Import into Switzerland / "The German Route"
Discussion
PH to the rescue!
As some of you might know, the Tuscan, Tamora, T350 and Sagaris (Speed 6 cars) are a tad challenging to get into Switzerland, as they have no so-called "homologation number" here.
In short, either you've owned it in the UK for more than XX months (on your private name) and you bring it in when you immigrate (PH-er Avalanche's way), or you do the work of an official importer (obtain chassis approval, handle emission and noise issues, file a sh*tload of technical reports, etc.).
Our work-around until date was keeping and driving them on UK plates, with extended (special) European cover... The problems : 1) insurance policies cost a leg for non-UK residents, and 2) MOT + tax disc required each year...
I also had some explanation to do with the Swiss Customs lately, when the local sheriff saw (and heard
) that UK-based Tuscan years in a row, and started questioning...
Long story short, I've heard of a special agreement between Switzerland and Germany, which appear to make import via Germany a piece of cake (as opposed to importing directly from the UK)...
Is anyone of you, German or Swiss PH-ers, familiar with this "German Route"?! Does anyone know of a Germany-based garage that would be willing to assist?!
Thank you.
As some of you might know, the Tuscan, Tamora, T350 and Sagaris (Speed 6 cars) are a tad challenging to get into Switzerland, as they have no so-called "homologation number" here.
In short, either you've owned it in the UK for more than XX months (on your private name) and you bring it in when you immigrate (PH-er Avalanche's way), or you do the work of an official importer (obtain chassis approval, handle emission and noise issues, file a sh*tload of technical reports, etc.).
Our work-around until date was keeping and driving them on UK plates, with extended (special) European cover... The problems : 1) insurance policies cost a leg for non-UK residents, and 2) MOT + tax disc required each year...
I also had some explanation to do with the Swiss Customs lately, when the local sheriff saw (and heard
) that UK-based Tuscan years in a row, and started questioning...Long story short, I've heard of a special agreement between Switzerland and Germany, which appear to make import via Germany a piece of cake (as opposed to importing directly from the UK)...
Is anyone of you, German or Swiss PH-ers, familiar with this "German Route"?! Does anyone know of a Germany-based garage that would be willing to assist?!
Thank you.
Hello TVR_Tuscan,
Ask Eggimann Autotechnik in Sissach. Beat Eggimann himself explained me he can do this with his buddies in Germany.
It will cost you roughly 10'000CHF (including service, LHD headlamps etc.) but then you have it legal in Switzerland. But the car should be pretty much factory spec.
Eggimann is also a good place to service your car (beeing one of two TVR specialists in Switzerland - the other one is Hoffmann in Zuerich).
Give him a call.
Marvin
Ask Eggimann Autotechnik in Sissach. Beat Eggimann himself explained me he can do this with his buddies in Germany.
It will cost you roughly 10'000CHF (including service, LHD headlamps etc.) but then you have it legal in Switzerland. But the car should be pretty much factory spec.
Eggimann is also a good place to service your car (beeing one of two TVR specialists in Switzerland - the other one is Hoffmann in Zuerich).
Give him a call.
Marvin
Hi Marvin,
Thank you! I think I've spoken with Beat some time ago, and if Hoffmann is at TGE, I've spoken to them too.
The headlamp, reverse-and-foglight inversion, etc. we are quite familiar with. Friends of mine have imported tens of cars to the continent, but always to Holland, never Switzerland...
The idea behind this thread is to find "a german buddie" precisely. An administrative pitstop address in Germany, available for the temporary paperwork (against a fee of course!), rather than a "turn-key basis intermediate".
I also suspect (imagine) the 10k you mention to include Swiss VAT on the car?!
Cheers!
Thank you! I think I've spoken with Beat some time ago, and if Hoffmann is at TGE, I've spoken to them too.
The headlamp, reverse-and-foglight inversion, etc. we are quite familiar with. Friends of mine have imported tens of cars to the continent, but always to Holland, never Switzerland...
The idea behind this thread is to find "a german buddie" precisely. An administrative pitstop address in Germany, available for the temporary paperwork (against a fee of course!), rather than a "turn-key basis intermediate".
I also suspect (imagine) the 10k you mention to include Swiss VAT on the car?!
Cheers!
tvr marvin said:
Hello TVR_Tuscan,
Ask Eggimann Autotechnik in Sissach. Beat Eggimann himself explained me he can do this with his buddies in Germany.
It will cost you roughly 10'000CHF (including service, LHD headlamps etc.) but then you have it legal in Switzerland. But the car should be pretty much factory spec.
Eggimann is also a good place to service your car (beeing one of two TVR specialists in Switzerland - the other one is Hoffmann in Zuerich).
Give him a call.
Marvin
Ask Eggimann Autotechnik in Sissach. Beat Eggimann himself explained me he can do this with his buddies in Germany.
It will cost you roughly 10'000CHF (including service, LHD headlamps etc.) but then you have it legal in Switzerland. But the car should be pretty much factory spec.
Eggimann is also a good place to service your car (beeing one of two TVR specialists in Switzerland - the other one is Hoffmann in Zuerich).
Give him a call.
Marvin
Hello TVR_Tuscan,
All I remember from Eggimann's explanations is that the registration in Germany is not that easy. There are two "levels" of German registration: Lets call it the "flying colours" registration and the lesser "act of mercy" version. Only the flying-colours version is then recognized in Switzerland. I personally don't know what the difference really is.
You could try to contact Eckhart from ACS-Pro in Germany, but I doubt he is aware of this difference - but maybe he knows. I see many people on the German TVR forum struggling with import, so I don't know if they can help.
I also think you can negotiate a custom package with Eggimann and do not need to take the turn-key.
Hoffmann is another indy. TGE was the former official TVR dealer in Switzerland and I think they went bust as well.
Marvin
All I remember from Eggimann's explanations is that the registration in Germany is not that easy. There are two "levels" of German registration: Lets call it the "flying colours" registration and the lesser "act of mercy" version. Only the flying-colours version is then recognized in Switzerland. I personally don't know what the difference really is.
You could try to contact Eckhart from ACS-Pro in Germany, but I doubt he is aware of this difference - but maybe he knows. I see many people on the German TVR forum struggling with import, so I don't know if they can help.
I also think you can negotiate a custom package with Eggimann and do not need to take the turn-key.
Hoffmann is another indy. TGE was the former official TVR dealer in Switzerland and I think they went bust as well.
Marvin
Hi there,
importing to Germany is not that difficult at all. There are a lot of myth´s of this and that
around but only seldom people write that have already done it. Same thing with people talking
about the reliability of cars. You only see posts of non working vehicles
Did you already contact
TGE Autotechnik, D
Dorfstr.147,
CH 8424 Embrach
http://www.tvr.ch/home.html
regarding your TVR import to Switzerland ?
They are still in business and doing TVR registering by the flying colours version.
I guess they make you a suitable offer. To help other swiss TVR enthusiasts let us know
your experience and if they could help regarding the import.
As per my information they´ve also done a lot of RHD to LHD conversions and are currently
working on a Cerb doing that job. Even LS conversions are some of their skills.
Good luck.....
importing to Germany is not that difficult at all. There are a lot of myth´s of this and that
around but only seldom people write that have already done it. Same thing with people talking
about the reliability of cars. You only see posts of non working vehicles
Did you already contact
TGE Autotechnik, D
Dorfstr.147,
CH 8424 Embrach
http://www.tvr.ch/home.html
regarding your TVR import to Switzerland ?
They are still in business and doing TVR registering by the flying colours version.
I guess they make you a suitable offer. To help other swiss TVR enthusiasts let us know
your experience and if they could help regarding the import.
As per my information they´ve also done a lot of RHD to LHD conversions and are currently
working on a Cerb doing that job. Even LS conversions are some of their skills.
Good luck.....
Came across this old topic of mine and thought I'd complete by sharing the following : whatever you do with TVR in Switzerland, keep away from TGE!
This is your typical "old glory" shop; certainly has done well ages ago, but is now clearly desperate to keep alive (if they still are at this stage).
The same afternoon I dropped my Tuscan off, I performed a 2.5k downpayment on a 4.5k swiss import deal (prepwork and paperwork). When I arrived home a few hours later, TGE, by e-mail, thought they'd pull me into a HUGE workshop-filling list of works. Basically everything on my daily driver needed repair and/or replacement in order for me to HOPE get it through inspection: clutch (had replaced it less then a year earlier), exhaust manifolds, brakes, etc. etc.
The list was so impressive that one would have thought the car arrived at TGE on a lorry.
Long story short, not even wishing to argue, I immediately ordered them NOT TO TOUCH THE CAR anymore and that I would pick it up asap. When I did so a few days later, I drove it straight to Holland, where we did a little service, the regulatory light changes, emission check, and... it went through like a charm. We then did a 3'000 mile Scotland holiday without a problem. Clearly couldn't be that bad after all...
Now the biggest joke of all: TGE charged me a mindblowing CHF 2'000 for the "inspections" they had done (easy-peasy when you already hold the downpayment in your bank)... and never returned the remaining CHF 500!
I would certainly not recommend this joker to anyone.
Eggimann on the contrary helped us very well and successfully on the import of a Sagaris a few months later.
This is your typical "old glory" shop; certainly has done well ages ago, but is now clearly desperate to keep alive (if they still are at this stage).
The same afternoon I dropped my Tuscan off, I performed a 2.5k downpayment on a 4.5k swiss import deal (prepwork and paperwork). When I arrived home a few hours later, TGE, by e-mail, thought they'd pull me into a HUGE workshop-filling list of works. Basically everything on my daily driver needed repair and/or replacement in order for me to HOPE get it through inspection: clutch (had replaced it less then a year earlier), exhaust manifolds, brakes, etc. etc.
The list was so impressive that one would have thought the car arrived at TGE on a lorry.
Long story short, not even wishing to argue, I immediately ordered them NOT TO TOUCH THE CAR anymore and that I would pick it up asap. When I did so a few days later, I drove it straight to Holland, where we did a little service, the regulatory light changes, emission check, and... it went through like a charm. We then did a 3'000 mile Scotland holiday without a problem. Clearly couldn't be that bad after all...
Now the biggest joke of all: TGE charged me a mindblowing CHF 2'000 for the "inspections" they had done (easy-peasy when you already hold the downpayment in your bank)... and never returned the remaining CHF 500!
I would certainly not recommend this joker to anyone.
Eggimann on the contrary helped us very well and successfully on the import of a Sagaris a few months later.
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