Read the TÜV sticker - this is how you read the values correctly
- Read plaque
- Design of the TÜV sticker
- How long can you cover the HU "> Come by the TÜV
Hardly any criterion is as important when buying a used car as the TÜV sticker. Read in this article how to read a sticker correctly and what that means for your car.
Until the TÜV separates us ....
With falling value and age of the car, most owners also tend to decrease their willingness to care for the car. So, sooner or later, every car will be timed to drive in its "last TÜV period". If this is exceeded, the car usually has only scrap value. But as soon as a fresh badge emblazoned on the license plate, the car can be sold again for significantly more money. After all, it now has permission to move legally on German roads. But to get that validity for the next two years, a lot is needed.
Read plaque
The badge indicates the month and year until when the vehicle is allowed to move in traffic. When the validity time is exceeded, two things happen:
- The car can only be canceled after a sale. It is no longer possible to change or sign up for another holder.
- The car is no longer street legal. If a vehicle with an expired badge is detected by the police or the public order office, a fine can be imposed.
Design of the TÜV sticker
The difficulty in reading the badge is that the year of its validity is color coded and not numbered. The colors change in a fixed cycle of seven years. So you could theoretically put a car with an expired TÜV for seven years in a garage, it would at least not immediately notice the color. But taxes and insurance would have to be paid during the whole period. It's not worth it for a car.
Today the following colors are valid:
Blue: The HU expires in 2020 Orange: HU expires in 2019 Green: HU expires in 2018 Rosa: The HU expires in 2017 Braun: The HU expired in 2016 Yellow: The HU expired in 2015 Blue: The HU expired in 2014 A police officer who sees a car with a blue, yellow or brown TÜV sticker in 2017 today will certainly be suspicious. If the car is on public roads, it will certainly result in a fine.
In addition to the year, the month is also valid for the TÜV validity. It is represented by a wreath that runs around the outer edge of the TÜV sticker. There, the months are arranged with their respective numbers in order. The month of maturity is always the one that is vertical in the middle. In order to be able to accurately read the expiring month even at a greater distance, a black mark is placed in the area of January, December and November.
A green TÜV sticker with a 3 at the highest point indicates an expiration date of March 2018.
How long can you cover the HU ">
- 1 day to 2 months: A police officer will draw attention to the expired HU
- 3 to 4 months: 15 euros fine and an obligation to show the car immediately at the HU. This is carried out more stringently.
- 4 months to 8 months: 25 euros fine and likewise deepened HU.
- Over 8 months: 60 Euro fine, a point in the traffic offender pass, B-offense for novice drivers and a deepened HU.
With a HU appointment so far covered, the decommissioning of the car can also threaten. Towing and storage costs are at the expense of the owner.
The insurance also talks
If an accident occurs with a car where the HU has run out, insurance problems are inevitable. The insurance company may refuse part of the payment or demand repayment of payments made. In any case, an in-depth examination of the car will be carried out after the accident. If it is determined that the car is no longer in a roadworthy condition, it can be very expensive for the owner.
Come by the TÜV
A main inspection for a car follows a fixed set of rules. No car is subject to arbitrariness by an inspector. This makes it particularly easy and transparent for the owners to prepare their vehicle for the appointment.
To get a car safely through the main investigation:
- Does the brake system have to be intact?
- Does the exhaust system have to be intact?
- Does the exhaust gas purification have to work?
- Does the lighting system have to work?
- Must the tires be ok: age, condition, tread depth
- Must the chassis and the steering be intact
- May not rust on supporting parts
- At no point should liquids leak: oil, petrol, cooling water, servo oil, brake fluid, etc.
- May not be triggered airbag
- May there be no apparent defect otherwise
- All conversions must be registered
If these points are processed by the TÜV before the presentation, there is usually nothing in the way of a new TÜV sticker.
