TVR Chimaera heading for Melbourne
Discussion
Guys,
We're emigrating out to Melbourne in just under a month and as of today I just got word that my application to bring my Chimaera in as a personal import has been approved. Obviously completely stoked that I'm able to bring it and can't wait to have some great days out without the British weather getting in the way of enjoying it.
Couple of questions for anyone who has done this before, knows about the process when it arrives in Australia/runs a TVR in Melbourne etc....
Firstly I will be having to have the car complianced when it arrives, does anyone have any details of what has had to be done on other Chimaeras previously to get them up to spec for Victoria? I know about the high level brake light but is there anything else that may have to be done?
Where is there to have the car serviced etc in Melbourne? I know there used to be a TVR specialist quite near Crown in South Melbourne, are they still around?
Finally - one potential issue with my car over there is that it doesn't have aircon fitted currently. Chances are I will need to have this retrofitted to make the car usable on hotter days. Does anyone know anywhere that does aftermarket fitting that they could recommend?
Cheers
Al
We're emigrating out to Melbourne in just under a month and as of today I just got word that my application to bring my Chimaera in as a personal import has been approved. Obviously completely stoked that I'm able to bring it and can't wait to have some great days out without the British weather getting in the way of enjoying it.
Couple of questions for anyone who has done this before, knows about the process when it arrives in Australia/runs a TVR in Melbourne etc....
Firstly I will be having to have the car complianced when it arrives, does anyone have any details of what has had to be done on other Chimaeras previously to get them up to spec for Victoria? I know about the high level brake light but is there anything else that may have to be done?
Where is there to have the car serviced etc in Melbourne? I know there used to be a TVR specialist quite near Crown in South Melbourne, are they still around?
Finally - one potential issue with my car over there is that it doesn't have aircon fitted currently. Chances are I will need to have this retrofitted to make the car usable on hotter days. Does anyone know anywhere that does aftermarket fitting that they could recommend?
Cheers
Al
G'day,
I have not gone through that route but as a personal import I think compliance is not overly strict.
There is a fair bit of detail on the web(strongly recommened you read up on requirements), from what I remember, get it through customs(ie ensure it is thoroughly clean no dirt, insects,etc or you pay for steam cleaning), then pay duty (need proof of value to minimise tax bill etc), then get it to a place to comply. Once complied need a road worthy certificate (mot) then needs registering (this is road tax and compulsery 3rd party insurance plus you get issued a set of plates - get slimeline versions so they fit plate recess)then your legal to drive, you will probably want comprehensive insurance (shannons - specialist car insurance are good - I'm fully comp for about 300 quid a year)
I have a Griffith 500 made for the Australian market - high level brake light (Vic only i think), quieter exhaust, side impact bars, approved seat belts, speedo in kph and rear plate lit from above (not from behind). Not sure what a private import requires but fairly sure you need speedo in kph and high level brake light in Vic.
If you want air con recommed you get it in UK as these a fairly uncommon cars over here and rover parts are a hell of a lot cheaper in the UK.
Once you get through this your car will be worth at least twice its value, and once in Oz you wont have to worry about chassis corrosion- mines 12 years old and still got all the original powder coating on it!
As for servicing there are a few specialists that will be able to do this in Melbourne, I'm in S.A and there is one in Adelaide.
Hope this helps
Ozstyle
I have not gone through that route but as a personal import I think compliance is not overly strict.
There is a fair bit of detail on the web(strongly recommened you read up on requirements), from what I remember, get it through customs(ie ensure it is thoroughly clean no dirt, insects,etc or you pay for steam cleaning), then pay duty (need proof of value to minimise tax bill etc), then get it to a place to comply. Once complied need a road worthy certificate (mot) then needs registering (this is road tax and compulsery 3rd party insurance plus you get issued a set of plates - get slimeline versions so they fit plate recess)then your legal to drive, you will probably want comprehensive insurance (shannons - specialist car insurance are good - I'm fully comp for about 300 quid a year)
I have a Griffith 500 made for the Australian market - high level brake light (Vic only i think), quieter exhaust, side impact bars, approved seat belts, speedo in kph and rear plate lit from above (not from behind). Not sure what a private import requires but fairly sure you need speedo in kph and high level brake light in Vic.
If you want air con recommed you get it in UK as these a fairly uncommon cars over here and rover parts are a hell of a lot cheaper in the UK.
Once you get through this your car will be worth at least twice its value, and once in Oz you wont have to worry about chassis corrosion- mines 12 years old and still got all the original powder coating on it!
As for servicing there are a few specialists that will be able to do this in Melbourne, I'm in S.A and there is one in Adelaide.
Hope this helps
Ozstyle
ariddell said:
Guys,
We're emigrating out to Melbourne in just under a month and as of today I just got word that my application to bring my Chimaera in as a personal import has been approved. Obviously completely stoked that I'm able to bring it and can't wait to have some great days out without the British weather getting in the way of enjoying it.
Couple of questions for anyone who has done this before, knows about the process when it arrives in Australia/runs a TVR in Melbourne etc....
Firstly I will be having to have the car complianced when it arrives, does anyone have any details of what has had to be done on other Chimaeras previously to get them up to spec for Victoria? I know about the high level brake light but is there anything else that may have to be done?
Where is there to have the car serviced etc in Melbourne? I know there used to be a TVR specialist quite near Crown in South Melbourne, are they still around?
Finally - one potential issue with my car over there is that it doesn't have aircon fitted currently. Chances are I will need to have this retrofitted to make the car usable on hotter days. Does anyone know anywhere that does aftermarket fitting that they could recommend?
Cheers
Al
We're emigrating out to Melbourne in just under a month and as of today I just got word that my application to bring my Chimaera in as a personal import has been approved. Obviously completely stoked that I'm able to bring it and can't wait to have some great days out without the British weather getting in the way of enjoying it.
Couple of questions for anyone who has done this before, knows about the process when it arrives in Australia/runs a TVR in Melbourne etc....
Firstly I will be having to have the car complianced when it arrives, does anyone have any details of what has had to be done on other Chimaeras previously to get them up to spec for Victoria? I know about the high level brake light but is there anything else that may have to be done?
Where is there to have the car serviced etc in Melbourne? I know there used to be a TVR specialist quite near Crown in South Melbourne, are they still around?
Finally - one potential issue with my car over there is that it doesn't have aircon fitted currently. Chances are I will need to have this retrofitted to make the car usable on hotter days. Does anyone know anywhere that does aftermarket fitting that they could recommend?
Cheers
Al
G'day,
I brought my T350 over in 2005. I can dig out the "How To' for you. You might also want to contact our local TVR Register RO who brought his Chimaera over last year. The Chimaera does require some work for compliance but T350 did not. Contact details are in sprint on on the TVRCC website.
I'll mail the "How to" when I locate it.
Cheers
Bob
Al
Couldn't send mail, so here is an abridged version.
As a personal import there are really only 2 restrictions that are placed on you:
1) You must be an Australian Citizen or seeking to take up permanent residence in Australia.
2) You must be able to show that you have owned and used the car outside of Australia for a period of at least 12 months.
If you meet those requirements then you must be granted approval to import the car.
BUT, that does not guarantee that you will be able to register the vehicle in Australia, just that is OK to import.
The process works like as follows:
1) Import Approval
2) Ship to Australia
3) On arrival get your insurance, I think we all use Shannon's, T350 costs ~$900 pa.
4) Import and Quarantine in Australia
i) Import:- Straight forward you pay lots of money the car comes in. Best to keep the value of the car low.
Duty = 10% of the landed value of the car, (Shipping + insurance + Australian Market value)
Tax = 10% of the (Australian Market Value + Duty)
Then if you go over $55k ish another 10% of the value that exceeds 55k so as you can see you do not want the car to be valued excessively.
ii) Ok after paying what ever you are told to pay you then need to get the vehicle cleared quarantine, easy, it is either clean enough or you will be charged $300 to have the vehicle steam cleaned. You can be there when they do that to make sure no damage is caused.
5) In Victoria you can purchase an exemption to drive the vehicle on the road, or just flatbed the car to your garage.
6) You then need to get an inspection arranged by an engineer qualified to determine if the vehicle is fit for operation on Australian roads. I tried to find out what the regulations were, you can purchase the whole set but as an import you only need to comply with a subset of those regs. Trouble is I have not been able to determine what the subset is. The cost for inspection was $150, took about 15mins.
Is far as I can work out you need beware of the following:
i) Flexible brake lines must not be metal braided.
ii) Fuel filler must have the small neck for Unleaded only.
iii) Exhaust must be catalysed.
iv) Lowest edge of the headlamp must be >500mm from the road surface.
v) Number plate lamp cannot be illuminated from behind.
vi) you might need a high stop lamp, (i didn't).
vii) Seat Belt anchorages must meet spec, I think if the belts are "E" stamped you will be OK.
viii) The seat rail fixings were checked, I think the Chimaera requires reinforcing.
ix) The window glass was checked. Here again I think if the glass is "E" marked you will be OK.
x) The exhaust must not be too loud, if you have a standard exhaust then you should be OK.
The T350 was ok out of the box, no mods required which maybe partly due to the enthusiasm of the inspector I don't know and didn't ask!
7) After inspection you will need to get a Roadworthy check, (MOT). This consisted of checking the lights, wipers, washers and a quick blat down the road to make sure everything was screwed together. Then the brakes are checked, the thickness of the disk rotors must be within spec. Make sure you have the spec handy as TVR rotors are often not marked.
Roadworthy costs about $100.
8) You now apply for your Australian compliance plate, about $80. When you have that you register the car and pay another 2.5%, (in VIC), of the total value used at import as stamp duty plus the yearly registration fee.
Off you go.
You can find all of the information and forms for import approval on the DOTARS website.
Regards
Bob
Couldn't send mail, so here is an abridged version.
As a personal import there are really only 2 restrictions that are placed on you:
1) You must be an Australian Citizen or seeking to take up permanent residence in Australia.
2) You must be able to show that you have owned and used the car outside of Australia for a period of at least 12 months.
If you meet those requirements then you must be granted approval to import the car.
BUT, that does not guarantee that you will be able to register the vehicle in Australia, just that is OK to import.
The process works like as follows:
1) Import Approval
2) Ship to Australia
3) On arrival get your insurance, I think we all use Shannon's, T350 costs ~$900 pa.
4) Import and Quarantine in Australia
i) Import:- Straight forward you pay lots of money the car comes in. Best to keep the value of the car low.
Duty = 10% of the landed value of the car, (Shipping + insurance + Australian Market value)
Tax = 10% of the (Australian Market Value + Duty)
Then if you go over $55k ish another 10% of the value that exceeds 55k so as you can see you do not want the car to be valued excessively.
ii) Ok after paying what ever you are told to pay you then need to get the vehicle cleared quarantine, easy, it is either clean enough or you will be charged $300 to have the vehicle steam cleaned. You can be there when they do that to make sure no damage is caused.
5) In Victoria you can purchase an exemption to drive the vehicle on the road, or just flatbed the car to your garage.
6) You then need to get an inspection arranged by an engineer qualified to determine if the vehicle is fit for operation on Australian roads. I tried to find out what the regulations were, you can purchase the whole set but as an import you only need to comply with a subset of those regs. Trouble is I have not been able to determine what the subset is. The cost for inspection was $150, took about 15mins.
Is far as I can work out you need beware of the following:
i) Flexible brake lines must not be metal braided.
ii) Fuel filler must have the small neck for Unleaded only.
iii) Exhaust must be catalysed.
iv) Lowest edge of the headlamp must be >500mm from the road surface.
v) Number plate lamp cannot be illuminated from behind.
vi) you might need a high stop lamp, (i didn't).
vii) Seat Belt anchorages must meet spec, I think if the belts are "E" stamped you will be OK.
viii) The seat rail fixings were checked, I think the Chimaera requires reinforcing.
ix) The window glass was checked. Here again I think if the glass is "E" marked you will be OK.
x) The exhaust must not be too loud, if you have a standard exhaust then you should be OK.
The T350 was ok out of the box, no mods required which maybe partly due to the enthusiasm of the inspector I don't know and didn't ask!
7) After inspection you will need to get a Roadworthy check, (MOT). This consisted of checking the lights, wipers, washers and a quick blat down the road to make sure everything was screwed together. Then the brakes are checked, the thickness of the disk rotors must be within spec. Make sure you have the spec handy as TVR rotors are often not marked.
Roadworthy costs about $100.
8) You now apply for your Australian compliance plate, about $80. When you have that you register the car and pay another 2.5%, (in VIC), of the total value used at import as stamp duty plus the yearly registration fee.
Off you go.
You can find all of the information and forms for import approval on the DOTARS website.
Regards
Bob
The differences between states is quite amazing. I was getting quite stressed out over the required roadworthy checks when I imported my car from the UK last year. In the end the check only took 15 mins and basically comprised of: Rolling road brake test, CAT in place, lights work. this test was carried out by Regency Park (S.A.) No compliance plate was needed / applied for. Once the main roadworthy was complete they handed over my new plates and that was it - very surprising. So all in all the personal import of my car into SA was far easier than expected.
i can't wait to see this in Melbourne, so few here as well. I don;t think that TVR centre on Kingsway near the Casino is still open, i drove past the other week and it looked closed.
My mates dad has complianced a TVR or two in his time, I'll get his details for you if you need. He's in Ringwood i think.
My mates dad has complianced a TVR or two in his time, I'll get his details for you if you need. He's in Ringwood i think.
heads up squire!
my mates dads place details:
Stensan Service Centre Pty Ltd
73 Prospect Hill Rd, Camberwell 3124
(03)98825924
Charlie or Joe
He had a couple of TVR's in last year so knows his stuff.
His engineer is called Hubert, he's on the official VicRoads approved list for compliancing.
my mates dads place details:
Stensan Service Centre Pty Ltd
73 Prospect Hill Rd, Camberwell 3124
(03)98825924
Charlie or Joe
He had a couple of TVR's in last year so knows his stuff.
His engineer is called Hubert, he's on the official VicRoads approved list for compliancing.
hsvgtscoupe said:
Interesting reading.. I was considering taking a Noble M12 GTO back with me when I return late 2008 - anyone done this as I'm pretty sure they may struggle on a few compliance fronts?
Pretty sure the Noble is not able to be complianced in Aus - there were a few imported under a deal with the company that ran the financing for Rover cars and these were recently auctioned with a bunch of MGF's etc but it stated on the brochure can only be used as conversion to race car due to compliancing issues.
Stupid I know and may be worth trying to find out more as perhaps a bit more relaxed as a personal import but you will have had to owned it for 12 mths first.
Well, today's the day.......
Container has arrived, is being picked up from the docks and i've to go up later on for the opening and to get to see my toy again.
The whole process of getting it over here has been a long one, but has thankfully been made a whole load easier by the help and contacts of you guys.
I am officially like a kid on xmas eve waiting to go and get it unpacked this afternoon.
Now all i need to do it get it through compliancing/roadworthy etc etc.
Not long now till there is one more TVR on the streets of Melbourne..
Al
Container has arrived, is being picked up from the docks and i've to go up later on for the opening and to get to see my toy again.
The whole process of getting it over here has been a long one, but has thankfully been made a whole load easier by the help and contacts of you guys.
I am officially like a kid on xmas eve waiting to go and get it unpacked this afternoon.
Now all i need to do it get it through compliancing/roadworthy etc etc.
Not long now till there is one more TVR on the streets of Melbourne..
Al
Well finally that's the whole process completed, the car is complianced, registered and home in my garage at last.
Thanks for the recommendation of Stensons in Camberwell, those guys are legends and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them highly myself to anyone else in a similar situation.
They've turned around the compliancing, roadworthy and registration of the car all in one go and in just under 2 weeks. Thankfully it didn't need much work doing for the rwc or modification for the compliancing but it was great just to be able to hand it all over to them and have the whole process done from start to finish without me having to worry about it.
Now it's time for me to start enjoying it again.
Cheers for all the help guys.
Al
Thanks for the recommendation of Stensons in Camberwell, those guys are legends and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them highly myself to anyone else in a similar situation.
They've turned around the compliancing, roadworthy and registration of the car all in one go and in just under 2 weeks. Thankfully it didn't need much work doing for the rwc or modification for the compliancing but it was great just to be able to hand it all over to them and have the whole process done from start to finish without me having to worry about it.
Now it's time for me to start enjoying it again.
Cheers for all the help guys.
Al
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