Australia / Thinking about moving to Australia [39]


I'm planning on staying there for good, The standard of living looks to be far better than in any european country and I don't think I could ever live in the UK again its just a mess. I've always dreamt of emigrating to australia so looks like my dream has come true. I can't wait its a matter of weeks now before I leave :)


Its all we really hear about in the UK, Maybe its government propaganda to try and keep the entire working population from leaving to go and live there.

I was really paranoid about the spiders but everyone i've spoken to assures me that they are fairly rare especially if living in a modern apartment in the city.

Anyway roll on April I really can't wait for the good food, good way of life and some great skiing this summer.

Australia / Thinking about moving to Australia [39]

Just out of interest how cold is it likely to get in Sydney during the winter months and also how early does it get dark, I'm sort of coming to terms with the fact that this year I will have endured the horrific polish winter and then will have the Aus winter and I despise dark nights, Small price to pay I suppose.

Real Estate / Options for dealing with dishonest landlord in Poland [36]

Just ignore him and don't pay. All landlords in Polish are dishonest and greedy and there is no way they can take you to court for the money.

If they can't prove that you owe them the money with evidence ie dated invoices etc then take it that you don't owe them it.

Yet another example of Polish greed and stupidity. I had the same problem once and I just left and didn't hear anything else.

Real Estate / Options for dealing with dishonest landlord in Poland [36]


Thats ridiculous, I earn a lot more money than the average Polish person and work for myself how would somebody in my situation provide a reference? Its just giving poles a reason to be more unreasonable and backwards. When I had my old flat in Naramowice and paid for the garage they refused to allow me to have a replacement remote as I don't have a NIP number, When I asked why this was they told me they wanted to make sure I could afford it. I was paying for it anyway and was parking a 6 year old expensive ******* limousine in it of course I could afford 10 quid a month. Its pathetic here and i am so glad i'm leaving soon.

Law / Scrapping a vehicle in Poland? [21]

PM wildrover I'm sure he will love that and judging by his mechanical knowledge would be able to get it up an running in no time.

But from experience don't trust a Polish mechanics judgment. What is it doing to make you think the timing is out? Also adjusting the timing is stupidly easy. If its a US import it may struggle on the higher octane fuel over here in europe. I know on the US spec mx5's the timing has to be advanced by 14 degrees to stop any knocking so it may be something as simple as that. If you are handy with a spanner and get yourself a timing light you should be able to do it yourself.

Theres no such thing as a timing system the timing is determined by the position of the pulleys.

Post up the symptoms and i'll have a look on Autodata at common problems but ffs don't scrap it for such a minor problem.

I would always swap it for my winter vehicle 1997 e36 bmw?

Law / Scrapping a vehicle in Poland? [21]


It doesn't sound all that bad from what I can tell, How long have you been driving it for in Poland? I take it came from the US, My bet is on it sparking late due to the difference in fuel quality EU - USA.

Is it down on power or anything as it could also be something as simple as a coil pack. My Audi did a similar thing when I had one blow. They are usually really easy to replace and quite cheap. 150 pln max and about 10 minutes to fit.

If its noticeably down on power and running lumpy its more than likely the coil pack, If its driving ok but just making the noise get the timing adjusted and maybe change the spark plugs as the gap may be different to aid combustion, 30 min job max and no parts required.

For the 3000 pln they are asking you could get a new engine, Another sad example of poles trying to rip off foriegners.

If you can send me as much info as you can i'll call my mate whos a mechanic, ie engine size etc, If you know the engine code ie (BMW M50 series) Mileage would help too as he might be able to find out what common problems are with similar models of that mileage.

News / RHD cars in Poland - my campaign to change the rules in Poland [128]

Hi,
I wonder if anyone can help me, I plan to move to krakow in May and am hoping to bring my car from England but have a few questions:-

1. How do you get insurance in Poland for a rhd car, is this possible?
Use a UK insurer. I use CIS as they offer extended unlimited foreign use for an extra 20 quid a year.
[/i]

2. What happens to the tax on the car from UK?
It needs to be taxed even when being used outside the country, Just whack 12 months on before you leave and the same applies to the MOT.

[i]

3. Do you have to have the car registered to a UK address?
Yes.[/i]

4. How long can you keep the car in Poland?

Legally 12 months but nobody checks especially if you a travelling between the UK and PL regularly keep it as long as you like but make sure it has valid MOT, Tax and insurance.[i]

5. Can you still use your UK driving license?
Yes its EU, Also the Polish authorities will make it as difficult as possible for you to obtain a polish licence so just use your UK one. Also you can't get points on your UK licence here for speeding etc[i][/i]

I would appreciate any help at all on this subject.

Hope this helps.

News / RHD cars in Poland - my campaign to change the rules in Poland [128]


I don't think theres any written information about the process but its worth just bringing your UK car here in GB plates, The law here WILL have to change soon so just hold fire and until it does.

Personally I wouldn't buy a car here as in general Poles can't be trusted and they repair cars which should have been crushed probably to the usual polish half arsed standard too. Theres no central database of cars which have been written off and they won't tell you if it has been damaged repaired.

Insurance is more expensive here too and the cost of cars is about 30% more than in the UK. Theres also a chance that they might not sell you cover as Polish organisations take great pleasure in making life difficult for non poles.

What car do you drive? I would seriously reccomend CIS as we pay around 350 per year on our winter car with eu breakdown cover and no time limit on driving abroad. That way if you need to make a claim or you break down you speak to an English person and with an English company. If you go home once a year ie xmas or something getting an MOT every 12 months is no major ballache

Off-Topic / PF members MEETUPS.....everyone welcome! [52]

Mikey post the new meet up for next weekend :)

News / RHD cars in Poland - my campaign to change the rules in Poland [128]

Just try and register it and don't even mention that its RHD, theres someone on this forum who registered a RHD PT cruiser without any issue and they didn't even question it.

Failing that you will need to wait until Poland remember they are in the EU and not just being financially propped up by it and the law changes which it most defintely will have to.

UK, Ireland / Which country is more corrupt - Poland or the UK? [35]

Poland is definately more corrupt and this is worrying in a country which is inhabited by people who are incompetent in prettymuch every aspect of life and always try to blame someone else for their own or their countrys problems.

FFS they are still blaming communism for everything and that was 2 decades ago.

News / RHD cars in Poland - my campaign to change the rules in Poland [128]

They'll only pass the blame on to Napoleon for introducing right side traffic as nothing is ever a Poles fault is it.

UK, Ireland / Which country is more corrupt - Poland or the UK? [35]


I'm not saying that it had no effect but everything from roadbuilding being the more expensive in PL than every other EU country to the way people have no regard for others and are rude, Terrible customer service, Terrible standards of driving, Shoddy workmanship and having to bribe people to get a job done is blamed on communism. Yes communism had a terrible effect on PL as a nation but it seems to be blamed for everything.

The Czech republic seems to be doing just fine and developing as a country but the Polish pass the blame mentality seems to be holding things back. As opposed to looking forward to what can be done and what needs to be done people are still looking back at who can be blamed for all the things that have gone wrong.

Usually the English, the Jews or the Germans. Whos going to be to blame when there is a recession here on a much higher magnitude than what the UK has experienced due to people buying everything on finance? Its even possible to buy a set of tyres here on 24 month credit so you will still be paying for them 18 months after they stopped being serviceable and i'm sure theres plenty more examples of such lunacy.

UK, Ireland / Which country is more corrupt - Poland or the UK? [35]


I'm trying to find it online now, I read in a CIPD mag last year

Life / British sky satellite TV in Poland [87]

No Bring it, If you point it at the right satallite you can get UK freeview :)

Travel / Plusbus Poznan-Lodz [8]

Prices look fantastic, will you have some other destinations eventually as I would hate to have to go to Lodz?

Law / Any good business ideas - what Poland needs? [114]

Slush puppy, I reckon it would go down a storm in PL Especially with Vodka,

Part worn tyres from Germany where the legal limit is something like 5mm. Its a pretty good business in the UK so i guess it would work in PL where people are much tighter.

LHD cars from Japan, Yes they do have them, usually prestige brands such as Beemer, Audi, Mercedes etc as its fashionable to have LHD there even though they drive on the left.

They are kept in mint condition and have rarely done more than 100,000 kms. I think that this could be a goldmine. low mileage German cars always sell for a premium.

Law / Buying 2nd hand cars - UK or Poland [7]

Buy a lhd from japan (yes there are some), lower mileage and better looked after + they don't salt the roads there so less rust,

tradecarview.com if you want to have a look, just select LHD stock.

Could always get yourself a nice ex yakuza merc s500 :)

Law / Buying 2nd hand cars - UK or Poland [7]

I've never shipped to Poland but shipped loads from JP - PL,

The main hidden cost occurs with cars younger than 10 years old where they are reuired to have an SVA once before registration in the UK, This isn't normally a problem but occasionally getting hold of the model report can be difficult and expensive.

Its easilly dooable though. if you are looking for something less than 10 years old contact an SVA tester: charlesworths.co.uk. I've used them several times and it is worth asking them how difficult an SVA is likely to be on a particular model. If it has any modifications it might be more difficult.

On cars older than 10 years the process is really simple, Its simply MOT it on the Chassis number, Insure it on th Chassis number and then pay the DVLA registration charge which is 55 GBP + the cost of 6 months road tax.

Depending on the model you will need to fit a rear fog light as they don't have them in Japan but thats it.

In all honesty it is really really simple and takes about 1 week after the car has arrived in the UK.

I used to import Skylines, imprezas and Mx-5's on a regular basis, 2-3 a monthand never had an major issues with it.

If you need any help or advice drop me a mail and i'll go through the process wih you and explain how to minimise the cost of import duty, usually 10% of the vehicle cost + VAT.

Hope this helps and any questions just ask :)

BTW the prices on the website are really negotiable you can usually get 20% off and it might be worth shipping 2 cars at a time ie a car you want and a really cheap car to sell as the shipping cost is often for a full container at a time and the sale of the second car could easilly pay for your shipping and registration costs.

Real Estate / Are the tenants responsible? - question about renting property in Poland [13]

We are leaving but I just wondered if tenents in PL are expected to pay for things when they break or if she's trying to pull a fast one,

Real Estate / Are the tenants responsible? - question about renting property in Poland [13]

I know it sounds nasty but since living here I really find it difficult trusting poles as they all seem to be trying to rob me blind in one way or another.

Real Estate / Are the tenants responsible? - question about renting property in Poland [13]

Its the toilet cistern which is broken, its hidden in the wall and i've had a look at it and the water shut off valve is broken, I offered to get my friend to fix it free of charge as he works for the manufacturer and he would do it so long as we can get the reciept of purchase. She ignored this and told us to pay to get it fixed,

Life / Has anyone in Poland that you know been affected by H1N1? (swine flu) [44]

H1N1 was over hyped so the drug companies could make a killing, I spoke to one of my friends who's a GP in the UK and he thought that its no worse than the usual flu outbreak and a lot of people have had it without really realising.

Its next years flu we need to be worrying about.

Personally to stave off illness if i feel the onset of something I get down to lidls and buy loads of their disgusting multivitamin drink and drink gallons of the stuff, eat chopped garlic on read and it seems to do the trick.

Travel / Non-EU citizens coming to Poland for 2 weeks. Do they need tourist invitations? [10]


To make it you will need

A pair of scissors (only to be used with adult supervision)
Some A4 paper (be careful of papercuts)
A potato stamp (cut a potato in half and carve the stamp on the bottom)
Some ink (don't drink it as it can be poisonous to aquatic animals)
Coloured Crayons
Felt tip pens
Sticky back plastic (just for good luck)

You need to cut 2 sheets of A4 in half to make half a4 size pieces of paper,(I think they might be called A3 or perhaps A2?)

Then you need to write the words "Please come to poland to visit me I invite you regards (Insert name of host)"This MUST be written in your best hadwriting in felt tip pen.

You then need to colour in the paper using the the crayons and felt tip pen in order to make it look pretty(I reccomend liberal use of the blue and red crayon for this part)

The next stage is to create your stamp, Cut the potato in half and use a sharp knife to carve something into the bottom of it(make sure you have adult supervision at this point as it can be dangerous)

Once the stamp is completed you will need to dip it into the ink and press hard on each of the pages in order to verify them,

You will then have a finished invitation for each of your friends, their families and even perhaps their dogs.

Hope this helps.

Travel / Non-EU citizens coming to Poland for 2 weeks. Do they need tourist invitations? [10]

Sarcasm? Where?

Life / Cost of converting cars in Poland to left-hand drive [58]

Judging by the way polish people drive this is very possible indeed. Also steering with your foot keeps a hand free for those all important phone calls behind the wheel.

UK, Ireland / English teenager refused service at Polish shop [87]

It should be closed down and he should be sent back to Poland, Anti British racism in Britain cant be tolerated anymore.

Being Polish he will probably blame it on someone else.

Travel / Driving to Poland from England - any tips? [264]


Yes unfortunately in Germany its the law but you will probably get away with it if you have matching pairs on each axle:( You need at least 3mm of tread on the tyres too.

180 for the ferry seems a bit excessive, which ferry are you taking? I normally get the norfolkline dover - dunkirk for 25 quid each way.

Not sure about fuel but fill up before you leave the UK as fuel within the Euro zone is silly money but cheap in PL

Law / Import a car from US to Poland [23]

I seriously wouldn't trust a Pole to put my car back together at this end. Have you ever seen Polish workmanship? Its dreadful and bordering on dangerous.