Exporting my Defender 90 to New Zealand

Hi everyone,

I'm emigrating to New Zealand next month and I really want to export my Defender 90 as well. My only concern is that in order for it to get it's Warrant of Fitness they may say it requires a load of work done on it. It is over 20 years old so does not need to comply with some of the compliance tests but it does have some rust underneath the passenger seat where the battery is stored and at the bottoms of the doors.

Does anyone know of a garage in the South East of England (West Sussex) that knows the NZ requirements that could take a look at my Landy to see if they think it is worth while shipping it out?

Also one for the Kiwi's, is there a contact in/near Auckland that performs WoF's on Land Rovers that could be recommended?

Thank you very much for your help.

Cheers,

James.

My brother and Sister in law emigrated to NZ from South Africa in the early 90's taking their 1 year old Toyota Corolla. It hasd to be steam cleaned and spotless to ensure no possibility of any plant seed or foreign matter before it was loaded into the container and if I am not mistaken (few years back) it had to be cleaned as it emerged from the container. They are also not keen on rusty vehicles. I'll fire of an email to them today and see if I can get more recent information.

I am assuming you have looked here: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicle/importing/step-one/forward-offroad.html

To be honest the WoF looks like a watered down MOT, all emissons and noise tests are run at 1/2 throttle opossed to 3/4 here. I can see they're not the biggest fans of rust, I imagine it would be a similar situation to here - so long as the rust doesn't adversely affect the safety of the car.

I've just bought my 110 into Oz and to pass the quarantine inspection was a nightmare, took weeks of cleaning to get it to pass the standard, believe that NZ is just as strict as here.

Good luck

Lee

Thank you all very much for the information. I'm really concerned that the rust on the doors & inside is going to be a big issue and as its 20 years old it is also very dirty inside! (I'm going to have to start scrubbing the hell out of the thing).

This is why I wondered if there was an expert in the south with knowledge of NZ that could take a look at it to say whether I was wasting my time and money shipping it out there. Failing that, does anyone have a contact in NZ that performs WoF's on Landys or is a Landy expert that could advise me?

Cheers,

James.

jpc said:

Thank you all very much for the information. I'm really concerned that the rust on the doors & inside is going to be a big issue and as its 20 years old it is also very dirty inside! (I'm going to have to start scrubbing the hell out of the thing).

This is why I wondered if there was an expert in the south with knowledge of NZ that could take a look at it to say whether I was wasting my time and money shipping it out there. Failing that, does anyone have a contact in NZ that performs WoF's on Landys or is a Landy expert that could advise me?

Cheers,

James.

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Why don't you just check with the export company thats going to ship the damn thing.

for our move to the UK the export company was just great on what we can and can not ship. It was basically no gas, or compressed gas bottles everything else from household no problem. Just have to pressure was out door equipment, no dirt on things nothing about rust.

My car is 20yrs old so it is possible, just spend some time cleaning, I removed the seats and jetwashed the interior for about 30 minutes then started on the outside, I actually repainted mine but then it's hand painted as a zebra so no big drama, although it did look really fresh, I was told by my shipping agent that any vehicle coming from the UK is automatically sent to be recleaned upon arrival because of foot and mouth, the quarantine agent said that if that had been the case for my car it would have cost in the region of 1000 bucks, so maybe allow for that as well.

Lee

Hello,

I live in NZ and imported four cars with me this time round, so know the pit falls and hassles of the whole process. Along with the advantages of course.

I can offer advice and put specific questions to my mate here that is a WOF inspector. There are no such place as a specific Landy WOF centre anywhere so anyone can answer your questions.

On first import the car will be checked over with a fine tooth comb. Any spec of dirt what so ever and teh whole car will be shipped off for steam clean. At your expense of course. If there is then any rust this will be marked on the import papers of the car (putting it simply) and this rust will be flagged against the chassis number preventing you from going through NZ compliance. If any structural parts of the car have any rust what so ever, even just surface then really you best forget about bringing it over. You will need to strip the whole thing down, and I mean stip it down to bear shell! then make all necessary repairs, which in turn need to be certified by an approved engineer before reassembly. Normal rust will also get flagged but will not need a cert when repaired.

You will ned the car first to get a registered NZ VIN number, then sent off for a comliance check and certifcation. If anything is modified from standard it will need to be checked and certified at this stage. Your brake pads will all need changing as they wont have teh NZ type approved numbers on them also. Any braided lines need to be replaced with tagged and certified hoses from here also. if you have a cage, harness or bucket seats then you may even need a motorsport licience to allow them on the road! Again these will need seperate reports and an authority card to get them passed through. You will also need small things liek a high level brake light and rear seat belts if seats are fitted?

Once you eventually get through the above you will need to then go for a WOF, which is much tougher than the UK. Not like watered down as mentioned above! yes, they dont have emissions tests so that bit is easier. But the rest is a nightmare! Youa lso have to get them done every six months by the way.

Each one of these stages of course costs money, but the car will be worth slightly more here than in teh UK. So do your market research! You can buy a new one thats already done when you land and save a lot of hassle?

It all depends how much you like you car really, and if its worth spending the time and money that it will take to get it right. I have heard of some people here now with TVRs that have been trying for four years to get rego and still get refused!

As mentioned, if you have any specific questions then fire away. i will go and ask for you ro answer myself if I can.

Personally for an old Land Rover I woul dnot bother unless its something special.

Cheers
Dave...

PS> I would fill your container with certain parts that cost lots of money over here though!

I forgot to mention, I can also put you in touch with an expat friend of mine that is currently doing all the compliance work to my TVR for me. He is based in Auckland also if you want to get in touch with him?

He is a TVR and Lotus specialist but knows the system inside out.

My TVR was cleaned prior to leaving and also had a full MOT. It has been getting compliance work done since the latter part of 2010 and still its not even at the stage to be presented for checking! I have also spent 3.5K in tha time as interim payment for the jobs carried out.

Cheers...

As dave says rust is the big thing. your vehicle would not be old enough to be recognised as a classic however it is old enough that it should not have to be up to the same standard as later model imported cars. My brother in law works for aa company here in Auckland that does vehicle compliance on a lot of american classic imports. Wofs (mot) are not that bad so long as the inspector not to strict. Most the time it comes down to the inspector. We have over 5 wof certified mechanics were we are and can say some will let things pass that others may fail. All comes down the the guy doing the wof. Don't worry about the wof though its not that bad. Passing compliance however is more of a challenge.
have a look through this web site it is the nz agent for all vehicles and licencing
How to get a statement of compliance | NZ Transport Agency

Land Rover 90's do go for good money here and you would struggle to find one of your age for under $10,000nzd 110 are cheaper than 90s and much easier to get your hands on.
Make sure you do your homework before you think of sending it over

I agree about different WOF inspectors letting some things go, but for the first WOF after compliance its a different story. They really do go to town and make sure their arses are covered. Your compliance man should have found any issues prior to this stage though.

What people dont realise is its not like in the Uk where you can carry out any modification as long as it passes an MOT. Here anything that is not standard fit requires a cert of compliance. Even if its better than standard fit! You also have to make sure you get everything certified atthe same time, or they charge the full ammount each visit. It can get costly!

As mentioned though, cars do fetch more money over here due to the relative limited numbers. Also because things here are just generally twoce the price of the Uk compared to salaries anyway, but we wont go down that route.

Personally if you are not attached to the old girl then it may be time to move it on to a new home. It is surprising how the bills sooon add up against the cost of buying one already here.

take all this with a pinch of salt by the way, I have shipped my two Escorts here twice now! But they are my babies.

Oh yes, no matter how high the cost of living is here. Its still the best country in the world in my opinion.

Sweet as cuz...!!

blgdave said:

Personally if you are not attached to the old girl then it may be time to move it on to a new home. It is surprising how the bills sooon add up against the cost of buying one already here.

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Thank you very much Dave. I am beginning to think that it would be way too much trouble to get it in. The only problem is that I can't find many 90's for sale in NZ and the ones that are for sale are so expensive.

Cheers,

James.

blgdave said:

Its still the best country in the world in my opinion.

Sweet as cuz...!!

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.........MANY have that opinion! NZ is a paradise, but unfortunately I had to leave for work (can't do what I do in NZ and survive!)

Will eventually go back when I have made my fortune, but Im a proud Kiwi and everyone knows it! (they've been tryna make me an Aussie citizen for yrs, won't happen!)

jpc said:

Thank you very much Dave. I am beginning to think that it would be way too much trouble to get it in. The only problem is that I can't find many 90's for sale in NZ and the ones that are for sale are so expensive.

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When you look at the approx following costs, in pounds...

Shipping and Insurance 3000
Customs and MAF 500
Compliance 1000 (or the sky is the limit!)
Rego and WOF 400

You have around five thousand pounds there alone. Thats NZ$10,000 that you can spend on top of what ever yours is worth to sell.

I am just being honest here mate, because I have done it a few times myself. But like I said, if you are really into your LR then the money does not come into it.

Cheers
Dave...

Some more food for thought...

Landrovers For Sale

How about 5000 pounds for this one...
Land Rover 110 110 3.5 V8 Flatdeck 1990 for sale | Drivesouth New & Used Cars , Motoring News , Reviews

blgdave said:

When you look at the approx following costs, in pounds...

Shipping and Insurance 3000
Customs and MAF 500
Compliance 1000 (or the sky is the limit!)
Rego and WOF 400

You have around five thousand pounds there alone. Thats NZ$10,000 that you can spend on top of what ever yours is worth to sell.

I am just being honest here mate, because I have done it a few times myself. But like I said, if you are really into your LR then the money does not come into it.

Cheers
Dave...

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Thank you very much Dave. I really appreciate your honesty and owe you a beer when we get out to NZ. We have decided to sell the 90 and buy another when we get out there. It would have been way too much trouble getting it in.

Thank you also for the links. I do keep looking on the internet for one but there aren't many 90's for sale.

Cheers,

James.

jpc said:

Thank you very much Dave. I really appreciate your honesty and owe you a beer when we get out to NZ. We have decided to sell the 90 and buy another when we get out there. It would have been way too much trouble getting it in.

Thank you also for the links. I do keep looking on the internet for one but there aren't many 90's for sale.

Cheers,

James.

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Have to say that sounds like a good idea to me, I'm just starting the process of registering mine in Oz and looks complicated.

Lee

Please do your reasearch first. I feel like I have put you off now. Just telling you like it is though. But still keep in mind that I brought out two Escorts, an Anglia and my TVR Cerbera. Maybe not the best person to be giving out advice??