I suppose you mean "car" unless this is a new employment criteria, might make the CV a bit soggy though!

you can contact my mechanic, Michel Wyler on 0227574480, he can do it for you, if you don't speak french I can be the intermediare for you, as his english is very limited.

Simon

What your car is going to be certified for?  If it's to get Swiss license plates all this looks very weird to me, never heard that you needed to have a clean car to pass the test!

You need of course to have your car in working order (tires, brakes, lights, engine, etc.) so you must ask a garage to have your car dutifully serviced and fixed.

I'm not really sure what a "clean engine" means, neither.  Should it shine?  I don't think one's supposed to do that.

Actually it should. I heard that if the engine is dirty it could hide potential problems so for the car to pass the MOT the engine must be very clean. The underneath of the car must be clean as well

As for cleaning the underneath, you could just wait until summer and drive it around over all the jumpy fountains at place des nations. That ought to do it.

Thanks everyone for your comments. A special thanks to Simon for his recommendation to contact Michel for the cleaning of my car.

Chris

You have to prepare the car for the control technique, otherwise they tend to look more carefully and get more picky... 

You should also ensure the original wheels and exhaust are fitted on the car.  If some after-market stuff has been fitted, it may not pass the test.

If your car fails the test for any reason, you have 28 days to get it resolved.  If it is not resolved within 28 days, you have to return your plates and cannot recoup them until you've got the care through the test.

Had the experience recently.  My old V6 Audi Cabriolet - the second car - is a high-end car from 1995 that has been immaculately restored.  But they failed it because I forgot to clean the engine and had a stainless steel exhaust on it that didn't have "Audi" markings on it.  Had to give it to a garage to get them to deal with it... They can get fussy down in Carouge when they don't like something for whatever reason!

Try Pitstop - they speak French and English, are very competitively priced, and used to offer a 10% discount for Glocals people.  Have used them plenty and found them to be reliable (have a family history in the German motor industry, so I'm kind of used to talking to garage-oriented people).  

They are a little bit out of the way, but they will let you have one of their Smart cars while yours is being sorted out.

http://www.garagepitstop.ch/ or +41 22-341-1518 

there is also a place in Ferney, just across the border past the airport. I forget the name exactly, but at the first round-about you make a very sharp right turn. I believe it's chemin de la Brunette. There is a place there which does a thorough cleaning, inside, outside. They'll wash the seats and vacuum and everything. All options available. It's not cheap, but it's worth it. Almost looks brand new.

Could I ask anyone why it is illegal to personally wash the engine of your car i.e You have to get it professionally done? Is it to do with the water being mixed with oil and pollutants before going down the drain?

Yes.