Jump to content
SAU Community

Picking up a freshly imported car

chalon
 Share

Recommended Posts

chalon Rising Star

chalon

Posted
Posted

Hey everyone,

I've just found out my R32 GTR has just cleared customs in Brisbane and will be delivered to the Seaway depot in Adelaide in about a week.

My question is: what's the best way to get the car from the depot to your house? Have people just driven them there (with temp permit etc.)?

I'm worried that the car hasn't been driven for a good 6 months and I'll do damage to it with old fluids in there etc. It's also likely the battery's dead.

If I were to change the oil & filter, and jump start it, would that be safe to drive home? Driven very safely of course.

Otherwise I'll just organise a tow and hope they don't kill my front bumper!

Cheers,

Alan :)

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/79321-picking-up-a-freshly-imported-car/
Share on other sites
Beer Baron Grand Master

Beer Baron

Posted
Posted

couple of things if you are hell bent on driving it home.

1. The battery WILL be dead. no doubt about that. so buy or borrow a jumper pack.

2. there will be next to 0.00 litres of fuel in the tank so you will have to buy or borrow a container of fuel to take with you (98 RON of course). try to get at least a 10 litre container

3. check the brake fluid and brakes. it will have absorbed quite a bit of moisutre over that time sitting still and the rotors will be rusted up quite nicely. the car will not be stopping too well straight off the boat.

4. check the oil. dunno if i'd go to the extent of changing it on the spot, but certainly make sure there is some in it, and that it's topped up.

5. also be aware of problems like stolen steering wheel, stolen gear knob (has happend to me and is a bitch with a a/m gearset that requires a firm hand), stolen boost controller (may be running unlimited boost) etc.

if you have your wits about you it shouldn't be a problem, but all those hassles make you think maybe you are better off just getting a tow...

lang Collaborator

lang

Posted
Posted

if your worried about it put it on a trailer

how do you plan to change oil and filter prior to moving it anywhere, you can do it at the depot

when i picked mine up i took spare battery, 20L of bp ultimate (to dilute what little fuel that was in there and would have been off from sitting for 6 months), oil ect. i also checked oil levels, coolant levels, brake fluid levels ect prior to driving off.

lang Collaborator

lang

Posted
Posted
couple of things if you are hell bent on driving it home.

1. The battery WILL be dead. no doubt about that. so buy or borrow a jumper pack.

2. there will be next to 0.00 litres of fuel in the tank so you will have to buy or borrow a container of fuel to take with you (98 RON of course). try to get at least a 10 litre container

3. check the brake fluid and brakes. it will have absorbed quite a bit of moisutre over that time sitting still and the rotors will be rusted up quite nicely. the car will not be stopping too well straight off the boat.

4. check the oil. dunno if i'd go to the extent of changing it on the spot, but certainly make sure there is some in it, and that it's topped up.

5. also be aware of problems like stolen steering wheel, stolen gear knob (has happend to me and is a bitch with a a/m gearset that requires a firm hand), stolen boost controller (may be running unlimited boost) etc.

if you have your wits about you it shouldn't be a problem, but all those hassles make you think maybe you are better off just getting a tow...

my battery worked fine and the car had been sitting for 6 months prior to shipping, so it wont DEFINATLY be dead, cos mine wasnt, but your right its very very likely. and your also right about the brakes, they were ****ing awfull on the drive home, still safe enough taking it slowly, but shithouse all the same

dori180 Enthusiast

dori180

Posted
Posted

I had a quick look of fluids ect- jump started it and put in 10 litres of bp ultimate- brakes locked up for the first few stops but ran sweet after the corosion wore away

Other than that it is not recomended without a permit though this sways few people- It is a very memorable moment driving youre beast off the docks :)

chalon Rising Star

chalon

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for your responses guys!

I don't mind getting a tow, but a friend who tried to get his MR-2 towed got refused because the tow truck driver didn't think he could do it without damaging his (stock) front bumper. I just wanted to check if it's relatively safe to drive it back from the docks if that was the only option I had. I certainly would be driving it slowly and safely in order to avoid any damage. It's probably a bit over the top to do an oil & filter change on the spot, so I will most likely check fluid levels etc. make sure everything checks out OK then drive it very sedately home.

I can't wait :(

sewid Grand Master

sewid

Posted
Posted

You wont damage it by putting it on a flatbed. My front bar sits so very low and there were no problems at all. I highly recommend doing that and transporting it to you destination.

If you book a flatbed truck the day before you go down then you are likely to get a better rate too.

sewid Grand Master

sewid

Posted
Posted
my battery worked fine and the car had been sitting for 6 months prior to shipping, so it wont DEFINATLY be dead, cos mine wasnt, but your right its very very likely. and your also right about the brakes, they were ****ing awfull on the drive home, still safe enough taking it slowly, but shithouse all the same

Yeah my car started first go too. But my battery is quite new. On an older car its less and less likely to happen.

lwells Grand Master

lwells

Posted
Posted

I went the tow. For $80 it saved me all the hassles listed above, having to drive an unknown car, and any worries about breaking something.

For peace of mind, it was well worth it IMHO. Compared to the cost of the car its nothing anyway.

LW.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • MBS206
      Mistakes were made, my R34 Story

      By MBS206 · Posted

      I see you've never had to push start your own car... You could save some weight right now...
    • niZmO_Man
      For Sale 2003 Nissan Skyline V35 GT350 Premium

      By niZmO_Man · Posted

      You need to put location and price
    • Murray_Calavera
      Steps to DIY sanding car back ready for respray....

      By Murray_Calavera · Posted

      Sounds good.  I don't 100% understand what your getting at here. When you say, "I keep seeing YouTube videos where people have new paint and primer land on the old clearcoat that isn't even dulled down" do you mean this - there is a panel with factory paint, without any prep work, they paint the entire panel with primer, then colour then clear?  If that's what you mean, sure it will "stick" for a year, 2 years, maybe 3 years? Who knows. But at some stage it will flake off and when it does it's going to come off in huge chunks and look horrific.  Of course read your technical data sheet for your paint, but generally speaking, you can apply primer to a scuffed/prepped clear coat. Generally speaking, I wouldn't do this. I would scuff/prep the clear and then lay colour then clear. Adding the primer to these steps just adds cost and time. It will stick to the clear coat provided it has been appropriately scuffed/prepped first.  When you say, "but the new paint is landing on the old clearcoat" I am imagining someone not masking up the car and just letting overspray go wherever it wants. Surely this isn't what you mean?  So I'll assume the following scenario - there is a small scratch. The person manages to somehow fill the scratch and now has a perfectly flat surface. They then spray colour and clear over this small masked off section of the car. Is this what you mean? If this is the case, yes the new paint will eventually flake off in X number of years time.  The easy solution is to scuff/prep all of the paint that hasn't been masked off in the repair area then lay the paint.  So you want to prep the surface, lay primer, then lay filler, then lay primer, then colour, then clear?  Life seems so much simpler if you prep, fill, primer, colour then clear.  There are very few reasons to go to bare metal. Chasing rust is a good example of why you'd go to bare metal.  A simple dent, there is no way in hell I'm going to bare metal for that repair. I've got enough on my plate without creating extra work for myself lol. 
    • tridentt150v
      S A U N S W Club Membership

      By tridentt150v · Posted

      Hi, Got the membership renewal email but haven't acted yet.  I need to change my address first. So if somebody can email me so I can change it that would be good.    
    • silviaz
      Steps to DIY sanding car back ready for respray....

      By silviaz · Posted

      Bit of a similar question, apprently with epoxy primer you can just sand the panel to 240 grit then apply it and put body filler on top. So does that basically mean you almost never have to go to bare metal for simple dents?
×
×
  • Create New...