SunKing

I know, I know, you're probably thinking: "What the hell?! Didn't this guy just move to the UK?" Indeed I did, but I'm probably going to move to Paris by the end of the next year, and I was wondering if any of you have experience with what in particular would need to be done to make the car legal...Probably many of the same things I'd need to do here in the UK anyway? For example, they're telling me that I need to have the front side lights changed to white (in addition to some other things), which is sounding quite expensive.

Cheers,

The Sun King

a.n.other

I can't help you with the France details - but i'd guess it is the same as the UK. At least your steering wheel will be on the right side again.

I may be moving back to the UK and fancy taking my 944 with me (not for a year, but may as well consider the options). Can I ask how much it cost to ship it over to the UK (from what side of the US it started from), who shipped it and any other info that springs to mind? Was it just a few lights needed rewiring for the move to the UK (rear fog light and orange indicators not staying on with the headlights) - was there any money to pay apart from shipping and initial road tax/MOT?

Thanks

Highway T

SunKing, sorry can't help on the France thing. I have heard horror stories of having to fit E coded glass all round for import into Belgium. Also make sure your tyres have a speed code higher than the max speed of the car.

a.n.other, I have recently imported my car from the U.S. and did all the work to get an MOT. It cost me peanuts in parts (I can recommend Porsche-Apart) but lots of hours and head scratching to get the lights to do the right thing. It is easier with a turbo-style front end but I managed it with a NA front end without changing the front bumper. I have been meaning to do a write up and this may just be the push.

It cost me about $1600 for shipping and insurance but this was in a sea container paid for by my ex-company. I had owned it for more than six months so no duty to pay but you can't sell it for 12 months once in the UK. There was a small registration fee and then just road tax and MOT.

I am not insured for theft until I get a Thatcham approved alarm fitted. It will cost GBP200-500 and it should happen soon.

Probably didn't make financial sense but I still have 'my' car and love driving it around the Cotswolds.

Cheers,

Chris

a.n.other

Thanks for the info about your shipping costs Chris -

It may be a bit steep for me unless i can find someone to pay it for me - you did well to get that deal from your company. Did you ship it directly from the East coast or did that include cross country shipping? I'm in California which totally the wrong side of the US for boats to England!

Tom Carson

I had my 944 in the UK for 7 years. yup, the front 'parking' lights must be white. on the NA the easiest way to accomplish this is to replace the fog 'bulbs' with 'parking' bulbs and swap the wires from the amber 'parking' bulbs into what used to be the fogs.

the amber lights have two wires, one for turn signal the other for parking lights. snipping the parking light just means only the amber blinker works the amber parking light is disconnected and when connected to the fog socket with a 'parking' bulb in it...you have white parking lights and no front fogs (which you don't need...however, rear fog - brite red - you do need). I think the rear fogs are ready to go…just put brite (turn signal type) bulbs in the sockets

now what is the deal about front white (as in ‘marker’) side being required?? that can’t be right.

Hans

Might want to check how long you can drive the car without mods on the original US licence plates in France.
For the Netherlands this is 6 months.
( Nice bonus: You are then also relived from paying road tax)
Check the 944 board for posts from Luis du Prat. He imported a cab S to Europe and wrote a lot about it. The total process took long and was frustrating.
TakeCare

IceShark

If you are required to have white forward marker/parking lights just buy some E-Code headlights that have the "city light" provision in them rather than wasting your fog or driving light turning that into a marker. The city light is a little socket in the headlight reflector that you stick a 5 watt bulb in. That should solve forward lighting.

I don't know about the sidemarkers but there are some easy options. If they need to be white the Swedes are selling the marker lenses in clear so that would solve that if original location is OK. Better ask the Europeans but I think some require the sidemarker to be further aft than the US DOT markers. Like between the front wheel well and A pillar. You can buy little marker lights pretty cheap - the only problem is you would have to punch a hole in the sheet metal to install them. If you can live with that then that problem is solved.

As Tom noted, the rear fogs would be real easy as there is an unused red cell in each of the rear lens housings. The hardest part would be the light socket as that is no longer manufactured. But there are plenty of parted out Porsches, VWs and Audies that use that socket so it should be fairly easy to find a used one.

Tom Carson

wish I knew this...I wonder though, what do MOT shops charge for these? also are 'right hand' car headlights different then 'left hand' cars...is it just the ‘aiming’ or are the lenses cut differently?

IceShark

Tom, Yes, the right lane and left lane driving lenses are cast different and have mirror len patterns so you don't glare oncoming traffic. But they are basically the same otherwise and you can get both with the city lights.

For you it would be a simple matter of pulling that wire you now have going to the fog and hooking it onto the city light pigtail that comes with the lens. Pretty darn simple.

I sell Cibie E-Code lenses in both driving lane flavors with the city light socket for $105 a pair without bulbs. I sell them cheaper than anyone else I have seen but from a local shop it shouldn't be that much more - maybe 10 or 15 bucks a lens more. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.