Taking your car for its ITV
If you have owned a Spanish car for any length of time, you will know that it has to undergo regular inspections - the "Inspección Técnica de Vehículos". What you might not know, if you haven't undergone the process for a couple of years, is that you can no longer turn up at your nearest ITV centre, show them your documents, pay your money and wait in line. You have to make an appointment, and if your car is due to be tested in April, for example, the first available date will be in May. Either you stop using your car, risk being caught and fined, or make an appointment in Antequera or somewhere else at a ridiculous distance from your home. So. Don't wait till the official reminder comes before you make an appointment. You can do it by internet, here www.itvcita.com - have your car documents handy for putting in all the details.
The first time you take a vehicle to be inspected is almost as bad as going to the dentist, not knowing if major work is going to have to be done. Orders are barked at you and, however good your Spanish and mechanical know-how, they will have to be repeated. After all, if you are a bit nervous about the whole thing anyway, and not sure if you can remember how to open the bonnet from inside, and a man who has power over your car's pass or fail mark suddenly shouts "Bájese", you can be forgiven for understanding "Párese" and turning the engine off rather than getting out.
Two good things. When he fails it because one of the sidelight bulbs has come adrift, you get a fortnight to get it fixed and go back, when no appointment is needed and no further charge will be made. On the other hand, it is May and you are driving it illegally, so you can take it to your friendly local mechanic immediately and he might just fix it on the spot, free of charge.
| Taking your car for its ITV | |
|---|---|
| La llamarán por megafonía | You’ll be called over the PA system |
| Sólo se escucha aquí dentro | You can only hear it inside here |
| Adelante, despacito | Drive forwards, slowly |
| ¡Párese! ¡Bájese! | Stop! Get out! |
| Frene. Quite el freno de mano | Brake. Take the hand brake off |
| Abra el capó | Open the bonnet |
| Encienda la luz de emergencia | Turn on the hazard warning lights |
| Déle al intermitente | Turn on the indicator |
| Acelere. Pise fuerte el freno | Accelerate. Brake hard |
| Aparque fuera y espere sin entrar aquí | Park outside and wait but don’t come back in here |
| Tenía que haber esperado en la puerta, no en el coche | You should have waited at the door, not in the car |
| Tiene que volver | You’ll have to come back |
| Tiene que arreglar lo que pone aquí | You need to fix what it says here |
| Cuando esté arreglado, vuelva con todos estos papeles | When it’s fixed, come back with all these papers |
| Ahora está bien. Tiene dos años | It’s OK now. You’ve got (another) two years |
