Bongos in Denmark?

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Rocketscientist123
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Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Rocketscientist123 » Fri Aug 21, 2020 7:08 pm

Hi All,

I've been offered a job in Denmark. Given the years of fun we've had with Bertie Bongo, it'd be a wrench to leave him behind. Has anybody else imported a Bongo into Denmark? it looks like you have to pay circa 80% of the value of the vehicle to get Danish plates (!). This might be do-able if it's based on the UK value given that they aren't imported officially into DK, but if the SKAT compares them to a VW, then that's a different story.......any advice would be appreciated.

Also, any advice on a list of spares to take that aren't generic to other vehicles?

cheers

Graham
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Bob » Fri Aug 21, 2020 9:21 pm

Will you be keeping a UK address where Bongy could be registered, with an annual holiday to include MoT?
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Rocketscientist123
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Rocketscientist123 » Sat Aug 22, 2020 10:22 am

From what little I’ve read, the police are hot on that. You only get 30days to register the vehicle once you’re resident. Not sure if my sister (for example) was the legal owner and I’m on her insurance which allowed more than the standard ~1 month a year outside the UK. How that will change with Brexit is also a question. More research required!

Any suggestions for parts to take? I had some overheating issues in France in the summer so was thinking of replacing all the hoses and get a new radiator or least thorough cooling system flush

Cheers

Graham
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Bob » Sat Aug 22, 2020 10:30 am

While you're doing that is might be worth having a new cam belt and water pump.

Parts, maybe an alternator? Remember Ian can supply a lot of parts overseas pretty fast. :wink:
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Bob » Sat Aug 22, 2020 11:19 pm

For a tenner, these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAZDA-BONGO- ... 2805338779

Other sellers available.
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Rocketscientist123
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Rocketscientist123 » Wed Oct 07, 2020 7:53 am

Right, looks like it's worth importing the Bongo ('only' £1000 to import), and given the high cost of vehicles in DK. I need to find out more details of the technical inspection etc.......

Thanks for your advice

Graham
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Bob » Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:20 am

Let us know how you get on.

Kind of info that is useful in the future. :wink:
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helen&tony
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by helen&tony » Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:59 am

Hi
Your best bet is to consult a local lawyer on the subject...Every country has it's own regulations , regardless of the old wives tales that you hear , and like most aspects of life in another country are subject to their own regulations....The EU does NOT rule everything in the whole of Europe...that's just nonsense spouted for the idiot masses. A good advocate is able to provide any information you'll need, and be able to point you in the right direction. Motoring organisations don't even know the rules, and the police only know what they need to know in terms of traffic regulations. Once you know , it's easier than I expect you've been told. DO NOT drive around on the assumption that your British documents will cover you for months on end.....you do not want to get caught , as there's no end of regulations that you will have broken (EXPENSIVE). Believe me when I say that the authorities are always aware of what's going on....unlike the UK, who are dreadful at organisation. You may even find that you have to re-register if you move house to another district once registered
Cheers
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Rocketscientist123
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Rocketscientist123 » Thu Nov 05, 2020 1:21 pm

Hi all,

Well, I'm here in Roskilde in Denmark! Driving is OK 'on the wrong side', just like France, except drivers are VERY polite. Lots of cyclists, but mostly they have their own lanes to travel on, you just have to watch out turning at junctions.....Why couldn't the UK do that??

Anyway, tried to do the import technical inspection, and hit a snag: the tare weight of the vehicle is not on the V5. I can get the info off the web, but it needs to be an official source. I'm hoping that the owners manual (which I don't have a copy of ) will have that in it. Hopefully Ian will sort me out with one.
AND, as I have a towbar fitted, with a drop plate, to put on a BACKRACK and Thule backbox, I need to have the maximum towing weight. I asked on the Bongo owners group on FaceBook, but there does not seem to be a consensus on that. As the MOT guy suggested, I may have to make a mod to the towbar so that it can't be used to tow anything, get a different rack that is permanently connected to the towbar (minus towball), or remove it for the inspection. For the latter option I suspect that I will hit the same snag at the next 'MOT' which I think is every 2 years.

I put on head light deflectors for the long drive from Hook of Holland. I'm planning of getting a set of LHD '95 Astra headlights to replace them. the deflectors I bought in Halfords don't appear to do any deflecting at all! they are silver plastic and have an aperture in them, which i guess blocks out the light going the wrong way, but of course reduces the light output. not good on crummy Bongo candle-lamps.

More anon

Graham

p.s. hopefully when this is done, it'll be the first Mazda Bongo or Ford Freda in Denmark. or is that Fjord Freda? :D
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Bob » Thu Nov 05, 2020 1:55 pm

Interesting update, thanks.

The weights are shown here:

https://www.allansvehicleservices.co.uk ... cation.pdf

But whether that's 'official' enough I don't know.

More here:

https://www.lifesure.co.uk/articles/maz ... ng-weights
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Rocketscientist123
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Rocketscientist123 » Sun Nov 08, 2020 9:27 pm

Day 2, another technical inspection site with a danish friend.......progress and no progress. towbar and vehicle weight not an issue, as can classify towbar as a storage rack or similar i.e. not for towing, and can weigh car on weighbridge. Now I need an EU COC (certificate of conformity) , which I'm pretty sure I can't get. he said there is another path, but costs ~8000DKK (i.e. ~£1000), which sounds like single vehicle approval. could still be cheaper than selling the bongo, and buying something similar locally e.g. VW caravelle tiptop. they all have v high miles on them

Have contacted a classic car importer to see if they can help.....
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Rocketscientist123
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Rocketscientist123 » Tue Feb 09, 2021 7:22 pm

Well, well, well, import to Denmark complete!!

(as you may have seen on Friend-face)

Possibly the first Bongo in DK. a bit chuffed that I (mostly) conquered the import system.

So, the trick is of course to find an MOT technician who gives a s**t. Piqued their interest, and praised beer.

After putting the Bongo through a mock MOT (suspension bushes needed replacing), getting the headlights converted, leisure battery strapped down more securely, and it weighed on the power station weigh bridge, it went through the process OK.

~£1000 registration tax (payable for all cars new to Denmark). cheap as chips. its based on market value, so a new £30k car in UK will pay approximately the same value in registration tax (!)

Green tax (a.k.a. UK road fund licence) is expensive at circa £1200 per year (long story: for cars first registered before 1/7/97, you pay 'road tax' based on vehicle weight. for vehicles 1/7/97 or after, its now called green tax, and is based on emissions and MPG. Guess what month is on my V5? yep, July '97, so we pay approx twice than for an older vehicle. I'm trying to convince the SKAT (Danish Tax authority) that the MPG is not as poor as they claim, so hopefully the tax will come down a bit).

Given that an unconverted 1994 VW caravelle with 400,000km on the clock will go for £12K, I think that's a bargain.
Lets see how the parts issue work out post Brexit.
I may even buy a pre-1/7/97 Bongo and import it when ours goes to Bongo heaven, as the tax should still be cheap compared to buying a vehicle here.

The amount of salt that they put on the roads in winter is a bit worrying though. The roads are currently white (not kidding) with salt residue.

I think due to the pandemic, we'll be exploring Denmark this summer, but maybe next year, we'll look at a ferry across the Baltic, and a drive round the coast.......

Graham (& Liz & Lucas), Roskilde, DK
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Bob » Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:08 pm

Well done on getting it all sorted. =D>
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Doone
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Doone » Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:17 pm

That's a great result! Possibly others will follow, now you've made it possible. :)
The amount of salt that they put on the roads in winter is a bit worrying though. The roads are currently white (not kidding) with salt residue.
Best get it undersealed if you haven't already, Bongos corrode wonderfully well in salt.
Allan's closed. We recommend PGS (Plymouth Garage Services) or Mayflower Auto Services in Plymouth.
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Infinitebliss
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Re: Bongos in Denmark?

Post by Infinitebliss » Thu Jun 16, 2022 8:54 am

Rocketscientist123 wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 9:27 pm Day 2, another technical inspection site with a danish friend.......progress and no progress. towbar and vehicle weight not an issue, as can classify towbar as a storage rack or similar i.e. not for towing, and can weigh car on weighbridge. Now I need an EU COC (certificate of conformity) , which I'm pretty sure I can't get. he said there is another path, but costs ~8000DKK (i.e. ~£1000), which sounds like single vehicle approval. could still be cheaper than selling the bongo, and buying something similar locally e.g. VW caravelle tiptop. they all have v high miles on them

Have contacted a classic car importer to see if they can help.....
Any advice on the COC as we're trying to get our registered in Sardinia Italy and we have got so far but need the COC to continue?
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