Importing Forester STI

[Cpt Flashhard]

Now then

Long-time lurker, first time poster







Sooo, this just happened. Decided to take the plunge and buy from a dealer after failing to secure a couple of different cars at auction. It's now on a boat heading for the UK arriving some time later this year...

I've tried to do some reading about necessary mods etc, but I defer to every else's greater knowledge and need some help! As far as I can see:

Speedo conversion
Fog light
LOTS of underseal

But could do with a bit of help-do they all run on 98 super unleaded? Is it best to leave them as is and just run on that over here, or will a remap be necessary / advisable? Does the remap for 95 unleaded mean more power as a consequence, or is it optional to go for more power?

All help / advice / criticism / cheques gratefully received...

[Cpt Flashhard]

david1972 said:

Sorry to jump on this - how easy was this for you; did you us a broker or deal directly with the dealer; have you had anybody check the car over for you?

Now then

I suppose I'm a PH guinea pig in this respect-I've not seen the car and it's not arrived yet so this still has the potential to go horribly wrong...

So the places I looked at were JDMauctionwatch, Goo-Net Exchange and Japanauctiondirect (amongst many others, these were the most useful / easiest to follow).

JDMauctionwatch run by a very helpful guy called Patrick. You join for free and then can access the auction sheets and all the stock held at all the auctions. If you want to bid / want an auction sheet translated you put down a bidding deposit of £500, then any bids after that must be the total price you are willing to pay, including VAT, import duty, shipping, internal transport costs and de-registration /export certificates etc. Import duty and VAT is 30% on top of whatever you pay to get it out of Japan. If you submit a bid (must be before 10pm the night before) they will arrange an inspection and won't bid if there are problems. Although I placed a winning bid a couple of times I was defeated by a reserve price. Had it been successful it makes the imported prices here look hugely inflated: 88,000 kms, 2007 model, shipped, all taxes inc for less than £8500. That's 88000 kms, not miles. A speedo conversion, underseal, fog light and remap will not cost you £4000.
They also have a fixed-price section which is like Autotrader, listing cars available at dealers. Generally these are more expensive, but JDM offer the same services in respect of them. You can also choose to do a shipped-only service and sort out the tax and duty, clearing customs etc. It's not that hard to do if you have an hour and google-most ports have shipping agents that deal with imports. You just contact them with your details and car details and they then send you a bill for everything to be settled whilst the car is on the boat (about 6-10 weeks).

Goo-net is a sort of Autotrader which pulls together dealer ads, with the addition of a buying service if you wish, so you don't deal directly with the dealer. They're based in Japan but have pretty good English-a very helpful lady called Yumi has been dealing with me via email and whatsapp too. I hunted around for any reviews but couldn't really find any outside of Canada / US / Australia. You submit an enquiry to them direct and they then contact the dealer to check availability / price etc. They then provide you with a quote to arrange purchase, internal transport to a port, de-registration, export certificate, shipping etc. If you accept then payment is by bank transfer in advance (gulp). This is the point where you send a decent 4-figure sum to the other side of the world with your fingers crossed...! They don't offer vehicle inspection services but I was happy with the condition of this one, mainly because the mileage is verified and from other research I know that the stock held by this dealer is immaculate. They also tried to talk the dealer down, but when he wouldn't budge they knocked a bit off their fee to get to my target price they'd asked for. The car was bought and paid for on Saturday gone.

So at the moment we're paused, I had the final invoice sent through today which will form the bill of lading for shipping purposes. It's on its way to Yokohoma (I hope!!) and will be sailing on the 29/3 due to arrive in Newcastle on or about the 9/5/18. I'm relatively confident at the moment-I now have the boat named on the invoice and went to look it up (Hoegh Trancer). The car will be photographed when it arrives at the docks and before loading for insurance purposes and I'll get a set of them.

Once en route I looked up how to sort out tax and duty at Newcastle. After searching loads of forums I found the answer-a firm called Nissan Shipping Agents deal with all the RORO traffic at Newcastle, even if you arrange your own agent to do it, so you may as well deal with them direct. They're impossible to find online but:

"N.S.A deal with clearing cars at Newcastle port.
You can use outside agencies but they have to go through N.S.A so you might as well deal with them directly.


A couple weeks before your car is due to arrive at Newcastle, N.S.A should send you a letter with C384 (tax doc) which you need to fill and return with some documents. Documents are: signed (by yourself) Original Bill of Lading, photocopy of your invoice, Photocopy of de-registration certificate (English translation), and filled in C384.

They send you a bill which is made up for VAT, Duty, Terminal Handling (£75), Customs clearance (£50).

Once all paid and sorted you phone N.S.A and book a time to collect your car.

They aren't that easy to find VIA Google if you don't know who N.S.A. are and no one tells you or mentions them until your car is about to arrive which can be particularly concerning if you don't have a clue of what your supposed to do.

N.S.A.
01914285403"

...is probably all you need to know.

So I'll contact them after 29/3 to get the ball rolling and then get the wallet ready for another sting.

Collection should be interesting- considering that the car will not have a V5C, numberplates, or MOT, so how do you insure? Or get it to an MOT centre etc?
Apparently the way to do it is to insure it based on the chassis number, pre-book an MOT, collect it, drive it straight to the centre for the fog-light fix and speedo swap, get it MOT'd, then submit registration documents after that, get logbook, get reg number, get plates made. Simples.

Then get it undersealed and re-mapped. Maybe think about a 22mm rear anti-roll bar which is a popular mod apparently!

I'll keep updating as we go along.

[Cpt Flashhard]

v8250 said:

OP, congratulations on your new FSTi. To answer your Q?'s talk with the many folk who've imported FSTi's, here on http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f75/

and you may enjoy this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CziiTZNb9Ek

Thanks for the info! Plenty of reading material...

[Cpt Flashhard]

MDMA . said:

Re-map it to be safe. Japanese fuel is 100 RON. I wouldn't run it on 95 RON if i was you. Get it mapped and it'll be good for 300-330bhp and a shed load more torque.

Thanks mate, do you have any pics of yours? Have I already seen it in the forums?

[Cpt Flashhard]

MDMA . said:

mine is here : https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

It is very easy to spend 3-4k on these once they land and sometimes easier to buy one already here. but each to their own.

some simple things that add up - 4 new tyres @ £150 each. 4 new discs and pads @ £4-500. sports cat, exhaust, re-map @ £1000 plus. cam belt kit and fitting @ £400. full oil, filters and fluids @ £1-200. uprated roll bars @ £300. full geometry set-up £150. this is obviously going down the lightly modified route ( which you'll want to ).

I have the dreaded photobucket images of doom...

Whereabouts did you have your work done? Can anyone recommend somewhere in North Yorks? Local services I've had recently distinctly variable...

[Cpt Flashhard]

MDMA . said:

mine is here : https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

It is very easy to spend 3-4k on these once they land and sometimes easier to buy one already here. but each to their own.

some simple things that add up - 4 new tyres @ £150 each. 4 new discs and pads @ £4-500. sports cat, exhaust, re-map @ £1000 plus. cam belt kit and fitting @ £400. full oil, filters and fluids @ £1-200. uprated roll bars @ £300. full geometry set-up £150. this is obviously going down the lightly modified route ( which you'll want to ).

Those wheels are superb...

Yeah it seems that some light mods are in order. I think my point was that the kind of stuff being retailed here has significantly more miles, and the prices drop off a cliff as the mileages increase in Japan

[Cpt Flashhard]

GreyGray said:

I had mine remapped on 97RON fuel before a road trip to France because I couldn't guarantee access to 99RON. With the only mod being a K&N panel filter it made 310bhp. However I'd also advise a decat pipe - I didn't and had to replace it later on because the cat had failed and was creating back-pressure. Caught it early so no damage done but cost me a tune to the map to adjust for improved exhaust flow.

Blimey decisions decisions. There's a good chance we'll be using it to drive to France so definitely something to bear in mind. Where did you have it done?

[Cpt Flashhard]

MDMA . said:

mine is here : https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

It is very easy to spend 3-4k on these once they land and sometimes easier to buy one already here. but each to their own.

some simple things that add up - 4 new tyres @ £150 each. 4 new discs and pads @ £4-500. sports cat, exhaust, re-map @ £1000 plus. cam belt kit and fitting @ £400. full oil, filters and fluids @ £1-200. uprated roll bars @ £300. full geometry set-up £150. this is obviously going down the lightly modified route ( which you'll want to ).

This is going to be a daily driver for me-not far, 25-30 mins to station most days. Will a 330 remap greatly compromise reliability?

[Cpt Flashhard]

MDMA . said:

Just have it mapped for whatever UK fuel you'll use the most. If you map it for VPower and run it on cheap supermarket crap, it'll det.
Mine is just a fair weather, weekend toy so VPower not an issue for me. I just go and top up with Vpower whenever i have a run out.

Will be selling up soon. Getting a classic Impreza STi before prices rise. Gone up quite a bit the last 2 years.

Yours must be worth a few quid! That engine bay is immaculate!!

[Cpt Flashhard]

MDMA . said:

Will be doing an advert soon. Will be starting with an 11
Hence earlier comment about buying one already here is sometimes easier/cheaper than a fresh import. Mine probably has 4k worth of bits added since it landed. Happy to keep it, but if i get the ISTi, i'll have 4 cars then and only use 1. After a classic bike or two this year also and the garage is pretty full.

I think I'd pay something starting with an 11 for something already sorted! An absolute beaut!

[Cpt Flashhard]

GreyGray said:

I got mine done by Ant and ADE tuning, Blackburn. They've got a great setup, very knowledgeable, lovely people to deal with. I would highly recommend them. Ditto Cams Performance which is 50yards away from ADE for servicing, parts, etc.

Hi Rob. Yes, it's recently been in. Exhaust gas pressure was building due to restricted flow through the cat, making the engine bay hot - the 'hot' smell was what alerted me but caught it early and got it sorted, thankfully. It was running lean because of restricted flow and gradually reducing power, which I hadn't really noticed because I use it every day. But now it's fixed and Ant has had a tinker it's like having a new car again!

Which is why selling it is going to be so difficult... I've loved my time with it but it's time to move it on. If I could afford to keep it I would, but can't justify the money tied up in it at the mo. Too many cars, too little time...

Sorry for hijacking the thread, OP.

No probs! I went and found your original thread about importing, full of useful info. Can anyone advise me about exhaust? Looking at H&S 2.5 inch backbox?

[Cpt Flashhard]

david1972 said:

Thanks OP for the write up - I can imagine how excited / nervous you are; even just reading it

I'm a regular trawler of Goo-Net and the auction lots and spend hours salivating over FSTI's - it is definitely going to be my next car after my JDM Blobeye Impreza WRX auto.

Please do keep this updated; it will be a fascinating read and (as you say) resource for the future; especially as I live in Co Durham, so Newcastle would be 'my port'.

Your example does look good in the pictures; I'm sure it will be as good in the metal.

Which is the dealer you found that kept 'immaculate stock'?

PFA

Nice wheels mate, the one thing I can't believe from the auctions is how well they maintain their cars (externally at least). Even those with 160k kms on them look incredibly neat and tidy. Yeah I've had a load more pics sent through and an update that it's now on its way to the shipping yard where Goo-net will take further pics before it is loaded on the boat. Seeing it in the metal is a hugely exciting prospect, tempered only by Mrs M's comments: "Ugly", "noddy car" and "I'm not driving it". As she rarely has to drive mine at the moment it's an unlikely prospect, but the day will come which I think will be hilarious as she anti-lags off down the road in the shouty blue wannabe rally car.

The dealer is the one with that apple logo, will try to find their details and post them later

[Cpt Flashhard]

vxr2010 said:

H and S are good , for a bit more noise and better flow do the mid section delete , the sports cats can be done , i personally would not , i am greedy and bought two of them , the one with the standard cat runs very well i prefer it to the sports cat one , a good remap will make a lot of difference , coilovers are a good move too , little needs doing to them as they were very good to start with

Thanks for the info, have to do a bit of man maths to prioritise what needs doing and what can wait!

[Cpt Flashhard]

Shinobi said:

Well done on your purchase! You won't regret it, I purchased mine 4 years ago from Torque GT and love it.

H&S Exhaust and some updates discs and pads is enough for me. Handles like a dream and as it's used as a dog wagon and regularly sees the Brecon beacons I didn't want to reduce the ride height.

Particularly impressed with it in the snow and drove down to Italy a couple of years ago, didn't miss a beat.



Enjoy!

Congratulations sir on an epic pic! Is this the dis-used French track somewhere near Amiens? We drove through France about 10 years ago and came across it, bizarre as it's just an A-road plainly along what was the main straight with the paddock buildings and grandstand still there.

Yes, mine will have to be a do-it-all wagon so I think I'll be holding off any heavy mods. One two-foot tyrant, one to add, 2 dogs, live in North Yorks but potentially commuting too. I've started taking the train a lot more but there may still be the odd trip along the A59 to Skipton / Preston / A66 to Carlisle.

How often are you servicing yours? I've seen some very helpful suggestions from MDMA/ Greygrey / manwithnoname that it's oil and filters every 5k?

[Cpt Flashhard]

vxr2010 said:

oil change wise , depends on how you drive it , subaru say 10k miles i do it around 7.5 as per classic service schedule , 5 unless you are tracking it is probably an over kill , just use a good oil

Cheers vxr, did you mention you run coilovers too? Have you changed the rear ARB?

[Cpt Flashhard]

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Okay some excitement today, just been sent the photos from the shipping company, the car having arrived at the port. I also have the export certificate (almost entirely in Japanese) and the shipping instruction, on which the bill of lading will be based. Docs look fine, car looks good out of the showroom too!

And I know what you're all thinking (as I was) - what the hell happened to the gearknob

I've asked and we'll find out. Turns out the boat is arriving earlier so is now set to sail on the 26/3. I thought I recognised the name of the firm and you may recall that car transporter that nearly turned turtle in Southampton a few years back (Hoegh Osaka). All sorts of industry-wide issues with loading weights were identified following that etc so fingers crossed someone has done their sums this time...

Edited by Cpt Flashhard on Tuesday 20th March 13:11

[Cpt Flashhard]

MDMA . said:

Doesn't look like it has factory fog light or adjustable headlights. They sometime pinch the red stitched 6sp gear knobs as quite expensive. Might turn up in the glove box when it lands though.
Looks like they've only fitted a front parking sensor to the NS. Did you get the JEVIC certificate with it too? Always good for peace of mind.

Edited by MDMA . on Tuesday 20th March 15:36

Front or rear fogs? Haven't seen many facelifts through the auctions / autotrader with front fogs. Fingers crossed for the gearknob, otherwise it's a nice milled aluminium job I reckon.

Weirdly from looking at the other pics it has parking sensors everywhere except OSF...? Unhappily they also appeared to be linked to the JDM satnav / radio combi unit. This may present something of a challenge to my local Halfords.

JEVIC in hand! Boat on approach to Hiroshima, due to arrive tomorrow.

[Cpt Flashhard]

vxr2010 said:

The rear arb is worth doing on standard suspension , but the car rides a lot better on coilovers and it’s not worth doing arb and coilovers you will probably not notice it much , coilovers are like night and day , yes a bit of a harder ride but just set it to softer settings

Which coilovers are you on VXR?

[Cpt Flashhard]

MDMA . said:

Rear fog. Switch is normally to the right of steering wheel. Just looks like rear demister only. Don't let them screw one underneath on the SVA test

A true eye for detail!! Underneath on the dashboard? Do you have a pic of your foglight install MDMA?

Cheers

[Cpt Flashhard]

vxr2010 said:

A typo by me above should be BC coilovers , but i also found the tein basic ones work well on my wagon , the price of the Tein were 505 to the door , height adjustable but not rebound but the re bound setting was actually set very well by Tein , switches are the same and same location on a new or slightly older shape Fsti , i think either new or old look good

Thanks both for the info, turns out the company (King's Auto) have had gearknobs go missing in the past so they took it off prior to transport and will send it to me with the original documents once the boat has sailed. Also now have export cert in English! Enlightening...