Half cut front cut import fees

[DjSiN]

Does anyone here have "real world" experience importing a half cut from another country? Either front w engine or rear cut. 

 

id like to hear about your experience and if there were hassles encountered, if the fees were rubbish or reasonable etc. 

[overherebc]

I am fairly sure that a couple of years ago they banned the import of used panels and parts.

If you search the Motoring Forum you'll find something on it somewhere.

[jay1980]

3 hours ago, overherebc said:

I am fairly sure that a couple of years ago they banned the import of used panels and parts.

If you search the Motoring Forum you'll find something on it somewhere.

 

Still hundreds of half cuts being imported every week to shops around BKK, the biggest area for this is 'Chiang Kong' Bangna in and around this location:

 

https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/13°37'50.0"N+100°42'18.8"E/@13.6305492,100.7030433,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d13.630544!4d100.705232

 

To the OP you may find it useful to go to this area and ask around, there are many shops specializing in the import of halfcuts, used engines and parts here.

 

[DjSiN]

Ok thanks. Will ask around when we get there I guess. 

[overherebc]

How do you register a car built from a half cut front? Grind and re-stamp a chassis number on it?

Where does the blue book come from if it's an imported piece of scrap?

Would you drive a car that was two bits of different cars welded together by Somchai in his back yard? 

[overherebc]

Out of genuine interest why do you want to import a front half cut?

Serious question.

[jay1980]

3 hours ago, overherebc said:

Out of genuine interest why do you want to import a front half cut?

Serious question.

 

You can take a higher spec JDM car and use the components from the halfcut to upgrade the engine, suspension, brakes, interior etc of your boring base spec Thailand model to create something fun, eg taking a standard Lancer and turning it into EVO spec, no chassis number restamped, the engine would be changed and legally registered in the blue book. The doner car would keep it's registration and bodyshell, nothing welded together like you suggest. Doesn't have to be an EVO, could do the same with an normal BMW 3 or 5 series and turn it into M3 or M5 spec for example.

 

Also could just refresh an existing model, most halfcuts come from countries where car's are scraped way before their useful life is over due to tax reasons in those countries like Japan, Singapore, HK.

[overherebc]

7 hours ago, jay1980 said:

 

You can take a higher spec JDM car and use the components from the halfcut to upgrade the engine, suspension, brakes, interior etc of your boring base spec Thailand model to create something fun, eg taking a standard Lancer and turning it into EVO spec, no chassis number restamped, the engine would be changed and legally registered in the blue book. The doner car would keep it's registration and bodyshell, nothing welded together like you suggest. Doesn't have to be an EVO, could do the same with an normal BMW 3 or 5 series and turn it into M3 or M5 spec for example.

 

Also could just refresh an existing model, most halfcuts come from countries where car's are scraped way before their useful life is over due to tax reasons in those countries like Japan, Singapore, HK.

 

Wouldn't it be easier to just take the power unit and other bits already imported and stripped?

[jay1980]

2 hours ago, overherebc said:

 

Wouldn't it be easier to just take the power unit and other bits already imported and stripped?

 I guess if you buy the half cut, you or the specialist garage you trust strip everything for you and you know you have all of the componants you need, but clearly some half cuts would be stripped by the Thai shop's for spares.

 

The halfcuts usually originate from Japan, HK, Singapore etc where wages of the mechanics would be way higher than wages of mechanics in Thailand, so it would be more more cost effective to strip the half cuts in Thailand.

 

[overherebc]

Understand the concept now. I do remember looking for headlights and tail-lights for my car. I found them in the big spares area on Bangna Trat road, forget the name. The guy was only interested in selling me the whole front end and complete rear panel.

[DjSiN]

20 hours ago, overherebc said:

How do you register a car built from a half cut front? Grind and re-stamp a chassis number on it?

Where does the blue book come from if it's an imported piece of scrap?

Would you drive a car that was two bits of different cars welded together by Somchai in his back yard? 

I'm not interested in getting it registered, for race use only. 

And I'd be cutting n shutting the car myself, so I have no issue with it, when the job is done right there is no issue with safety. 

I've spent more than 50k au and 2years building this beast, I just don't see why Thai customs/gov think I should give them 80-100k au for taxes etc. I bloody already own the car. And they wonder why peeps are scamming the system!! It's a disgrace. 

 

[DjSiN]

On 04/01/2017 at 8:57 PM, jay1980 said:

 

Still hundreds of half cuts being imported every week to shops around BKK, the biggest area for this is 'Chiang Kong' Bangna in and around this location:

 

https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/13°37'50.0"N+100°42'18.8"E/@13.6305492,100.7030433,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d13.630544!4d100.705232

 

To the OP you may find it useful to go to this area and ask around, there are many shops specializing in the import of halfcuts, used engines and parts here.

 

Nice n close to the airport too!! Beauty 

[overherebc]

10 minutes ago, DjSiN said:

I'm not interested in getting it registered, for race use only. 

And I'd be cutting n shutting the car myself, so I have no issue with it, when the job is done right there is no issue with safety. 

I've spent more than 50k au and 2years building this beast, I just don't see why Thai customs/gov think I should give them 80-100k au for taxes etc. I bloody already own the car. And they wonder why peeps are scamming the system!! It's a disgrace. 

 

 

I do understand that and fully agree. I was quoted at least 300% on the car I wanted to bring here from UK, it was 13/14 years old and the 300+% they said would be based on the price of a new one. ??????

Photo is not my car but same model.

[jay1980]

26 minutes ago, DjSiN said:

I'm not interested in getting it registered, for race use only. 

And I'd be cutting n shutting the car myself, so I have no issue with it, when the job is done right there is no issue with safety. 

I've spent more than 50k au and 2years building this beast, I just don't see why Thai customs/gov think I should give them 80-100k au for taxes etc. I bloody already own the car. And they wonder why peeps are scamming the system!! It's a disgrace. 

 

good luck with the import, hopefully you can find someone to help at Chiang Kong Bangna.

 

If it all goes to plan please post where you will be racing, I would like to watch some local motor racing events!

 

cheers

[DjSiN]

Outrageous hey!!

 

it sucks cos if they made the fees more reasonable and based on a true representation of value then they'd make a few dolllars from us that way and we're all happy!

i understand them wanting to stop the bigger importers for fear of killing local markets, but those of us with GENUINE PERSONAL import vehicles are the ones missing out, and I'm certainly not gonna go spend 800,000bht for an inferior version of the car I just built. Grrr

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, DjSiN said:

Outrageous hey!!

 

it sucks cos if they made the fees more reasonable and based on a true representation of value then they'd make a few dolllars from us that way and we're all happy!

i understand them wanting to stop the bigger importers for fear of killing local markets, but those of us with GENUINE PERSONAL import vehicles are the ones missing out, and I'm certainly not gonna go spend 800,000bht for an inferior version of the car I just built. Grrr

 

I think I paid 10,000 uk for mine in UK and I would have been happy to pay the same to import it.

Even would have happily signed something to say I would never sell it etc.

At the time I enquired a new one was I think around 35,000 UK and I sure wasn't going to pay 120,000+ UK to bring it here. 1992/3 from memory.

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, jay1980 said:

good luck with the import, hopefully you can find someone to help at Chiang Kong Bangna.

 

If it all goes to plan please post where you will be racing, I would like to watch some local motor racing events!

 

cheers

 

BIRA outside pattaya on route 36 has few meetings during the year and there's the place up near Udon Nakon Nowhere does international stuff.

[jay1980]

3 hours ago, overherebc said:

 

BIRA outside pattaya on route 36 has few meetings during the year and there's the place up near Udon Nakon Nowhere does international stuff.

 

Thanks, I have been to BIRA a couple of times, because it is just down the road from me, nothing spectacular but a fun Sunday afternoon out. Sadly I think they will close it soon to build a golf course though

 

Did you mean the Buriram for the international stuff? not made it there yet, kinda far to go unless there was something really good on or I was in the area anyway.

 

cheers

[overherebc]

Buriram, 

I'm sure they have WTCC meets.

[NanLaew]

MotoGP (F1 for bikes) were working towards adding Buriram to their world championship circuit but apparently the sponsors couldn't come to anything close to an agreement so it's gone.

[mortenaa]

I have been playing with the thought of doing this. You can get a E90 3-series in ok shape for  4-500K Baht. And you could buy a 2nd hand M3 in the UK for less than 20,000 pounds, cut it in half, ship it here. Then move all the parts over to the donor car. You could have a fully functional "M3" for less than 2 million.

[DjSiN]

On 9 January 2017 at 4:31 PM, mortenaa said:

I have been playing with the thought of doing this. You can get a E90 3-series in ok shape for  4-500K Baht. And you could buy a 2nd hand M3 in the UK for less than 20,000 pounds, cut it in half, ship it here. Then move all the parts over to the donor car. You could have a fully functional "M3" for less than 2 million.

What I want to know is, how will they value a half cut? They can't just go oh it's half the cost of a new one lol! Tho it wouldn't surprise me one bit. There's no way half a car is WORTH half the new car price, it doesn't make sense, but very little does here I'm starting to realise.

[mortenaa]

20 hours ago, DjSiN said:

What I want to know is, how will they value a half cut? They can't just go oh it's half the cost of a new one lol! Tho it wouldn't surprise me one bit. There's no way half a car is WORTH half the new car price, it doesn't make sense, but very little does here I'm starting to realise.

 

A car cut in half is not a car - its scrap or parts, and can never be registered as a car. So they will tax it based on how much you purchased that scrap for + 30% TAX + 7% VAT.