June 1, 2018 – So just how DO you remove those Slovenian vignettes from your windscreen? Some expert tips from the Expats in Zagreb.
Expat groups are weird and wonderful groups wherever you travel. In some cities (Munich in my experience), they are too big and impersonal, and new members struggle to feel welcome and get the info they are searching for, as there are too many trolls who prefer to troll than help the new arrival. Croatia is fortunate to have got some great resources in this respect, at least in my opinion, from the two pages I follow, Expats in Zagreb and Expats meet Split.
Expats in Zagreb is run by a very nice Egyptian lady who moved to the capital a few years ago (you can meet her here), while Expats Meets Split has grown exponentially from the initial Expats in Split group founded by a French lady with just 19 members back in 2013. The group organisers regular events and is great at dispensing advice to newcomers, and it has come a long way since those early days – here was the first ever monthly expat drinks back in early 2014.
And the level of expert advice imparted is truly impressive. From newcomers looking to meet people for a drink and where to find an English-speaking dermatologist on a Sunday afternoon, to seeking hard-to-find cooking ingredients or an even-harder-to-find reliable plumber. The Croatian Expat groups come up trumps every time.
And so to the thorny issue of the day which prompted this post.
Is there any easy way to get rid of Slovenian vignette from windscreen? Selling the car with it is not an option at the moment! Thanks!
The level of expert response was impressive indeed, and highly educational.
Wet sponge and a razor blade.
I used to leave it in hair conditioner.
You can use the razor (on some petrol stations you can even buy a special one for vignettes for few kunas), and for leftovers (glue) use pharmaceutical petrol (medicinski benzin). It can be bought in Pharmacy and it’ll remove it in few seconds.
I use a little straight razor device I got at Bauhaus.
You can try with a sponge and polish nail remover “acetone”, has worked for me.
Use one of those sponges with the rough side that you use to wash dishes. Bit of water and comes off easier than you can imagine.
Even says on the sticker that it’s water soluble. Not sure why people resort to solvents.
Next time you buy it, stick it on your trousers a few times before sticking it on the windscreen! Makes it really easy to take off.
Goto better car wash, guys will clean your car plus remove the sticker.
Just use a hairdryer, easy peasy.
If you want to permanently move any indication that a Slovenian vignette was on your windscreen, there is a nuclear option which is not recommended, especially if you are on a budget – driving into a border barrrier, which usually requires the replacement of said windscreen. I discovered the effectiveness of this method a few months ago when I hit the barrier while looking for my passport. In my defence, the last time I came through that border, we were great friends with Slovenia and both sides were working from the same checkpoint on the Slovenian side, and so I had not been expecting the Croatian barrier. An expensive lesson.
But if you are on a budget, there is an even better way, which will even negate the need to buy a vignette at all. Want to learn how to cross Slovenia without buying a vignette? Click here.
