a couple of tecchy automobile questions....

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bretti_kivi
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a couple of tecchy automobile questions....

Post by bretti_kivi » Mon May 03, 2004 3:22 pm

hi,

i have a couple of questions i haven't found answers to yet. they're quite technical, but i think you'll be able to help...

1. can i get AKE to register the car without having seen it? my wife's car is 12 months old and shouldn't need to be inspected - has anyone else tried to get finnish plates "through the post"? i admit i'd have to insure it in FIN as soon as we did this, (or here on the VIN), but has anyone tried this?

2. how fussy are AKE about extras? i'm talking specifically about tyres.

I drive an A2, and they have really wierd sizes that are difficult (and expensive) to get hold of. i need new winter tyres because my present ones are "keskieuroppalainen" and the grip's appalling (my car weighs hardly anything and so there's no grip at the front) so i was looking to change to 185/55R15s. these i can get, and there's an OK from the German TUeV for these tyre sizes with specific wheels - BUT - here you have to have the size of the wheel and tyre on the ownership documentation, otherwise you're driving without insurance until Mr. TUeV checks the "OK" and says "OK, that's ?40 please" and gives you a bit of paper to say everything's kosher. is it like this in FIN? can i just put what i want on the car and there's no problem? i know the UK does it like this, but... my summer tires are entered, and they shouldn't be a problem, but the winters are different....

has anyone experience in this kind of thing?

i'd be very grateful for info

Bret


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a couple of tecchy automobile questions....

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Re: a couple of tecchy automobile questions....

Post by Guest » Mon May 03, 2004 3:33 pm

First one is an absolute no-go.
AKE always wants to see your car before it's accepted. It doesn't matter how new or how old it is.

You have to go to Tulli first, though. There they'll walk around your car, check if everything's there that needs to be there and what kind of extras they can tax you extra for. Then they tell you if and what needs to be changed before you go to AKE to have the first katsastus.


Second one is theoretically no problem.
If you want 225/30R21 on your car as winter tires, they won't necessarily fuzz about it. But it's going to be YOUR problem to drive with them in winter. And it's going to be YOUR pay to get them.
But as far as winter tires are concerned... I think you just skipped that problem for half a year, so you have that much time to find the right tires if you can't take them.
Note that your winter tires need to be spikes or intermediates, obligatory from December 1st until MAX May 1st in normal circumstances. If it starts snowing earlier you can put them on earlier. If it snows still after May, you can keep them on longer.

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bretti_kivi
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Post by bretti_kivi » Mon May 03, 2004 3:48 pm

okay, thanks.
taxing the car won't be necessary; we've had it a year and there should be nothing owing as it will come in as removal goods and 307s ain't that expensive in finland....and since there's an EC authorisation for the car, how can they request katsastus before it's three years old? :?
unless by that you mean the "registration inspection" - which will only be valid until the car is three years old....? what does katsastus cost, anyway?

the issue with winter tyres is quite simple. here they're set up for slightly higher temperatures and much more "wet work" than in finland; certain tyres are available both in D and FIN, but since my car has a traction problem anyway, i was going to go for nastarenkaat. which are illegal here. :roll: i tend to put them on here in September / October and leave them on quite late (i changed my own car last week, my wife's three weeks earlier), so i don't have a real problem with that. My wife will stay with her bridgestones for a while and i will try and pick up some new wheels this summer for new winter tyres when we're in finland. they're not even that expensive... only ca 100 euros / piece....

thanks for your help

Bret
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Post by Guest » Mon May 03, 2004 4:16 pm

Taxing the car will be depending on the age. If you bring it in as removal good, you won't pay any VAT, but that doesn't mean that you don't pay any tax at all.
You have to report at tulli, where they will compare your car with a new car of same make or if they aren't made anymore with a new car that is comparable to the class of car you're driving.
Then there's a calculation and if after the caculation the number is in + then you pay that as tax. If it's 0 or in minus, you don't pay tax (unfortunately you won't get any money back).

With this first katsastus in mean the registration inspection, yes. And it's done, obligatory, with every single car that is newly imported to Finland. The registration process at tulli costs about 170 euros, IIRC, the katsastus is about 40-75, depending on the place.


In Finland you're not allowed to put on winter tires before 1st of November, unless there's snow. After 1st of December it's obligatory, whether there's snow or not.
Winter tires are obligated until 1st of April and obligatory to be removed by 1st of May, unless there's the snow still.
Putting on the tires in September/October in normal situations is a no-go.

There's a lot of places here where you can get cheap, but good tires. I got my set of wheels+tires for € 400.

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Post by Hank W. » Mon May 03, 2004 4:25 pm

bretti_kivi wrote:how can they request katsastus before it's three years old?
because "this is Finland"... :wink:
bretti_kivi wrote:185/55R15s. these i can get, and there's an OK from the German TUeV for these tyre sizes with specific wheels - BUT - here you have to have the size of the wheel and tyre on the ownership documentation, otherwise you're driving without insurance
Here it has to do nothing with insurance. IIRC the car manufacturers have the car "type inspected" with certain "set tire sizes" you can move 10-20% iirc (?) or you can go to "katsastus" and ask for them to inspect it with certain tire size if it is not the one specified by the car manufacturer. Basically I had tires almost groping wheel wells last time I went to katsastus and they said nothing. If the police stop you on the road for funny driving and check your winter tyres they might get pissy if they are off-size. The time of when you go to get inspected is depending on the date of first registration, so they may never see your winter/summer tires...
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.

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Post by bretti_kivi » Mon May 03, 2004 10:11 pm

okay, that all sounds plausible.

i already checked the values of the vehicles in question, new prices and used ones, and the 13400 discount should cover everything. (mine's worth about 25k, my wife's 30-something k euros, finnish market prices)
here in Germany you're allowed to move ca. 3% in size otherwise TUeV gets very annoyed..... so i'll get the new ones checked and entered into the papers anyway, or just convert everything to the same size...:)

the sizes i'm talking about though are within those recommendations. if you want the calculator, it's here:
http://www.vw-page.at/pages/trickkiste_ ... echner.php

sorry, it's in German....

and i thought the limitations on "you have to be rid of your winter tyres by" only related to spiked ones, not "contact" winter tyres? i'm not really convinced one way or the other for spikes or not....

Bret
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Post by Guest » Tue May 04, 2004 9:07 am

If I recall correctly you can only import ONE car as removal goods. If you want to import two cars, the second car will be normally taxed.

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Post by Hank W. » Tue May 04, 2004 9:39 am

Is it not one car/ person, I don't think it is one car/family???

I know "my car" was for 10 years or so in my father's name and insurance to get everything cheaper, so if the 'wife's car' title is in your name then its a problem...
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.

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Post by Guest » Tue May 04, 2004 11:00 am

The right to bring a car as removal goods is personal. That means,
you and your wife can bring one each in his/her name.

With thanks to the helpdesk from Tulli.

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Post by bretti_kivi » Tue May 04, 2004 11:09 am

her car, her money, her petrol, her insurance.
same for me. egalitarian, no? :)

thanks for your help

Bret
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grahamb
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Post by grahamb » Tue May 11, 2004 5:07 pm

It may be too late for this but worth a try anyway... If you're buying winter tyres buy them now - they will probably be blocking up the warehouse of the tyre place and they'll give you a discount to clear them so that they can get summer tyres in.

I did this at the end of last summer - bought new summer tyres and got a 30% discount + free fitting IIRC. I contacted Goodyear to find out stockists for the tyres I wanted and it was actually the Goodyear guy who told me to ask for a discount!! :D


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