished, replace and refill washer bottle(s) after washing out the nasty residue in the reservoir.
  17. Now attempt to start the car, checking lights, indicators, window-heaters, brake & fog lights
Very few of these tasks are DIY and I'd suggest the car will have to lifted onto a flat-bed truck and taken to a franchised dealer

Get a full, detailed report from whoever works on the car as well as detailed invoices for the work. The car may now be deemed fit to insure but that's up to the insurer.

Hopefully the owner declared the car off-road while it was stuck in Spain and will not have to pay retrospective road-tax and can now arrange for the NCT booking.
 
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