Driving tips to Germany AMG

[BTB 500]

If you mean the museum, it's inside the Stuttgart low emission zone so you should have a disk. IIRC there are other zones to the north that directly border the Stuttgart one, so a pretty big area is covered.

Found a map of the zones in that area. Affalterbach is outside:

 

[keith of kent]

The German emissions sticker is £12. Is it worth risking it by not having one?

 

[BIGDOG]

France for the food.

Get a Bip and Go.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

The Sinsheim museum is just to the north of Stuttgart and definitely worth a visit if you have time (it's huge):

Technik Museum Sinsheim | Germany

Visit the full-accessable CONCORDE, hundreds of classic cars, locomotives, formula-1 cars and much more!

sinsheim.technik-museum.de

I didn't mention Sinsheim because it's a bit of a hop, and a bit of a mix, but....

Where else can you get into the cockpit of a Concorde, literally within reaching distance of the controls? (It's OK, they've removed the ignition key)

(Let's not, for the moment, ask why any one was so stupid to have this 1950's designed airliner still in Commercial service at the start of the new Millennium....)

 

[BTB 500]

The German emissions sticker is £12. Is it worth risking it by not having one?

Realistically the chance of being caught and fined is probably very low. It's a small cost compared to the rest of a trip there and back though.

 

[BTB 500]

I didn't mention Sinsheim because it's a bit of a hop, and a bit of a mix, but....

Where else can you get into the cockpit of a Concorde, literally within reaching distance of the controls?

Not to mention the cockpit of a Tu-144, right next to it.

 

[Neiltodd]

The German emissions sticker is £12. Is it worth risking it by not having one?

And they last forever, a once only payment.

 

[BTB 500]

And they last forever, a once only payment.

Unless you have your windscreen replaced - they can't be removed other than in small pieces!

 

[DITTRICH]

France - Crit'air sticker.
Germany - Umwelt Plakette.
Both can be bought online using a scanned v5c.

 

[DITTRICH]

Unless you have your windscreen replaced - they can't be removed other than in small pieces!

This is why I keep mine separate to the screen. Both stickers have your reg on it anyway.

 

[JHS]

The Sinsheim museum is just to the north of Stuttgart and definitely worth a visit if you have time (it's huge):

Technik Museum Sinsheim | Germany

Visit the full-accessable CONCORDE, hundreds of classic cars, locomotives, formula-1 cars and much more!

sinsheim.technik-museum.de

They have another site at Speyer (fairly close), although I've not been to that one:

Technik Museum Speyer

Erleben Sie im Technik Museum Speyer Europas größte Raumfahrtausstellung, das Space Shuttle BURAN, die begehbare Boeing 747 und vieles mehr!

speyer.technik-museum.de

+1 for Sinsheim.

 

[Skd884]

 

[jonboyE63]

When heading to Southern Germany & Italy, we always go south to Lille, then cut into Belgium via Mons, then Luxembourg, Saarbrucken & onto Bavaria. Saves a ton of tolls, half decent roads & some cracking motorways south of Luxembourg.
Enjoy your trip & watch out for the Belgium average speed camera zones...also, best check if winter tyres are mandatory in Germany.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

When heading to Southern Germany & Italy, we always go south to Lille, then cut into Belgium via Mons, then Luxembourg, Saarbrucken & onto Bavaria. Saves a ton of tolls, half decent roads & some cracking motorways south of Luxembourg.
Enjoy your trip & watch out for the Belgium average speed camera zones...also, best check if winter tyres are mandatory in Germany.

Germany's requirement is that winter tyres must be worn when driving in slushy, snowy or icy conditions. (Not required if just parked up, unless you're obstructing a road)

Get caught and you'll get a modest fine, and a point on your licence.

 

[BTB 500]

Germany's requirement is that winter tyres must be worn when driving in slushy, snowy or icy conditions. (Not required if just parked up, unless you're obstructing a road)

Get caught and you'll get a modest fine, and a point on your licence.

IIRC they are changing the law soon (next year?) to no longer allow M+S (mud and snow) all-season tyres ... you'll need ones specifically rated for snow (with the snowflake + mountain symbol). Certainly in the south (where my wife is from) just about everybody has a second set of wheels with winter tyres on them.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

IIRC they are changing the law soon (next year?) to no longer allow M+S (mud and snow) all-season tyres ... you'll need ones specifically rated for snow (with the snowflake + mountain symbol). Certainly in the south (where my wife is from) just about everybody has a second set of wheels with winter tyres on them.

"Let's have a debate" (Your wife, or any German resident, can arbitrate)

Methinks that Germany thought the old "von O bis O" rule was too vague. (From October to Easter aka "Ostern"),

So the German Federal law was changed eight years ago in 2015, to demand Winter, not "all season" tyres in conditions of snow and slush (bei Glatteis, Schneeglätte, Schneematsch, Eis- und Reifglätteand) and the tyre manufacturers had to bring out Winter tyres with a specific "Alpine peak and snowflake" logo to show that they're different to All Season (Match und Schnee). And from 2015 Germany introduced a Federally defined spec as to what such a winter tyre actually is.

There's no Federally designated time limit (October to Easter), you simply mustn't drive without Winter tyres (i.e. NOT All Season Match und Schnee) if there's ice or snow.

To labour the point, you don't have to have "Alpine peak" Winter tyres if you're driving in December on conditions without snow - you just have to have them IF driving in snow or slush.

Bear in mind that snow in Germany can be a much more serious thing than it is in England, or even Scotland. Different climate and different attitude to typical speed.

All that said, are the police going to stop you, and if they do, it's just a 50 or 60 Euro fine and one point on your driving licence, although there could be an insurance renewal premium issue.

 

[BTB 500]

"Let's have a debate" (Your wife, or any German resident, can arbitrate)

My wife has lived in the UK for 26 years so definitely wouldn't be a reliable source My father in law is coming to stay next week though - if I remember I'll ask him what the current situation is

From a quick Google this German website says you can drive (in adverse conditions) on tyres that only have M+S markings until the end of September next year, but only if they were made before the end of 2017

Interesting that both the owner and the driver of the car get fined!

Mandatory winter tires: The rules in Germany and the rest of Europe

In some European countries winter tires are mandatory for cars. In others they are not mandatory or only under special conditions. Therefore, it should be helpful, before going on holidays, to have a closer look at the corresponding regulations.

www.evz.de

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

You have to admit - it's a pragmatic solution to say that you only need them to actually drive in poor conditions.

So, if you've got a nice high days and holidays motor, there's no need to put swop to Winters every October.

Ditto that acceptance that there needed to be a transitional period for new spec tyres to actually get out there and onto every affected car.

 

[Dippo]

Isn't this one of the reasons MB stopped factory collections?

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Isn't this one of the reasons MB stopped factory collections?

Wasn’t that finally just a Covid-19 thing?

I saw Americans collecting from Sindelfingen in 2019 but, on the other hand, googling tells me that collection by Europeans stopped earlier in the decade.