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Importing an engine.

Don Mega

By Don Mega
in Thailand Motor Discussion

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Don Mega Platinum Member

Don Mega

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Mods, please move to a more appropriate forum if this is not the one.

 

Righto, I want to build a new weekend toy and the heart of that is not available here.

 

Anyone recently imported an engine how did you go with customs and did you have an import agent handle the paperwork for you ?

 

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Don Mega Platinum Member

Don Mega

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1 minute ago, Kwasaki said:

Well if you keep it a secret how would anyone know, they have got a Concorde jet engine in Bangkok apparently.

not keeping it secret at all just dont see why that detail is needed to answer my question.

 

But to keep you happy its a Chev LSX 454.

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DaRoadrunner Gold Member

DaRoadrunner

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Why have others taken such a bad attitude in response to the OP's question? I have the same problem. I cannot find the engine I want here. I CAN find it abroad, but getting Thai Customs Dept's sticky fingers off it is the problem.

 

Hence, the need for someone who knows Thai Customs and can clear the goods for us.

Edited by DaRoadrunner
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Don Mega Platinum Member

Don Mega

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1 hour ago, alan grice said:

Our local Thai Road Rat , gets his V8, from salvage yards , all Toyota and not cheap according to his Chum who can actually string a sentence in English.


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Thats great but I am not interested in a flogged out old Toyota 1UZ.

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LivinLOS Star Member

LivinLOS

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I imported an engine from the states.. Race prepped bike engine.

 

There were the usual international issues with shipping anything which had contained fuel, needed a vapour clearance certificate and the seller ended up with some hassle that end, a professional engine company would know this. 

The Thai end went surprisingly easy at first. I engaged the services of a local customs agent (for a pittance) and they initially cleared everything and got all 'the paperwork' for import. I have all the documents tucked away but wont be able to get to them until november to give accurate numbers. From memory it was declared at 1000 usd and had a total tax bill of maybe 5k, as said really easy and far cheaper than local engines in my case (we had tried to rebuild it and found just too many monkey prints inside !!). 

The problem came when it was time to register the engine swap. Luckily for me, the bike was waiting on the engine and it was mounted and running in days, the land transport office, then decided one of the 20 sheets of paper didnt have the correct stamp or blue ink signature, or some other highly petty excuse. I contacted my customs agent reminding them that it was exactly this job why I engaged them, I can pay a bill but I needed the correct approved paperwork. Fair play this bulldog of a woman got involved with the LTO, back and forth to customs, hounded them until exactly what was demanded, was provided. Without another baht spent. Obviously this was merely a farang tax on understanding being tried on by either / or / both the LTO and customs. 

 

If this process had been attempted weeks or months after import, which would be normal for installation of an engine swap, then I have no idea how successful the process would have been at obtaining the bribe free 'correct' paperwork. 

So in my case it was easy and cheap (2008 ??) but the potential for a minefield clearly is there if you dont have a good agent, connection with LTO, and understanding of the pile of detailed tax receipts and import docs in Thai that you end up with. 

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LivinLOS Star Member

LivinLOS

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This actually leads to another question. What is the paperwork that proves an engine swap is domestic and not imported. 

 

I have done a domestic engine swap, nothing sexy just an old golf whose engine developed a (likely main bearing big end) knock, we could pull the engine and strip it for a diagnosis, like a normal repair with unknown costs, but my VW guy didnt look as confident as I wanted him to at the idea, or we could get a complete engine gearbox combo posted up from bangkok for cheap, with a 6 month guarantee. Thailand rules, go for the simpler option with a fixed price and less skills.

So I decided the safe course was to go with the sealed unit, he handled everything and I had agreed he would register this as part of the service. Come end of the job he handed me a scrap of handwritten paper with the receipt for the engine on it, nothing formal at all, and said 'its easy, just go to the lto and they will change the book'.. Of course, it wasnt easy, they said no that wasnt the paperwork, said something I had never heard the name of before and I went and gave the problem back to him, days later he had it done when the bangkok engine seller sent him something I never saw and purposefully kept myself out of. 

 

So the essential question there is, what defines a local tax paid engine, how do you prove an engine came from a domestic car, whats the paper trail that the LTO accept from the scrappers and engine sellers.. 

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Don Mega Platinum Member

Don Mega

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Thanks Livinlos, sounds like using an agent is the only way to go as I suspected.

 

As to your question, ive several freinds that have done 1uz swaps into their pickups  and as that engine was available locally it is obviously an import.... they just presented their vehicles to LTO for engine number rubbing and with the purchase receipt (local receipt, presumably engine purchased from importer ?) for engine their books were updated.

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DaRoadrunner Gold Member

DaRoadrunner

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8 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

I imported an engine from the states.. Race prepped bike engine.

 

There were the usual international issues with shipping anything which had contained fuel, needed a vapour clearance certificate and the seller ended up with some hassle that end, a professional engine company would know this. 

The Thai end went surprisingly easy at first. I engaged the services of a local customs agent (for a pittance) and they initially cleared everything and got all 'the paperwork' for import. I have all the documents tucked away but wont be able to get to them until november to give accurate numbers. From memory it was declared at 1000 usd and had a total tax bill of maybe 5k, as said really easy and far cheaper than local engines in my case (we had tried to rebuild it and found just too many monkey prints inside !!). 

The problem came when it was time to register the engine swap. Luckily for me, the bike was waiting on the engine and it was mounted and running in days, the land transport office, then decided one of the 20 sheets of paper didnt have the correct stamp or blue ink signature, or some other highly petty excuse. I contacted my customs agent reminding them that it was exactly this job why I engaged them, I can pay a bill but I needed the correct approved paperwork. Fair play this bulldog of a woman got involved with the LTO, back and forth to customs, hounded them until exactly what was demanded, was provided. Without another baht spent. Obviously this was merely a farang tax on understanding being tried on by either / or / both the LTO and customs. 

 

If this process had been attempted weeks or months after import, which would be normal for installation of an engine swap, then I have no idea how successful the process would have been at obtaining the bribe free 'correct' paperwork. 

So in my case it was easy and cheap (2008 ??) but the potential for a minefield clearly is there if you dont have a good agent, connection with LTO, and understanding of the pile of detailed tax receipts and import docs in Thai that you end up with. 

Thanks... could you introduce your agent?

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LivinLOS Star Member

LivinLOS

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23 hours ago, Don Mega said:

Thanks Livinlos, sounds like using an agent is the only way to go as I suspected.

 

As to your question, ive several freinds that have done 1uz swaps into their pickups  and as that engine was available locally it is obviously an import.... they just presented their vehicles to LTO for engine number rubbing and with the purchase receipt (local receipt, presumably engine purchased from importer ?) for engine their books were updated.

I believe theres something official or a paperwork chain that goes with that. 

Its a gap I havent done, and so dont know how thats proven. 

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Don Mega Platinum Member

Don Mega

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1 minute ago, LivinLOS said:

I believe theres something official or a paperwork chain that goes with that. 

Its a gap I havent done, and so dont know how thats proven. 

Most likely, I should be having beers with one of them over the weekend so I'll ask.

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Just Weird Gold Member

Just Weird

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On 8/22/2019 at 12:00 PM, Don Mega said:

Thanks Livinlos, sounds like using an agent is the only way to go as I suspected.

 

As to your question, ive several freinds that have done 1uz swaps into their pickups  and as that engine was available locally it is obviously an import.... they just presented their vehicles to LTO for engine number rubbing and with the purchase receipt (local receipt, presumably engine purchased from importer ?) for engine their books were updated.

Same process for me when I did an imported H22A swap into an Accord years ago, it's straightforward.

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Don Mega Platinum Member

Don Mega

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10 minutes ago, alan grice said:

An old crate Is Term for a Nackered old Car, crate motor sounds Just Weird to non Yanks.emoji598.png.


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Are you from the UK ?

 

Crate motor is a common name for a new engine in Aus.

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giddyup Diamond Member

giddyup

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31 minutes ago, alan grice said:

An old crate Is Term for a Nackered old Car, crate motor sounds Just Weird to non Yanks.emoji598.png.


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I guess you don't watch too many car renovation shows? Never heard an old car called an old crate either, an old bomb perhaps, or even sh*t heap, but not old crate.

Edited by giddyup
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Don Mega Platinum Member

Don Mega

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10 minutes ago, alan grice said:

Well anyway, being old just in case the Store-man was over 12 id ask for a Factory Replacement Engine Please if that’s possible .Bro”and “Iniit” were fortunately before my time.


 

that would be a long motor.... or if block and rotating assembly only that would be a service block.

Note that a service block typically does not have an engine number stamped in it and that can be problematic in some countries... Thailand is one of those.

Edited by Don Mega
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