💡 In Poland you usually fill up yourself and pay at the till afterwards: you say the dystrybutor (pump) number and the amount or litres. Many stations have payment in an app.
💡 Benzyna is petrol (95 or 98), olej napędowy or diesel is diesel, LPG is gas; if you filled the wrong fuel don't start the engine and call help.
💡 Ciśnienie w oponach is tyre pressure; many stations have a free or paid compressor (kompresor); you should know the recommended values from the sticker on the driver's door.
💡 Benzyna 95 is regular petrol, 98 premium, olej napędowy (ON) is diesel; before filling up look under the klapka wlewu paliwa (fuel flap): it says which fuel is allowed.
💡 At a petrol station you pay for the car wash at the till: you get a code (on the receipt) that you enter at the wash itself; the wash takes a few minutes.
💡 Przegląd is a service, wymiana oleju an oil change, klocki hamulcowe brake pads, wymiana opon tyre change, termin an appointment.
💡 Useful words: hałas (noise), hamulce piszczą (brakes squeal), szarpie (jerks), kontrolka (warning light), silnik (engine).
💡 Before agreeing to a repair ask for a kosztorys (estimate) on paper or in a message: what is replaced and at what price; additional work is not done without the client's consent.
💡 For a regular service and an oil change (wymiana oleju) make an appointment ahead; ask for an estimate (wycena) and do not agree to extra work without an explanation.
💡 Winter tyres (opony zimowe) are usually fitted in autumn in Poland, when the temperature is steadily below seven degrees; book ahead because there are queues at the end of October.
💡 After a repair you get a faktura (bill) with parts (części) and labour (robocizna) listed separately; keep it: the work done is covered by a guarantee.
💡 A kontrolka on the dashboard: yellow usually means you can drive but should visit a garage soon; red means stop and call for help; the kontrolka silnika is the engine light.
💡 The vehicle inspection (przegląd techniczny) is done at a Stacja Kontroli Pojazdów (SKP) once a year or on another schedule; you need the dowód rejestracyjny (registration document) and valid OC insurance.
💡 Usterki are defects, wynik negatywny a negative result, ponowne badanie a re-test; after fixing the defects a re-test is usually within a few days.
💡 The date of the next inspection (badanie techniczne) is in the dowód rejestracyjny (vehicle registration) and on the sticker on the windscreen; you must not drive without a valid inspection and being late can mean a fine.
💡 In a paid zone (strefa płatnego parkowania) you pay at a parkomat or in an app: at the machine you enter the plate and time; the bilet parkingowy is placed behind the windscreen.
💡 A fine (mandat) or wezwanie do zapłaty (payment demand) is paid by transfer within the stated period; if you disagree you can submit a written objection.
💡 A resident's pass (abonament mieszkańca) in the paid-parking zone is issued by the city office: you need ID, the vehicle registration and proof of your registered address; it is usually valid for a year.
💡 If your car has disappeared from the street it may have been towed (odholować) to a car pound; phone the Straż Miejska (city guard) or the police; you need the vehicle registration and ID.
💡 In a breakdown you switch on hazard lights, set the trójkąt ostrzegawczy (warning triangle), put on a vest and phone assistance or pomoc drogowa (roadside help); in a life-threatening case 112.
💡 People in Poland gladly help to jump-start a car from another battery; afterwards drive for at least half an hour so that the battery charges.
💡 If your car breaks down on the road: switch on the hazard lights, put on a vest, set up the warning triangle and phone assistance (roadside help) with your insurance policy or 112.
💡 To register a car at the Wydział Komunikacji (transport department) you need: ID, dowód własności (purchase contract), OC (mandatory insurance), przegląd (inspection); plates (tablice rejestracyjne) are made on site.
💡 OC (odpowiedzialność cywilna, liability insurance) is compulsory for a car owner; driving without it means a fine; you buy the policy from an insurer or online; the price depends on age, experience and the car.