I have been trying to get this posted all day but it's taken this long to get back to it. What was keeping me you may ask. Car registration!!!! When I went outside to get something from my car I noticed that the tags were due last month. How could that be I never received a renewal notice.
When I check out the registration in the car I noticed it still had my old address on it. But I changed it two years ago. Something was way wrong here. So I called DMV and of course had to wait in line. That wasn't too bad as most people renew online these days. It could have been much worse. The problem with the registration is that my deceased (Bless him) husband is the primary owner on the car and his address wasn't changed. I can't change it because I'm not him.
They asked me why I never removed him. That's a long story I will try to make short. Arizona does car titles differently than all other states. They don't stop the owner from holding the title if they are still paying on the car. In other states most titles are held by the loan holder until paid off. We purchased this car when we lived in Colorado where the loan holder holds the title. So Arizona never had the title. If I want to remove my husband from the title I need to go back to Colorado and go through their red tape to get the title. Then I could get the title here in Arizona. Why do that when I already have my name on the registration and I'll probably drive this car until it or I die.
Luckily the rep I talked to at DMV just made me primary owner so I can now have the renewals coming to the proper address. That done I needed to get a smog certificate before I could do online registration. Off I went. There is always a line there. Not as long as it used to be since they can just hook up to the cars computer and do the smog test.
They charged me and then told me I failed and could go inside to find out why. This part really scared me. I'm on a limited income and I worry when anything breaks. I'm still trying to save for a new dryer. Anyway it was only that my gas cap wasn't up to par. That's an easy fix, so off to Checkers to buy a new gas cap. They were nice enough to take off my old gas cap and put on the new one. The old one had a tether and it needed to be removed with a socket set. While there I also bought new windshield wipers that I've needed for some time. Everything made of rubber or plastic just gets eaten up here in Arizona. We have to change all that out every two years. Same with our car batteries. Luckily they are under warranty for 5 years, but can only be replaced once after purchase.
Back to the smog testing site and another line. Finally I'm ready for my online registration. Went to get something to eat and then home. Wow, it's 5 and all I've done is the car registration. I really can't complain because a few years ago I would have had to wait in line at the DMV for hours to be told what I learned over the telephone only waiting an hour. The testing used to take hours in line also, then I would have had to go back to DMV in person to finish with several hours wait there again.
Good news is that I am now a legally covered driver again. Woooooo Hooooo!!!!
I don't have my stickers but I have a paper that makes it okay. The new stickers will come in the mail to the right address and all will be well.
Make it legal!!!!
Marjory
