Vehicle Registration (Part Two)

Almost got it done today. Things were going pretty well when I pulled up to get my vehicle inspected. I needed to pay 120 dirhams (US$ 33) to get a paper to give the guy who checks things out. There was no sign saying that but I saw people in front of me giving him a paper. When I asked, he told me to leave my car in line and get it. I got in the wrong line and ended up waiting longer than needed. For anyone registering vehicles in Abu Dhabi, go all the way to the cashier and pay the money to get the receipt. After the inspection was done, it was time to register everything. I got a number and waited for an hour only to find that I needed to show my inspection report to get another paper to show the woman doing my registration get a piece of paper. Hint to those people registering cars in Abu Dhabi: go to the desk on the opposite side of the waiting area to get your stamped copy of the inspection report.

Then it came. I was missing the vital document: proof of insurance. I carried over the insurance policy from the previous owner until September, but they needed proof of insurance for the next year. Luckily, they have the offices of seven insurance providers in the next building. Unluckily, they don't have the insurance that I have my SUV under so I had to wander around Abu Dhabi to find their office.

On my way there, I was waiting at a light when a bus clipped my car. Luckily, I only had a big dent in my bumper and a smashed tail light, but the bumper came off the bus. Now, I've heard that the police will generally come pretty quickly and settle things within minutes. I'll admit that the police were there fairly quickly, but we spent at least 30 minutes by the side of the road in the heat and another 30 minutes at the station dealing with this. The driver (Pakistani?) was arguing vehemently with the police that I had somehow moved and was to blame for the accident. I feel bad for the guy because he will likely lose a month or two salary over it, but I feel a lot less bad due to his blatant lies.

In the end, got a paper with the report to show the mechanic or insurance company or whoever asks to say that the accident wasn't my fault. Apparently, it's illegal here for a mechanic to do body work on a car without an accident report due to all the hit and run cases. After I got the paper, I was told to go to Buddy's insurance company to look at my car and tell me how much they'll give me to repair it. (I'll be interested to see how that turns out.) I tried to go there today but by the time I found it, they were just closing. A worker told me that they were open from 8:00 am tomorrow and I should come back then. Luckily, someone else who works there and overheard my story told me to be there form 9:45 because the claims adjuster only looks at cars from 10:00 to 11:00 during Ramadan. Of course!

I was able to call my insurance company from home and buy a new policy from my provider. I have to go pick up the policy from their office tomorrow. Hopefully then I'll be able to register the car finally. It's a good thing I already had the inspection.