BMW 320D - VRT "extras" Advice ASAP!!

kjk1981

Hi Everyone,

After weeks of searching Ive found the Beamer I want. Im planning to go and see/buy it this week if possible.. However, I rang the VRT office today and they said because its only 3 years old It will have to be checked for extras, as in Revenue will contact BMW manufacturer to verify any extras etc.. Its the 320D ES model which has cruise control, MFSW. It doesn't have leather seats, the only real "extra" I can see is the "factory fitted bluetooth".. The VRT on this car is fairly high as it is, should I expect to be paying alot more because of these extras?? The price of 7,100 euro they provisionally gave me is based on a 2004 320D ES model (they do have it on their system) but the lady said that the english ones were different and thats why they have to be checked.. i just dont want to get caught for paying more VRT than I originally expected.. Anyone any advice for me please??

commited

It's all a gamble I'm afraid. They will check with BMW and you WILL be charged extra for any non-standard items on the car

kjk1981

Bummer Does anyone have any idea how much the bluetooth could add to the VRT price??

Henry Ford III

Add say €300 to the value and €90 to the VRT bill? Just a guess.

Fanboy

Recently brought in an A3 recently and they never asked about extras in the VRT office. There is a tiny box on the form apparently, but i missed it :rolleyes:

kdevitt

Arrive late in the afternoon to VRT it - I was the last person at Santry VRO a few months back and the girls were just clearing everything as quickly as possible so they could get out of the office.

They never even looked at the car to check chassis numbers, mileage etc, let alone check for extras.

tuxy

Is there no way to check exactly how much vrt you have to pay before buying it and bringing it into the country?

Anan1

tuxy wrote:

Is there no way to check exactly how much vrt you have to pay before buying it and bringing it into the country?

I've always paid exactly what it said on the VRT calculator. Two years ago, I brought in a 2-year-old Golf with leather, a/c and ESP. There was no charge for the extras.

kjk1981

Thanks... I have rang two VRO offices so far and they both said the same thing.. Is there a limit that if the car is under a certain age that it has to be checked?? One of them mentioned 4 years, they were fobbing me off cos it was nearly 5pm so I didnt get to clarify, I'll be ringing more tomoro anyway..

Any other advice appreciated :rolleyes:

commited

I recently brought back a 4 year old 530d Sport. It wasnt checked. EVERY other car was being checked in there, with the exception of a battered 106. I was blessed.

All I'll say is that they shouldn't charge you a heap extra - it was a €1000 ish option new, but I doubt it would increase the market value by that much today. Probably looking at a max of €150 extra. The send the chassis number off to BMW and BMW fax them back. A guy I know was stung to the extent of €3500 extra. Then again, his car had about £11000 worth of options..

Moanin

Once your honest about the model of the car i.e ES model it should be fine.It all depends then on the person that you get in the office.When I imported my car and went to pay the VRT the lady just came down and looked at the cars Chassis no to make sure it agreed with the V5 cert and the VRT was exactly as I had checked on the web

cbyrne

I think there is a new 'directive' to the VRT offices as I brought in a 04 TT last month and depsite telling them that it honestly didn't have an extras and to save their time (:rolleyes: ) they still checked it out. It didn't have any extras The month before that I was bringing in a 07 520 M Sport for my friends parents and they checked that. Now, it had leather and the full media package, which is the sat nav and bluetooth. All in all the extras cost 1,700 in extra VRT. They will 'depreciate' the values based on the car.

If you want to find out the extra costs you can ring up and give them the VIN number, at least thats what they told me in Wexford, but by doing this you will be pretty much inviting them to load the extras on the VRT when you go in to get it registered - they don't forget - I once gave them too much information on an query on the phone, they got my name and were 'expecting' me when I came in.

kjk1981

Thanks guys, I got in contact with the seller, he informed me that the extras on the car are the bluetooth, the MFSW and parking sensors.. Hope it doesn't add too much to the VRT bill Im already at the top end of my borrowed budget!!!!

Anan1

Those extras are less than €2,000 new, so even if they do charge VRT on them (assuming a depreciation of 50%), the extra VRT should be under €300.

yayamark

im just after bring in a audi a4 2002http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055124215&referrerid=&highlight=audi+a4+2.4


Ive paid the vrt in limerick city and the sound fella never checked it. it had leather seats and rear parking sensors and more!

A question for u, how will they know u have some of those extras?
Bluetooth etc

u could always try limerick they are sound there.

rebel.ranter

I know a good few people that have brought cars in recently (last 3 years) & also guys that were bringing them in 5-6 years ago. They uswed to check every one of them coming in a few years ago. There are just so many of them coming in now they simply don't have time to check them out. It is rare that they check. A lot of those "extras" that you mentioned are now standard on most cars, I doubt even if checked that the VRO office official will be able to spot PDC sensors, MFSW buttons & Bluetooth. If it was a leather interior then maybe they would pick it up.
I would just fill in the form as normal not mention these extras, if they inspect it then pay up the extra €90.

cbyrne

I was told by one of the guys in wexford who is fairly sound that they only generally check BMW/Merc/Audi and only newish ones, i.e. less than two or three years. Anything after that the VRT is pretty small since it will have depreciated so I guess they don't bother. They find out what extras you have by sending the VIN to the Irish distributor, and I'm guessing that prob BMW/Merc/Audi are the only ones who bother to work with them (to protect their own market) - they'd have to have a dedicated person to respond to all queries..

galwaytt

Also, bring it in on the worst, wettest day you can. And and park as far away as you can from the door. Near a Junction.

It's all in the detail, see......?

btw, I know someone who cleared a car and didn't bring it in to the VRT office at all - she claimed 'sure I can't drive it until I get no plates.........'

worked, too. !

rebel.ranter

cbyrne wrote:

They find out what extras you have by sending the VIN to the Irish distributor, and I'm guessing that prob BMW/Merc/Audi are the only ones who bother to work with them (to protect their own market) - they'd have to have a dedicated person to respond to all queries..

Hi I'm just wondering how the Irish Distributor would have the info if the car was not distributed by them?

Owen

Easily

I brought in a bike recently, and VRT'd it, they didn't bother to check. I'll be bringing in a new MINI in the next month or so, and they probably won't check that either (Thankfully!!)

cbyrne

rebel.ranter wrote:

Hi I'm just wondering how the Irish Distributor would have the info if the car was not distributed by them?

Guess all the info is on a global platform from the manufacturer. For instance last time I was getting some work done an a Mini I had from the UK, they BMW garage here just put the key into a reader 'yoke' and it brought up all the details on the car... they don't even have to type in the VIN if they have the key!

surfmaster

Firstly you should not pay the VRT and the reasons why are another days work - (I have my 320D in the country for 6 months now and I am not planning to pay this see www.irishdrivers.org)

If you really do want to pay then you should email every VRO in the country (list available on revenue.ie) with the VIN number of the car. They can then check with BMW for any extras.

Next step is to print out the returned cheapest quotation that you receive and take it to your local VRO.....when you are paying the VRT. I bet the quotes you get back with vary +/- 20%

agent_smith

VRT on cars and bikes are totally different. With regard to bikes VRT is calculated on the cc engine size... rediculous i know and not the actual cost.
For example the VRT on a K1200S BMW is less than say a zzr1400 kawasaki... even though the kawi is a few k cheaper on the irish market.
The VRT thing in this country is scandalous.... what in the name of god do extras on your car have to do with registering it !?!?!

LFCFan

They really are a stingy lot in this country. Not only do they screw us to high heaven with VRT to begin with but they won't even let us away with a few extras that might be in the car. It's a real 'why should you be allowed to have such nice extras in your car' attitude.

rebel.ranter

cbyrne wrote:

Guess all the info is on a global platform from the manufacturer. For instance last time I was getting some work done an a Mini I had from the UK, they BMW garage here just put the key into a reader 'yoke' and it brought up all the details on the car... they don't even have to type in the VIN if they have the key!

I know that one you type the VIN into their parts & Tech Info System that it will bring up some model details e.g. 320i e90, manual, etc. but I wasn't aware of any system that will tell you the optional extras, etc.

Elessar

surfmaster wrote:

Firstly you should not pay the VRT and the reasons why are another days work - (I have my 320D in the country for 6 months now and I am not planning to pay this see www.irishdrivers.org)

I am sorry to say but that will not get you anywhere. I agree in principle about the VRT and Road Tax arguments from the IDA, but your "rights" won't mean squat to a Garda who impounds your vehicle for not paying VRT. I would seriously pay the fee, scandalous as it is, as loosing your car is the last thing you want. The Gardai are clamping down big time on this.

cbyrne

rebel.ranter wrote:

I know that one you type the VIN into their parts & Tech Info System that it will bring up some model details e.g. 320i e90, manual, etc. but I wasn't aware of any system that will tell you the optional extras, etc.

Well i dunno, but working in the IT industry myself, I'd be very suprised if large manufacturing companies such as BMW don't have a system (in the distributors if not dealers) which lets them access the 'master' database of all cars manufactured, and that database would have pretty much the 'order' spec for your car.. obviously post production add-ons wouldn't be there, it would only be the spec that was originally ordered..

surfmaster

Elessar wrote:

your "rights" won't mean squat to a Garda who impounds your vehicle for not paying VRT. I would seriously pay the fee, scandalous as it is, as loosing your car is the last thing you want. The Gardai are clamping down big time on this.

Not true thankfully. You might investigate the Principle or Proportionality when you have a chance. This stops Guards / Customs seising goods worth more than what is owed to the government,

kjk1981

Thanks for all the advice guys.. I got my 320D and I love it, Such a lovely drive Ive gotten a few quotes from VRO's and they are all quoting me the same price which is grand. I just have to go in on a wet day so they wont check for extras!

I dont plan on clearing the car for a few weeks, is it possible for me to change the V5 ownership form into my name until I pay the VRT? Considering that my address is in Ireland.. I dont want it to be in the previous owners name for any lengthly period.. Any advice appreciated...

smash

VRT office didn't even look at the last car I brought in, just said ok 4700 please

cbyrne

kjk1981 wrote:

I dont plan on clearing the car for a few weeks, is it possible for me to change the V5 ownership form into my name until I pay the VRT? Considering that my address is in Ireland.. I dont want it to be in the previous owners name for any lengthly period.. Any advice appreciated...

DVLA will not change the V5 to any address outside the UK, you can try but you'll just get a letter saying they can't change it. You won't be able to put the car into your name until you get it re-reged here. - but that shouldn't be an issue? If you do get stopped just tell them you're waiting for a certificate of export from DVLA, and that you never got the V5! It normally takes DVLA 4-5 weeks to send an expor cert (but you don't need it for importing car, only need it if you don't have the V5)

High&Low

surfmaster wrote:

Firstly you should not pay the VRT and the reasons why are another days work - (I have my 320D in the country for 6 months now and I am not planning to pay this see www.irishdrivers.org)

One of the reasons that VRT will not be abolished and possibly one of the reasons that drivers enmase have not protested against VRT, is that the abolishin of VRT not only reduce the cost of importing cars but would significantly reduce the value of every car in Ireland over night!

hollywoodhoppy

galwaytt wrote:

btw, I know someone who cleared a car and didn't bring it in to the VRT office at all - she claimed 'sure I can't drive it until I get no plates.........'

worked, too. !

That is awesome, definately gonna try that!! gonna claim that the car was delivered to my address using a flat bed lory in case they get into the nitty gritty

kjk1981

cbyrne wrote:

DVLA will not change the V5 to any address outside the UK, you can try but you'll just get a letter saying they can't change it. You won't be able to put the car into your name until you get it re-reged here. - but that shouldn't be an issue? If you do get stopped just tell them you're waiting for a certificate of export from DVLA, and that you never got the V5! It normally takes DVLA 4-5 weeks to send an expor cert (but you don't need it for importing car, only need it if you don't have the V5)

In that case, could I get the V5 changed into my name if I got it sent to a friend or relations address in the UK? Cos I intend on not clearing it until I have to whether that be 6 weeks or 6 months...:eek:

cbyrne

kjk1981 wrote:

In that case, could I get the V5 changed into my name if I got it sent to a friend or relations address in the UK? Cos I intend on not clearing it until I have to whether that be 6 weeks or 6 months...:eek:

I guess you could, although I don't really know why you want to put it in your name in the UK.. Not sure, but would also imagine that this will put you down as two 'past' owners of the car, i.e. you are adding an additional previous owner to the UK for when you bring it in. Risky game not clearing it too, they are clamping down a lot on this.. but guess thats the risk

tuxy

So is surfmaster correct? If you do not pay vrt there is nothing the gardi or customs can do?

mad m

To OP,

So all in all how much did you save by bringing it into Ireland? Did you drive it back yourself or was it here already without Vrt paid..

kjk1981

mad m wrote:

To OP,

So all in all how much did you save by bringing it into Ireland? Did you drive it back yourself or was it here already without Vrt paid..

Hi Mad m,

Yeah I drove it back myself, twas a long day but worth it! Between the price of the car, the VRT (when i pay it) I probably saved between 5 and 6 grand on buying one here. It has a few extras also so thats a bonus.. I wouldn't go doing it too often as it does take alot of research and time and a certain amount of stress! All in all, yeah it was worth it

mad m

5/6 grand is nothing to be coughed at...Fairplay....Can you send me a link to the garage you bought from or was it a private seller....

kjk1981

mad m wrote:

5/6 grand is nothing to be coughed at...Fairplay....Can you send me a link to the garage you bought from or was it a private seller....

A bit unique really.. I bought it from a guy who runs a garage but it was his own car so it was actually a private sale. The best thing to do is to register with autotrader.co.uk (put in any postcode to register) and shop for your car through them, its like shopping for a brand new one. Its good cos it'll prob find cars ur looking for that are advertised elsewhere too. "Cargiant", "the internet car showroom" are other good ones also. Happy hunting!!

lynchie

rebel.ranter wrote:

Hi I'm just wondering how the Irish Distributor would have the info if the car was not distributed by them?

A friend of mine works for BMW Ireland and has access to the details of every car manufactured by them worldwide. The system contains detailed information of every extra put into them. When a car is brought in and the crowd in the vro office are looking for a list of extras etc.. they ring them, give them the vin and will fax them back the list of extras.

oleras

I remember coming accross a russian site last year that gave all the mercedes details with chasis number....... will try and find it !

edit, wasnt too hard to find after all...........

http://www.mbclub.ru/mb/vin/index.html?lng=eng

bucks

As already mentioned it seems to be the 3 year old or less BMW, Merc and Audis that the VRO are checking these extras with the manufacturers.

I brought in a '04 Audi A4 about a month ago for a mate, i said id go over and clear it for him as he wasnt familiar with the process.

Long story short 4 days after first going into the VRO office i still didnt have an Irish plate, they couldnt get in contact with Audi Ireland to find out what extras were fitted. At that stage i just asked for all the documents back and walked out, total farce!!

kjk1981

bucks wrote:

As already mentioned it seems to be the 3 year old or less BMW, Merc and Audis that the VRO are checking these extras with the manufacturers.

I brought in a '04 Audi A4 about a month ago for a mate, i said id go over and clear it for him as he wasnt familiar with the process.

Long story short 4 days after first going into the VRO office i still didnt have an Irish plate, they couldnt get in contact with Audi Ireland to find out what extras were fitted. At that stage i just asked for all the documents back and walked out, total farce!!

Yeah sounds like a bit of a joke.. So are you just going to go to another VRO and clear it?

bucks

kjk1981 wrote:

Yeah sounds like a bit of a joke.. So are you just going to go to another VRO and clear it?

Well the car has been parked up since then as the owner has been in the states for the last month but when he comes back im sending him to a different VRO.