How to self-import a car ?

[Ahbengdriver]

  Quote

If the so called 'ah-beng' and ah peh can be PI boss.

I don't see why anyone of us cannot read thru the LTA rules and import in the car ourselves.

 

Beng? You referring to me? Aiya if one grows up in SG, even if u are ah seng of ah seng aquarium, u can still read english right? I totally agree with u bcos I know a few bengs in this business

Edited January 30, 2007 by Ahbengdriver

[Falc]

How much are all the inspection fees by LTA?

[Porker]

No me not PI... Me only gardener

 

To answer your question ---> No. But... if your house is paid up, you can unlock part of the value (non CPF portion only hor) and get the cash to pay for the car. That means you service the loan from the bank again (for the house) lor. Sorry if I confused you

[Ultramega]

alright, anybody want to do a group buy of cars?

[Porker]

Not much..

 

Vicom/STA --- about $100+ or $200

 

IU --- $150

 

Fark thats about all I can think of!

[Kinetics]

What kind of gardener? Some type of "gardener" earn big bucks.

 

Anyway, you mean mortage loan? What I meant is if any car loaner is willing to give you a car loan, using some kind gurantee like house or car first before the car reached sillypore shores.

[Porker]

To answer your question: Not that I know of and I don't think so either

[Muar_chee]

what brand u looking at?

 

i just posted something a couple months back...

 

i am looking into bringing in my own caterham.

[Stylo_angel]

tat means we can bring in any car we like??or only certain model??

[Kwongwing]

Found this information, dunno whether useful:

 

Bringing your own car

... The following information is courtesy of the Land Transport Authority (LTA). Visit their website for more information.

 

You may bring your own vehicle to Singapore only if it is less than 3 years old. The age of a used vehicle is reckoned from the date of its first registration in a foreign country.

A surcharge of $10,000 is payable for each imported used car registered in Singapore.

Your vehicle must pass a mechanical inspection at the LTA before it can be registered. The requirements are:

All safety glass fitted must have not less than 70% light transmittance and must not contain any metallic oxide coating.

Exhaust emmission standards as specified by either the European Directive 91/441/EEC or Article 31 of the Japanese Safety Regulation. A certificate of compliance is required.

Only right-hand drive vehicles in Singapore.

Vehicle must be able to use unleaded petrol.

Vehicle must be fitted with approved front and rear safety belts.

Vehicle must have asbestos-free brake and clutch lining.

Air-conditioning units must be CFC-free.

 

If your vehicle meets all these requirements and you are still convinced you want to import it into Singapore, here's what you must do:

 

1. If the car you are importing is manufactured in one of the European Community countries, obtain the EEC Certificate of Conformity issued by the manufacturer for the car from the manufacturer or agent.

 

2. If the car is manufactured in Japan, obtain the Completion Inspection Certificate issued by the manufacturer for the car from the manufacturer or agent

 

3. Alternatively, the car can be tested overseas at any recognised vehicle testing laboratory for a Certificate of Compliance with Exhaust Emission Standards together with a Test Report and a Safety Glass Certificate.

 

4. Obtain proof that the car is new or has never been registered for use (eg manufacturer's invoice, V308 Registration Document issued by the Department of Transportation, London, etc). For a used car, the vehicle registration document issued by the foreign authority is required.

 

5. Technical specifications/catalogue issued by the manufacturer if the car is a new make or model previously not imported into Singapore (eg technical catalogue).

 

6. Declaration form for asbestos-free brake and clutch lining.

 

7. Arrange for shipment of the car to Singapore. Arrange with a shipping agent to obtain an Inward Cargo Clearance Permit. Your agent will have to submit a joint application to the Trade Development Board (TDB) and the Customs & Excise Department (CED) using the Tradenet System.

 

8. The CED will assess the Open Market Value (OMV) of your car and customs duty will be levied at 41 per cent of the OMV.

 

Still with us? Good, you're already half way there. The next step is to register your car, although that can be done on your behalf by a car agent.

 

Submit items (1) through (6) listed in the preceeding section for verification at the New Registration Section, LTA, 10 Sin Ming Drive, Singapore 575701. The LTA will then notify you to send your car for inspection.

Get a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) and obtain insurance coverage for your.

Submit vehicle particulars at any computer service terminal at the Singapore Network Services (SNS) Service Centre, Bugis Junction and collect your Car Registration Application Form.

At the New Registration Section of the LTA, submit the following:

Car Registration Application Form

COE (issued by LTA as Temporary Certificate of Entitlement)

Original passport or a Certified true copy of the Company Registration Certificate (if the car is to be registered under a company's name)

Original insurance cover note or certificate of insurance

Notification of PARF benefit / COE rebate (if any)

Successful bidding letter for Vehicle Registration Number (if any)

In one cheque made payable to the Land Transport Authority, pay the registration fee of $1,000 for private registration and $5,000 for company registration. There is an Additional Registration Fee (ARF) of 150% of the car's OMV.

Collect the following from the New Registration Section at LTA upon registration:

COE

Registration Card / Log Card

Road Tax disc

Insurance Cover Note or Certificate of Insurance

[Rliewky]

any bro with experience in self importing to share?

[Kiss29]

This mechanic restores much-sought-after classics from yesteryear

He's the Vintage wizard

By Mindy Tan

 

January 31, 2007

 

 

ENTERING his garage is like taking a trip back in time.

Dusty car chassis from an era long forgotten are lined up inside the Henderson Motors garage at the Sin Ming industrial estate.

 

 

Mr Tan, on the 1940s MG-Y type he is currently restoring. -- KELVIN CHNG

Aged anywhere from 35 to 75 years, some are buried under plastic sheets while others double up as storage bins filled with spare parts and plastic buckets.

 

To add to the nostalgia, a faded poster of Miss America in a '40s bathing suit hangs on the wall.

 

This is where Mr Harry Tan, 55, lovingly brings vintage cars out of their rusty misery with a makeover few people can provide.

 

These days, he shops for vintage chassis online from the UK and often buys them for more than $20,000 each. Another $3,500 is spent on shipping and insurance.

 

Mr Tan has sold most of the 60-plus cars he has restored over the last 35 years, earning up to $10,000 for each car.

 

 

SOLD WHEN PRICE IS RIGHT

 

'I keep the ones which are in better condition and only sell if the price is right,' he said.

 

That includes the 10 in his semi-detached home in Tamarind Road, as well as a red Mini Cooper and a Volkswagen Beetle outside his garage.

 

But it's no assembly-line here. Some cars have to wait for years in his garage for their turn to be restored.

 

For example, a vintage UK Austin 7 chassis, for which he paid an import duty of $800, has been sitting in his garage for 26 years.

 

On the other hand, a 1967 Rolls-Royce, bought a year ago for a few thousand dollars, was restored within six months at a cost of $15,000. It is now parked at Mr Tan's home.

 

Mr Tan said: 'They're like toys. When a new one arrives, I'm eager to play with it. And some have been overlooked.

 

'If it's been sitting there for too long, my interest dies off. I leave it there until the time and mood is right.'

 

He mostly works on his own cars on rainy days, when he is confined to his workshop. Customers' old and modern cars are for other days.

 

And he tries to keep costs to a minimum - about $10,000 to $20,000 - for each restoration.

 

Mr Tan is well-known among vintage car circles like the Heritage Car Club (Singapore) and the Malaysia-Singapore Vintage Car Registrar (MSVCR).

 

He learnt his skills from his car mechanic father when he was 9, and opened Henderson Motors when he was 22.

 

Today, he is one of the few remaining mechanics here who can restore vintage cars.

 

There is another workshop in Singapore, according to Heritage Car Club president Dr Jaliya Pinnagoda, 45.

 

 

GOLDMINE OF SPARE PARTS

 

But he got Mr Tan to work on 10 of his vintage and classic cars, including an Alfa Romeo Spider. He also recently had his 1933 MG-L1 Magna's engine rebuilt.

 

Dr Pinnagoda said: 'If Harry retires, I would take all my cars with me and leave this country. Seriously, I wouldn't know what to do. He can diagnose faults very fast and knows what he is talking about.

 

Mr Tan also has a 'gold mine' of spare parts that cannot be found online.

 

'For six months, I was looking for rare sets of MG-L1 pistons and rings on the Internet. Then Harry rummaged through his storeroom and called to say he has them in his garage,' said Dr Pinnagoda.

 

Mr Patrick Tan, 60, the ex-president of the MSVCR, said: 'Harry will never retire. He'll be restoring cars for the next five years, and another five, and another five.

 

 

KNOWN TO VINTAGE CAR FANS

 

'Whenever I visit England or Australia, vintage-car lovers still ask about Harry's workshop.

 

'He's been in the market for so long and people remember him for his service.'

 

Mr Tan intends to hand over the task to a younger mechanic since he says he can't afford to pay his two sons, aged 29 and 19.

 

He joked: 'Bigger firms offer more attractive renumeration packages and can afford to send them overseas. Their old man can only give them old cars.'

 

Car restoration jobs have dwindled in the last 10 years.

 

Now, he considers himself lucky if he gets 10 or more cars for restoration within a six-month period.

 

After all, there are only 320 vintage and classic cars left in Singapore, according to Land Transport Authority spokesman Naleeza Ebrahim.

 

Pointing to a work-in-progress Jaguar Mark II chassis, Mr Tan said: 'This is the last of Mark IIs which plied Singapore roads. After I complete its restoration, there will be no more of such (models) to restore.'

[Wizardofzzz]

can count me in? I am serious about this thought..mind if u leave me your contacts?

[Bleuzone]

Reviving this thread, is here any experienced person that provides importing service at a reasonable fee? Want to get a new car from Japan but the PIs seems to be making quite a bit of profit for the work...

[Lkk8989]

I'm also interested to do self import JDM car.

 

Please recommend anyone who could help if you know of.

 

Thanks.

 

[H530251]

Hi all,

 

so have you guys managed to import the cars yourself ? Can teach a skill or two ?

[Darryn]

  On 1/30/2007 at 1:42 AM, Rliewky said:

you thinking of self importing? what I understand is that it is only worthwhile for the luxury/highend brands. for warranty, can try to go with brands that comes with worldwide/international warranty, like BMW, Merc etc... the local ad will have to service the internationl warranty. i guess you will have to pay a fee for the services.

Yes they HAVE to service,

Doesn't mean they have to give you the same service though.

 

Always remember - by buying from a PI you are "cheating" them out of money - you are slapping their face, now you want to turn around and have them respect you? Life doesn't work that way.

[sgdividends]

Another question, when i go look at cars from PIs, if they can tell me the car's CEV, does that mean that the car is already in Singapore as the CEV is gotten after VETL inspection?