Advice Request - Visiting England from the US

[surgar488]

Hi folks. I am traveling from the US to visit family in England over the summer. I am hoping to rent a car whilst over there. However, although not currently banned from driving, I have 2 DUI's on my record and I was wondering if anybody could tell me how this would affect (if at all) my ability to rent. I understand the system in England works differently to that here in the US and I would like to gather as much info on the subject before approaching a rental company or agent, forewarned being forearmed. Can anybody offer any advice on this at all? Also, (assuming I am successful in renting) is it worth picking up a relatively cheap used sat nav in England or bringing mine over from the US. I assume there are numerous outlets with a sat nav for sale over there? Will it also be possible to find a breathalyzer over there fairly easily. Given my past record it would prove sensible to have one to hand. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

 

[price1367]

I believe that your DUI offences are not recorded on your USA licence itself, so a hire company in England would not be aware of your convictions. You should therefore have not problems hiring a car here.
beware though, that if you are directly asked if you have any convictions and you say no, you could invalidate your insurance cover. I do not believe that most companies do actually ask that question of foreign visitors though.
If your satnav has an English map on it then you could certainly bring it, but it is usually dear to buy foreign maps in any country, so rather than do that, you could get a cheap satnav here. With the current exchange rat, you could get a new one, with up to date maps, for $75-80 .

there are a lot of rubbish breath testers about. The one we find to be good is the Alcosense 'lite'. They sell for about $45 and are accurate. Remember they are only for use the next day, and should not be used just after drinking because your reading can go higher for a while after you stop drinking.......

 

[surgar488]

I believe that your DUI offences are not recorded on your USA licence itself, so a hire company in England would not be aware of your convictions. You should therefore have not problems hiring a car here.
beware though, that if you are directly asked if you have any convictions and you say no, you could invalidate your insurance cover. I do not believe that most companies do actually ask that question of foreign visitors though.
If your satnav has an English map on it then you could certainly bring it, but it is usually dear to buy foreign maps in any country, so rather than do that, you could get a cheap satnav here. With the current exchange rat, you could get a new one, with up to date maps, for $75-80 .

there are a lot of rubbish breath testers about. The one we find to be good is the Alcosense 'lite'. They sell for about $45 and are accurate. Remember they are only for use the next day, and should not be used just after drinking because your reading can go higher for a while after you stop drinking.......

Thanks for the response price1367. Could you recommend the best outlets in England for an Alcosense 'lite' and cheap sat nav? Or would I be better pre-sourcing a sat nav for sale on ebay or Amazon?

 

[price1367]

Halfords have an offer on, until 1st September, of 20% off any satnav if you trade in an old device. (I have seen someone say they didn't even have to take a device to trade in to get the discount). They have stores throughout England. The best deal seems to be for this Garmin satnav, at £65, with 20% off, so £52|

http://www.halfords.com/technology/sat-nav/car-sat-nav/garmin-nuvi-57lm-5-sat-nav-with-uk-ireland-lifetime-map?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Sat+Nav-_-Car+Sat+Nav-_-160246&_$ja=tsid:60494%7Ccgn:GoogleShopping%7Ckw:160246&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istItemId=rmpippqtw&istBid=tzlq&_$ja=tsid:35522%7Ccid:344534764%7Cagid:24344973124%7Ctid:aud-80976661549la-211148956324%7Ccrid:83795065684%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:7695010565378677727%7Cdvc:t%7Cadp:1o1&gclid=Cj0KEQjwzZe8BRDguN3cmOr4_dgBEiQAijjVFrIXV4WtciZE8i69gnrs_fpyG58W-5zYPixvlMw6NdAaAvWV8P8HAQ

As to the breath test device, if a family member rings our office, it can be ordered from TTC for £34, make sure they ask for the Lite version, there is an 'Elite' at £54, but to be honest, for individual use, the Lite is fine. The number is: 03300241805. The price includes postage.

you have picked a good time to visit England from the USA with the current exchange rate!

 

[surgar488]

Hi folks. I am traveling from the US to visit family in England over the summer. I am hoping to rent a car whilst over there. However, although not currently banned from driving, I have 2 DUI's on my record and I was wondering if anybody could tell me how this would affect (if at all) my ability to rent. I understand the system in England works differently to that here in the US and I would like to gather as much info on the subject before approaching a rental company or agent, forewarned being forearmed. Can anybody offer any advice on this at all? Also, (assuming I am successful in renting) is it worth picking up a relatively cheap used satnav in England or bringing mine over from the US. I assume there are numerous outlets with a sat nav for sale over there? Will it also be possible to find a breathalyzer over there fairly easily. Given my past record it would prove sensible to have one to hand. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Halfords have an offer on, until 1st September, of 20% off any satnav if you trade in an old device. (I have seen someone say they didn't even have to take a device to trade in to get the discount). They have stores throughout England. The best deal seems to be for this Garmin satnav, at £65, with 20% off, so £52|


http://www.halfords.com/technology/sat-nav/car-sat-nav/garmin-nuvi-57lm-5-sat-nav-with-uk-ireland-lifetime-map?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Sat+Nav-_-Car+Sat+Nav-_-160246&_$ja=tsid:60494%7Ccgn:GoogleShopping%7Ckw:160246&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istItemId=rmpippqtw&istBid=tzlq&_$ja=tsid:35522%7Ccid:344534764%7Cagid:24344973124%7Ctid:aud-80976661549la-211148956324%7Ccrid:83795065684%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:7695010565378677727%7Cdvc:t%7Cadp:1o1&gclid=Cj0KEQjwzZe8BRDguN3cmOr4_dgBEiQAijjVFrIXV4WtciZE8i69gnrs_fpyG58W-5zYPixvlMw6NdAaAvWV8P8HAQ


As to the breath test device, if a family member rings our office, it can be ordered from TTC for £34, make sure they ask for the Lite version, there is an 'Elite' at £54, but to be honest, for individual use, the Lite is fine. The number is: 03300241805. The price includes postage.


you have picked a good time to visit England from the USA with the current exchange rate!

Thanks for all your assistance with this price1367. I've Googled Halfords so I have an idea of what I am looking for there. In terms of the Alcosense 'Lite', is this an example of what to expect:

I'll pass the number you provided on to a member of my family in the UK and ask them to get in touch.

 

[price1367]

Yes, that is the one.
the Alcosense 'Elite' has more features, and we sell it at £55, it was voted best breath test under £100, but the lite is fine for you as an individual user.