***read this before importing cars to australia***

This is on the ASRF Web Site........does'nt say they are goes go in & bat for anyone, but who know's that may come later.

http://www.asrf.org.au/docs/Import-Bulletin-001.pdf

 

The strong Aussie dollar has seen imports surge, and with the increase in cars comes the focus of big brother. The rules have always been there, they have decided, for one reason or another, to dust them off and enforce them. If you can't prove beyond a doubt that mods we carried out before January 1989 then right now the ONLY way to get a rod or mod car in is to ship it in multiple shipments as parts. See post #140 for details of the Australian Customs precedent.

I hope industry associations and part importers are writing and calling thier local MP's because this is not making our roads safter and anyone suggesting that is pulling their plonker.

 

Once again... there's nothing in the Act or the Regulations that says anything about modifying a car changes its manufactured date. They're not enforcing existing laws, they're making up stuff to suit whatever agenda it is they're working at.

 

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/ro...ing_vehicles/general/pdf/VSB10_8April2010.pdf

Page 9, section 5.1 of this says: "The date of manufacture is taken from when the vehicle is complete and reaqdy to be supplied to the market'

This is the sticking piunt as they believe modifciations change the vehicle and the clock starts from the times the mods are done, not when it rolled out of the factory initially.

Brootal, I agree with you mate. I've spoken to the ASRF today and they have had meetings with and made representations to the Dept of Infrastructure but they expect this will be a long drawn out process that it may well end up in the administrative appeals tribunal, or in court. Either way this is not going to be fixed for some time and will never be fixed unless everyone gets behind this and starts to add their weight, and maybe some cash, to fund a fight.

 

ASRF are doing their best but they have jobs to get to as well. there does seem to be a lot of apathy out there, the "it doesnt effect me " brigade and the "i give up im runnng off to another country " dicks. Ive volunteered my time when they need it and im a paid up member.... defiantely a time for people to help each other out even if you dont want to import a rod now, the same dept does rod rego so stand up to them or bend over your choice I guess

 

There's also something in all the guff I read through that says to find the manufactured date, the best way is to look at the VIN.

The whole issue is where they draw the line at modifications. I agree that replica cars and cars that are so heavily modified that hardly any of the original car is left should probably not be allowed in under the scheme, BUT, mild modifications or anything that fits under the Modified Light Vehicle Code of Practice rules should be let in the country.

What's the difference with bringing in a stocker and modifying it legally to bringing in something that could, even if minor changes are needed, meet state rego requirements?

The cars they're trying to stop are not the ones being stopped.

 

I knew a bloke who moved here from teh states years ago and he had a hell of a time getting the thumbs up to import his Vespa, yes VESPA, into AUS so he took it to bits and packed it in with his clothes and stuff. this was about 7 or 8 years ago he told me this, and i dont recall how long he had been here before then. this was a slightly modified model of a scooter they sold new in the shops up until a few years ago when the 200cc 2 stroke laws kicked in (Long after the fact).
Really the system here is BS. NSW being one of the harshest places for said BS to boot.

 

Not only meeting the state requirements but also increasing the safety factor (for instance disc brakes, seat belts, collapsable steering columns etc etc) & emissions (not all that often but some mods actually reduce emissions and fuel consumption for instance carb mods on the 235's). These are modifications that could and will c*ck block you at the shore.

 

One train of thought is that the average age of the Aussie vehicle fleet went UP. The GFC and subsequent drop in new car sales, combined with the strong Aussie dollar meaning a lot of imports of classic cars seems to have caused it.

I'm not sure how many pre-'89 cars get imported each year, but I can't believe it would make a noticable difference in the average age of the vehicle fleet.

Of course, the govt will think that if all the cars are getting older then they must be spewing all sorts of noxious and nasty chemicals into the air and speeding up the arrival of Doomsday.

...well that's one theory anyway.

 

Pretty much the same in the UK, as regards build and registration rules: the rules have been in place for years but nobody really bothered about them.

Now they have decided to enforce what you can and can't do, and people are getting their car kicked back at annual inspection time and told to fuck off and register it all over again. Even cars that have been on the road for years.

My last car had a fairly stock looking body and original registration, as a Morris Eight, 1934, but all the chassis and drive train was now original. That's been okay for a long while, but it could be fucked off any time now if somebody decides to get the shits with it at inspection and enter in the computer that it has a modified chassis!

 

As has already been said by Brootal, this is a simple abd ridiculous case of the goal posts being moved by the Govt to suit whatever their future agenda may be.

IMHO it is simply to continue to riduclous process of "cloning" the Australian public and they are doing a damn good job.

Not voting for them isnt got to make any difference Im afraid; this is just another case of politicians making decisions on things that they have no real idea about or any com prehension of the impact of their decisions.

I know - Im a gun owner, a sporting shooter and thanx to a coordinated Govt campaign...supposedly Public Enemy N0 1.

As modified car owners are now being "painted" to be.....

Rat

 

Likewise - I feel sorry for you guys and your dumb-arse gun laws, almost as bad as your vehicle modification laws, both reasons I'm not moving over.

 

So current car manufacturers and the flow-on sales could well have a vested interest then?

Shee-it, if I couldn't have my old cars I certainly wouldn't be buying a new/late model one anyway!

 

Stupid thing is, people aren't buying old cars to replace new ones. They've got a new car and because of the global financial situation, quite a few people (Cashed Up Bogans we call them over here) are buying the car that they always dreamed of, because they can now afford it.

 

i'll bring this thread back up the top.purchased a late 31 coupe from a fellow hamber stateside prior to this bullshit pre '89 crap.
it's essentially a stock car,original banger,matching numbers etc,just a good clean coupe.
the car is now sitting at the docks in melbourne awaiting a 'thorough'inspection from customs.
my concern is the car is minus fenders and running boards and running '35 wires. the body is in primer. reading through the customs updates i could be in trouble if they class the above as mods.
if this car is rejected, i have full intentions of fighting this through the courts if necessary.
watch this space, as soon as a decision is made i'll post.
cheers,thommo.

 

You could almost class that as a parts car by the look of it.

Definitely BS if they don't let it in to the country. Changing a set of wheels is hardly a modification.

 

Hey Guys,

So where are we at with this shit now? It seems like guys are importing modified cars again, or trying to? I am looking at importing a 40 Ford Panel, V8 with a disc brake front clip, custom paint etc - are people getting this stuff through? I hear you have to send a photo of the car now? If you get import approval based on the photo can it still be rejected at the dock?

 

Canberra are not approving modified cars. They want photo/s of the car as part of the applciation so they can see if it is modified. From the description of the car in your post it should, in theory, not be approved for import under current regulations. Much depends on the photos. If you can't see its had a heat transplant and you can't see if it has a disk brake font end then you may be able to get the application through - but if they see at any stage it has been modifed it will be refused entry.

We ship a lot of cars and are not seeing any cars with (visible) modifications getting approval. It all hinges on the photo and if the 40 has been dropped, painted and a new front clip then in all likelyhood Canberra will knock it back.

The only way to know for sure is to lodge an import permit application pay the $50.00 fee and see what Canberra do. You will need a photo or 2 of the car and normally a Bill of Sale. In this case you don't want to pay for it yet so ask the seller if he/she will do up a letter of intent to sell the car to you subject to getting import approval. If Canberra knock you back then you know for sure and have only lost $50.00.

Failing them granting import approval the only other way is to completely remove the driveline and ship the body on one ship and the driveline on another ship a week later. Its more expensive this way but removing the drivleine completely from the body changes it into 2 shipmnets of parts, and thats legal.

 

A friend of mine received her car from customs a few days ago after a very long wait.

It is still 6cyl but upgraded with later running gear, not sure what brakes, but has custom paint, Packard tail-lights etc.
I think whitewalls and hubcaps made it invisible to them.

I'll find out if it was purchased before all this went down, but it took a lot longer that it should have.

I had to send photos of my car a few years ago but it was stock so no problem. Still wanted pics though, presumably so they could check the car i got import approval for was the same one that came on the boat.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I had kind of assumed that this was the case. Another thought that occurred to me, it states that if you can prove that the mods were done pre 1982 then it is ok? If you had a receipt for work done from a body shop or whatever dated pre this date - how in gods name could they dispute it or verify if it was genuine? Seems like a loophole?? Unless of course the car was in pristine condition and obviously not done 30 years ago.

 

It's pre-'89.

 

sorry - pre 89 is what I meant

 

If you can give proof the mods were done before 1st January 1989 then you can apply to bring it in. If you can't give them that proof then they will asume the mods were done after 89 and refuce it entry.

 

Yeah but my point is - they are a bit hazy on the "proof".