Registering an Import

[Jhonno]

Gotta get round to doing this at some point.

Car was originally registered over in Germany.. How do I go about getting it registered over here?

[d6dph]

Scuttlectomy and two new rivets for the slam panel?

[Jhonno]

Revival of RLX...

[m8782538]

form from Post office and send in the german one, will register in uk and sort out plates etc.

[e21Jason]

Quite easy need the form from the DVLA

Insure it and MOT it on the chassis number, I had to change the clocks, speedo and headlights for the MOT.

Then rock up to the local DVLA office in person (better than post) with the DVAL form the old German log book, Mot and Insurance.

They register it, then you buy some tax they give a new form to get a number plate and off you go. No need to take the car to the DVAL unless they ask

[m8782538]

Why change the clocks, mine is a german import still on KPH clocks, been in the UK since 1989.

[Morat]

Because you're meant to fail the MOT if you don't have MPH clocks. I had kph only on my Fiat (imported from Germany) and I never had a garage raise an eyebrow. I did changed over the rear foglight and the headlights.

An E30 shouldn't need new lights.

[Jhonno]

How do they give you a tax disc without a number plate? Or do they allocate you a number there and then?

[e21Jason]

They allocate the number plate there and then, and I went to MPH as that's what the requirements are and the is a small chance they may want to check the car. The guy I know who imports jap stuff says only about 1 in a hundred get checked.

Jason

[harry_p]

both my imports have only ever had kph clocks. easy enough on an e30 to bung a set of uk clocks in to get it 100% legal though.

[Jhonno]

I think my MOT man will be friendly enough..

Local office to my work, works out nice also. Not that I need to worry about doing it anytime soon, just nice to know how!

[Jhonno]

Another Q.. Will they take the German docs off me at all? I'd kinda like to keep them...

[m8782538]

only way to keep the German docs is to colour photocopy them.

I don't know why my car has passed all its MOT's if you are supposed to have MPG clocks. Never even ben marked as an advisory and any MOT test.

I'll just put it in as it is, if it gets picked up i will have to change them, put UK ones on but that could cause another issue. My car is a European Only model so they never came to the UK so getting clocks isn't an issue but getting all the parts to work and a coding plug maybe hard.

I have no Tacho, just a large clock, the centre console is different and there is no space for a clock or OBC module. so i doubt that UK clock Tacho will work and them i will be without a clock in my car. Trying to keep the 2dr as standard as possible.

[kieran325]

I've got MPH clocks with KM odometer on the M3.

[harry_p]

only way to keep the German docs is to colour photocopy them.

I don't know why my car has passed all its MOT's if you are supposed to have MPG clocks. Never even ben marked as an advisory and any MOT test.

I'll just put it in as it is, if it gets picked up i will have to change them, put UK ones on but that could cause another issue. My car is a European Only model so they never came to the UK so getting clocks isn't an issue but getting all the parts to work and a coding plug maybe hard.

I have no Tacho, just a large clock, the centre console is different and there is no space for a clock or OBC module. so i doubt that UK clock Tacho will work and them i will be without a clock in my car. Trying to keep the 2dr as standard as possible.

at the moment you don't need a speedo to pass an mot, but i didnt know if there was a requirement from the dvla to make sure an import was 'uk spec' should it be chosen at random as a car they wanted to inspect.

i'm not sure there's even any provision under current mot test procedure to check the speedo any way. i don't think the brake test rollers turn fast enough to get the needle off it's stop.

[mosh86]

when i first got my mr2 it had a broken spring in the spedo cable so the needle didnt move at all. passed MOT fine.

[bss325i]

KPH clocks are not an MOT fail.

When you input the distance into the MOT computer, there is a choice for either MPH or KPH.

[f4stjay]

at the moment you don't need a speedo to pass an mot, but i didnt know if there was a requirement from the dvla to make sure an import was 'uk spec' should it be chosen at random as a car they wanted to inspect.

i'm not sure there's even any provision under current mot test procedure to check the speedo any way.

It would appear to be the case:

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual/contents.htm

Which also suggests there is no requirement to have a mileage readout for an MOT either

[e21Jason]

This might help

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Bu ... DG_4022583

From memory when I imported my G60 it was on the DVLA form for the speedo.

Jason

[m8782538]

Speedo only required on Class 5 tests so i should be fine. (don't think an E30 2 door really qualifies for class 5 despite being a heavy (ish) car).

[daimlerman]

Tricky part is getting an insurance cover note with the chassis number.

Although as you have the German regestration document you can also use the German mark on the cover note,this may be easier to obtain.Essentially,what DVLA will need you to establish is a paper trail that shows the car has a UK MoT and insurance cover for UK,of course,you cannot MoT without insurance!

Only specialist broker that I could find for Chassis number insuance was Adrian Flux,it had to be a policy fresh for the vehicle with no NCB transferable.

[Jhonno]

Ah ok. Thanks for the info Malcom. It'll be a specialist car to insure anyway, so Flux would have been a port of call, but handy to know.

[f4stjay]

you cannot MoT without insurance!

Really? Is that just for imports?

[daimlerman]

you cannot MoT without insurance!

Really? Is that just for imports?

Insurance is a must have if you are driving to the test station,not sure about the position if you trailer the car...but in this instance what would you do if the tester deems it nesessary to use a Tapley meter for the brakes?

[m8782538]

My car is going to MOT'd without insurance, its being uplifted for work to be carried out from storage and then having the MOT done, followed by any remedial work and re-MOT, it will then be insured before i go to pick it up so i can go to the post office and pickup a tax disc for it on the way home.

[f4stjay]

you cannot MoT without insurance!

Really? Is that just for imports?

Insurance is a must have if you are driving to the test station,not sure about the position if you trailer the car...but in this instance what would you do if the tester deems it nesessary to use a Tapley meter for the brakes?

Ah, thought you meant it was a test requirement. I drove my uninsured car to the test centre on trade plates about two weeks ago that's all...

[harry_p]

Insurance is a must have if you are driving to the test station,not sure about the position if you trailer the car...but in this instance what would you do if the tester deems it nesessary to use a Tapley meter for the brakes?

then the tester would be driving using their insurance as a garage mechanic, and if they didnt have it it would be them that broke the law anyway, as even if you had your own insurance it wouldnt cover someone else driving it.

[f4stjay]

Insurance is a must have if you are driving to the test station,not sure about the position if you trailer the car...but in this instance what would you do if the tester deems it nesessary to use a Tapley meter for the brakes?

then the tester would be driving using their insurance as a garage mechanic, and if they didnt have it it would be them that broke the law anyway, as even if you had your own insurance it wouldnt cover someone else driving it.

That's what I thought. They'll have their own insurance for road testing cars surely.