Bringing UK car to Finland

[Upphew]

Any idea how much an engine heater element thing costs? I have asked at least 3 people an know one really knows what the heater does? I assume it just heats the oil sump?

Ballpark figures without knowing exact model/year (figures from 2.2 TDCi):
heater element ~140
heater kit ~140 (do not leave the power cord hanging out, they are made of gold or something and it reflects to their price)
and about 1,5h of work.
So all in all about 400.

There are different kind of heaters, some heat the coolant, some the oil, some oil sump or block.

edit. prices: http://www.tarvikkeet.fi/tuotteet/autol ... ammittimet first find your car from this list: http://www.tarvikkeet.fi/pdf/defa_2010_2011.pdf then refer to the first page for prices. You probably won't install it yourself, so the quote you get from the garage can and will be something else...

[Pursuivant]

Wheels are going to be an larger expense, about £600 for a new set of wheels with non-studded winter tyres, can't get studs here.

Naah, just used crap rims -they get shagged in any case. Tyres you get in Finland, proper ones.

[Pursuivant]

Still don't get the weight/diesel justification, I can't see the weight of diesel engines being any different hardly to petrol, but that's the way it is so not much you can do I guess.

Christ on a pogo stick.

OK, what is it you put into the tank when you fill up? What is 90% of it? Correct, you fill up with TAX. Now you have a V8 engine that takes 10 liters of petrol per km, and at the price of 2,- a liter you are paying the government 18,- in tax. So then you have a diesel car, which takes 8 liters per km and at diesel 1,- a liter YOU ARE CHEATING THE GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!! So you pay weight tax, to make sure you little cheat don't get any benefit.

[sinikala]

The odd's are surely stacking in favour of selling and buying again there. I'm surprised how fairly reasonable those cars are, though unsurprisingly the petrol's cost significantly more, assumedly due to supply and demand because of the whole taxation thing. The wife is still reluctant for us to sell the mondeo though! She really like's it! But the TAX thing is swaying her.

Not much you can do about it. Diesel cars attract an annual tax that petrol cars don't.
This is balanced by the (much) lower cost of diesel at the pump.
There is a break-even point for high mileage drivers, which you are unlikely to hit.

So unless you start driving a lot, then the longer you keep the car, the more extra tax you'll have to pay.

Any idea how much an engine heater element thing costs? I have asked at least 3 people an know one really knows what the heater does? I assume it just heats the oil sump?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_heater

I paid around €400 for my Escort ca. 2003 and the same again for our german imported Mondeo ca. 2005.

The speedo has KPH anyway, so why would that need changing?

It won't, UK speedometers are almost always dual, mine didn't need changing. Neither did the odometer.

Wheels are going to be an larger expense, about £600 for a new set of wheels with non-studded winter tyres, can't get studs here.

You'd buy the rims in the UK and the tyres in Finland. But you'd need to know what Winter tyre size your car takes, it's not the necessarily the same size as your summer tyres.
The price issue is a red herring here - if you buy a car in Finland the cost of the second set of rims & winter tyres is reflected in the higher price of the vehicle. You're paying for a second set of wheels whatever you do.

We will be staying there indefinitely, in theory. So long as I can eventually find suitable work and not lose my mind

TBH sounds to me like your car is going to be the least of your problems.

The car is in immaculate condition, except for the wheels being kerbed (women drivers)! So it will hold good resale here, but the negative of RHD outweighs that there.

It may have no resale value at all if you can't find a buyer.
The biggest negative is overtaking on the "highways" - equivalent to B-roads, when you're stuck behind a lorry and can't see if the road ahead is clear.

We will do some thinking, but I think it's safe to say, it would be easier and in the long run cheaper to buy a petrol there I think. If it wasn't for the ongoing diesel tax, I would surely keep the Mondeo, because I think that would work out cheaper.

I agree. Check http://www.nettiauto.com/ to see what your €12k will buy you over here.

[Pursuivant]

This is balanced by the (much) lower cost of diesel at the pump.

Not that much lower any more. If you get 95 at 1.69 and diesel is at 1.55...

[Clarky78]

Yeah, the way I see it, the difference between diesel fuel and petrol is not far off the difference of here, so the tax is pretty unfair tbh. But I suppose it makes little difference, as Finns know this and just don't buy diesels! You would have to do incredible mileage to justify buying a diesel.

The wheel package here was simply because a package is cheaper or about the same as buying second hand rims and tyres (here). Based on the fact that almost everything costs more in Finland than the UK I decided tyres there would be even more expensive. I have spoke to a few friends who say they import tyres from Germany as even including shipping it's way cheaper than Finland. Space isn't an issue really, as 4 tyres aren't going to be make or break when moving everything else, though admittedly it would be easier to get them there..

Did some research online last night and you can buy 240v sump heaters for about £70 that you fit yourself and seems very simple. However, I was under the impression the fuel was as much the problem in very cold weather so a heater on the tank too? They seem to just be heater element pads that you affix to the sump via super adhesive silicone bonding. So, unless these things which the Canadians use are wrong I would save hundreds buying here and fitting it myself, or even getting my local garage to do it.

I drove my van here there when we originally moved the wife to England, and drove from Helsinki to Oulu and back, so I know that overtaking is somewhat more difficult, but compared to the UK, you have so little traffic and hardly ever have I seen a truck on the roads! So overtaking is a minor issue as I see it.

We tried to find a price for registering a car there but could find nothing stating a cost. Is it not just a fixed price?

Pursuivant; are you English?

[Clarky78]

Yeah, the way I see it, the difference between diesel fuel and petrol is not far off the difference of here, so the tax is pretty unfair tbh. But I suppose it makes little difference, as Finns know this and just don't buy diesels! You would have to do incredible mileage to justify buying a diesel.

The wheel package here was simply because a package is cheaper or about the same as buying second hand rims and tyres (here). Based on the fact that almost everything costs more in Finland than the UK I decided tyres there would be even more expensive. I have spoke to a few friends who say they import tyres from Germany as even including shipping it's way cheaper than Finland. Space isn't an issue really, as 4 tyres aren't going to be make or break when moving everything else, though admittedly it would be easier to get them there..

Did some research online last night and you can buy 240v sump heaters for about £70 that you fit yourself and seems very simple. However, I was under the impression the fuel was as much the problem in very cold weather so a heater on the tank too? They seem to just be heater element pads that you affix to the sump via super adhesive silicone bonding. So, unless these things which the Canadians use are wrong I would save hundreds buying here and fitting it myself, or even getting my local garage to do it.

I drove my van here there when we originally moved the wife to England, and drove from Helsinki to Oulu and back, so I know that overtaking is somewhat more difficult, but compared to the UK, you have so little traffic and hardly ever have I seen a truck on the roads! So overtaking is a minor issue as I see it.

We tried to find a price for registering a car there but could find nothing stating a cost. Is it not just a fixed price?

Pursuivant; are you English?

[Upphew]

Did some research online last night and you can buy 240v sump heaters for about £70 that you fit yourself and seems very simple. However, I was under the impression the fuel was as much the problem in very cold weather so a heater on the tank too? They seem to just be heater element pads that you affix to the sump via super adhesive silicone bonding. So, unless these things which the Canadians use are wrong I would save hundreds buying here and fitting it myself, or even getting my local garage to do it.

http://www.defa.com/en/html/automotive/ ... ne_heater/
warming the coolant > warming the oil.
The diesel that is sold during the winter will have lower usage temperatures. There might be times that you should check what you fill, esp. if you are travelling north and filling up in southern coast.

[Jukka Aho]

The wheel package here was simply because a package is cheaper or about the same as buying second hand rims and tyres (here). Based on the fact that almost everything costs more in Finland than the UK I decided tyres there would be even more expensive. I have spoke to a few friends who say they import tyres from Germany as even including shipping it's way cheaper than Finland. Space isn't an issue really, as 4 tyres aren't going to be make or break when moving everything else, though admittedly it would be easier to get them there..

Note that the winter tires sold in Central Europe might not be graded the same as those available locally in Finland. I read a lengthy explanation about this in Tekniikan Maailma but have forgot the details. Maybe someone else can enlighten us more in that regard.

Here’s a brief rundown of the results of Tekniikan Maailma’s 2011 winter tire test. (They do a pretty comprehensive winter tire review each year. You could also buy the full, original review article — all 11 pages of it and all in Finnish, of course — here in the PDF format. They seem to accept payments either via online banking — which only includes the major Finnish banks — or via something called the APE Payment which I guess is some sort of a PayPal equivalent. At least according to the FAQ on the APE site, you can “top up” your APE account with a credit card. I have no experience with them myself. Tekniikan Maailma is also available as an iPad app. If I recall correctly, they have a free sample issue available for download but you probably can’t choose which one you get. The tire review was published in the issue 17/2011.)

[Pursuivant]

However, I was under the impression the fuel was as much the problem in very cold weather so a heater on the tank too?

Feh, "arctic" sold from oct-march is -40 proof, you don't have a problem unless you're in balmy Helsinki +5 and tank up with "summer" and decide to go to Rovaniemi thats got an arctic draft -20 at night... some years the stations have been caught a bit "pants down", but not usually... if you live up above the circle you might need to consider

[Clarky78]

Well that is interesting, I knew nothing of additives in fuel for winter proofing! I suppose even if the car didn't get used much and had summer fuel in it, by the time we got to Oulu, it would need refueling somewhat anyway, so shouldn't be an issue.

Upphew: Thanks for the link. That is kinda what I was looking at but more complete and professional looking. However, you can't buy it, and I don't see any UK site's selling the kits. There is an Ireland distributors that I could call though.. Again, look's a very simple self fit system.

Based on some preliminary calculations, based on 2 journeys in my van return and buying a Finnish vehicle, or 1 journey in van and bring (and convert/import) Mondeo, it will cost approx £500 more to bring the Mondeo. Still not sure how much registration will cost though. That is however based on the £599 wheel package which could probably be reduced. Also, still not got a straight answer on headlight conversion. But, there is not a lot in it. there is of course, a re-occurring diesel tax every year with the Mondeo!

[Pursuivant]

Well, you just need to do a few Oulu trips to make it worthwhile

[Upphew]

Still not sure how much registration will cost though.

Keyword: rekisteröintikatsastus
So 200 should do it, even in Helsinki.

[DMC]

You would have to do incredible mileage to justify buying a diesel.

I have seen the cut-off point put anywhere from 18000 to 25000 km per year. If your mileage is so low that this seems incredible, a diesel may not be your best choice. Our petrol car averages more than that, and our diesel does 50000 to 60000 km per year, so from my viewpoint it isn't so incredible.

I have spoke to a few friends who say they import tyres from Germany as even including shipping it's way cheaper than Finland.

Not something I would do, but anyway not really important as you will need tyres whether you keep your car or buy another. If your mileage is really low, though, think this through carefully. Winter tyres can deteriorate with age as well as with use. Do you really need full studded tyres that could "go off" and need replacement long before the tread is worn out? Or would an all-season "friction tyre" that you can use all year be better for you?

However, I was under the impression the fuel was as much the problem in very cold weather so a heater on the tank too?

I don't know anyone with a heater on the fuel tank. The winter fuel additives mean this isn't normally an issue. Just be careful if your mileage really is as low as you imply; make sure you don't keep (only) summer fuel in the tank when the weather gets cold.

So overtaking is a minor issue as I see it.

I agree. I ran a RHD car here for a few years and have run a LHD car in the UK. Neither was a major issue.

[Upphew]

I have spoke to a few friends who say they import tyres from Germany as even including shipping it's way cheaper than Finland.

Not something I would do, but anyway not really important as you will need tyres whether you keep your car or buy another. If your mileage is really low, though, think this through carefully. Winter tyres can deteriorate with age as well as with use. Do you really need full studded tyres that could "go off" and need replacement long before the tread is worn out? Or would an all-season "friction tyre" that you can use all year be better for you?

I'd choose studded tyres, just because they won't surprise you as much as friction ones, which are a boatload better than all-season ones.
I wouldn't hesitate to order tyres from Germany, with rims, assembled. Granted I cant fit four rims and separate tyres in my car, so I haven't done so. And I'd get tyres that are copies from the past years models from some proper brand or just get Nokian. 4th or 5th winter coming up and lost just two studs. The rubber looks like this will be the last winter though. And I too drive about 1k/week.

However, I was under the impression the fuel was as much the problem in very cold weather so a heater on the tank too?

I don't know anyone with a heater on the fuel tank. The winter fuel additives mean this isn't normally an issue. Just be careful if your mileage really is as low as you imply; make sure you don't keep (only) summer fuel in the tank when the weather gets cold.

Just watch the sticker on the side of the pump, it will have something/something marked: http://www.nesteoil.com/default.asp?pat ... 35,547,557