Importing parts

[Woolly]

I am investigating options for a gearbox for our D1 and it appears I could land a reco one from Ashcroft here at about the same price as wreckers are asking for second hand ones. I realise I would have to pay import duty but are there any other considerations or pitfalls I need to be aware of?
Thanks,
Woolly.

[Tins]

I did this 9 years ago. I started a thread about it. I'm sure many things will have changed but perhaps you could learn things from the many comments.

Importing stuff...Grrr... (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/159663-importing-stuff-grrr-7.html)

[Woolly]

Thanks for that reference, lots of info and varying experiences there. I wonder how much has changed as the last comment was about five years ago? If anyone has more recent comments, I'd like to hear them.
Thanks,
Woolly.

[101RRS]

As well as import duty dont forget GST is Ashcroft do not charge it and a few hundred $$$$$ in administration fees.

[Slunnie]

Thats it, I imported from the UK a Td5 cylinder head and all of the parts to rebuild it. Total cost was about $2600 and then got taxed about $500 at customs.

[Tins]

Thanks for that reference, lots of info and varying experiences there. I wonder how much has changed as the last comment was about five years ago? If anyone has more recent comments, I'd like to hear them.
Thanks,
Woolly.

It is old. The point of posting it here was to show how varied the experiences were. You are doing your homework, something I did not do back then.

[AK83]

As well as import duty dont forget GST is Ashcroft do not charge it and a few hundred $$$$$ in administration fees.

Jan 2018 I bought two of their ATB diff centres. Each weighing approx 5kg or so.
1/. the freight Co(DHL) required the GST payment before goods released.
2/. They used DHL who then charged import duties and some other admin fee.
3/. Customs determines the value, as there was an invoice on current exchange rates(at the time).

So ATBs came in at AU $1151 + AU$57( 5% duty) + AU$135(GST) according to the DHL invoice.

I was curious as to why the GST was not $115 and instead at $135.
Called the DHL chap that organised my stuff .. that's the way it is. They charge GST on the total value of the items.. ie. with shipping and duties and whatever other BS charges are applied on top.

So the total price of the diffs came in at $1350 in totality THEN! .. GST was going to be charged. Bloody criminal, and you can't do nothing about it.

I also bought the bearings options too, so all round price was higher than the above numbers given, but that's not the point here. Whatever you calculate .. add another 20% or so on top.

The other thing to consider in your case tho.
With Ashcrofts(and many gearbox/TC rebuilders) they want a core deposit(ie. change over unit).
Ashcroft will charge 350 UK Pounds. SO this raises the 'value' of the items being imported.
Do customs value the imported unit on this basis, or remove the exchange unit price from the equation.

You won't get any input directly from customs, the freight handler does all this, (via email and phone for me).

In the end, on supposedly $1150 worth of stuff, I ended up paying just over $300 in additional charges. (back in 2018)

Quick look at Ashcrofts site. you are up for a minimum of about 850 UK Pounds. If you option it up with heavy duty bearings or a ratio change maybe then closer to 1K UK Pounds!
At a current rate of UK 1 to Au 1.8, there's already close to Au$1800. Add in the 'value of transport and insurance' will be over $200 I assume, you're going to be in the Au$500+ ballpark region, I reckon closer to Au$600.
(that's working off a 30% extortion rate for bringing stuff here).


Crikey! .. I just realised 3 1/2 years later, diffs still not installed(by the mechanic!). gotta call him and kick his posterior into action soon.

Just a side note.
I too looked at importing large parts options(transfer in my D1) way back in 2015 when my TC spun a bearing and started screeching.
I took warranty into account as a main factor too.
I had three options.

Ashcrofts
a 'local' rebuilt unit which had itself two install options.

Ashcrofts was going to be cheaper, but any warranty issue was going to be hard to deal with. Usually a quality built item won't require warranty, but things can go wrong, and if it turned out to be your unit that had that bearing that was made on an off day in the Timken factory .. it's going to cost a fortune for you for somethign that shouldn't cost a cent .. this is what a warranty was supposed to be about.

So in the end I 'chickened' out in a sense and went for the 'local' option, via 4WD Industries up near Newcastle.
I called them and asked questions.

2 year warranty if they install it.
1 year warranty if their local Melb person did(out in Bayswater).

I love a short drive so arranged for them to install it in a day(Sat), they were happy too. I got there early, they took about 6hrs(actually 5 plus a bit more to service auto and change rear donut, serpentine and it's very weak adjuster)
In at 6AM out at 1PM .. then drive home .... -ish.

So from personal experience I can recommend 4WD Industries (slightly expensive) services.

Hope that helps.

[rick130]

On a A$1711 order at the beginning of April I was hit with $361 in duty, GST and an 'administration fee'

[Tote]

I've been bringing in some Jeep stuff for SWMBO's CJ-10 recently. Mostly small and light and under $1K but the freight cost but of the US is often as much or more than the part cost. There are a few workarounds, Amazon Prime does free freight on orders over $50 IF the part is available on Prime and IF you can find enough bits to make up the $50.
A third party shipper such as MYUS can sometimes be a benefit as often freight within the US is free so you can aggregate a bit and their freight costs whilst exorbitant are often less so than the retailers.
For bigger stuff, in the past we have used the local importers who bring stuff in by the container load. There is often a wait but we have had good service from a couple of local resellers.


Regards,
Tote

[101RRS]

So ATBs came in at AU $1151 + AU$57( 5% duty) + AU$135(GST) according to the DHL invoice.

I was curious as to why the GST was not $115 and instead at $135.


So the total price of the diffs came in at $1350 in totality THEN! .. GST was going to be charged. Bloody criminal, and you can't do nothing about it.



GST has always been on the total import cost - eg cost, shipping, duties, fees. There has always been a compliant that this is a tax on a tax but that is the way it has always been.

What you have to be careful of is that DHL will often try to charge you GST on the item price even when you have paid it to the seller in the UK.

[prelude]

Not a local so no direct experience but chiming in with a though and observation;

Down here the government steals in exactly the same way. GST over the total amount so including shipping costs etc. What a laugh... Anyway, I have noticed that ebay and amazon have started a total service for parts being shipped in some cases (depends on the shop I guess?). What they do is calculate everything, including import duties (the right TARIC code etc. in our case) and automatically generate a customs form. This way when customs get your package it has been declared and paid for and no extra administration fees apply.

Of course they can choose to open the package and check it's contents to determine if the value on the form is in line with what they think it should be worth, but then it is no longer the case that you, the end customer, has to pay for it by means of administration costs. Down here, they only apply when you have not provided documentation. So, you could get rid of that if you provide your shipper with the correct form to include, which is something you should be able to whip up?

Not sure if this applies to .au but it might be worth looking at.

Cheers,
-P

[AK83]

GST has always been on the total import cost - eg cost, shipping, duties, fees. There has always been a compliant that this is a tax on a tax but that is the way it has always been.

.....

to be honest it wasn't a complaint as such, more of a comment that expectation wasn't reality.
I wouldn't really be complaining myself tho, as it makes sense that you will be charged GST on the service that it shipping costs.

Afterall, shipping is a service and therefore it attracts a goods and services tax.

The info to the OP was to take this into account when comparing prices(local vs importing by self) ... especially heavy items that involve costly shipping and probably the non returning of exchange unit(core deposit).

[loanrangie]

Gst is calculated on the CIF value,that is -
Cost of item plus duty,insurance (.25% is industry standard) plus freight.
Its converted to AUD before gst is calculated.

[86mud]

I ordered a rebuilt R380 with the heavy duty 5th gear bearing and the LT230 rebuild kit from Ashcroft in March last year. I remember having to pay DHL about $450 before they would deliver the goods to my door.

What surprised me is that at the beginning of Covid, my delivery was at my door in 10 days (from England). No chance of that happening now.

I have a 1972 Peugeot 504 as well. At the end of January this year, I ordered some brake caliper parts from a mob in Germany that I have been using for years and their freight timing was always around two weeks. But after a month I contacted them to find out why my small order was taking so long. I was told that because of covid, there are only a limited number of air freight flights now and they are only taking "essential parcels". My peugeot parts were therefore sent via ship and took 12 weeks..

Two weeks ago I ordered a Bushtech Canopy from South Africa for my 130. It is coming by ship to Perth then trucked to me in Brisbane. Won't see this until end of July.

[Woolly]

Thanks for all the advice and experiences. I have talked to a well known LR place in Burwood who said they can either fix my gearbox or modify a Defender reco one they have, for a figure not much more than for bringing in an Ashcroft one, paying the core deposit, shipping, and all the numerous other fees. They could also offer a realistic time to do the work and 12 month warranty, whereas Ashcroft are quoting a 4-5 week build time.
I think the advantages of dealing with just one local organisation, and having reasonable certainty about the cost and time frame outweigh the appeal and possible complications of getting the Ashcroft box here and installed, in my situation (I’m not as young, flexible or patient as I used to be).
Once again, many thanks to all for your thoughts, they certainly are appreciated and helped considerably in my decision making.
cheers,
Woolly.

[p38arover]

Interesting. I was talking to Brad at KLR Auto and he says shipments from the UK generally take about a week to ten days.

[Slunnie]

Interesting. I was talking to Brad at KLR Auto and he says shipments from the UK generally take about a week to ten days.

Here is the bizzare thing, I ordered parts from Turners in the UK on Friday afternoon, they were in Sydney customs first thing on Monday morning, and then took until Wednesday midday to clear customs and then was delivered the following Monday.

2-3 days from the Uk to Sydney
7 days from Sydney to 3.5hrs drive west of Sydney. :censored:

[discorevy]

Here is the bizzare thing, I ordered parts from Turners in the UK on Friday afternoon, they were in Sydney customs first thing on Monday morning, and then took until Wednesday midday to clear customs and then was delivered the following Monday.

2-3 days from the Uk to Sydney
7 days from Sydney to 3.5hrs drive west of Sydney. :censored:

The same on this side Slunnie

2-3 days UK to Perth
7-10 days Perth to Albany , 4 hours drive South
A.P. really need to feed their camels more ( I assume that's what they use )

[Tins]

Thanks for all the advice and experiences. I have talked to a well known LR place in Burwood who said they can either fix my gearbox or modify a Defender reco one they have, for a figure not much more than for bringing in an Ashcroft one, paying the core deposit, shipping, and all the numerous other fees. They could also offer a realistic time to do the work and 12 month warranty, whereas Ashcroft are quoting a 4-5 week build time.
I think the advantages of dealing with just one local organisation, and having reasonable certainty about the cost and time frame outweigh the appeal and possible complications of getting the Ashcroft box here and installed, in my situation (I’m not as young, flexible or patient as I used to be).
Once again, many thanks to all for your thoughts, they certainly are appreciated and helped considerably in my decision making.
cheers,
Woolly.

All good, except that mob in Burwood do NOT have the rep that Ashcrofts do. But it's your choice. Personally, I'd choose Ashcroft.
Do what you need.

[3toes]

I have a packet from the USA that has been in transit since mid March. Based on tracking had made a couple of circuits of the USA. Has also been to Japan and a one point it did come across here to the U.K. Currently is back in USA again.

[V8Ian]

From the States, eh? Probably not a boomerang then. [bigwhistle]

[rick130]

I have a packet from the USA that has been in transit since mid March. Based on tracking had made a couple of circuits of the USA. Has also been to Japan and a one point it did come across here to the U.K. Currently is back in USA again.I had that happen to a Driveshaft from Tom Wood once.
It hit UPS's Kentucky distribution centre on its way from Utah and want to Austria instead of Australia, bouncing around in Europe for several months before eventually finding its way here.
Tom had long made another for me that had been fitted and was well used when the 'first' one finally arrived.

[rick130]

FWIW it appears DHL might be using their own planes to fly stuff from Europe atm?
You can only use their Express service, not economy.
My Ashcroft order had a waybill raised on the 31/3, cleared customs (changed planes?) at 1500 in Singapore on the 1/4 and cleared customs here in Sydney at 1400 on the 2/4
And 6 days later I had the packages [emoji23]

[disco gazza]

Yes DHL are using there own planes and taking there time to deliver from the UK.

Ordered a compressor on the Friday(thursday UK time) so that I could receive early the following week.

Noooo.:no2:

Rang them the following Friday to see when it will be arriving, (it had left London). She couldnt say as it was
an all stops plane trip.:thumbsdown:)

Got here the following Tuesday, :arms:

Be prepared for a 2 week delivery from the UK for the for see able future.

DG

[Slunnie]

I had that happen to a Driveshaft from Tom Wood once.
It hit UPS's Kentucky distribution centre on its way from Utah and want to Austria instead of Australia, bouncing around in Europe for several months before eventually finding its way here.
Tom had long made another for me that had been fitted and was well used when the 'first' one finally arrived.

I've had similar with Tom. Parts from Tom then were normally 5 working days to my door in Sydney, but one of the shafts went AWOL. He was so good, he made and sent another shaft and then ages later the missing shaft turned up! I could never speak more highly of Tom.

[rick130]

I've had similar with Tom. Parts from Tom then were normally 5 working days to my door in Sydney, but one of the shafts went AWOL. He was so good, he made and sent another shaft and then ages later the missing shaft turned up! I could never speak more highly of Tom.Yep, his customer service is exemplary.
When we both realised the drive shaft had gone awry in Kentucky he had a new one made and shipped the following day.

[Roverlord off road spares]

I've had similar with Tom. Parts from Tom then were normally 5 working days to my door in Sydney, but one of the shafts went AWOL. He was so good, he made and sent another shaft and then ages later the missing shaft turned up! I could never speak more highly of Tom.
did you have to send the missing shaft back when it arrived?

[V8Ian]

did you have to send the missing shaft back when it arrived?
It would be the polite thing to do, although I can't see the point of going down the import rigmarole, when Driveline Services can make the same shaft for similar cost, in AUSTRALIA.

[rick130]

did you have to send the missing shaft back when it arrived?
It would be the polite thing to do, although I can't see the point of going down the import rigmarole, when Driveline Services can make the same shaft for similar cost, in AUSTRALIA.I didn't.
I rang Tom, he said keep it, I said he needed to be paid something, a mate ended up with a DC driveshaft for Tom's cost. [emoji6]

That's why I can't speak highly enough of the bloke.

[350RRC]

............. Driveline Services can make the same shaft for similar cost, in AUSTRALIA.

How's that going to make merica great again? [biggrin]

DL

[Slunnie]

did you have to send the missing shaft back when it arrived?

It was a hilarious conversation, but he said to keep it. Something about claiming it and giving his wife a stuffing! :Rolling:

Back then I'd bought a quite a few shafts from Tom, when he was getting into D2 stuff and he also did my shafts for custom jobs for Engine and drive train conversions etc, he would send over spare socket flanges and unis when I was going remote travelling.

[DiscoMick]

I am investigating options for a gearbox for our D1 and it appears I could land a reco one from Ashcroft here at about the same price as wreckers are asking for second hand ones. I realise I would have to pay import duty but are there any other considerations or pitfalls I need to be aware of?
Thanks,
Woolly.Another option might be to call British Offroad on the Sunshine Coast who have about 100 Landys parked out the back and might be able to do a deal.

[Woolly]

Once again many thanks for all the help and discussion, particularly to those who commented on my personal need for a gearbox. It appears there are still options out there for those of us who appreciate the original Discoveries. I have learned a lot from the wider discussion and the shared experiences, and I would assume others may have too.
The car is going over to Burwood later this week and hopefully I will be able to report on the experience a while later.
Cheers,
Woolly.

[DiscoMick]

Our D1's auto was rebuilt by a workshop in Coffs Harbour who did a good job.
I was told ZF have a workshop somewhere, maybe Melbourne from memory, which does them.

[gromit]

Our D1's auto was rebuilt by a workshop in Coffs Harbour who did a good job.
I was told ZF have a workshop somewhere, maybe Melbourne from memory, which does them.


A & B Automotive Remanufacturing | Vehicle Manufacturers (http://abautomatics.com.au/vehicle-manufacturers/)

I dealt with these guys some years ago, business to business not gearbox related.
I remember they did 'factory' rebuilds for a lot of car manufacturers.

From their website they claim to be the only ZF Australia certified remanufacturer.



Colin