First lady to unveil French-born panda In her symbolic role as godmother, Brigitte Macron will attend the naming ceremony of the first panda born in France >> Page 6 November 2016 - Issue #85
Dordogne
Your local newspaper for life in France
December 2017 - Issue 54 - FREE!
Contrôle technique rules get tougher New, stricter rules, due to come into effect in May 2018, have test centres braced for a wave of car owners hoping to get their vehicles checked before the deadline.
test. If your car has a major fault, you are given two months to fix the problem and bring your vehicle back to the test centre for a contrevisite to have the fault reassessed, at which point a valid CT sticker will be issued. From May next year, however, the number of faults being checked will rise from 453 to 606 and the extra work is expected to lead to an increase of 15-20% in the cost of a CT – currently, the average price ranges from €50-€80. The most significant change being introduced is the creation of a “critical failure” category containing 127 checks. These range from balding tyres to faulty lights or low brake fluid levels. If your car fails with such a
>> continued on page 6
Petrol station pumps wrong fuel - pg 3
The hidden dangers of drinking tea - pg 4
Beef bourgignon voted national dish - pg 9
The Bugle Business Directory - pg 14-16
© Stewart Baird (WikiCommons)
I
f you have a French registered car, you are probably familiar with the local equivalent of the MOT, the contrôle technique (CT). This biennial event is a nervous time for drivers, particularly those with older cars, as we find out if we are allowed to stay on the roads for another two years and how much we might have to pay for the privilege. This ritual will get a lot more nerve-wracking - and expensive - from 20th May next year, when European regulations kick in that will see far stricter rules applied to the test. At present, there are 453 checks on which a car can fail and a further 123 minor issues that will appear on the report as recommendations, but will not result in a failure of the
France to host 2023 Rugby World Cup - page 8
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