Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q&A)

MeTheMan

They wouldn't vrt it. Ask me for proof of shipping. Said they would have to go by when the tax ran out in the UK other wise. Shows tax ran out on 13 January so that would still be within the 30 days?
Also needed to check the chassis vin number (not the vin number behind the windscreen) but the carpet isn't fully cut out so left that for the next day as well.
So I think I just need it invoice from who I bought it of and then they will go by the last tax date in the UK.
Overly complicated.

IrishGrimReaper

Did you have an invoice with you when you went for the inspection?

Eoghanaldo

michellie wrote: »

Ah well you don't need an appointment to pay. You can go back any time to pay after the call centre rings you. You'll probably get a call today or tomorrow. It's very rare it takes the full 10 days.

Got a text yesterday evening from NCTS saying the fee for registering the vehicle is now available. Called this morning and the fee is €900 more than the calculator indicated online. Sickened. Anyone have experience of appealing the VRT fee??

bazz26

If there are any factory extras on the car then they take them into account for VRT also which could account for the difference. You can appeal after you pay the initial quoted amount but they will look for proof their valuation is wrong. If your confident that your valuation is correct then go ahead and appeal as it costs nothing.

givyjoe

bazz26 wrote: »

If there are any factory extras on the car then they take them into account for VRT also which could account for the difference. You can appeal after you pay the initial quoted amount but they will look for proof their valuation is wrong. If your confident that your valuation is correct then go ahead and appeal as it costs nothing.

How do you provide proof their valuation is wrong? Do they provide details on what the spec the VRT Calculator is based on?

bazz26

I don't know how it works exactly but my understanding is that you have to find a similar car for sale here at a lower price. The appeals process has a high success rate around getting some money back but obviously you cannot just make stuff up when appealing.

givyjoe

bazz26 wrote: »

I don't know how it works exactly but my understanding is that you have to find a similar car for sale here at a lower price. The appeals process has a high success rate around getting some money back but obviously you cannot just make stuff up when appealing.

Do you know where these statistical codes used for the calculator come from?

kerten

I am planning to use Revolut for my payment next week. Need to pay 82 euro for 1 year premium cost but BOI exchange rates seem to cost me 300+ for 15K pound.

bazz26

givyjoe wrote: »

Do you know where these statistical codes used for the calculator come from?

My understanding is that Revenue get them based on data from the S.I.M.I.

bidiots

kerten wrote: »

I am planning to use Revolut for my payment next week. Need to pay 82 euro for 1 year premium cost but BOI exchange rates seem to cost me 300+ for 15K pound.

I did a transfer between my revolut UK account and the UK garage, took under an hour to land in their account.
Happy with that

kerten

bidiots wrote: »

I did a transfer between my revolut UK account and the UK garage, took under an hour to land in their account.
Happy with that

I just made the transfer with premium turbo transfer stuff. I guess there is only one way to do the transfer so I'll report back how fast it is.

kerten

kerten wrote: »

I just made the transfer with premium turbo transfer stuff. I guess there is only one way to do the transfer so I'll report back how fast it is.

It took half a day to arrive in with Revolut Premium.

kerten

I'll be bringing back a grand picasso this week and importing first time so noob questions :


Does it matter if my name/address is written in V5 doc as new owner as long as I take the V5 ?

Must I notify DVLA about me exporting particular vehicle ? Is it to ensure previous owner is not associated with this car anymore ?

mgn

kerten wrote: »

I'll be bringing back a grand picasso this week and importing first time so noob questions :


Does it matter if my name/address is written in V5 doc as new owner as long as I take the V5 ?

It makes no difference what name is on the V5.

Must I notify DVLA about me exporting particular vehicle ? Is it to ensure previous owner is not associated with this car anymore ?

No need to notify DVLA just bring the V5 when paying the VRT, The sort that out.

Any Double !

kerten wrote: »

I'll be bringing back a grand picasso this week and importing first time so noob questions :


Does it matter if my name/address is written in V5 doc as new owner as long as I take the V5 ?

Must I notify DVLA about me exporting particular vehicle ? Is it to ensure previous owner is not associated with this car anymore ?

Get receipt and or bill of sale as it can save lot of hassle later, you probably have already done a car check on it and for peace of mind can check mileage on the UK Gov MOT site but get the MOT certs too while you’re there and any or all service history off the dealer.

Any Double !

Eoghanaldo wrote: »

Got a text yesterday evening from NCTS saying the fee for registering the vehicle is now available. Called this morning and the fee is €900 more than the calculator indicated online. Sickened. Anyone have experience of appealing the VRT fee??

I appealed a VRT decision 3 years ago and got back €1,040 on a high powered, high spec Renault Laguna. The lady in the VRT office didn’t grasp the situation at all. I had to pay the full price to her there and then but appealed it shortly afterwards. I first cheekily went to 2 Renault Garage’s where I promised each to return for a car service afterwards (I did return to them too) and got a valuation from bot of them, both were around 3 to 4K less than the VRT lady said. I then looked up a similar car online and was lucky to find the only one like it listed in Galway on Donedeal. It too was less than the VRT estimate. I then made my case in writing where I stated that with mine being over 100k miles and an import lessened the value considerably. I downloaded the appeal forms from the VRT link. If I remember right I sent them to revenue in Rosslare. I heard nothing for about 3 weeks and then got the refund. It might seem a bit of work but apart from a couple of drives to the 2 Garage’s was just an hour or 2 on the keyboard.

kerten

Any Double ! wrote: »

Get receipt and or bill of sale as it can save lot of hassle later, you probably have already done a car check on it and for peace of mind can check mileage on the UK Gov MOT site but get the MOT certs too while you’re there and any or all service history off the dealer.

It is a 2 years old Citroen approved car with 2 services from Citroen main dealer so I assume they will give me a receipt and service history. Car has another year of Citroen uk warranty from March 2018 but that is Northern Ireland only I guess.


Inspection done by Dekra today. Didn't hear from Dekra yet but Citroen sales guy told me that he didn't find any issue during inspection. So I should be good to collect it on Thursday.

HPI shows a finance from PSA(Peugeot/Citroen) Finance but sales guy said it will be cleared before collection. Is there anything I can do further regarding finance during collection ?

bidiots

kerten wrote: »

HPI shows a finance from PSA(Peugeot/Citroen) Finance but sales guy said it will be cleared before collection. Is there anything I can do further regarding finance during collection ?

Do not send or spend another penny until that Finance is sorted. Keep in touch with Dekra, they will be able to see if Finance is cleared pretty easily, shouldn't charge you either.

UnknownSpecies

Paid £120 for 6 months tax and would like to claim it back now. How did everyone else do so? Provided, the dealer has sent the export slip to the DVLA with my details, what steps must I take and what documents must I supply in order to get the refund?

JonnyM

Is it still worth doing a check on car by someone like Dekra even though the car is still under manufacturers warranty??

eoghan104

JonnyM wrote: »

Is it still worth doing a check on car by someone like Dekra even though the car is still under manufacturers warranty??

Same question but car has a 2 year warranty from Lexus Belfast?

Elbow head

I'm currently looking at a car for sale in Scotland. The dealer says he can only sell to a person with a UK address. Has anybody ever come across this? I have relatives in the North and can use their address. Are there any implications to getting it vrt'd in the south if I do this? Sorry if the answers are obvious, I couldn't find any details in a search.

Any Double !

Elbow head wrote: »

I'm currently looking at a car for sale in Scotland. The dealer says he can only sell to a person with a UK address. Has anybody ever come across this? I have relatives in the North and can use their address. Are there any implications to getting it vrt'd in the south if I do this? Sorry if the answers are obvious, I couldn't find any details in a search.

I can’t understand it anyway. I’m no expert but I have bought half a dozen UK cars in last few years and all but one were from dealers. All 5 of them were only too happy to take my money. Indeed it’s a lot better for them as they don’t have to worry too much about warranties.
You’re dealer sounds strange as there’s no law stopping him dealing with you. All he has to do is tear a bit off the V5 and send it to the DVLA in Swansea saying it’s been exported.
There are so many good cars out there now especially in the UK that unless it’s a very special car or you’re getting it for near to nothing it’s not worth the trouble.
If you give an address in the North you’ll only be making what should be a simple thing harder still

aujopimur

Elbow head wrote: »

I'm currently looking at a car for sale in Scotland. The dealer says he can only sell to a person with a UK address. Has anybody ever come across this? I have relatives in the North and can use their address. Are there any implications to getting it vrt'd in the south if I do this? Sorry if the answers are obvious, I couldn't find any details in a search.

/
Mercedes/BMW?.

bazz26

Any Double ! wrote: »

I can’t understand it anyway. I’m no expert but I have bought half a dozen UK cars in last few years and all but one were from dealers. All 5 of them were only too happy to take my money. Indeed it’s a lot better for them as they don’t have to worry too much about warranties.
You’re dealer sounds strange as there’s no law stopping him dealing with you. All he has to do is tear a bit off the V5 and send it to the DVLA in Swansea saying it’s been exported.
There are so many good cars out there now especially in the UK that unless it’s a very special car or you’re getting it for near to nothing it’s not worth the trouble.
If you give an address in the North you’ll only be making what should be a simple thing harder still

It's not the law that is preventing them but more than likely the distributor or HQ of the brand they are selling. Mercedes were actively doing this upto recently in that they didn't want to encourage the loss of a sale on their dealers over here.

Elbow head

aujopimur wrote: »

/
Mercedes/BMW?.

Hi. No it's a mazda 6.


I got the impression that it was more of a situation you outlined aujopimur.

If I were to give the Northern address, how would I then go about registering it in Ireland? I would need the dealer to complete the relevant section of the v5 for Swansea?

Thanks very much for the replies.

bazz26

Just buy one somewhere else rather than farting around with that one. Maybe that dealer is just a Rangers fan. :pac:

dclifford

Put a deposit on car in Newcastle. Some questions.
Is HPI check included in Dekra inspection or should i do these seperately?
How soon is the dekra inspection completed after a booking?
How long does it take to get funds from bank to transfermate? About £18500.
If I pay UK road tax, its expired, do I do that or can the dealer do it for me?

Just trying to figure out when I should book the flight/ferry for.
Should I wait until after the inspection before booking travel? Seems some people have booked the ferry after buying the car, I suppose I can wait til after the inspection.

BuzzFish

BuzzFish wrote: »

Hi folks,
Fresh off the ferry this morning after picking up a car from CarGiant yesterday. As there has been so much useful info in this thread I thought I'd share a few notes while fresh.

Process:
After searching online we settled with a car that was being sold by CarGiant in London. They will hold a car only for 24 hrs before viewing so as per recommendations we lined up a couple of backup cars in case the first choice was gone while we were booking travel etc. We arranged 3 test drives, one after the next VIA their website. We called them 24hrs before we arrived to reserve our first choice and it was still available, thankfully!

I set up a Transfermate account and although CarGiant will not provide the bank details to you until they have your deposit on a car, I got them from a mate who bought from them previously and had them set up as a beneficiary in advance. This allows you to book in the transfer on the rate of any given day if you want certainty. You can give the reference number (car reg) at time of actually executing the transfer. Just saved the hassle and I confirmed that I had the right details in place once CarGiant gave the bank details to me. CarGiant bank with Natwest for anyone with a UK account who wants to instantly transfer to them.

We booked the flights on Monday to head out Thursday for 49euro each leaving Dublin at 7:35 for Gatwick (the flight was over an hour late departing due to air traffic control in Gatwick and then busy runway in Dublin). We also booked the 02:40am ferry from Holyhead with the "flex" option. We hoped to get there for 8pm though and swap to earlier on the day. 

Cargiant is easy to get to by train so we prebooked the rail tickets (£12.50 each) from the nationalrail website to get us to Willesden Junction. This required just one change from Gatwick and took less than an hour. Trains run every 15 to 20 mins and our prebooked tickets could be used on any time. Cargiant is a 10 min walk from the station. Follow the exit signs fromt eh station for Hythe Road. You go over a narrow walkway and down a lane. Don't worry, it is the right direction!

CarGiant... So the first thing is that they are unbelievably friendly and helpful so don't be shy asking questions. They are ultra professional. Tell them immediately that you are exporting and need to be on the road by lunchtime to get to a Ferry. They will give you the key and send you to the car yourself, allowing about 15 mins to "kick the tyres". Take a notepad and note every little detail you notice... if anything. The sales guy will follow down and give you a chance to test drive (very short run around the block) and give feedback. We found inside the filler cap dirty and a small stain on the leather and it was agreed this would be sorted as part of delivery.

Back to the office where they will try to sell you a warranty (that can be used in Ireland apparently) and will try also to sell you the super valet delux yadda yadda. I just told them I didn’t want to be rude but would not be interested in any extras to hurry him along. By now it was 1pm. The delayed flight had messed up our plans already but we decided it was more important to be thorough with the car. At this point I called Transfermate, confirmed the details, set the reference to the reg of the car and executed the transfer. Car Giant need 2 hours to clear the car for release. They basically do their own version of an MOT and sign the car off for delivery. The couple of bit’s we’d picked up on were also sorted in this time, although I was assured that the 2 hours was standard and this bit of work added no time. There is a canteen at CarGiant and we got some grub there. £18 for 2 dinners. At 3pm, the car was ready and the funds were cleared. We completed final paperwork and hit the road before 3:30

We were very tight for the ferry at this point and a closed M6 and very busy A/M40 meant we’d certainly miss the 8:20pm ferry. We diverted to Cheshire Oaks where more damage was done to the funds and we got something to eat. We basically killed time and headed for Holyhead and ended up on the 2:40am ferry. Used the opportunity to grab some cheap booze etc from ASDA. These things happen. A mate of mind did the same trip recently and got the earlier ferry no issue. I think the late arrival of the flight goosed us from the start. However, we believe we have saved 5K (excluding the booze!!) and this delay did not damped the spirit. It was a grand ol’ adventure!


TIPs:

• Prebook Train Tickets as queues at ticket machines were very long. Separate machines for pre-booked tickets were empty.
• 07:35 flight was >1hr late going down the runway so we were behind from the start. Next time I'll be on the 06:30.
• CarGiant want £200 cash deposit in the sales area. They DO NOT accept Irish debit cards or credit cards. Have cash with you and make sure you set up the transfermate booking for the car price minus this 200. Bear in mind the £149 admin fee on all advertised car prices too. I only had about 50 cash and was surprised that the 2 ATMs on site at Cargiant did not accept Irish cards. We had to take a 10 min walk to the nearest Texaco garage which has a proper ATM machine. They just needed this cash by 3pm so it did not delay us further and was grand chance to stretch the legs.
• CarGiant need 2 hrs between taking the deposit and releasing the car due to pre-release checks they need to do. This cannot be reduced. They do not allow deposits over the phone the day before. Someone has to view the car in person. Bear this in mind when planning. I would suggest that you need to be at the point where deposit has been paid by 12pm or you’re going to miss your 8pm ferry if doing it all same day. Next time I’ll be in CarGiant for 10am (opening time).
• CarGiant put 1 gallon of fuel only in all cars. Texaco is nearby to fill up to get you going (same place we went to for ATM). All these little delays do add up.
• CarGiant have so many of the same car its mind boggling. They have 14,000 cars and proudly display a Guinness World Record plaque for the world biggest car dealer. So if you arrive and the car you had your eye on is a pup, you’d have to be very fussy not to be driving away in something. Saying that the cars look to be spotless and they do not do many high milers. I could not recommend them more at this point.
• The SD cards (or CDs) for navigation units are removed from all cars by default. Make sure that they have the SD card if you want. If they have it, they will provide it when handing over the keys at the end od the sale. Make a point of asking before you pay the deposit as some cars arrive to them without the SD cards and you don’t want to have already bought the car to be disappointed driving away. If it wasn’t in the car when it arrived to them they will not have one for you and display on their sign boards that they accept no responsibility for missing cards.
• May as well fill up with petrol on the UK side right now as it is cheaper than home. If not doing this, add a bit extra for any details on the motorways. Be a pain to have to stop twice enroute.
• Online the cabins for the ferry were sold out but on-board they were available. €25 for single, €50 for double. Head straight to the desk when you board to have the best chance as there was a queue and not many keys from what I saw.
• Cannot recommend TransferMate enough. The lady I dealt with was superb. Friendly, helpful and professional.
• I’d buy again from CarGiant in a heartbeat based on experience so far and car was exactly as described. The small niggles were sorted without issue or question.

Now for the VRT....

As I often get PMs looking for Bank Details from this post here ye go:


Account holder: CarGiant LTD
Bank: NatWest
IBAN: GB41NWBK54211822578072
Swift/BIC: NWBKGB2L

iognaid

Very helpful and interesting post.
As a matter of interest how did you manage the 'Ooad Tax' licence issue, did they arrange it or did you just 'forget' it?
Thanks.
P.L.