Potential RED FLAG???
Discussion
Hi folks, just wanted to get some personal opinions and or personal experience in the below matter.
I have an old Audi quattro that I am resto-modding. The car has been stripped and all welding done by another garage/mickey mouse outfit based in Coventry however I took the car back off them as they had it over 12 months and were fobbing me off with excuses of why nothing had been done.
The car is currently sat on a dolly outside another garage that I've asked to take over the project, however they are only able to finish building engine, gearbox, suspension brakes etc. They are not able to restore the car fully. Parts for this car are difficult to come by in the UK too. I have already spent quite a bit of money on existing works and on a engine and had it built with forged parts, a refurbished 6 speed gearbox with strengthened synchro's etc, new coil-overs etc etc, all not yet fitted.
I went to see the guys who have the car ATM and he's confirmed he can only help with engine and running gear etc but not the rest of the car, so he's mentioned another option, which was that I send my car to his friend in Lithuania.
The friend he mentioned was also at the garage with him as he does all the welding/fabrication work for this garage to help, coming back and fourth to the UK quite often to do this. He also restores/builds cars himself in Lithuania. His welding work looks really good, talented fabricator. His English isn't great from what I gathered whilst there. He also showed me some of his work/builds which also looks pretty good.
The reason the garage mentioned this option was that he feels this would be a lot cheaper to have work done in Lithuania, resprays are cheaper, labour cost is cheaper plus getting parts would be easier/cheaper too. Audi tradition no longer send parts to UK either and these old Audis are still found in Europe so parts should be easier. However I have come concerns.
The concerns are that the garage its at now advises they will need the V5 to transport the car over there, so that they can apparently prove the car isn't stolen. Guessing it would still be in my name. Is there a way I can make sure they don't change it and cant put it in another name.
The other concerns are that both the car and parts go missing once its over there, worst case scenario is that I pay for it all to be restored and when its completed it then goes missing!
I told the guy at the garage I would only consider it if I could get some kind of personal/business guarantee, which he said he would be happy to do although I am sure if I came to him with one written up I may get a different answer. He says I could still go through him and pay him and he would pay his friend.
The way he works is that I deposit funds to him every months and he sends pics, videos as long with a spreadsheet showing what works have been done and costings. The guy/garage is well known on the scene and a lot of UK guys have their work done by this UK garage however unsure if anyone else has had their car sent abroad. most of the work he does is just engine builds to existing cars, not resto's.
Question is, would you guys ever send your car abroad to be restored or have any of you done it before and how did you go about it.
I have an old Audi quattro that I am resto-modding. The car has been stripped and all welding done by another garage/mickey mouse outfit based in Coventry however I took the car back off them as they had it over 12 months and were fobbing me off with excuses of why nothing had been done.
The car is currently sat on a dolly outside another garage that I've asked to take over the project, however they are only able to finish building engine, gearbox, suspension brakes etc. They are not able to restore the car fully. Parts for this car are difficult to come by in the UK too. I have already spent quite a bit of money on existing works and on a engine and had it built with forged parts, a refurbished 6 speed gearbox with strengthened synchro's etc, new coil-overs etc etc, all not yet fitted.
I went to see the guys who have the car ATM and he's confirmed he can only help with engine and running gear etc but not the rest of the car, so he's mentioned another option, which was that I send my car to his friend in Lithuania.
The friend he mentioned was also at the garage with him as he does all the welding/fabrication work for this garage to help, coming back and fourth to the UK quite often to do this. He also restores/builds cars himself in Lithuania. His welding work looks really good, talented fabricator. His English isn't great from what I gathered whilst there. He also showed me some of his work/builds which also looks pretty good.
The reason the garage mentioned this option was that he feels this would be a lot cheaper to have work done in Lithuania, resprays are cheaper, labour cost is cheaper plus getting parts would be easier/cheaper too. Audi tradition no longer send parts to UK either and these old Audis are still found in Europe so parts should be easier. However I have come concerns.
The concerns are that the garage its at now advises they will need the V5 to transport the car over there, so that they can apparently prove the car isn't stolen. Guessing it would still be in my name. Is there a way I can make sure they don't change it and cant put it in another name.
The other concerns are that both the car and parts go missing once its over there, worst case scenario is that I pay for it all to be restored and when its completed it then goes missing!
I told the guy at the garage I would only consider it if I could get some kind of personal/business guarantee, which he said he would be happy to do although I am sure if I came to him with one written up I may get a different answer. He says I could still go through him and pay him and he would pay his friend.
The way he works is that I deposit funds to him every months and he sends pics, videos as long with a spreadsheet showing what works have been done and costings. The guy/garage is well known on the scene and a lot of UK guys have their work done by this UK garage however unsure if anyone else has had their car sent abroad. most of the work he does is just engine builds to existing cars, not resto's.
Question is, would you guys ever send your car abroad to be restored or have any of you done it before and how did you go about it.
alscar said:
MustangGT said:
Not done it, would not do it.
+1In addition the very mention of giving the V5 away is by itself a very red Flag.
If you had issues in Coventry then .....
OP I can't give any personal advice but I have heard of multiple people doing similar as there's a lot of support for German cars in Europe, especially those hard to sort. Aside from the comment above re Mike Brewer I'm sure Tavarish (YouTube guy) had a guy from Europe fly over to help with his Mercedes SL55 as his company made manual conversions for them. Might not have been from Lithuania though but definitely near there.
Completely understand the concerns though, its pretty unsettling sending your car to another country but it doesn't sound like a scam and does seem to be rooted in some kind of factual basis. Just whether you can make yourself comfortable enough to take the plunge.
C5_Steve said:
In fairness the V5 thing makes sense though, doesn't it? Can't ship it without one (unless you're literally doing something shady).
OP I can't give any personal advice but I have heard of multiple people doing similar as there's a lot of support for German cars in Europe, especially those hard to sort. Aside from the comment above re Mike Brewer I'm sure Tavarish (YouTube guy) had a guy from Europe fly over to help with his Mercedes SL55 as his company made manual conversions for them. Might not have been from Lithuania though but definitely near there.
Completely understand the concerns though, its pretty unsettling sending your car to another country but it doesn't sound like a scam and does seem to be rooted in some kind of factual basis. Just whether you can make yourself comfortable enough to take the plunge.
I appreciate the original V5 is needed if sent abroad ( and has to be the original not a photocopy ) but its the rest of the story in conjunction with that would worry me personally.OP I can't give any personal advice but I have heard of multiple people doing similar as there's a lot of support for German cars in Europe, especially those hard to sort. Aside from the comment above re Mike Brewer I'm sure Tavarish (YouTube guy) had a guy from Europe fly over to help with his Mercedes SL55 as his company made manual conversions for them. Might not have been from Lithuania though but definitely near there.
Completely understand the concerns though, its pretty unsettling sending your car to another country but it doesn't sound like a scam and does seem to be rooted in some kind of factual basis. Just whether you can make yourself comfortable enough to take the plunge.
As the chap from Lithuania is over in the UK a lot anyway then leaving the car at the garage where he visits would still be a less concerning outcome.
As you say it might all be fine though.
amar-r6vpz said:
Hi folks, just wanted to get some personal opinions and or personal experience in the below matter.
I have an old Audi quattro that I am resto-modding. The car has been stripped and all welding done by another garage/mickey mouse outfit based in Coventry however I took the car back off them as they had it over 12 months and were fobbing me off with excuses of why nothing had been done.
The car is currently sat on a dolly outside another garage that I've asked to take over the project, however they are only able to finish building engine, gearbox, suspension brakes etc. They are not able to restore the car fully. Parts for this car are difficult to come by in the UK too. I have already spent quite a bit of money on existing works and on a engine and had it built with forged parts, a refurbished 6 speed gearbox with strengthened synchro's etc, new coil-overs etc etc, all not yet fitted.
I went to see the guys who have the car ATM and he's confirmed he can only help with engine and running gear etc but not the rest of the car, so he's mentioned another option, which was that I send my car to his friend in Lithuania.
The friend he mentioned was also at the garage with him as he does all the welding/fabrication work for this garage to help, coming back and fourth to the UK quite often to do this. He also restores/builds cars himself in Lithuania. His welding work looks really good, talented fabricator. His English isn't great from what I gathered whilst there. He also showed me some of his work/builds which also looks pretty good.
The reason the garage mentioned this option was that he feels this would be a lot cheaper to have work done in Lithuania, resprays are cheaper, labour cost is cheaper plus getting parts would be easier/cheaper too. Audi tradition no longer send parts to UK either and these old Audis are still found in Europe so parts should be easier. However I have come concerns.
The concerns are that the garage its at now advises they will need the V5 to transport the car over there, so that they can apparently prove the car isn't stolen. Guessing it would still be in my name. Is there a way I can make sure they don't change it and cant put it in another name.
The other concerns are that both the car and parts go missing once its over there, worst case scenario is that I pay for it all to be restored and when its completed it then goes missing!
I told the guy at the garage I would only consider it if I could get some kind of personal/business guarantee, which he said he would be happy to do although I am sure if I came to him with one written up I may get a different answer. He says I could still go through him and pay him and he would pay his friend.
The way he works is that I deposit funds to him every months and he sends pics, videos as long with a spreadsheet showing what works have been done and costings. The guy/garage is well known on the scene and a lot of UK guys have their work done by this UK garage however unsure if anyone else has had their car sent abroad. most of the work he does is just engine builds to existing cars, not resto's.
Question is, would you guys ever send your car abroad to be restored or have any of you done it before and how did you go about it.
I think I know this guy in Lithuania. Has quite the reputation in the Audi community. I've sold at least one of my feeder Audi Coupe GT's I owned (to feed my urQ at the time - as you say parts are a nightmare!) He paid via bank transfer the full asking price and asked me to hold onto the car until he could collect. About 7 weeks later he informs me that a lorry would be arriving to pick up the Audi and sure enough it arrives with 3 other coupes on it, mine was the last to be picked up before going back to Lithuania.I have an old Audi quattro that I am resto-modding. The car has been stripped and all welding done by another garage/mickey mouse outfit based in Coventry however I took the car back off them as they had it over 12 months and were fobbing me off with excuses of why nothing had been done.
The car is currently sat on a dolly outside another garage that I've asked to take over the project, however they are only able to finish building engine, gearbox, suspension brakes etc. They are not able to restore the car fully. Parts for this car are difficult to come by in the UK too. I have already spent quite a bit of money on existing works and on a engine and had it built with forged parts, a refurbished 6 speed gearbox with strengthened synchro's etc, new coil-overs etc etc, all not yet fitted.
I went to see the guys who have the car ATM and he's confirmed he can only help with engine and running gear etc but not the rest of the car, so he's mentioned another option, which was that I send my car to his friend in Lithuania.
The friend he mentioned was also at the garage with him as he does all the welding/fabrication work for this garage to help, coming back and fourth to the UK quite often to do this. He also restores/builds cars himself in Lithuania. His welding work looks really good, talented fabricator. His English isn't great from what I gathered whilst there. He also showed me some of his work/builds which also looks pretty good.
The reason the garage mentioned this option was that he feels this would be a lot cheaper to have work done in Lithuania, resprays are cheaper, labour cost is cheaper plus getting parts would be easier/cheaper too. Audi tradition no longer send parts to UK either and these old Audis are still found in Europe so parts should be easier. However I have come concerns.
The concerns are that the garage its at now advises they will need the V5 to transport the car over there, so that they can apparently prove the car isn't stolen. Guessing it would still be in my name. Is there a way I can make sure they don't change it and cant put it in another name.
The other concerns are that both the car and parts go missing once its over there, worst case scenario is that I pay for it all to be restored and when its completed it then goes missing!
I told the guy at the garage I would only consider it if I could get some kind of personal/business guarantee, which he said he would be happy to do although I am sure if I came to him with one written up I may get a different answer. He says I could still go through him and pay him and he would pay his friend.
The way he works is that I deposit funds to him every months and he sends pics, videos as long with a spreadsheet showing what works have been done and costings. The guy/garage is well known on the scene and a lot of UK guys have their work done by this UK garage however unsure if anyone else has had their car sent abroad. most of the work he does is just engine builds to existing cars, not resto's.
Question is, would you guys ever send your car abroad to be restored or have any of you done it before and how did you go about it.
Would I send my own one over there? Probably not unless I'd gone out to see him first and understood the law of possession in Lithuania!
What Audi are you restoring?
amar-r6vpz said:
Hi folks, just wanted to get some personal opinions and or personal experience in the below matter.
I have an old Audi quattro that I am resto-modding. The car has been stripped and all welding done by another garage/mickey mouse outfit based in Coventry however I took the car back off them as they had it over 12 months and were fobbing me off with excuses of why nothing had been done.
The car is currently sat on a dolly outside another garage that I've asked to take over the project, however they are only able to finish building engine, gearbox, suspension brakes etc. They are not able to restore the car fully. Parts for this car are difficult to come by in the UK too. I have already spent quite a bit of money on existing works and on a engine and had it built with forged parts, a refurbished 6 speed gearbox with strengthened synchro's etc, new coil-overs etc etc, all not yet fitted.
I went to see the guys who have the car ATM and he's confirmed he can only help with engine and running gear etc but not the rest of the car, so he's mentioned another option, which was that I send my car to his friend in Lithuania.
That's a hard no from me...I have an old Audi quattro that I am resto-modding. The car has been stripped and all welding done by another garage/mickey mouse outfit based in Coventry however I took the car back off them as they had it over 12 months and were fobbing me off with excuses of why nothing had been done.
The car is currently sat on a dolly outside another garage that I've asked to take over the project, however they are only able to finish building engine, gearbox, suspension brakes etc. They are not able to restore the car fully. Parts for this car are difficult to come by in the UK too. I have already spent quite a bit of money on existing works and on a engine and had it built with forged parts, a refurbished 6 speed gearbox with strengthened synchro's etc, new coil-overs etc etc, all not yet fitted.
I went to see the guys who have the car ATM and he's confirmed he can only help with engine and running gear etc but not the rest of the car, so he's mentioned another option, which was that I send my car to his friend in Lithuania.
amar-r6vpz said:
The friend he mentioned was also at the garage with him as he does all the welding/fabrication work for this garage to help, coming back and fourth to the UK quite often to do this. He also restores/builds cars himself in Lithuania. His welding work looks really good, talented fabricator. His English isn't great from what I gathered whilst there. He also showed me some of his work/builds which also looks pretty good.
The reason the garage mentioned this option was that he feels this would be a lot cheaper to have work done in Lithuania, resprays are cheaper, labour cost is cheaper plus getting parts would be easier/cheaper too. Audi tradition no longer send parts to UK either and these old Audis are still found in Europe so parts should be easier. However I have come concerns.
The concerns are that the garage its at now advises they will need the V5 to transport the car over there, so that they can apparently prove the car isn't stolen. Guessing it would still be in my name. Is there a way I can make sure they don't change it and cant put it in another name.
Hell no!!!!!The reason the garage mentioned this option was that he feels this would be a lot cheaper to have work done in Lithuania, resprays are cheaper, labour cost is cheaper plus getting parts would be easier/cheaper too. Audi tradition no longer send parts to UK either and these old Audis are still found in Europe so parts should be easier. However I have come concerns.
The concerns are that the garage its at now advises they will need the V5 to transport the car over there, so that they can apparently prove the car isn't stolen. Guessing it would still be in my name. Is there a way I can make sure they don't change it and cant put it in another name.
BertBert said:
OPUT said:
I remember there will be tax to pay on any increase in value when you bring it back.
Life, death and in between taxes.....
You sure?Life, death and in between taxes.....
See here, you will be liable for duty and VAT on the repair costs.
https://www.chamberelancs.co.uk/international-busi...
Edited by Olivergt on Monday 2nd March 15:09
Edited by Olivergt on Monday 2nd March 15:11
QuattroDave said:
I think I know this guy in Lithuania. Has quite the reputation in the Audi community. I've sold at least one of my feeder Audi Coupe GT's I owned (to feed my urQ at the time - as you say parts are a nightmare!) He paid via bank transfer the full asking price and asked me to hold onto the car until he could collect. About 7 weeks later he informs me that a lorry would be arriving to pick up the Audi and sure enough it arrives with 3 other coupes on it, mine was the last to be picked up before going back to Lithuania.
Would I send my own one over there? Probably not unless I'd gone out to see him first and understood the law of possession in Lithuania!
What Audi are you restoring?
Its a B2 80 quattro type 81. Can I ask who you think this Lithuanian person could be? Are you on S2 forums by any chance?Would I send my own one over there? Probably not unless I'd gone out to see him first and understood the law of possession in Lithuania!
What Audi are you restoring?
Olivergt said:
BertBert said:
OPUT said:
I remember there will be tax to pay on any increase in value when you bring it back.
Life, death and in between taxes.....
You sure?Life, death and in between taxes.....
See here, you will be liable for duty and VAT on the repair costs.
https://www.chamberelancs.co.uk/international-busi...
Edited by Olivergt on Monday 2nd March 15:09
Edited by Olivergt on Monday 2nd March 15:11
Thanks for all your replies so far. Very valid points raised that have obviously crossed my mind too. Can you ever be 100% sure of something? I was sure the Coventry motorsport place was going to do a good job but they also turned out to be a joke. UK, Europe, Timbuctoo, you'll get con artists everywhere you go.
The V5 doc being needed to take the vehicle abroad makes sense to me however this is an added risk, unsure what to do in this situation. If i shipped it via a proper UK/European courier company, would they require the same?
Is there a way to get this done with more safety for me? Personal/Business guarantee?
Anyone fancy buying an Audi?
The V5 doc being needed to take the vehicle abroad makes sense to me however this is an added risk, unsure what to do in this situation. If i shipped it via a proper UK/European courier company, would they require the same?
Is there a way to get this done with more safety for me? Personal/Business guarantee?
Anyone fancy buying an Audi?
Not in a million years.
Just read any of the multiple stories on here of relationships gone bad between customer and garage/fabricator/paint shop/tuner etc.
Usually ends up with 'Just cut your losses and go round with a trailer and some lads and get your car back'.
Imagine how hard (impossible) that is going to be when the car is (supposedly!) in Lithunia!
And handing over your V5?
Do you want to bu some magic beans or a bridge in London, by any chance?
Just read any of the multiple stories on here of relationships gone bad between customer and garage/fabricator/paint shop/tuner etc.
Usually ends up with 'Just cut your losses and go round with a trailer and some lads and get your car back'.
Imagine how hard (impossible) that is going to be when the car is (supposedly!) in Lithunia!
And handing over your V5?
Do you want to bu some magic beans or a bridge in London, by any chance?
Olivergt said:
I would think so, you are paying for a goods/service. And then importing it to the UK. I'm sure if the tax man was aware, they would want their cut as well.
See here, you will be liable for duty and VAT on the repair costs.
https://www.chamberelancs.co.uk/international-busi...
I'm no expert at all, but that says businesses exporting. Is a business exporting their own goods for repair for subsequent re-import? I don't think so it's an item owned by an individual.See here, you will be liable for duty and VAT on the repair costs.
https://www.chamberelancs.co.uk/international-busi...
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