Importing Forester STI
Discussion
Sa Calobra said:
Why LOTS of underseal? My UK bought Fozzy- would Subaru UK have done this?
I defer to those with greater knowledge, but due to the lack of salting / gritting in Japan they either don't underseal them originally or they do but it needs re-doing on imports to cover us for winters.I suspect Subaru would have done this if it was a UK supplied car.
As a slight aside do I take it from your name you've ridden Sac?? Chapeau, sir
Sa Calobra said:
Sadly only driven it. I'm riding it in August. Next week I'm riding Tenerife 
That will be pretty toasty in August! Attempted it in May and June, just broke the hour mark the second time. Get there dead early to avoid the coaches-we got stuck behind one going down and it took forever!david1972 said:
Absolutely under seal it. Will save you pain another day.
What sort of detail do you get on the English version? I’m finding this all fascinating and informative at the same time
The former owner, dates of their MOT tests etc, similar stuff to V5 really.What sort of detail do you get on the English version? I’m finding this all fascinating and informative at the same time
In other news the boat has left the dock and is calling at one more Japanese port before coming to Europe via Singapore and then suez canal, estimated date of arrival now the 9th of may.
I've been having a think about collection and the major stumbling block will be lack of numberplates. Even if you have insurance and an MOT pre-booked it's more than likely you'll be pulled over without them?
Having said that I'm entirely confident that if I send a transporter to collect it there will be some f
k up which means I'll have to go myself anyway!!Thanks to both Sac and David1972, good knowledge and food for thought! Especially as we're away when the boat arrives...
In other news, there is news:
This all arrived about 10 days ago, haven't had much time away from work to be able to post it though. Very exciting! 8k for a gearknob! At least the mystery of its disappearance is solved.
Fortunately it was accompanied by the most comprehensive set of service history documents I've come across yet (even as an owner of an ex-AROCGB 145 Cloverleaf!!). From the looks of things all the old shaken tests are included as well. They look a bit more comprehensive than the old "left indicator, right indicator" routine. There are the original factory manuals, plus installations instructions and manuals for the additional bits. Helpfully entirely in Japanese. Time to brush up:
Apart from that I'm following the boat's progress on AIS / Marine Traffic. If you're really bored, look up Hoegh Tracer, which at the moment is steaming towards the Suez Canal, or may have made it through since I checked last. Arrival still set for 9/5/18. Between now and then a set of forms I ordered from DVLA has arrived to register it, and I'm making arrangements with NSA at Newcastle to sort out payment / collection.
From everything I've read, as long as there is a pre-booked MOT that you're driving to, you should be alright to drive it on the VIN and without plates. Post-MOT this is EINGANG VERBOTEN however, so I'll just have to push it back from the MOT centre (about a mile away)
This does leave me with quite a lot to do in terms of making driveway space. Anyone after a 2-owner 145 Cloverleaf, 62k miles, fresh ticket for a year, cambelt just done? Or a 15-plate 520d tourer with 44k miles??
In other news, there is news:
This all arrived about 10 days ago, haven't had much time away from work to be able to post it though. Very exciting! 8k for a gearknob! At least the mystery of its disappearance is solved.
Fortunately it was accompanied by the most comprehensive set of service history documents I've come across yet (even as an owner of an ex-AROCGB 145 Cloverleaf!!). From the looks of things all the old shaken tests are included as well. They look a bit more comprehensive than the old "left indicator, right indicator" routine. There are the original factory manuals, plus installations instructions and manuals for the additional bits. Helpfully entirely in Japanese. Time to brush up:
Apart from that I'm following the boat's progress on AIS / Marine Traffic. If you're really bored, look up Hoegh Tracer, which at the moment is steaming towards the Suez Canal, or may have made it through since I checked last. Arrival still set for 9/5/18. Between now and then a set of forms I ordered from DVLA has arrived to register it, and I'm making arrangements with NSA at Newcastle to sort out payment / collection.
From everything I've read, as long as there is a pre-booked MOT that you're driving to, you should be alright to drive it on the VIN and without plates. Post-MOT this is EINGANG VERBOTEN however, so I'll just have to push it back from the MOT centre (about a mile away)
This does leave me with quite a lot to do in terms of making driveway space. Anyone after a 2-owner 145 Cloverleaf, 62k miles, fresh ticket for a year, cambelt just done? Or a 15-plate 520d tourer with 44k miles??
So, we have news. Time for tea?
Updates have been thin on the ground only due to taking a break in Mallorca in May. Ironically the boat sailed past the island and docked in Barcelona, which was the closest I would get to it for some time.
Whilst we were away NSA did send me the arrival documents via email with instructions on the C384 form (VAT and duty) and some other things to fill in, they also required one of the original bills of lading from Japan (at home in my desk). As we would still be away when it arrived I emailed them back to let them know and it turned out the boat was delayed so it wasn't an issue.
Got back and posted some hard copies to NSA having already sent over some of the requested documents by email (invoice, certificate of export). They managed to deal with VAT and duty just with the emailed stuff and I then got an invoice for the total amount including their fees of about £130 for acting as shipping agents and customs clearance. Paid that by bank transfer and then had to ring and arrange a day to collect.
The main problem is that NSA are only open for car collection in two sessions per day and half-day on a Friday, plus you have to give a full-days notice of your time to collect, so if you work full-time then I would recommend sorting out a trailer company to go and collect it for you. Otherwise, as happened to me and I had a last minute change of plan, you get charged an extra £35 per week for storage....cheers.
So it was last Wednesday I took the train to Newcastle, then Metro to Bede and walked from there to the port. You will need some photo ID and the reg number or chassis number to collect. I handed this over and the chap wheeled the battery pack out to where it was parked and drove it out with the words of warning "it's as flat as a pancake and you won't get very far."
The fuel gauge needle was bent around the E helpfully, so I set off looking for a petrol station with no means of re-starting it (see the point about arranging trailer collection, above). The battery was so dead that it could barely run the engine and the ignition was flicking on and off for the short drive (not good for blood pressure). Got to a petrol station and sat with the engine running in the hope it would charge enough to re-start. Which was fine until it didn't. Had to buy a set of jump leads and coral a friendly chap in a Legacy estate to give me a jump start. Then began the longest 80 miles of my life...
First, a picture:
Helpfully I couldn't turn the stereo / satnav combo off so it gave me a few words of encouragement in hushed Japanese tones every now and then. The satnav just showed a road up to the sea in the docks, so presumably this was the last position it registered in Japan! Bit of a nightmare drive back from that point. The battery was obviously cooked and could barely supply enough power to run the engine. Not being able to switch the stereo off meant that every time I indicated to change lanes the stereo would cut out, then re-start. Every 25 mins or so all the warning lights would come on as if the key was at position 1 and the ignition would flutter causing the car to judder. Then I made the mistake of flashing someone to let them out and the thing nearly died in the outside lane of the A1. Then it started to rain....
Fortunately as I got close to home I left the motorway and took the old A1 from Dishforth, so I had the opportunity to flex the right foot leaving roundabouts and was also out of the way should there be any problems. I then decided to go the long way round to get home and see what it could do on some roads I know well, which proved to be an error: having had a minor thrash I got to a t-junction about 250 yards from the house, didn't dip the clutch in time and rolled to a halt in the middle of the road. Cue pushing it for the second time that day (and having pushed my Series 3 Landy around at home recently I can say it doesn't weigh much less, surprisingly).
Ran home, got changed, got other car, jump started subaru, took it home, ran back to other car, went to work.
Since then I went to Halfords and bought a new battery for it, fitted, now all sorted and it turns out it has an alarm which also works. The battery fit is a fiddly job though, and whilst I was looking for the spark plugs I got the impression that anything other than routine maintenance will involve taking a lot of the top of the engine off...
I went out for a quick spin with Mrs M last night and the boy in the back (isofix compatible rear seats). First impressions:
Ride is generally good, more forgiving than my daily drive (520d M sport with 19 inch wheels). I suspect this may be down to the
larger sidewalls on the Subaru and that they are not run-flats. Much less crashy over potholes and poor surfaces. Interestingly though the rear tends to bunny hop over expansion joints and undulations at motorway speeds. Not jiggly, more just a pronounced feeling of bobbing from the rear end that takes a little time to settle.
The handling goes fist in glove with steering-not a huge amount of feel but incredibly direct. I keep on ending up about with about a quarter of a turn too much lock at corners I'm familiar with. Not a huge amount of body roll and it feels well controlled, much more so than DD, which tends to lurch a bit when pushed on especially when exiting roundabouts. I'm struck by how narrow it feels which is probably a combination of the steering effect and also that it is a relatively upright body. The seating position is more SUV than estate car, certainly much higher than DD.
The seats look great but aren't actually hugely supportive. Is it just me? The wings on the seats don't really touch my shoulders. Maybe I've just been corrupted by years of poor seats?
Engine: Brace yourselves, it's just too quiet. From inside you can hear the exhaust up until about 3.5k, but after that it becomes sewing-machine thrash with a slight induction whoosh overlaid. I tried it with the windows open, and all that happened was that the wind noise drowned anything out above 40mph. I see Dan went with the Hayward and Scott 2.5 backbox which is now on my list of upgrades down the line, subject to approval by the financial controller.
I've ordered a replacement headunit that should be arriving in the next few days and the car was dropped off last night at my local MOT centre, which it'll need before I can register it and apply for the V5. Hopefully it'll be back soon and from the look of the dipstick it will be off to HD Subaru for a full service...
Updates have been thin on the ground only due to taking a break in Mallorca in May. Ironically the boat sailed past the island and docked in Barcelona, which was the closest I would get to it for some time.
Whilst we were away NSA did send me the arrival documents via email with instructions on the C384 form (VAT and duty) and some other things to fill in, they also required one of the original bills of lading from Japan (at home in my desk). As we would still be away when it arrived I emailed them back to let them know and it turned out the boat was delayed so it wasn't an issue.
Got back and posted some hard copies to NSA having already sent over some of the requested documents by email (invoice, certificate of export). They managed to deal with VAT and duty just with the emailed stuff and I then got an invoice for the total amount including their fees of about £130 for acting as shipping agents and customs clearance. Paid that by bank transfer and then had to ring and arrange a day to collect.
The main problem is that NSA are only open for car collection in two sessions per day and half-day on a Friday, plus you have to give a full-days notice of your time to collect, so if you work full-time then I would recommend sorting out a trailer company to go and collect it for you. Otherwise, as happened to me and I had a last minute change of plan, you get charged an extra £35 per week for storage....cheers.
So it was last Wednesday I took the train to Newcastle, then Metro to Bede and walked from there to the port. You will need some photo ID and the reg number or chassis number to collect. I handed this over and the chap wheeled the battery pack out to where it was parked and drove it out with the words of warning "it's as flat as a pancake and you won't get very far."
The fuel gauge needle was bent around the E helpfully, so I set off looking for a petrol station with no means of re-starting it (see the point about arranging trailer collection, above). The battery was so dead that it could barely run the engine and the ignition was flicking on and off for the short drive (not good for blood pressure). Got to a petrol station and sat with the engine running in the hope it would charge enough to re-start. Which was fine until it didn't. Had to buy a set of jump leads and coral a friendly chap in a Legacy estate to give me a jump start. Then began the longest 80 miles of my life...
First, a picture:
Helpfully I couldn't turn the stereo / satnav combo off so it gave me a few words of encouragement in hushed Japanese tones every now and then. The satnav just showed a road up to the sea in the docks, so presumably this was the last position it registered in Japan! Bit of a nightmare drive back from that point. The battery was obviously cooked and could barely supply enough power to run the engine. Not being able to switch the stereo off meant that every time I indicated to change lanes the stereo would cut out, then re-start. Every 25 mins or so all the warning lights would come on as if the key was at position 1 and the ignition would flutter causing the car to judder. Then I made the mistake of flashing someone to let them out and the thing nearly died in the outside lane of the A1. Then it started to rain....
Fortunately as I got close to home I left the motorway and took the old A1 from Dishforth, so I had the opportunity to flex the right foot leaving roundabouts and was also out of the way should there be any problems. I then decided to go the long way round to get home and see what it could do on some roads I know well, which proved to be an error: having had a minor thrash I got to a t-junction about 250 yards from the house, didn't dip the clutch in time and rolled to a halt in the middle of the road. Cue pushing it for the second time that day (and having pushed my Series 3 Landy around at home recently I can say it doesn't weigh much less, surprisingly).
Ran home, got changed, got other car, jump started subaru, took it home, ran back to other car, went to work.
Since then I went to Halfords and bought a new battery for it, fitted, now all sorted and it turns out it has an alarm which also works. The battery fit is a fiddly job though, and whilst I was looking for the spark plugs I got the impression that anything other than routine maintenance will involve taking a lot of the top of the engine off...
I went out for a quick spin with Mrs M last night and the boy in the back (isofix compatible rear seats). First impressions:
Ride is generally good, more forgiving than my daily drive (520d M sport with 19 inch wheels). I suspect this may be down to the
larger sidewalls on the Subaru and that they are not run-flats. Much less crashy over potholes and poor surfaces. Interestingly though the rear tends to bunny hop over expansion joints and undulations at motorway speeds. Not jiggly, more just a pronounced feeling of bobbing from the rear end that takes a little time to settle.
The handling goes fist in glove with steering-not a huge amount of feel but incredibly direct. I keep on ending up about with about a quarter of a turn too much lock at corners I'm familiar with. Not a huge amount of body roll and it feels well controlled, much more so than DD, which tends to lurch a bit when pushed on especially when exiting roundabouts. I'm struck by how narrow it feels which is probably a combination of the steering effect and also that it is a relatively upright body. The seating position is more SUV than estate car, certainly much higher than DD.
The seats look great but aren't actually hugely supportive. Is it just me? The wings on the seats don't really touch my shoulders. Maybe I've just been corrupted by years of poor seats?
Engine: Brace yourselves, it's just too quiet. From inside you can hear the exhaust up until about 3.5k, but after that it becomes sewing-machine thrash with a slight induction whoosh overlaid. I tried it with the windows open, and all that happened was that the wind noise drowned anything out above 40mph. I see Dan went with the Hayward and Scott 2.5 backbox which is now on my list of upgrades down the line, subject to approval by the financial controller.
I've ordered a replacement headunit that should be arriving in the next few days and the car was dropped off last night at my local MOT centre, which it'll need before I can register it and apply for the V5. Hopefully it'll be back soon and from the look of the dipstick it will be off to HD Subaru for a full service...
Sa Calobra said:
HD Subaru is good. He spots things but doesn't say anything unless you prompt him 
If you want more noise you could take off the bonnet insulation?
Top tip-I'll try that when it comes back. And thanks for the HD info, only about 45 min drive and sounds like it will be worth it.If you want more noise you could take off the bonnet insulation?
Jim on the hill said:
That all sounds very stressful and not a nice start, unless you saved thousands I can't see it's worth it personally.
Hope you enjoy it and look forward to the updates.
Yes, it was unnecessarily stressful. It was the old "new toy!" story when actually a car transporter for 100 quid or so would have been money well spent. I think combining the cost of the train fare, jump leads etc it probably would have worked out about the same too.Hope you enjoy it and look forward to the updates.
Having said that the rest of the process was pretty hassle-free if I'm honest. Plus the savings in doing it yourself leave a healthy budget for some upgrades
crispyshark]pt Flashhard said:
So, we have news. Time for tea?
Engine: Brace yourselves, it's just too quiet. From inside you can hear the exhaust up until about 3.5k, but after that it becomes sewing-machine thrash with a slight induction whoosh overlaid. I tried it with the windows open, and all that happened was that the wind noise drowned anything out above 40mph. I see Dan went with the Hayward and Scott 2.5 backbox which is now on my list of upgrades down the line, subject to approval by the financial controller.
quote]
You need a K and N Typhoon....that will sort some of the issue....and a good zorst.
Engine: Brace yourselves, it's just too quiet. From inside you can hear the exhaust up until about 3.5k, but after that it becomes sewing-machine thrash with a slight induction whoosh overlaid. I tried it with the windows open, and all that happened was that the wind noise drowned anything out above 40mph. I see Dan went with the Hayward and Scott 2.5 backbox which is now on my list of upgrades down the line, subject to approval by the financial controller.
quote]
You need a K and N Typhoon....that will sort some of the issue....and a good zorst.
lemmingjames said:
How much did you save in the end?
Or whats your final OTR cost?
And i might have an exhaust for sale soon if your interested?
Difficult to calculate at the mo in terms of OTR, will total it all up when it comes back and is registered. I found it quite difficult to compare like for like when looking through the classifieds as some are just off the boat with bare minimum to get registered here, others have been lightly breathed upon and others still significantly so. At the moment I reckon I'm still about 3-4k up on the best examples Or whats your final OTR cost?
And i might have an exhaust for sale soon if your interested?
Edited by lemmingjames on Tuesday 5th June 09:39
Edited by lemmingjames on Tuesday 5th June 09:39
lemmingjames said:
You must have got in at the right time as the average across goo-net is £8.9k
I was following your thread with interest as was tempted to do it myself but need a car sooner than later.
Itll be interesting to see how much it comes to in the end (pm me if needs be).
I can definitely recommend Patrick at JDM auction watch if you're still interested-either getting an auction car inspected or they also have cars for sale at dealers which they can sort out transport / duty etc. I found a peach for about 7.5k but we just missed it!I was following your thread with interest as was tempted to do it myself but need a car sooner than later.
Itll be interesting to see how much it comes to in the end (pm me if needs be).
david1972 said:
Thanks for the tips for port collection day. Sounds fine, other than the battery issue which I hadn’t thought about. Might just go armed with a spare when I collect my Impreza.
Where was the nearest petrol station? I assume you put v/power or Tesco momentum in?
Nearest Shell station is about 4 miles down the A194 I think, I put a tank of V-power in.Where was the nearest petrol station? I assume you put v/power or Tesco momentum in?
Went for the H&S 2.5 backbox which is being fitted today along with the foglight. Should have a certificate by the end of it = number plate. Then time for the remap and underseal.
Also managed to get hold of a combined DAB / satnav which is being delivered today, so in an idle moment (there are few) I shall have a crack at fitting it.
joefraser said:
I love the car! I live local to Bede metro abd drive a Forester, and have been through the pain of importing one- I could have given you a hand on the day and moral support.
Aha! Had I known that I probably would have been in contact. Looking forward to getting it back and working-I got my Alfa 145 Cloverleaf back yesterday and enjoyed a thrash around the lanes. Nothing like the simplicity of 5 gears, an n/a 2 litre and superb induction rasp on the way through 3k. 150 bhp was a lot in 1998....david1972 said:
Thanks for the tips for port collection day. Sounds fine, other than the battery issue which I hadn’t thought about. Might just go armed with a spare when I collect my Impreza.
Where was the nearest petrol station? I assume you put v/power or Tesco momentum in?
Forgot to ask when the big day is! Will you be traveling far?Where was the nearest petrol station? I assume you put v/power or Tesco momentum in?
Final post from me now that the journey is complete (ish).
Sailed through its MOT and the V5 arrived along with the paperwork for plates. Had them made up and did some drilling for fitting. Worked out afterwards that the mounting holes in the boot aren't in the middle of the plate...
Sold the DD and so it's been pressed into daily service, mostly just pootling to the station and back apart from a trip to Newcastle.
What with all the dry weather it had gotten pretty dusty but was amazed at the effect of Poorboys Wash and Wax, followed by an application of some White Diamond and then wax paste over the top. Need to sort a couple more coats out for the wheels though.
The latest part of the fettling was a trip to HDC Subaru in Hebden Bridge (thanks for the recommendations). Overall they're impressed with the condition, oil service and filter change remarkably reasonable.
Going to be booked in soon for the rear ARB (whiteline?), a full waxoyl and get the cambelt done at the same time.
Still looking for someone to swap the stereo over, stuck with Japanese FM frequency (70-91 ish MHZ).
On reflection this is much faster, cheaper, noisier (in a good and bad way) than former DD. I'm thinking maybe a grey metallic for the alloys in due course and perhaps some mudflaps but we'll see.
Sailed through its MOT and the V5 arrived along with the paperwork for plates. Had them made up and did some drilling for fitting. Worked out afterwards that the mounting holes in the boot aren't in the middle of the plate...
Sold the DD and so it's been pressed into daily service, mostly just pootling to the station and back apart from a trip to Newcastle.
What with all the dry weather it had gotten pretty dusty but was amazed at the effect of Poorboys Wash and Wax, followed by an application of some White Diamond and then wax paste over the top. Need to sort a couple more coats out for the wheels though.
The latest part of the fettling was a trip to HDC Subaru in Hebden Bridge (thanks for the recommendations). Overall they're impressed with the condition, oil service and filter change remarkably reasonable.
Going to be booked in soon for the rear ARB (whiteline?), a full waxoyl and get the cambelt done at the same time.
Still looking for someone to swap the stereo over, stuck with Japanese FM frequency (70-91 ish MHZ).
On reflection this is much faster, cheaper, noisier (in a good and bad way) than former DD. I'm thinking maybe a grey metallic for the alloys in due course and perhaps some mudflaps but we'll see.
lemmingjames said:
Youll have to work out your final costs now ;-)
Regarding the stereo, it takes a minute or two to remove the panels and get to the stereo to change it over. Theres a good Android double din unit for £300, so can use torque pro on the move, plus it has screen in screen
Hmm only issue I foresee is that the current unit is mounted in the "pod" on top of the dash. Plus it's DAB and satnav combined, so think I need to wire in DAB aerial and satnav aerial too. Although it already has satnav so presumably it's just a case of swapping the leads?Regarding the stereo, it takes a minute or two to remove the panels and get to the stereo to change it over. Theres a good Android double din unit for £300, so can use torque pro on the move, plus it has screen in screen
Final costs are a matter of utmost secrecy including from SWMBO. Bottom line is that we are no longer paying £400+ per month for the old DD
vxr2010 said:
The rear arb makes a bit of difference , a much better route is a set of coilovers on a soft setting it makes a lot of difference , i wished i had gone coilovers a long time ago , if you do coilovers the arb in my opinion is not needed
Thanks VXR, approx cost of coilovers?lemmingjames said:
SO what do you have in the dash?
If you want to relocate it back into the centre console, ive got a spare top pocket. Youll also be able to get money for the double din top pod should you want to sell that
Probably easier to explain with a photo, but in the dash itself is a silver flap with nothing behind it and an empty slot above fitted with a plastic liner. If you want to relocate it back into the centre console, ive got a spare top pocket. Youll also be able to get money for the double din top pod should you want to sell that
The combined DVD/Satnav/radio sits in the pod on the top. By the looks of things dimension-wise they should be a pretty close fit. Any tips on removal? Is there a specific tool which is not a screwdriver?
lemmingjames said:
SO what do you have in the dash?
If you want to relocate it back into the centre console, ive got a spare top pocket. Youll also be able to get money for the double din top pod should you want to sell that
PS I may also take you up on those offers should things not work out so well...! If you want to relocate it back into the centre console, ive got a spare top pocket. Youll also be able to get money for the double din top pod should you want to sell that
Seats giving me backache, considering swapping to something like a Recaro Pole Position with a 3-point fitting harness?
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