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Thread: Shipping a Classic Car - MOT ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Switzerland
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    19

    Default Shipping a Classic Car - MOT ?

    I am thinking of shipping my 1958 Chevrolet over to NZ with my personal goods, As a kiwi living overseas for years I won't need to pay the Import Taxes as I have owned it for 2 years now.
    Been reading up on the MOT about rust and the guys/ gals at the MOT not liking any rust at all, Is this true ? I am sure if they looked under the car they would be able to find some rust spots as well its 58 Years old !
    The Chevy as a European equivalent of the MOT,
    My question here is how hard are the people at the MOT check on the older cars, be a problem bringing the car over and it NOT passing the MOT.
    Any help would be greatly appreciated as I need to make a decision soon.
    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    New Zealand
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Chch, NZ
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    2,226

    Default

    The key word is "structural damage". You would need to determine your 1958 Chev is built on a full rolling chassis where the body panels that make up the frame are NOT 'structural' to the vehicle's chassis. My uncle has imported many classic cars and during the road registration process, the inspection appears to be all based on if the car is a uni-body construction or not. That's why nowadays at WOF (or MOT) can fail a vehicle where rust is shown under or on the body as the body panels are 'structural' to the vehicle's strength.

    Has the vehicle been in an accident? If the chassis frame is twisted, then that would also be a flag for failing compliance. Apart from structural, simple things like light reflectors need to be functional.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Switzerland
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    Default

    There is no structural damage at all, just saying that the car is 58 years old and not a Trailor Queen, I actually drive it a lot, last year I put about 10,000 Kms on her
    Everything works on it and it has passed the MOT in Sweden, where I used to live before moving to Switzerland and now moving to NZ lol Just curious how HARD the NZ MOT is compared to other European countries if anyone has experience in doing this..
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    Last edited by RickSarah; 5th October 2016 at 04:36 AM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    North Canterbury, New Zealand
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    865

    Default

    The MOT (WOF) is much less stringent than (say) the UK, specially for a classic car. The compliance checks at the border can be a bit more difficult but not impossible, again for a classic car there are many exemptions. You should have no problems; there may be a few minor modifications to make.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Chch, NZ
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    I highly advise detailing the car as much as possible before loading in container before shipping. A receipt from a detailing place works wonders to the MAF port inspector when looking for dirt. You want to make sure there's no foreign debris or dead insects as these pose a bio-security risk.

    Long ago my uncle imported a 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville which was shipped out of LA. The container went on a journey of it's own through many ports in Asia and to Australia before coming to NZ. When it arrived, MAF inspectors saw so much mould in the car's upholstery that a quarantine fumigation cleaning had to be done TWICE (and of course at his cost). The methyl bromide used is nasty stuff and the smell stays in the car for many years.

    It may be wise to choose the shortest sailing route...

    Fortunately your classic car would be easy to comply in NZ and parts are readily available for that model. It's other classic car model that have little or no 're-production' market that is a concern when it comes to replacing parts. For eg. my other uncle imported a 1958 Ford Thunderbird 2dr coup. and had troubles sourcing door sills to fix the rust. At the end they had to be hand custom made locally.

    Then you have a big issue of restoration like my uncle's 1956 Chev Nomad (similar to yours).

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    19

    Default

    Thankyou for taking the time and effort in replying
    I appreciate your thoughts which included your own experiences
    I have abit to think about

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