Driving In Chile & Laws Concerning Drinking

[splaying]

I just came back from a trip to Chile - I drove a few thousand kilometers while I was there. I am writing this post for others who might be going to that country. I went mainly to visit vineyards. Many are closed to the public due to never starting tastings or tours. The one thing people need to understand which should be told to foreigners renting cars there is about their Zero Tolerance Laws. It is impossible to go to vineyards on your own to taste the wines. One is forced to join tours to do this type of trip. Even the smallest amount of liquor in your system you are to be arrested. There are many police at the side of the road all pulling cars over at random. In 11 days I was pulled over two times. Once when I had just left a vineyard. The other point I would like to make perhaps stay away from Alamo or perhaps do not rent a small car. After the 7th day the first car broke down - water pump seal broke. It took over 24 hours to get Alamo to come with a new car as they wanted me to have it repaired first. I attempted to do it but the pump was not available in the small town I was in at that time. The second car must never have been looked at too. Gas tank at 3/4th which I could live with but at the first station I checked the oil and radiator both needed to be filled. The radiator was down 2 liters. the oil over 1 liter. This is not good maintenance. When I returned the car one of the Alamo workers said better to rent a larger car in the future. Perhaps the smaller ones are rented all the time. The second car I received had 103,000 km on it; the first car the odometer and speedometer did not work at all. I was carrying a GPS so I could figure out how fast I was traveling. I hope my comments help anyone going there and If I can provide other details please let me know and I will assist the best I can do too. Walter

 

[camberiu]

Whenever you go to Chile, DO NOT screw around with these guys. Unlike their Argentinian counter parts, they are very serious, have very little sense of humor, and expect/demand strict adherence to the local laws. Also, there is a widespread belief in Chile that most of them cannot be bribed.

 

[Rich One]

Splaying thanks for your valuable comments.

My unsolicited conclusion: Join the vineyards tours minibuses, save the car rental, and drink until you choke . I went to Casa Silva Vineyards, south of Santiago, driving a friends CD licensed plate car. We tasted every possible wine harvest up to the late harvest.!! On the way back was pulled over by the Carabineros, scared shi®tless my alcohol level way high!! Suddenly the Officer saw the CD plate and waved me to keep going. :wub:

Car rentals are a Russian Roulette, dings, scratches, etc are not covered. Inspect the car carefully for paint damage or interior .

WARNING if you are involved in an accident with serious injured parties, you can't leave the country until the case goes to Court.... They hold your passport.

 

[TomAtAlki]

What is a CD licence plate. I think I want one :=)

T/

Splaying thanks for your valuable comments.

My unsolicited conclusion: Join the vineyards tours minibuses, save the car rental, and drink until you choke . I went to Casa Silva Vineyards, south of Santiago, driving a friends CD licensed plate car. We tasted every possible wine harvest up to the late harvest.!! On the way back was pulled over by the Carabineros, scared shi®tless my alcohol level way high!! Suddenly the Officer saw the CD plate and waved me to keep going. :wub:

Car rentals are a Russian Roulette, dings, scratches, etc are not covered. Inspect the car carefully for paint damage or interior .

WARNING if you are involved in an accident with serious injured parties, you can't leave the country until the case goes to Court.... They hold your passport.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

The CD license plate is "Cuerpo Diplomático," for foreign diplomats and related. The Carabineros, though they may be firm, are usually fair and reasonable. Attempting to bribe them is risky business - some Argentines have had their vehicles impounded.

 

[Rich One]

What is a CD licence plate. I think I want one :=)

T/

Tom, you can get one, make an important contribution to The Ivory Coast, Malawi or another African Country and become their Honorary Consul General...! A Diplomatic Corps Plate ...!

 

[mulderfox]

i think the limit is 0.3 since 2011 over there. they do call it tolerancia cero

 

[RichardP]

I've also heard from several Chilean friends that a sure way to go to jail is to attempt to bribe a police officer there. It's a different world over there.

 

[splaying]

The car I had had more dings on it than I have ever seen. They made the usual check when I was given the car -- the paper was full of marks. When I returned it the guy looked at the car with a once around but did not see anything strange to him. He also checked the spare tire to see if it was damaged. Most places I have declined the insurance booking it to the AMEX card. I do not know how AMEX backs you up if there was a problem perhaps someone here on this post might understand it better than I. I declined coverage in Chile. Last year I rented with Hertz in San Luis. There the agent said the car was completely covered. The price for the cars in both countries was about $58 US per day however though it I rented from Hertz in Chile they wanted $200 more if rented on a 2 week basis than Alamo. I would like to hope they serviced their vehicles much better too. -- It was nice to hear from others in this forum concerning Chile. Thank you. Walter

 

[PhilipDT]

I went to chile a few years ago with a fellow expat to go drive around and do wine tastings. Nobody told us about the zero alcohol laws, so I guess its a good thing we never got pulled over.