Wednesday 27 January 2021

5 Mistakes To Avoid When Registering Your Car

 


It has been observed by many auto electrical repair shops in California that a lot of customers commit easily avoidable mistakes. However, their negligence causes significant problems for them, including facing law enforcement and confiscating of vehicles. 

As it is a common practice seen amongst customers resorting to these blunders time and again, I am sharing this list of the top five mistakes to avoid during vehicle registration.


  1. Lack of Proper Documentation


Around ten per cent of customers visiting a DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) office do not carry everything they require to complete their transaction and have to return to get their work done. According to the owner of a smog service in Rancho Cucamonga, this is more like non-availability of sufficient funds for paying to renew a license or lack of proof of auto insurance needed to register a car. Now, amidst the global pandemic it’s even better not to visit any office at all, and check out if your transaction can be done online, like the change of an address, license renewal, registration renewal, replacing a lost title, paying a DRA or scheduling a road test.


  1. Forget Updating Address


You must report a change of address if any to DMV within ten days of shifting. This is applicable for the address associated with your license, as well as all the addresses associated with each registered vehicle, which may vary.

It won’t be enough to only write your new address on the back of your old license or communicate the United States Postal Service or tell the police officer writing you a ticket. Once you fail to keep your present address, you may receive a suspension order or could be charged with operating an unregistered vehicle and/or aggravated unlicensed operation, both considered to be acts of a felony. However, this challenge is easily avoidable.


  1. No Idea About Costs of Traffic Points


DMV maintains a “point” system to monitor dangerous drivers. Regularly, motorists accused of a traffic ticket feel complacent to have resolved all their motoring issues with the local court. However, later realize that the Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA) is a different DMV charge based on the total points they gather.

The $300 DRA fee is payable in $100 annual instalments for three years. Motorists, failing to maintain an updated address with DMV may resolve their tickets with the court but never receive their DRA assessment as their new address are not on record. Failure to pay the DRA may lead to suspension of license.


  1. Leaving the State Without Informing Authorities


You may avail the free check engine light diagnosis but fail to inform the authorities while leaving the state. States do communicate with one another. Once, you move to another state, ensure to tie up all loose ends regarding your state license or registration. It means resolving any unanswered tickets, suspensions or revocations, and surrendering your license plates to when you shift to your new home state.

A license suspension or revocation here may imply that your new home state won’t issue you a license there. So, it is crucial to notify DMV of your new address so that any possible mail correspondence is accessible to you. Turn in your plates to prevent an insurance lapse.


  1. Allowing Lapse Of Insurance


We all pay indirectly for accidents involving uninsured motorists, every state in the USA mandates every motorist to maintain auto insurance every single day a vehicle is registered. DMV collaborates with insurance companies to electronically monitor your insurance coverage. It can be understood when coverage is dropped for any reason. DMV sends inquiry letters. If the inquiry letter does not resolve the problem, then the vehicle registration is suspended and if it continues, your driver license gets suspended too. 

More than 300,000 registrations are suspended a year due to failure to maintain insurance. 

During auto electrical repair in California, many of these errors have been witnessed by the experts and hence they have suggested being particular about all the necessary parameters.


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