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Whats the deal with wharfies that thrash cars??

BenA31
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BenA31 Experienced

BenA31

Posted
Posted

Yeah just curious to whats ppl's views on stories of wharfies that thrash cars on the docks?

i'm in the process of importing a car at the momment, and i've been hearing alot about the way wharfies drive the cars here on the docks. Is it something to really worry about? if so, is there anyway of avoiding it or doing anything about it??

Cheers

sproosy Grand Master

sproosy

Posted
Posted

If you had the chance to drive a GTR that wasnt yours and no one was gonna know you took it for a burn would you? The morally correct person like you or me wouldnt do it. The sly wharfy might be as genuine as you or me. Best of luck getting your car in one peice dude! :)

RiverSide Proficient

RiverSide

Posted
Posted

It is generally assumed that this is common practice on all of the australian wharfs. However provided the vehicle you have bought is in good condition, the likelyhood of them actually doing any real damage (other than maybe killing your tyres) is minimal.

Keep in mind that they are not able to flog them for hours on end........only when they are shifting them.

Buying any car tht was built in Japan (this includes the cars sold new at nissan/toyota etc) will have had the same treatment. Is simply unavoidable.

benm Grand Master

benm

Posted
Posted

I've never been to the wharfs, seen the wharfs or met and wharfies but I think it's a "I heard this wharfie that...." type story that happened awhile ago and now people just get hyped about it.

Heaps of insurances, penalties and things that can go wrong these days to risk "thrashing" a car around a wharf.

Revhead Grand Master

Revhead

Posted
Posted

Get it shipped in a sealed container if you want to make sure nothing like that happens. I have NFI how much extra it costs (a fair bit I'm guessing) but IMHO it'd be worth it knowing that nothing's been flogged since it was loaded in Japan.

Someone who actually has some idea how it all works might be able to give you better advice :D

confuzion Community Regular

confuzion

Posted
Posted

its not 'just a myth', when my car docked i went to watch and every car i saw that got unloaded got thrashed off the boat. Tyres screeching, motors hitting rev limiter etc

They all looked dodgy as too, maybe thats just perth :D

Evo_Lee Experienced

Evo_Lee

Posted
Posted
Get it shipped in a sealed container if you want to make sure nothing like that happens. I have NFI how much extra it costs (a fair bit I'm guessing) but IMHO it'd be worth it knowing that nothing's been flogged since it was loaded in Japan.

 

Someone who actually has some idea how it all works might be able to give you better advice :D

It will cost you about 3 times more and I wouldn't do it any other way. I wouldn't bother importing if I was gonna pickup a shitbox, so the car is worth the care of a container.

I would still remove everything you can, as there is a chance things go missing even at customs. No matter how small the item like gearknobs, car mats and even the car jack...write everything down on the shipping list.

RORO is cheaper for obvious reasons and many feel it's fine afterall the money you save will help cover a respray if your unlucky! You could also take out insurance but I doubt many of you do....for those unseen accidents such as a torn/damaged front bar & sideskirts when they race off the ramp, scratches on doors and panels, undercarriage damage etc. Question is for minor but annoying damages like scratches and dents, it's your word against them and you'll probably end up having to fork out the money yourself.

But I would say it all depends on the value and condition of the car. If it was in a fair poor condition and nothing could possibly be worth stealing, and it needs a new respray anyway then go RORO.

Else for peace of mind, container...and you can fill it up with all your goodies!

PTR33 Proficient

PTR33

Posted
Posted

Don't worry, It will get no worse than it will get from you once you get hold of it.

Most of the cars have so little gas in them that you couldn't trash them anyway.

I just picked up my VR4 from the wharf and it had so little gas in it that we got it onto the trailer but it wouldn't start getting it off.

brett33 Enthusiast

brett33

Posted
Posted
Don't worry, It will get no worse than it will get from you once you get hold of it.

Most of the cars have so little gas in them that you couldn't trash them anyway.

I just picked up my VR4 from the wharf and it had so little gas in it that we got it onto the trailer but it wouldn't start getting it off.

Thats what i like to see. Someone optimistic for a change. But what if your car had half a tank of gas when it left japan and it was all used in being the "smoko car",

"mooring ute" and victory donuts on the wharf?? Or even the tow motor for broken down cars........ Sorry i should be more optimistic too.

R34 Mentor

R34

Posted
Posted
its not 'just a myth', when my car docked i went to watch and every car i saw that got unloaded got thrashed off the boat. Tyres screeching, motors hitting rev limiter etc

They all looked dodgy as too, maybe thats just perth :(

That's strange as I watched my cars being offloaded in Perth too and saw nothing untoward. They were just too busy to thrash them as it is such a tight schedule to unload them.

Remember they unload new cars as well. It wouldn't be an issue on a new 350Z.

Cheers

LiQuid IcE Experienced

LiQuid IcE

Posted
Posted

I'm not sure about trashing the cars but i know that heaps of stuff gets pinched. especially recently.

If your importing a car dont it expect it to still have its stereo that you saw in the pictures. A couple years ago our cars came in good condition except for maybe scratch marks on the rear bumper where they've pushed it with a forklift (since the batteries are dead)

but these days it seems that anything that is relatively easy to take off is stolen. We have a 180 being delivered today... hope its still got its bits :)

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