Atlantic DMV...how much of a total crapstorm is it?

I have to go to the atlantic DMV to get my car registered and get NY plates... Ive only ever been to the express office (express? HA!) in manhattan and it took an expected amount of time considering that I got there about 25 minutes before opening. I've waited longer at other state DMVs...
How is the atlantic office? Should I expect a 45 minute wait? A 3 hour wait? To walk right in? Will the line be wrapping the building before it opens (like the "express" office?) I'm basically asking because I don't know if I should take a half-day from work or if I'll be ok just starting work late...

Get there in time to be among the first 50 or so in the line outside (i.e. by 7:45 am or so) and you'll be outta there by 9:00 or thereabouts.

johnife wrote: Get there in time to be among the first 50 or so in the line outside (i.e. by 7:45 am or so) and you'll be outta there by 9:00 or thereabouts.

really? thats not that bad. I thought it would be much worse...back home (NC) you could sit in the DMV for literally 3 or 4 hours. They always had like, 1 person working the window.

Actually, when I have to make the trip, I like to be SURE of being in the first 50 and get there by 7:15 - 7:30. Yeah, it means you're standing outside for an hour, but getting it all done without losing most of the morning makes it worthwhile. I should add that to make it work, you need to download and fill in the requisite forms beforehand and take them with you; if you wait to get and complete the forms when you're there you'll have a hundred people ahead of you before you know it.

johnife wrote: I should add that to make it work, you need to download and fill in the requisite forms beforehand and take them with you; if you wait to get and complete the forms when you're there you'll have a hundred people ahead of you before you know it.

+1 - get there early and you should be out within 60-90 minutes.

i agree with all posters here. get there early and you'll get out quickly. my experience was not nearly as bad as i expected it to be!

I went to get a NY drivers license after moving up from Florida. Best advise is to have the forms printed and filled out ahead of time. I actually showed up mid-afternoon on a weekday and was in and out in about 45 minutes.

If you get in the line for info, you will be there all day.

Subject: Re: Atlantic DMV...how much of a total crapstorm is it?

Carmen wrote: I have to go to the atlantic DMV to get my car registered and get NY plates... Ive only ever been to the express office (express? HA!) in manhattan and it took an expected amount of time considering that I got there about 25 minutes before opening. I've waited longer at other state DMVs...
How is the atlantic office? Should I expect a 45 minute wait? A 3 hour wait? To walk right in? Will the line be wrapping the building before it opens (like the "express" office?) I'm basically asking because I don't know if I should take a half-day from work or if I'll be ok just starting work late...

Print out the forms and fill them out in advance. It's better to just go into Manhattan, seriously. I went to the one DMV location below Wall Street and it was under an hour. Take 1/2 a day off either way. Any time I have DMV issues in Brooklyn, I want to shoot myself.

I've always gone to the Coney Island DMV. It gets a little busy from noon onwards, but I've breezed through in 15 min.

modoki wrote: I've always gone to the Coney Island DMV. It gets a little busy from noon onwards, but I've breezed through in 15 min.

Depending on where you live/work in Brooklyn, it could be less time traveling to the DMV in lower Manhattan.

No matter what, we'll all be praying for you.

I've been a couple of times for a driver's license. It's not bad. Bring a book.

Just my opinion...the Atlantic ave DMV is evil. :twisted:

The first time I went there to change out of state plates to NY plates (trying to be honest...my mistake I guess) I waited a total of four hours and got almost all the way through before having my new plates taken out of my hands and leaving thouroughly disgusted. I had enough paper work to have the plates in hand, but at the last second a supervisor approached and wanted me to pay over $2k in sales tax for a car I bought in another state when I lived in that state. My reaction...WTF. :evil:

Next time I went I waited maybe two hours before being told that my name varied on necessary documents (some had my full middle name and others just an initial), so I couldn't complete the process. All this for someone who was trying to be honest and register out of state to to NY even though I knew it would cost me more money.

Augh. Sorry for the rant. Haven't been back yet and definitely plan on going elsewhere (Coney Island or Manhattan) instead.

Again...apologies for the rant :oops:

I agree about the evilness (evility?) of Atlantic Ave DMV. They confused the VIN # of my car with another car of the same brand and model, which had been totaled in an accident, and now had a salvage (near worthless) rating.

I went to the NYS DMV in Albany, and, after they did some research, the state reversed the local DMV office's action, but it took years before the Atlantic Ave DMV stopped reporting my car as totaled to Carfax and Autocheck, etc.

Just evil!

atlantic DMV is fine except for many evil and lazy employees, in particular, the "supervisor" on duty the day i went. we got there at about 10, waited in line for 20 minutes or so before the real fun began. (btw, the line wasn't bad when we got there, but it got crazy about 10 minutes later.)

left the place wanting to shoot someone, but it only took about an hour. would have gone much faster if the supervisor had stopped talking to the friend sitting on her desk and helped the line of us stranded by technical difficulties with their system.

I've never been to the Atlantic DMV, but I've used the express DMV near 34th Street in Manhattan. Did a license renewal in about 15 minutes. It was pretty amazing. The renewal before that took me 4 hours in line.

Try the full service DMV in the mall on 34th Street/Herald Square in Manhattan. I was in and out in about 1/2 hour when I needeed to renew. I think it is in the mall that has the Daffy's in it.

I would avoid the one in Downtown Brooklyn at all costs.