What is wrong with this country!
Discussion
This country has truly become the king of making everything difficult!
Not only did I find it very difficult to find out information for bringing my car over here, but it wasn't until I arrived that it got worse.
They didn't tell me the little ol SVA test would amount to costing more than shipping it here! They did tell me that the kph to mph didn't matter as it was a temporary import (which was wrong). To drive the car to the test I would need Insurance but couldn't get it without a Cat1 alarm which when quoted in a call from NZ they failed to tell me about. So to get a Cat1 alarm I assume I would need to find an installer that will go to Tilbury to Install it so I can get it insured on its chassis number and take it to a place to get the speedo re calibrated (probably with the police in hot pursuit for not having plates, tax or MOT) and have a really tacky sticker put on the lovely red gauges then to the SVA test which may or may not pass it without nailing an extra fog lamp to it. Then if all my paper work is in order including my passport and proof that I have not come from Mars and probably the offering of my first born child. I might get it on the road!!! Only to ship it out again in two years and work out how to get it de-registered and ship it back take the horrible tacky sticker off and re-calibrate it to Kph get it on the road in NZ (which only costs $400) and drive home.
By the way there is only one insurance company that will insure me over here. This is despite coming from a commonwealth country (New Zealand) and having had a full drivers license since the year dot and proof of a full no claims bonus history and having previously lived here for 20 years!! (been in NZ for 15 years).
The reason? No it's not just my 5.7 litre V8 "Imported" Holden Monaro it's because I haven't lived here for the last three years. I have driven on the left, seen traffic lights before, kept to speed limits (well sometimes) and hey they even have motorways there!!
The other thing that grates me is trying to explain to Insurance companies and the dam vehicle licensing lot that the Holden Monaro is the same as the Vauxhall Monaro (don't they watch Top Gear)! They are both built in Australia only re-badged as we all know. b#*t$#ds.
Had to get that out of my system!!!
Not only did I find it very difficult to find out information for bringing my car over here, but it wasn't until I arrived that it got worse.
They didn't tell me the little ol SVA test would amount to costing more than shipping it here! They did tell me that the kph to mph didn't matter as it was a temporary import (which was wrong). To drive the car to the test I would need Insurance but couldn't get it without a Cat1 alarm which when quoted in a call from NZ they failed to tell me about. So to get a Cat1 alarm I assume I would need to find an installer that will go to Tilbury to Install it so I can get it insured on its chassis number and take it to a place to get the speedo re calibrated (probably with the police in hot pursuit for not having plates, tax or MOT) and have a really tacky sticker put on the lovely red gauges then to the SVA test which may or may not pass it without nailing an extra fog lamp to it. Then if all my paper work is in order including my passport and proof that I have not come from Mars and probably the offering of my first born child. I might get it on the road!!! Only to ship it out again in two years and work out how to get it de-registered and ship it back take the horrible tacky sticker off and re-calibrate it to Kph get it on the road in NZ (which only costs $400) and drive home.
By the way there is only one insurance company that will insure me over here. This is despite coming from a commonwealth country (New Zealand) and having had a full drivers license since the year dot and proof of a full no claims bonus history and having previously lived here for 20 years!! (been in NZ for 15 years).
The reason? No it's not just my 5.7 litre V8 "Imported" Holden Monaro it's because I haven't lived here for the last three years. I have driven on the left, seen traffic lights before, kept to speed limits (well sometimes) and hey they even have motorways there!!
The other thing that grates me is trying to explain to Insurance companies and the dam vehicle licensing lot that the Holden Monaro is the same as the Vauxhall Monaro (don't they watch Top Gear)! They are both built in Australia only re-badged as we all know. b#*t$#ds.
Had to get that out of my system!!!
Hi Headhoon,
I fully sympathise and have experienced some of your frustration on the insurance front.
If worst come to worst you can register your car in Andorra as a tourist, only pay 2% import duty and drive it throughout EU and UK. No parking tickets or automated speeding fines either. You will need to trailer the car to Andorra though.
Good luck with it.
Rich
I fully sympathise and have experienced some of your frustration on the insurance front.
If worst come to worst you can register your car in Andorra as a tourist, only pay 2% import duty and drive it throughout EU and UK. No parking tickets or automated speeding fines either. You will need to trailer the car to Andorra though.
Good luck with it.
Rich
You should find that if you put your NZ license in the post with the appropriate form, they will send you back a shiny new UK license. When I did mine I sent them a *suspended* WA license and they still swapped it for a full clean UK one. Much easier for insurance. Also, get a letter from your NZ insurer showing your previous no-claims status, this will be taken into account for your UK no claims. Im only 27 and insured on a BIKE with Norwich Union and they have been very straight forward. Havent made a claim yet though...
PB
PB
Hey bud, Im pretty sure the speedo recal can be done for a fair price here if you havnt done it already let me know.
If its got plates on it, Id just drive it anyway. Afterall you might have driven it all the way from NZ/Oz anyway. You see plenty of foreign plated cars here including middle east etc. I just think you need insurance, otherwise you should be ok. Then you can worry about UK registration when you are ready. Or perhaps take a drive to Andorra (sounds like an idea prich).
Oh and wait till you have to get a national insurance number or you have to call the bank or utility company. Then the fun really starts.
>> Edited by ringram on Thursday 23 February 14:46
If its got plates on it, Id just drive it anyway. Afterall you might have driven it all the way from NZ/Oz anyway. You see plenty of foreign plated cars here including middle east etc. I just think you need insurance, otherwise you should be ok. Then you can worry about UK registration when you are ready. Or perhaps take a drive to Andorra (sounds like an idea prich).
Oh and wait till you have to get a national insurance number or you have to call the bank or utility company. Then the fun really starts.
>> Edited by ringram on Thursday 23 February 14:46
308mate said:
You should find that if you put your NZ license in the post with the appropriate form, they will send you back a shiny new UK license. When I did mine I sent them a *suspended* WA license and they still swapped it for a full clean UK one. Much easier for insurance. Also, get a letter from your NZ insurer showing your previous no-claims status, this will be taken into account for your UK no claims. Im only 27 and insured on a BIKE with Norwich Union and they have been very straight forward. Havent made a claim yet though...
PB
What bike have you got? I've just organised to pick one up on Saturday, can't wait!
ringram said:
Hey bud, Im pretty sure the speedo recal can be done for a fair price here if you havnt done it already let me know.
If its got plates on it, Id just drive it anyway. Afterall you might have driven it all the way from NZ/Oz anyway. You see plenty of foreign plated cars here including middle east etc. I just think you need insurance, otherwise you should be ok. Then you can worry about UK registration when you are ready. Or perhaps take a drive to Andorra (sounds like an idea prich).
Oh and wait till you have to get a national insurance number or you have to call the bank or utility company. Then the fun really starts.
>> Edited by ringram on Thursday 23 February 14:46
I de registered it before I left as I was needing to bring it here for more than six months. I emailed you by the way, did you get it?
ringram said:
Oh and wait till you have to get a national insurance number or you have to call the bank or utility company. Then the fun really starts.
>> Edited by ringram on Thursday 23 February 14:46
It is a little crazy, probaly easier to apply for asylum. They'll give you a home,money and sort out all your paper work.
Mate.. I feel for you, been through a lot of that shit myself except I had owned my car for enough time to qual as a personal import.
My car was unregistered on arrival in the UK but I had my old Oz plates with me. I left them on the car & had it insured with just the VIN number. I got Mark (cheif engineer) from Linden Special Vehicles (used to import HSV & CAPA Holdens) to fax a letter to Tescos insurance that stated that all Holden/HSV were fitted with a "blah blah engineering speak blah blah" & that playing with this to satisfy some stupid beurocratic box ticker was not a good idea.
Technically, once insured, I could of driven without any plates but I left my Vic plates on just to keep the heat away (cops still pull u over though). Didnt matter that there was no rego sticker at all!
If you want a copy of the letter plus the resulting letter from Tesco's saying all was cool with it, I'm happy to fax it to you.
Despite what any cop tells you, you can drive yr car in the UK for up to 6 months on foreign plates before having to get UK reg. You can simly keep them indefinately (ask Raggy man!) by simply takin yr wheels on the eurostar every now & then.. 6 months starts over!
To be honest, I'd tell them u got a vauxhall Monaro & put some Griffin badges on it for a few weeks - sounds like some blokes on this forum might happily do a badge swap!
call me anytime if you want any help - 07860 332 815
Julian
My car was unregistered on arrival in the UK but I had my old Oz plates with me. I left them on the car & had it insured with just the VIN number. I got Mark (cheif engineer) from Linden Special Vehicles (used to import HSV & CAPA Holdens) to fax a letter to Tescos insurance that stated that all Holden/HSV were fitted with a "blah blah engineering speak blah blah" & that playing with this to satisfy some stupid beurocratic box ticker was not a good idea.
Technically, once insured, I could of driven without any plates but I left my Vic plates on just to keep the heat away (cops still pull u over though). Didnt matter that there was no rego sticker at all!
If you want a copy of the letter plus the resulting letter from Tesco's saying all was cool with it, I'm happy to fax it to you.
Despite what any cop tells you, you can drive yr car in the UK for up to 6 months on foreign plates before having to get UK reg. You can simly keep them indefinately (ask Raggy man!) by simply takin yr wheels on the eurostar every now & then.. 6 months starts over!
To be honest, I'd tell them u got a vauxhall Monaro & put some Griffin badges on it for a few weeks - sounds like some blokes on this forum might happily do a badge swap!
call me anytime if you want any help - 07860 332 815
Julian
Yeah got your email, antispam ate it. Found and replied.
Good idea. Id say it was a Vauxhall Monaro, change the badges if you like, someone will probably even swap with you if you wanted to.
Seems like your problem is the 6 month qualification period for NZ ownership though. Perhaps you can just wait for 2 more months and try again?
Then you would have owned it for 6 months
Sometimes thats all it takes to comply.
Good idea. Id say it was a Vauxhall Monaro, change the badges if you like, someone will probably even swap with you if you wanted to.
Seems like your problem is the 6 month qualification period for NZ ownership though. Perhaps you can just wait for 2 more months and try again?
Then you would have owned it for 6 months
Sometimes thats all it takes to comply.HSVGTSCoupe said:
Mate.. I feel for you, been through a lot of that shit myself except I had owned my car for enough time to qual as a personal import.
My car was unregistered on arrival in the UK but I had my old Oz plates with me. I left them on the car & had it insured with just the VIN number. I got Mark (cheif engineer) from Linden Special Vehicles (used to import HSV & CAPA Holdens) to fax a letter to Tescos insurance that stated that all Holden/HSV were fitted with a "blah blah engineering speak blah blah" & that playing with this to satisfy some stupid beurocratic box ticker was not a good idea.
Technically, once insured, I could of driven without any plates but I left my Vic plates on just to keep the heat away (cops still pull u over though). Didnt matter that there was no rego sticker at all!
Thanks Julian! I'll probably be in touch soon. I have got a guy working on trying to get the car on the road. I wish I hadn't de-registered it when I left NZ but I was told that was the way to do it at the time if I was to spend more than 6 months away.
If you want a copy of the letter plus the resulting letter from Tesco's saying all was cool with it, I'm happy to fax it to you.
Despite what any cop tells you, you can drive yr car in the UK for up to 6 months on foreign plates before having to get UK reg. You can simly keep them indefinately (ask Raggy man!) by simply takin yr wheels on the eurostar every now & then.. 6 months starts over!
To be honest, I'd tell them u got a vauxhall Monaro & put some Griffin badges on it for a few weeks - sounds like some blokes on this forum might happily do a badge swap!
call me anytime if you want any help - 07860 332 815
Julian
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