lwells

Hahahahahaha! I think all that option magazine is sending you crazy Shan LW.

For those criticising the Spotivo range and similar 'add bodykit and suspension tune' cars, remember these things actually sell and there is a market for cars that are cheap to insure, cheap to buy, cheap to service (ie. they have all the benefits of a mass produced family salon), yet look a little bit better than the stocker. Sure the names are stupid, but what do you expect? "The Toyota Camry Mildly Sporty"? There was quite a long article about this in the Drive liftout of the Sydney Morning Herald not long ago. LW.

Thanks mate Lucien.

rev210: do you actually know of anyone that can source a C/F prop for an RB26? LW.

Was it purchased in Australia, or from overseas? Reason for sale? Cheers, Lucien.

So do the kangaroos LW.

Some people want to do it for the experience and save some money (eg. razorsharp). I think they are nuts Personally I am using Prestige's recommended Sydney customs agent, Control Global Logistics. LW.

I think Geoff does a very similar thing. He seems to have preferred C/As he works through and recommends, and if you tell him about choosing a C/A he will CC them on to any necessary communications, etc. The only thing is he doesn't force you to use a C/A. From what I have seen, J-spec strongly discourages not using a C/A. LW.

Prestige will send you an email upon purchasing your vehicle which recommends a customs agent (which for NSW will be CGL). You are not required to use a customs agent, so Prestige won't organise this for you. Anyway, CGL's details can be found in the white pages: Control Global Logistics Pty Ltd 1419 Botany Rd Botany 2019 (02) 9316 5744 Mobile Service 0411 260 363 LW.

While its cool someone tried, I don't like it. It looks like a thin-in-the-middle R34 GT-R, with a weird rear end. Would be good to see if some of the other tuning houses attempt other intepretations of the same idea. LW.

mmmgtir: That's interesting. Hmmm, well I have just been emailing Colin @ CGL. Looks like I can't even arrange a viewing of my car when it lands, which seems rather sucky. Also, they can't suggest (or rather can't be bothered to do) anything about the wheels travelling in the car. Best they can come up with is to "cross our fingers" and "just have to have everything cleared and ready to go as quick as possible". :uhh: All of which is kind of irritating. It would also help if Colin actually read my emails a little more closely, rather than me having to re-ask the same question in about three different emails (and not getting any clear response to some other questions). LW.

Shan: any luck sourcing the R34 stuff (as you know, I need the wiring diagrams)? LW.

Do you mean you need the original piece of paper (ie. sent via mail from Japan) or just a copy of the de-reg paper? LW.

Don't be. Its just a slow cumbersome process all round where you are always reliants on other people and entities to process things in a timely manner, and often you can't get in contact with them directly. Just plan ahead, read all the documentation, make sure you fill out all the forms correctly, and maybe make the odd sacrifice or two LW.

Careful monkey, we don't want to be accused of slander. I will say I found Anton @ JAD quite helpful, but maybe the is not indicative. As for the exact documents you need, perhaps we could start a sticky: 15 Year Rule Import Approval: * A completed Import Approval form. * The supplier invoice. * Proof of age (usually the Japanese deregistration papers) * An authorised photocopy of your license. Customs & AQIS Clearance: * Import Approval granted by DOTARS * Bill of Lading * Degassing documentation or an exemption by the Dept. of Environment. Perhaps others could elaborate and add stuff for SEVS (in a rush to get out the door ATM). LW.

mmmgtir: I know. My point was only that I asked today about the B/L and Geoff managed to get me an emailed copy within six hours. Hopefully Japan Auto Direct will be on the ball and get the original to CGL soon. SteveL: no stamping that I can see. The original is being sent directly to the custom agent by Japan Auto Direct. Out of interest, who is the supplier for the people(s) that have had problems getting their B/L? Cheers, Lucien.

Well I just recieved a copy of my B/L via email from Geoff: six hour turn around isn't bad (B/L shows a date of 04/10, so its three days really) LW.

No, I think you are entitled to your opinion. In regards to the customs agent, I don't think that's a big issue. As for the dereg papers, I was almost caught out by that one myself and only found out because I contacted Geoff about a week before I sent the papers off to remind him my car was becoming eligable. An email would have been a good idea to let existing customers know, but perhaps there weren't that many people affected so it hadn't been a major issue. Finally, as to the B/L I honestly don't think Geoff is likely to have been responsible for this. Sure, you can argue he should follow up with the supplier but you don't know how many calls he may/may not have made. Moreover, it looks like you were not the only one affected so I am guessing some particular supplier had a problem supplying a whole bunch of B/Ls so Geoff was probably contacting them saying "where are the bunch of B/Ls" rather than ringing about each and every B/L. Its all conjecture and I agree that more detail and communication from Geoff would have been nice, but he probably has tens if not hundreds of customers in the same situation so even taking a couple of minutes to contact each one individually would take an inordinate amount of time. LW.

Actually, I would rather not. As I said, I have found Geoff very helpful up till now so I see no reason to harass him about the B/L unless I don't hear from him within a reasonable time frame. Basically I'll just wait and see what happens. The supplier for my car is Japan Auto Direct (the car was bought at auction, however) -- who I have dealt with directly for various reasons -- and they seem like reasonable people who provided the dereg papers quickly so there is no reason to suspect that won't be the case now. LW.

Right. Well, I emailed Geoff today to check on the status of my car: And got this reply: .... which is a bit of a suprise. Will be interesting to see if the B/L makes a prompt appearance. Lucien.

If your the patient type, and nengun is willing, you could always ask for them to be sent by sea freight in which case the customs limit is A$1000 (rather than A$250 for so-called "courier" parcels). LW.

I would not be so quick to judge Geoff. I have found him very helpful all the way, and while something is obviously amiss at the moment, that doesn't mean he isn't doing his best. Remember, he is just a small fish in a huge pond, and if you know anything about dealing with suppliers you know how frustrating and slow progress can be regardless of how many calls you make. That's not to say Geoff couldn't be more communicative about the problems -- for me, this is always the issue; I am not much fussed about problems and delays as long as I am informed about them rather than kept in the dark -- but lets not judge until things become clearer. LW.

I would just do one or the other. Last thing you want is two forms being processed seperately by two people, etc, etc. LW.

Actually, considering others are in Melbourne and having probs, perhaps its just a case of all the shipping lines being overloaded? Who knows.. Geoff hasn't been all that forthcoming except to say things are busy, to expect delays, but that things should get moving shortly. All very hazy. LW.

I'm thinking there is something going on with the shipping companies coming in to Sydney because I have heard nothing from Geoff in almost two weeks regarding actually getting my car shipped (except, as I said earlier, he mentioned there were delays at the moment). LW.