westfalia james cook oberaigner 4x4
- Thread starter xriss55
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Frankspinz
Adventurer
Why couldn't we import this into the US or Canada ? Weren't 2005 Sprinters for sale in the USA ? they were in Canada ... I'd check with customs before making any assumptions ... US and Canada custom officers were very helpful and courteous when I exported/imported the Pinzgauer ... This Westfalia is a LHD - a bonus on this side of the pond ! I just can't figure out the LHD vs RHD headlights ???
And how did you manage to get a LHD vehicle to tour Australia ? I thought that was VERBOTEN !
And how did you manage to get a LHD vehicle to tour Australia ? I thought that was VERBOTEN !
Johnrunberg
Adventurer
Man, I wouldn't try it unless I was 200% sure that it would get through. Too many things have been crushed lately.
hi frankspinz the rhd headlights i put on to satisfy the uk technecal inspectors as we drive on the left here in uk and its a left hand drive van,the og headlights come with the van also...driving a lhd in australia is permitted if you are a tourist ie not importing permanently
...cheers all from scotland uk
Haf-E
Expedition Leader
There are differences in the US versus European sprinters - primarily emission I am told. I know that the 2002 had the same as Europe but only was given a 49 state approval - 2003 on got a different system which had issues with the EGR for a while... but it allowed 50 state approval.
Mercedes fought hard against allowing grey market vehicles into the US in order to hold up the resale price of the used mercedes cars - which justified the higher prices - so don't look for much help from them. I know getting parts for a Euro sprinter model in the US from a mercedes dealer can be difficult if the part is different from the US model...
So I don't think it would be easy to get this in here unfortunately.
Mercedes fought hard against allowing grey market vehicles into the US in order to hold up the resale price of the used mercedes cars - which justified the higher prices - so don't look for much help from them. I know getting parts for a Euro sprinter model in the US from a mercedes dealer can be difficult if the part is different from the US model...
So I don't think it would be easy to get this in here unfortunately.
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
You are correct, sir. This is a great rig, but I wouldn't count on any legal way it can come into the US. Non-NAFTA Sprinters haven't passed either NHSTA crash testing or EPA emissions certification. There are occasional opportunities to get younger vehicles imported into the US, but it required the manufacturer to write you a letter saying the vehicle was, DOT- and EPA-wise, identical to the ones sold in the US. Since that's not the case, and Ma Benz doesn't want to help you anyway, that's not a possibility. But if you are curious, the documents here (specifically, Section 1.3.2.1, but the whole document is informative):
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/documents/420b11015.pdf
and here:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/de.../-non-conforming-vehicle-or-car-into-the-u.s.
contain the necessary information.
The importation issue is popping up all over ExPo these days, but the fact remains that except for under-one-year visits and a couple of research and display exceptions, a highway vehicle that doesn't enter the country with the required EPA and DOT certification stickers will have a very tough time unless it's 25 years old.
Frankspinz
Adventurer
This is exactly what I would do. The vehicle already being in Europe is a bonus and opens a few possibilities, namely shipping it to Iceland ! These are all retirement plans for me, unfortunately retirement is still a few years away ... And in another 5 years I can legally ship it back to Canada ... Now I'm off to buy a few lottery tickets !
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Frankspinz
Adventurer
hi frankspinz the rhd headlights i put on to satisfy the uk technecal inspectors as we drive on the left here in uk and its a left hand drive van,the og headlights come with the van also...driving a lhd in australia is permitted if you are a tourist ie not importing permanently
Thanks for the info ! I have a serious itch for your beautiful Oberaigner ! I'm traveling to Europe early April, unfortunately there's not time swing by Scotland ... :26_7_2:
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Frankspinz
Adventurer
A Bump for this beauty !!!