European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 11, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Getting together with your Auto by Diana Valdez staff writer s warm weather moves in so does about one third of the military population in Europe replacing those rotating Back to the states. There Are apartments to find quarters to move into and cars to pick up. And that Means an in crease in the number of service members and defense department civilians visiting vehicle processing centers throughout Europe. Here Are some tips on How to pick up a car with a minimum of aggravation Germany Bremerhaven is the Home of the largest and busiest . Military vehicle processing Center in Europe. It handles about 200 cars a Day during the summer months or almost 23,000 a year for import. Here s a list of things needed to get through the process As fast As possible but plan on a wait of two to five hours. The car won t be released if motorists Don t have proof of insurance the double White card and a Usa eur Driver s License. A stateside insurance policy and License won t do. Owners need two copies of a form 1598 signed by an e-7 or above from their unit to Register a car. Also necessary is the shipping document do form 788given to motorists at the stateside port that tells Center personnel the car s condition before it left the states. Bring a set of keys. It does t happen often but the original keys May have been lost during the trip. And it s a Good idea to bring extra Money for emergencies. The Usa eur safety inspection is not easy. Faulty brakes including the Handbrake burned out or broken lights and bad mufflers Are the most common problems. Most people take a train and then a taxi to the Center but some communities have organized car Pool ing programs in which a person picking up a car is paired with a person dropping off a car. Most local army Community services and air Force family serv ices offices can Supply More information. Because the import Section at the processing Center handles about 200 customers a Day in the summer expect to wait. The Center personnel suggest coming on weekday afternoons. Officials at the Center discourage bringing family members. They probably won t enjoy tagging along and the break room is Small. Customers at the Center pass through six stations. At the first the break room Center personnel Brief incoming motorists. During the summer there May be four or More briefings during the Day depending on How Many customers there Are. Usually three briefings Are held in the Early morning beginning at 7 55. At station two registration attendants take the registration forms and Send customers to station three. Between stations two and three is an a a fes outlet where warning triangles and first Aid kits arc available. At station three customers Are Given their keys and told where to find their cars. It s important to pay attention to the map Center personnel say because they Don t have time especially in the summer to explain the directions slowly. On the flip Side of the map is a list of the stations and hints about each. Customers should t fret if their cars Don t Start. There s a Mobile jumping system by the claims verification building across from the Usa eur safety inspection station. Or during the Peak season the Center runs a truck through the lots looking for stranded customers. At station four claims motorists can get damage like fresh dents or scratches and missing items like radios or tools recorded on the do form 788 shipping document. The claim is recorded As either verifiable or non verifiable. Damage on the outside of the car such As dents scratches and broken headlights can be verified because the Center has the stateside shipping document that shows the condition of the car when it left the states. Damage inside the vehicle such As ripped up carpet or torn seats can t be verified because the car s continued on Page 14 workers unload a service member s incoming car at a port in Britain. Tuesday june 11,1986 the stars and stripes is photo by Dave Diehl Page 13