All she needs now is some new engine dampers, a precision tune-up and some electric-out-sorting. I picked her up at the garage and drove past my mom's place to a friend's to drop off a set of keys and a can of oil. Along the way I spotted some blue lights in the distance just as the dashboard lights start acting up. I pull over and smack it around a bit and what do you know, they start flickering and then come back on.
By that time I find myself surrounded by police demanding I follow them to their checkpoint. I managed to keep calm during their barrage of useless stupid questions like "have you been drinking?" and "why are you driving suspiciously?", I explain that it's the car's first time out in months, it's had a lot of work done, I've just finished it around midnight on a Saturday night, they can look at the state of my clothes and the amount of filth in and outside on the car,...
They finally give me the breathalyzer, I pass naturally, in the good old days this would be the time you get a pat on the shoulder from mister Nice Policeman (and a key chain!) but these days just try to nail you on something else. For me, that something else was my latest insurance card that had arrived during the car's garage vacation and so I had forgotten to put it in the car. I explained, offer to come by the next day and show it, they told me I had to leave my car there and go try to find it at my mom's. I wasn't too far from there so I walked over and started looking, ten minutes into that process 2 of the cops showed up at the door to bring me my paper work and tell me they couldn't wait there any longer and they would have to clamp my car and I'd have to show it to them within 4 days or it would get impounded. They proceed to ask AGAIN whether it's insured. I repeat my previous statement and tell them it's no problem, that my insurance guy will probably send me a new copy on Monday and I'll just print it out on green paper and come by to show it using my other car.
They left, a little later I realized the paper might be in the trunk, walked back over and sure enough there it was, albeit a bit greasy/oily. My car was also the only thing left in the parking lot and not clamped. I phoned the local office, explained the situation, asked them what to do now and they'd call me back. They didn't so I drove it to my local hotel (my mom's) and went to sleep. The next day, she asked me why my car was clamped. They didn't call as they had said they would, they just quietly came by and clamped it when the original "clamping-cause" (if you will) was already fixed! Those sneaky bastards!
Not having had coffee yet I had her swing by the police station with the documents and by the time I was well awake and out the shower, the clamp was gone. They had no reason to give me a ticket, they did not make any money on this bullshit and all they did was waste a shitload of fuel, manpower, and so plain and simple: Tax payer's money. Way to go Belgian police!
Now it's just waiting for the new copy that hasn't been oiled-up by discarded parts...