The Latest Saga with the California DMV

[Maury&Julie]

Thanks to all of you for such humorous, informative, and helpful comments! I am sure we will get this done. I am being a little dramatic about it all. Getting licensed in California seems to me like a Chinese pinball machine. You really can't guarantee how the experience will go as much as you may want to. You drop your ball in the top and hope it finds a nice path through. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Once it starts bouncing around you just have to take your lumps. In retrospect I wish we had waited until we got home and dealt with a local office.

[gocamp]

I never knew AAA club did state car tags and plates.

Originally Posted by 46indian

Guess I was a lucky one.

I was able get a license for our trailer from a local AAA office prior to going to Chilliwack. They took the Escape paperwork, did a currency conversion to collect the fees and issued me the license plate. Took about 20 minutes.

I guess it depends upon the individual handling the licensing.

[ethanallen2]

Since Minnesota is where I grew up, I will avoid the MN/Iowa/Wisconsin jokes...a great place to be from and wife is from Winnipeg...We do select the time of year to visit! Visited AAA (Auto Club); they do not do import/out of country registrations. Stopped by a brand new California DMV here in San Marcos on the chance of a walk-in...a line of 15-20 waiting outside the door just to check-in! I will try for an appointment to talk to someone. According to AAA, we have 20 days back in CA to register the trailer. DMV does have an on-line fee calculator works great.
Now I am a bit concerned over our plan to take delivery of the 5.0 at Chilliwack and then travel in Canada for 1 -2 weeks before a return to the US from Manitoba to Minnesota via North Dakota and then home to California. Besides the possibility of no license plate on the trailer plus the border officials of both countries in MB & ND won't be very familiar wit ETI and importing their trailers. I shall schedule an appt with DMV...

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by 46indian

Guess I was a lucky one.

I was able get a license for our trailer from a local AAA office prior to going to Chilliwack. They took the Escape paperwork, did a currency conversion to collect the fees and issued me the license plate. Took about 20 minutes.

I guess it depends upon the individual handling the licensing.

EthanAllen- another idea is to try to find out who exactly 46indian dealt with at his AAA office and call to make an appointment with them.

[CADreamin]

It's a bit far for you but we had great luck at the DMV in Hollister. We didn't have an appointment so we had to wait about 15 minutes (at most) and then the agent walked outside and across the street to where we were parked to inspect the trailer. He looked it over, checked the tags, asked a few questions about the logistics of ordering one, signed our papers and off we went. But, you're absolutely right ... it just depends on who you get and their mood at the time of your interaction.

We wish you luck in, what we know will be, your final visit to the DMV.