Parts import costs these days...

[st3ve]

Hi All,

Just wondering what folks have found when buying parts overseas lately?  I'm collecting parts for a clutch job on my 996 and looking around Design911 in the UK has by far the lowest price on the flywheel and clutch kit - about $1300 (incl DHL) vs $2k locally.  I like to support local businesses wherever possible and will be getting other parts here, but that's a significant saving.  I am aware of the lowering of the GST limit to zero, but have had some parcels come through with no charges anyway.  Previous experience on some Ohlins bike gear which came in on DHL (circa $2k) saw quite a lot of fees and other charges leveled over and above the GST.  At a certain point the hassle/cost of importing levels out with just buying locally, but on the other hand being careful about where to source good quality parts allows a man of modest means like me to enjoy the Porsche experience without going totally broke!

So has anyone recently bought $1-2k parts bundles (particularly from D-911 or via DHL) and if so what did it cost to actually land it here?

Cheers

[LeeM]

Have you tried James at Autohaus Hamilton? 

[Dreamr]

You may have already tried, but I've recently bought parts from my local Porsche dealership. They now consider the 996 a classic so give "classic pricing" ...

In a strange twist, I have actually paid less for parts from PCW than from other sources mentioned on here.

[st3ve]

Hi and thanks,

I didn't try AH, might send him my list to see.  In general I find it awkward to shop around too much with places you have to ask for quotes, since I feel guilty if I then do not go through with the purchase to make it worth their time.  Also it is sometimes just "getting psyched up for" preventative maintenance items and as is the case here I get mission-creep then suddenly ask myself why I'm about to drop $3.5k on things that for the moment are still working fine and so go cold on it for a while.  In this respect the online shops are so convenient.

My OPC was in fact pretty good for the AOS oil hose I needed quickly but somehow I get a creepy vibe at most posh car dealers these days and try to avoid. :D  It's probably me.

[symsy]

Sonnen Porsche great prices in US .. 

[Heritage Parts Centre]

On 27/09/2020 at 00:21, st3ve said:

Hi All,

Just wondering what folks have found when buying parts overseas lately?  I'm collecting parts for a clutch job on my 996 and looking around Design911 in the UK has by far the lowest price on the flywheel and clutch kit - about $1300 (incl DHL) vs $2k locally.  I like to support local businesses wherever possible and will be getting other parts here, but that's a significant saving.  I am aware of the lowering of the GST limit to zero, but have had some parcels come through with no charges anyway.  Previous experience on some Ohlins bike gear which came in on DHL (circa $2k) saw quite a lot of fees and other charges leveled over and above the GST.  At a certain point the hassle/cost of importing levels out with just buying locally, but on the other hand being careful about where to source good quality parts allows a man of modest means like me to enjoy the Porsche experience without going totally broke!

So has anyone recently bought $1-2k parts bundles (particularly from D-911 or via DHL) and if so what did it cost to actually land it here?

Cheers

Hi st3ve, 

We have this one coming soon if it helps? https://www.heritagepartscentre.com/au/99611691102-clutch-kit.html

[targa george]

Porscepartsbyjeff/geoff?  Our own @MFX

 

[rego]

I found the same as others here that purchasing OEM parts is often best via a dealer if you can get it under the classic pricing (my 987.2 could even get it).

My last shipment of suspension parts from DHL was 10% GST, 5% duties and anouther $80 or something for fees charged for clearance which was expensive but still cheaper than the local options on suspension parts (Ohlins, sway bar, GT3 LCA's etc..)

A broker can avoid the duties but to make it work you need someone to buy wholesale from the supplier to offset the brokerage fees.

[MFX]

16 hours ago, targa george said:

Porschepartsbyjeff.com Our own @MFX

 

It is a site I have built with one of my viewers. We don't sell anything, it is just a Porsche parts price comparison site. It actually works really well, the only thing you need to look at is that is gives you the price in whatever currency the site is in and you need to look further into shipping costs, etc, but it is a great tool.

 

[st3ve]

Thanks everyone, particularly @rego with exactly the info I was after.  Other posters also providing options to look at, I am looking into it further and will update this with how I go.  I had already discovered porschepartsbyjeff - very useful!

The remaining slight RMS leak actually seems to have magically healed itself of late so after other work the car is now totally leak free which has rather reduced the incentive for the intended engine-out cleanup and preventative maintenance update.  I might do some smaller/simpler jobs first like AC compressor, squeaky cabin fan, climate control relocation and try to find THAT DAMN DASH RATTLE!! 

[st3ve]

On 28/09/2020 at 22:00, rego said:

I found the same as others here that purchasing OEM parts is often best via a dealer if you can get it under the classic pricing (my 987.2 could even get it).

Not sure whether the classic pricing is applied normally or if you have to ask for it or join a scheme or something, but my list came to ~$4.4k from Clickable and $13.5k from my dealer.  I found that funny.
Not a totally fair comparison, as some of the former were OEM, but as far as I can tell should be identical ie Luk DMF, Sachs clutch, Bosch injectors, Beru coils, Denso AC compressor.  A few of those products skewed the comparison ie injectors OEM Bosch @$52 vs Porsche Bosch @$573ea, compressor OEM Denso @$565 vs Porsche Denso @$3113.  On the actual genuine Porsche products, a few were as close as 10% but more often 30-40% cheaper from Clickable, eg Coolant reservoir + cap $282 vs $382.

My self-healing RMS has reduced the urgency of getting the engine out, so I'll ruminate further on this topic.  If I sourced the clutch, flywheel and coils from Design911 it would knock off another $400 after tax and charges, which using Man Maths is $10k cheaper than the dealer.  Some more Man Maths tells me I have then basically "saved" the cost of a Hartec closed deck re-liner 3.9 conversion*, making such an upgrade down the track basically free! 

*note: advanced man maths skills required, conventional maths may indicate this as nowhere near.

[rego]

43 minutes ago, st3ve said:

Not sure whether the classic pricing is applied normally or if you have to ask for it or join a scheme or something, but my list came to ~$4.4k from Clickable and $13.5k from my dealer.  I found that funny.
Not a totally fair comparison, as some of the former were OEM, but as far as I can tell should be identical ie Luk DMF, Sachs clutch, Bosch injectors, Beru coils, Denso AC compressor.  A few of those products skewed the comparison ie injectors OEM Bosch @$52 vs Porsche Bosch @$573ea, compressor OEM Denso @$565 vs Porsche Denso @$3113.  On the actual genuine Porsche products, a few were as close as 10% but more often 30-40% cheaper from Clickable, eg Coolant reservoir + cap $282 vs $382.

My self-healing RMS has reduced the urgency of getting the engine out, so I'll ruminate further on this topic.  If I sourced the clutch, flywheel and coils from Design911 it would knock off another $400 after tax and charges, which using Man Maths is $10k cheaper than the dealer.  Some more Man Maths tells me I have then basically "saved" the cost of a Hartec closed deck re-liner 3.9 conversion*, making such an upgrade down the track basically free! 

*note: advanced man maths skills required, conventional maths may indicate this as nowhere near.

I think it is applied by the dealer based on the VIN of the car they punch into the system they have. They should be able to confirm if the discount is applied, just ask.

I agree, some parts are cheaper buying overseas and some cheaper from the local dealer, you just have to go on a part by part basis. It's usually only cheaper locally due to the taxes/shipping you don't have to pay, it's also of benefit though if you have a problem with a part you can easily return it.

It's basically always going to be cheaper when you can buy a part from an OEM supplier like Bosch or TRW which Porsche just rebrand and is the same from every manufacturer, hence why doing your research is worth it. I purchased a number of parts for my recent build from the OEM equivalent.

[st3ve]

Thanks, I'll ask about the historic thing.  I totally get what you mean regarding the positives of working with your local dealer, direct communication, no hassles with returns etc, and no hidden costs.  When it's just a couple of items of modest cost that are in AU stock, it's almost always going to be the best option.  That's what I did for my AOS hose and climate control trim, which is all I've needed to buy so far.

The other supplier I mentioned (Clickable Automotive) is an Australian online carparts retailer not an importer, so GST and shipping etc is already included there.  They are Melbourne based, so returns would still be a bit of a hassle but not so much as an offshore supplier.  Agreed the often very reasonable cost of good quality OEM products allows you to proactively replace various known failure points on older cars and keep them reliable into the future. 

Back to the original question of this thread, once the import costs are taken into account it's probably not worth the extra hassle to import. 

[WB997.2GTS]

Restoring my 993 I have found that if the part is a Porsche specific part re: sunroof parts, seat foam etc it is better to buy from the local Porsche dealer, if it's not in stock in Melbourne they will have it in 10 days and all of the shipping charges etc are tacken care of. (You would be surprised what they stock in Melbourne for 25 yr old car) Again if it's Porsche specific I cross check the local dealer quote (Porsche Willoughby) Design911 and Auto Atlanta and usually find I have wasted my time comparing and buy it locally.

If the part is available after market than it's another ball game, Design911 is pretty good they usually list the Porsche price but if you drill down through the Porsche component drawings and see a (I) symbol then you can see alternative prices. Sometimes they will automatically charge Australian GST, their delivery charges are a little excessive. Heritage are similar Design but show the prices in $au. But do not have the range of parts. 

Another supplier is Masterparts in Sydney,,, James is the contact and he has blown me away with the parts he has in stock ( 993 engine seals/gaskets etc ) His prices are comparable to the OS prices but cross check, if they are available then he has next day delivery for a little extra. 

I have also found that if you elect to pay GST at the sauce overseas then the goods fly through customs no questions asked or additional charges. If you elect to pay the GST here than if it's delivered by DHL they will charge GST, Duty, clearance and admin. 

Also Porsche Willoughby give me classic pricing on the 993 and my 2006 Boxster. 

[Heritage Parts Centre]

Hi all, 

I just wanted to address the range point in the post (posted some time ago, apologies missed that comment).  Yes, we tend not to list 'everything' because we are aware that you can go directly to Porsche and have a Genuine item shipped in quite easily we focus on the quality aftermarket or OEM supplier rather than supplying items that you can go directly to Porsche and buy, likely at the same or a discounted price over something a third party supplier can offer.  There are instances where we do list Genuine items on a special order basis. 

As you would have seen we are always adding to our range but if there is something specific you are looking for do feel free to send us an email! 

[Dreamr]

7 hours ago, Heritage Parts Centre said:

Hi all, 

I just wanted to address the range point in the post (posted some time ago, apologies missed that comment).  Yes, we tend not to list 'everything' because we are aware that you can go directly to Porsche and have a Genuine item shipped in quite easily we focus on the quality aftermarket or OEM supplier rather than supplying items that you can go directly to Porsche and buy, likely at the same or a discounted price over something a third party supplier can offer.  There are instances where we do list Genuine items on a special order basis. 

As you would have seen we are always adding to our range but if there is something specific you are looking for do feel free to send us an email! 

I just bought a small part from you only 2 days ago and was surprised at not only the low cost of the part, but also at the more than fair postage cost.

It's one of the deciding factors for a lot of us buying OS and I was really surprised that finally, a small part actually had a small postage price.

[st3ve]

I did end up importing the flywheel and clutch kit.  Given the large/heavy items shipping was not increased much by some other items, so I got Beru coils, a targa dash switch and a set of new floor mats "while I was at it".  The coils and the switch seemed a decent saving over local and the mats were with a nice Carerra script not seen locally.

All up clutch, flywheel, coils, switch and mats were 962ukp, exchange rate was about 0.55 at the time, so I guess the charge was about  AU$1850.  I got hit for AU$365 import costs by DHL. - total AU$2215.

Same items excluding the mats from a combo of Clickable and PCC, $2510.  If I take $140 off the import list for the mats which I did not have a local equivalent for, then I saved about $435 or around 20%.  Worth the effort?

To answer the original question I posed - the import cost (GST, charges etc) on a ~AU$1850 DHL parcel was $365 - around 20%.

 

[Heritage Parts Centre]

9 hours ago, Dreamr said:

I just bought a small part from you only 2 days ago and was surprised at not only the low cost of the part, but also at the more than fair postage cost.

It's one of the deciding factors for a lot of us buying OS and I was really surprised that finally, a small part actually had a small postage price.

Firstly, thank you for your custom and also for your praise.

We do try to keep postage reasonable and I'm pleased that in this instance it was the case for you.