lwells

I'm not a whinger by nature Besides, he was probably influenced by the R34 GT-R reality distortion field... mine is just another R32 GT-R, so it doesn't have the same effect LW.

Yup, thanks goodness: no two or three week wait. Its irritating, not so much because of the delay, but because I had today free whereas I will now have to reorganise the remainder of my week to get down to the docks, not to mention having to let the towing company and compliance place know. LW.

Well, the B/L arrived this morning, but too late for the courier so it look like the car will be ready to go on Thursday morning Sigh.. fscking annoying. Time to ring the compliance and towing companies to let them know things have been delayed. Lucien.

Ugly colour, and it makes the front look anemic IMHO. LW.

NXTIME: Patience? Urgh :uzi: I may not have waited as long as you, but its still been over six months since I purchased I really hope the B/L does show tomorrow.. then I can :Party: LW.

sewid: thanks -- its certainly been an experience Unfortunately the damn B/L has still not shown. Geoff says he expects it to arrive first thing tomorrow at the latest, so heres hoping. Re: R32 with R34 MFD, see here: http://www.geocities.co.jp/MotorCity-Circu...t/2496/mfd.html funkymonkey: no probs. I still have the originals I photocopied from Troy's manual (that was a f*cking PITA: the diagrams are like 4 A3 sheets long!). SteveL: Yeah, weird.... I made sure my customs agent had everything booked in advance, and they got a copy of the B/L ASAP via email which is apparently good enough for most of the processes that the car has to go through (except for actually being released).

There are three styles: 1) N1, which looks like a rectangle (outer) and square (inner). AFAIK, the inner light is a projector style light (rather than reflector). They are meant to have the best light, though I have never seen a comparison. 2) 'Projector-style' GT-R: this came stock on all R32 GT-Rs I believe (although some people dispute that) and feature a round inner projector. 3) El-cheapo R32 headlights. Look an awful lot like the N1s, but the inner light is a standard crappy reflector rather than a projector. Worst light output of the bunch. You should be able to turn up some pictures of the various styles: I know I drove funkeymonkey nuts in one thread asking for pictures of the various styles Edit: See here -- http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/sh...ead.php?t=37813 LW.

Well, pretty much everything is in order for my car.... just need the damn B/L to show. Feel free to start sacrificing Car is expected to be released tomorrow... I even saw the ship it came in on (the Polaris Ace) docked on my way to uni this morning -- other motorists must have wondered about the retard pointing and shouting at a ship LW.

I'd like to know too. Also, where are people purchasing the stuff? Much variance in pricing between retailers (ie. is it worth the ring around, or just rock up to local oil supplier)? Cheers, Lucien.

By the looks of it you have the poverty pack version, which give crappy light. Apparently its seen as cool to try and get 'N1-style' lights for your R32 in Japan hence a lot of cars have the crappy lights retrofitted Get yourself a set of the standard "projector" style GT-R lights (people usually want rediculous sums for the proper N1s) LW.

My problem is I think the B/L has been sent, which means it obviously can't be sighted. Still have till tuesday for it to show, so all is not lost. The $150 is for an exemption. They don't remove anything at all: it means the car can be imported without having to have the aircon removed or degassed prior to delivery. LW.

Whoops, sorry, missed your question All it gets me is a certificate from the DEH exempting my car from having to be degassed AFAIK. I would assume some part of it is a processing fee on the DEHs part (I would guess maybe $50), and the rest is probably CGLs fees for doing the paperwork/calling around/etc even though you (ie. the car owner) has to write the letter to the DEH LW.

How long did it take to for the surrendering process to go through? mmmgtir: The fees aren't in order, which doesn't help. I think it goes something like this... Initial inspection by AQIS when it gets off the boat, and attendance by CGL: $55.00 -- Quarantine Examination $45.00 -- Quarantine Attendance Car has to go off for cleaning, blah and then is re-examined and an approval granted: $88.00 -- Quarantine Re-examination $123.50 -- Quarantine Permit As NXTIME noted, I think its all basically a rort but one you can't avoid easily (or at all in some cases). Sydney is apparently worse than most places (ie. more expensive; more stupid fees) to boot. I honestly don't think CGL is rorting me in particular, its just the way the docks work NXTIME: My car will be closer to $25k on the road, depending on exactly what is required (eg. a shagged clutch would blow that out, etc). Lucien.

Duncan: I intend to do the fluid replacement myself, but I might have a chat to Nathan anyway. I would still appreciate any thoughts other have though

Up, up, and..... a question My R32 GT-R is about to land after about five months storage, so its going to need the usual complete fluid flush. I am thinking Motul for the engine, Redline for the g/box, and probably one or other for the diffs. Now for the question: which Motul should I go for? 8100 or 4100 seems to be the most popular choice, although some of you have suggested 300V. Unfortunately the Motul website is not very helpful (for me, at least) in making the differences obvious. Could someone spell it out for me? Also, is there a Motul oil which has less aggressive cleaning agents than 8100? After JimX's experience, I am tempted to go with something with less cleaning agents for the first change, and then swap to something more aggressive later to make sure nothing gets clogged. Thoughts? Cheers guys

Well, I should update my progress for those that care I got a bit freaked out this morning. My dad rang and said he had recieved the Arrival Notice yesterday and the date listed for arrival was 13 October .... (ie. yesterday, the day the letter arrived). I gave Colin at Control Global Logistics a call. He spoke to the guys on the docks, and they are still anticipating a 17 October docking; apparently this has not been the first call they have gotten about this. Of more concern is the fact the original B/L has not arrived yet. Spoke to Geoff who assured me its sent, and is going to try and get the tracking numbers from the supplier to check its progress (although, unfortunately, the supplier is in Australia on holiday which complicates things). Assuming the B/L appears shortly, and everything else goes according to plan, the car is expected to be released on Tuesday. I have also spoken to Nathan @ Grey Imports a couple of times: genuinely seems like a top bloke (thanks fatz/B-man/Blitz for the recommendation). Faxed through the necessary paperwork. That seems to be organised. Anyway, time to cross the fingers and hope the B/L shows Edit: Also got the invoice from the customs agent: $4275.91 -- Customs Duty / GST $123.50 -- Quarantine Permit $1052.85 -- Overseas Air/Sea Freight $92.73 -- Port Service Charge $150.00 -- Air Conditioning/Compliance $35.00 -- Shipping Dock Fee $50.00 -- Delivery Order Fee $150.00 -- Agency Fee $25.00 -- Customs Entry $45.00 -- Quarantine Attendance $45.00 -- Customs Attendance $55.00 -- Customs Examination $55.00 -- Quarantine Examination $88.00 -- Quarantine Re-examination Sub Total: $6242.99 GST: $79.07 TOTAL: $6322.06 Looks like exchange rate must have been about Y78 :| LW.

Yes, true, sorry.

Bring on the Panda paint and the Tureno frontend! (oh, and ditch the 4AC)

Can you give me an idea of what jobs one can do with no Japanese (besides teaching?) Just the general jist would be cool LW.

I think you mean Proton Jumbuck: http://www.proton.com.au/jumbuck_glsi.htm From dictionary.com: LW.

More likely I would higher a car trailor and use the big arse Discovery my dad owns to tow the sucker. Hmmm... Maybe: * Tow to car compliance. * Car gets complied. * Tow home. * Car gets complete fluid flush and service. * Drive to RTA. * Car gets registered. LW.

NXTIME: How much did the tow job cost? I am trying to weigh up whether to tow or drive the car. Its been sitting for four to five months in storage, so I am rather hesitant about driving it. At the moment I am thinking drive it from the docks to the compliance place (thats about five minutes) taking it very slowly, then after its complied, get it towed/trailored home then doing a complete flush. Decisions, decisions... Lucien.

:werd: Basically what happens is that Geoff has a "supplier" in Japan that buys the car, and then holds it until it is shipped. For example, my supplier was http://www.japanautodirect.com/. That doesn't mean the car was bought from JAD, rather they bought the car from the auctions on Geoff's behalf (who was, obviously, acting as my agent). Unfortunately a combination of the shipping lines being extremely busy (so I have been told) and poor communication from some supplier's means that you (and for that matter, Geoff) are not told whats happening in a timely manner. As I said earlier, Geoff is but a small fish in the pond. Personally I think he does a great job, but I appreciate others have different opinions. Hang in there and maybe email Geoff again in a few days just asking for a status update. LW.

This thread has been highly amusing, even for an outsider (although having spent a few weeks in Japan over the years, I can appreciate some of the compliants). A serious question: if you don't speak a word of Japanese (or anything but english; *sigh* I suck at learning languages) can you actually make a living in Japan? I love the time I spent in Japan... I sometimes wish I could go back on a more permanent basis, but I would rather try and be an 'ordinary' person (as much as one can as a foreigner) -- ie. have a job -- than just go as a tourist. LW.

Mate, try reading through the thread. In short, NO. LW.