November 8, 2012 -- Winterreifen!

November 8, 2012 -- Winterreifen

So what are Winterreifen and why do I need them?  So for those of you who are not familar with the laws in Germany, Winterreifen are winter tires aka snow tires.  You remember them-- the tires that our parents had to put on the car in the winter, that is before everyone used radials.  I have heard different versions of the law in Germany, but after doing some research I discovered that you must have winter tires on your car when the conditions turn icy.  Because the weather is unpredictable in Germany (snow on October 27th), it recommended that you have winter tires put on in October and have them taken off in April (around Easter -- Ostern)( O to O).  If you do not have winter tires on your car when it is icy or snowy and you are in an accident, it is automatically deemed your fault.  As a result, you are subject to a fine and liability.  So if you are driving without winter tires in snowy conditions and someone comes into your lane and hits you head-on -- it is your fault.

O.k. so on the next part of the story.  How do I accomplish this task?  Three weeks ago, C and I walked into the Opel Dealership in Oberursel.  We asked the man at the desk how we could get winter tires -- pointing to the tires on the car in the showroom.  He simply stared right through us indicating that he did not speak English.  We found another person in the showroom and he told us to come back during the week.  In the interim, I had my Berlitz tutoring.  So I asked the tutor how do you say "I need winter tires."  She explained that you say "Ich brouche Winterreifen?"  So armed with my new German phrase, I return to the dealership -- now of course, C is off the hook because it is during the week.  I walk up to the desk and say "Ich brouche Winterreifen?  He tells me to go through a door.  I open the door and it is a warehouse/service center.  There are men working on cars.  The man comes back in and points me to the end of a hallway.  I enter a room which is pretty dirty, ashtrays everywhere, old furniture etc.  To give you an idea of what it is like --  picture Murray Bros. Garage in Woodbury and go down five levels of cleanliness.  The man only speaks German.  Of course, after I ask for the winter tires, my German is pretty much done.  All of this is complicated by the fact, I am not sure exactly what I need.  He asked me:   Do I need just tires?  Do I need wheels (komplet)?  Do I need hubcaps?  The only reason I sort of understand what he is saying is that he is pointing to pictures.  At this point, I realized that I needed help.  It was time to call in the reserves.  You guessed it -- my neighbor, Katrin.  I called her and put her on the phone.  After she talks to the garage guy, I get back on the phone and she translates.  She asks me what I need.  I, of course, have no idea.  She then asks me what I had the U.S.  I explain we do not do the winter tire thing in the U.S. We have radials.  We finally figure out what I need.  I hand the phone back to the garage guy and she orders the winter tires, the wheels, no hubcaps.  As I am sitting there while he is completing the paperwork, I look to my right.  Big mistake!  All of a sudden, I am staring at a large calendar.  So think, what would you see pictured in a calendar in the stereotypical garage?  Yup!  A photograph of a nude woman in a sportscar.

My tires were supposed to arrive on the following Tuesday.  Tuesday came and went.  Two and a half weeks after I ordered my tires, three weeks after walking into the showroom, I had my winter tires!  One of the more difficult events in Germany.