Collecting an imported car from the docks.

[randomeddy]

In a couple of weeks we will be going to Southampton to see the new arrival. Anybody done it?
The agent has been very good but don't want to pester him too much.

Do we need to be there when it actually arrives.

Will there be storage fees to keep it at the docks.

Are the docks a safe place to leave it if we are not there when it gets here.

Any general comments appreciated.

[randomeddy]

[🇿🇼Kingludba🇬🇧]

Good question, I am curious as well as I'm planning an import soon. Where is your corolla coming in from?

[shielsy68]

i had the badges from my 912 stole between america and docks , all straight forward ,

[zx]

I've picked up lots of cars from Southampton.

You don't need to be there when it arrives.

Storage costs will depend on the company. Mine have all given me at least 10 days from unloading. Generally I collect once its' cleared Customs - 1-2 days after it has been unloaded.

I've never had anything pinched from my cars but my exporter hides anything a magpie might spot. Chances are any bits would have disappeared from the export dock already if it's going to happen. Personally I wouldn't want to leave my new toy there any longer than necessary but it's probably just as safe as anywhere else. For the casual thief there are much easier places to steal a car than a guarded dock yard.

You should hear from your agent or Customs agent once it has cleared. They'll tell you which berth and/or company has it. Then you just turn up at the docks, spend an hour looking for a porta-cabin with no sign on it, show them your import paperwork/ID and hopefully they'll match it up to your car and hey presto! If you're really unsure where to go, the dock entrance has a security hut on entry/exit - they'll point you in the right direction.

You can drive your car out but make sure it is insured on the VIN and booked for an MOT. Also worth taking a tyre pump, boost pack and stanley blade to remove writing from windscreen.

[shielsy68]

whs lol

[SamJ]

IIRC there is an issue in that UK residents are not allowed to drive a foreign registered vehicle. The chances of being done for it though...

[qwerty]

Jul 18, 2017 4:51:20 GMT SamJ said:

IIRC there is an issue in that UK residents are not allowed to drive a foreign registered vehicle. The chances of being done for it though...

Have you got a source for that because it sounds like baloney to me.

[fad]

Jul 18, 2017 5:43:11 GMT qwerty said:

Jul 18, 2017 4:51:20 GMT SamJ said:

IIRC there is an issue in that UK residents are not allowed to drive a foreign registered vehicle. The chances of being done for it though...

Have you got a source for that because it sounds like baloney to me.

Never heard of that one, ever.

[Paul Y]

Picked Woody up from Southampton.

Turned up with ID and paid the bill, insured the truck on the vin and had it booked in at my local MOT station. Drove home.

Only thing missing/ damaged was the fuel cap, a smashed headlight and bent bumper where they pulled it out of the container.

In addition to pump, jump leads or boost box I would take fresh fuel and basic tools. If it was driving in Japan then there is no reason why you can't drive it here after a 2/3 week ship journey.

Don't forget to take your camera and document it!

P.

[zx]

There are some strange rules regarding UK residents driving foreign registered vehicles - it seems to be a grey area. However a car off the boat will have been unregistered from where it came from in order to leave. It is therefore not a foreign registered vehicle and those rules don't apply. You can legally drive an import to an MOT since it's a requirement of getting UK registration.

You mustn't drive around with foreign plates on (not that anyone would actually care!), however they're surrendered for de-reg is Japan so highly unlikely they'd be any on it.

[zx]

As said above this doesn't effect taking your imported car to an MOT but for those curious about driving foreign registered vehicles as a UK resident on UK roads:

Source: Gov Import Car Site

Driving with a foreign registration number

UK residents aren’t allowed to use non-UK registered vehicles on UK roads. The only exceptions are if you:

• work in another European Union (EU) member state and use an EU-registered company car temporarily in the UK
• lease an EU-registered car and use this temporarily in the UK

You can usually use a vehicle displaying non-UK number plates, and not have to tax or register it in the UK, if:

• you’re visiting the UK and don’t plan to live here
• you only use the vehicle up to 6 months in a 12-month period (1 single visit, or several shorter visits adding up to a 6-month period)
• the vehicle is registered and taxed in its home country
  
  

If you're stopped by the police: If your car has non-UK number plates and you’re stopped by police, you must show you can use the vehicle in the UK without taxing and registering it here.

You may have to show proof of the length of time you’ve been in the UK (eg a ferry ticket) or evidence that you and the vehicle are eligible for customs relief.


I'm not really sure where you'd stand if you owned a house in the UK and France and had cars registered to both. The internet is awash with rumours and the whole things a bit of a grey area. In the real world providing you didn't drive like a bell and had insurance I doubt the police would bat an eye lid. 

[SamJ]

Jul 18, 2017 5:43:11 GMT qwerty said:

Jul 18, 2017 4:51:20 GMT SamJ said:

IIRC there is an issue in that UK residents are not allowed to drive a foreign registered vehicle. The chances of being done for it though...

Have you got a source for that because it sounds like baloney to me.

You can usually use a vehicle with foreign number plates without registering or taxing it in the UK if all of the following apply:

you’re visiting and don’t plan to live here
the vehicle is registered and taxed in its home country
you only use the vehicle for up to 6 months in total - this can be a single visit, or several shorter visits over 12 month.

from www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-imports

The issue, as zx said, is whether or not the car is considered to be registered anywhere, if it is still registered in the country it has come from, then you are not allowed to use it as a UK resident. This is a separate thing to driving to / from a pre-booked MOT. At least one of the shipping companies used to have a notice on their website stating this as well, but I forget which one now.

It's a huge mess, in that one set of rules don't stop you, another do, but knowing which actually apply is a whole other ball game. The chances of the average plod knowing, even slimmer...

[randomeddy]

WoW! Learned a lot,thanks.

[randomeddy]

Double post.

[Paul Y]

I drove Woody round the m25 with no plates when I did the Southampton collection.

Mis represented or obscured number plate £1000 fine and 3 points.

No number plate £30 fine no points

The regulations are all over the place! Just drive it home and don't worry about it.

P.

[caprijake]

Don't want to hijack but I'm looking at importing an engine/box and some seats from the states next year. Think its going to be fairly easy to pallet/crate it up in 1 box for shipping when I'm over there and deliver it myself and collect from docks myself this end. But should i be looking for a UK company to help with freight and custom forms etc. Or a US company? Any suggestions?

Cheers!

[zx]

You'd be best to look for a company which fills a container with parts (shared container service) and ships them out every 6-8 weeks. Someone like STS Imports. Never done it myself but that's how I'd go about it.

[randomeddy]

My son is getting all giddy now about the new arrival. Change the wheels, lower it a bit and it will look like a different car.

Strange (but good) thing happened. In the first pictures he got of the car, the tailgate was black, it did not look right and much pondering was done about the cost of getting it painted. A bit later more detailed pictures were sent and the tailgate had been sprayed to match the car! Looks tons better.

[kikiichiban]

Jul 18, 2017 4:51:20 GMT SamJ said:

IIRC there is an issue in that UK residents are not allowed to drive a foreign registered vehicle. The chances of being done for it though...

Ive been told this but when I was living in France I drove my French registered VW Caddy van in the UK a few times, crossed the boarder on a UK passport and no one ever questioned me.

Also, the car won't be registered as it's been exported/imported. Always best to get them collected. Never know how long it's been sitting and what gremlins it may have. I've had a few imports now and they've always had small issues.