Who's had experience importing wheels?

[ziggyboy]

Hi all I plan to import wheels from Germany or the UK. Main reason is that I want a set with the exact same profile as ones in the stock 2011 Jetta (17x7.0 5x112 ET54). These seem to be extremely rare here in Australia... mainly because of the offset.

So for those who have imported wheels overseas:
1. I understand that importing items below $1000 do not incur customs taxes. Does this apply to wheels too?
2. European shops have offered to freight it for me, then I need to pick up at Sydney airport. This is ok... but I was wondering if there are further charges to receive them from a freight depot.
3. Any other caveats I need to watch out for?

By thew ay I am after Borbet wheels which are German made.

[qt25]

1. As long as the purchase price is under $1000 (exclude freight), you dont have to worry about customs.
2. You will have to pay customs (or watever fee they call it) for airport pickup, i believe someone here has paid over $200 for that. You should only use Door To Door service

Check out tirerack, you might find what you want.

Cheers

Hi all I plan to import wheels from Germany or the UK. Main reason is that I want a set with the exact same profile as ones in the stock 2011 Jetta (17x7.0 5x112 ET54). These seem to be extremely rare here in Australia... mainly because of the offset.

So for those who have imported wheels overseas:
1. I understand that importing items below $1000 do not incur customs taxes. Does this apply to wheels too?
2. European shops have offered to freight it for me, then I need to pick up at Sydney airport. This is ok... but I was wondering if there are further charges to receive them from a freight depot.
3. Any other caveats I need to watch out for?

By thew ay I am after Borbet wheels which are German made.

[dylan8]

are these standard VW wheels? why not wait for a set to pop up on ebay?

[ziggyboy]

Thanks qt25. Will have a look at tirerack.

Dylan8, nope they are Borbet wheels.

Another question I wanna ask is how much of a "must" is it to put use wheels with the same offset? It's easy to find 17x7.0 5x112 in Australia but with 40-45 offsets. Does anyone know the acceptable offset range for these cars??

[3r1k]

Remember it's $1000 AUD so you just have to be wary about exchange rate. Otherwise you can always devalue at your own risk.

[Tim]

As mentioned above picking up from an Airport is just a recipe for disaster especially on lower value shipments. Paying a little extra and getting delivery to your door will often save you money in the long run.

[dylan8]

borbet do make the odd stock wheel from memory, thats why i asked
your offset doesnt have to be EXACT. if you came out 10mm or so with a 7et40 or something id imagine it would be fine. most wheels you can get on a stock mk5 or mk6 would be fine id think...?

[GTi Bhoy]

If you buy from the UK and are after someone to ship your wheels try www.parcel-link.co.uk
I have used them a few times for door to door service and they have been great.
The only extra charge I had was a customs inspection because the wheels were used it was $70.

[3r1k]

One more thing, never ship your wheels by seapost or airmail. You will have to clear it by yourself (endless paperwork) and pay fee on top or get an agent to do it for you (will cost $$$$ as well)

[kaanage]

Has anyone else noticed that UK (and Northern Ireland) wheel sellers seem far more willing to ship out beyond the UK and Europe now?

One good thing to come out of the Eurozone meltdown...

---------- Post added at 9:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:17 PM ----------

You should only use Door To Door service

As mentioned above picking up from an Airport is just a recipe for disaster especially on lower value shipments. Paying a little extra and getting delivery to your door will often save you money in the long run.

One more thing, never ship your wheels by seapost or airmail. You will have to clear it by yourself (endless paperwork) and pay fee on top or get an agent to do it for you (will cost $$$$ as well)

Do you think $200 for getting wheels delivered to my door is worthwhile over airport pickup?