Mopar Muscle Association UK

Hi
Has anyone shipped over a Crate motor recently?
Did the customs and Vat man rip the arse out of it

You have to pay VAT on anything you buy and bring in. It's the law.

Would you consider spending all that money on an Engine that if it went bang you would be stuck with? Unless you paid an arm and a leg to send it back.
Would it not be cheaper to have an Engine built here and have a proper guarantee?

Carl wrote: Would it not be cheaper to have an Engine built here and have a proper guarantee?

Most performance/race engines won't have a guarantee, you start it you own it, even over here..

Guy wrote:

Carl wrote: Would it not be cheaper to have an Engine built here and have a proper guarantee?

Most performance/race engines won't have a guarantee, you start it you own it, even over here..

Not quite you have a guarantee on parts etc and against bad workmanship its your statutory rights as a consumer when you buy goods and includes services its part of the trading standards. These are put in place to protect the consumer.

Carl wrote:

Guy wrote:

Carl wrote: Would it not be cheaper to have an Engine built here and have a proper guarantee?

Most performance/race engines won't have a guarantee, you start it you own it, even over here..

Not quite you have a guarantee on parts etc and against bad workmanship its your statutory rights as a consumer when you buy goods and includes services its part of the trading standards. These are put in place to protect the consumer.

In principle you are correct, however . . . . Not always the case in reality

in what cases have you no rights?

Hi carl, think the problem might be that you may have difficulty proving, if things did go wrong with it, that it was poor workmanship/ parts failure etc, if you have been racing etc. They will be in the driving seat cos they have your money and you have 500lbs of bust engine, on another continent, that will cost you an arm and a leg in shipping fees etc to return, not to mention the legal fees you will incur arguing the toss over what is normal use etc. Sounds like potential to be a big headache for you if things go bad matey!!

Maybe it would be worth looking into buying a crate engine through a performance supplier here?? At least they are in the uk, and will be much easier to deal with as they are in this country and can be approached face to face.

Just a thought Carl.... Hate to see you get stung mate! Anyway, tons of pros on here to help you build your own monster hemi !!!

Good luck with whatever you do

Cheers Steve

Carl wrote:in what cases have you no rights?

The crank came out the engine and into the glove box beacause the oil pump failed.

No you didnt put oil in it.


I would have it built in the uk with some who cares about his rep

Rogue Trooper wrote:Hi
Has anyone shipped over a Crate motor recently?
Did the customs and Vat man rip the arse out of it

Have a word with billy at top speed if it's a popular spec motor widely available across the USA he could help you out.

autofetish wrote:

Carl wrote:in what cases have you no rights?

The crank came out the engine and into the glove box beacause the oil pump failed.

No you didnt put oil in it.


I would have it built in the uk with some who cares about his rep

Agreed. We/I build some serious power Chevy LS engines. Whilst you cant put a "warranty" on it as such, we allways take the view, if it goes wrong because we messed up, then we fix it, end of.

If it goes wrong because you are strectching the boundaries, then thats unlucky.

That does mean i have to be happy to strip it with a customer present, but if you have nothing to hide, why not?

The important thing is for both parties to know what they are commiting too, risks and all.

Ive turned down engine builds, as the spec the customer wanted just wasn't right.

Rogue Trooper wrote:Hi
Has anyone shipped over a Crate motor recently?
Did the customs and Vat man rip the arse out of it

But to answer the question, duty (prob 4% ish) and VAT on the total including shipping. (VAT is applied after the duty has been added)

As Dave says, its the law, so pretty easy to calculate what it will actually be. If you want to pin it down, Customs and excise do a lovely document detailing duty rates - great reading! NOT

There speaks the voice of experience..... A great approach Roger and one Im sure has kept your customers very reassured! Pays in the long run and sure you sleep well at night.

Cheers Steve

Hi
Thanks for the replies chaps,
I had problems with the Heads that i have on the Coupe that where shipped in from the US, thankfully sorted now and the Vendor went halves which was good of them,
I dont want a crate motor going pop, its a standard replacement motor and has 2 years warranty, i'll see if i can buy it through someone here

Most of the yank forums have posts on the quality of crate engines. They usually refer to the need for the new owner to strip and check everything before adding oil and starting, suggestion being tat qulaity is not always up to scratch.

If the camshaft needs breaking in and it goes wrong, there goes the warranty.
Thee are hundreds of posts on breaking in cams correctly and almost as many on how it can go wrong by the user etc..