What do I need to know - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

UNRIVALED SS · 08-16-2017, 02:06 PM

Coming to Germany.

Bringing my 1 million horsepower hotrod.

What do I need to know?
What is the fuel octane there? How do I get this thing past the inspections? What happens if I don't?

Any info is appreciated.

Slower · 09-27-2018, 04:20 AM

Not sure if the info is still needed.

In most of the EU countries, you can drive with foreign registration legally for 3 months as long as you have an insurance. You can get EU insurance for VIN code. After that it is sort of risky, most likely no one will notice/are, but I would not risk it.

I'm not from Germany but from the Czech Republic. So I don't know the exact procedure, but we share a lot of common laws (for example import laws are same across EU). I am currently in the process of shipping my car from Houston to Bremerhaven in Germany (and then I will drive it to Czech and get it registered here).

So let's start with the shipping - there are two methods, container and ro-ro (basically ferry). Ro-ro is cheaper and easier (got quotes about $1200 including insurance), but you can't have personal items in the car. Shared container cost me $1650 from Houston. Both prices are port->port. I also got a quote for $2500 for port-> the Czech Republic in the container.

If you were living out of EU for more then 12 months (which I guess you were) you are eligible for tax and duty-free import. Thought, you still will need to declare the car and get it registered in Germany.

Registering Camaro should not be a big deal, although it will most likely be a bit of hassle, but you will need to pass some inspections + you might need to adjust it to EU standards (for example orange rear turn lights) and/or get some exemptions. I'm not sure about this one, generally, in Germany it should be a bit easier than in Czech. They at least allow mod car legally (which is not case in Czech). In Germany, there is an inspection organization (I guess TUV, but I'm not sure) which should be able to process it. Getting the car adjusted to EU standards is not that difficult, US cars are not super rare in EU, you should expect to pay $1000-$2000 to get it done.

In Czech I got an offer for $6000 to get the car transported door-door, registered, and adjusted. Though I can get it cheaper if I do it myself.

If you are military personnel, all of the above should not concern you, as you can legally drive US cars on US plates and you can just provide relocation orders to customs officials.

The gas - we normally have 91 to 98 octane gas. However, we use a different octane measurement method, so our gas is rated about 5 octanes higher than the same one in the US. 87 is roughly 91, 93 is 98. Camaros sold in EU are required to use 98 here. I guess you are aware of the prices of the gas in Germany - over $7 for a gallon of premium gas.

Also, we use different engine oil standards, but you can easily get Dextron 2 from GM that is suggested for Camaro in EU (or get US oil imported).

0-120 · 09-27-2018, 08:23 AM

How do they know if you have modded the "American Import" in Czech?

I think it would be financially worthwhile to move to USA for cheaper gas

08-16-2017, 02:06 PM	#1
UNRIVALED SS Drives: 2010 Camaro SS Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: El Paso Posts: 704 View My Garage	What do I need to know Coming to Germany. Bringing my 1 million horsepower hotrod. What do I need to know? What is the fuel octane there? How do I get this thing past the inspections? What happens if I don't? Any info is appreciated.

09-27-2018, 08:23 AM	#3
0-120 Drives: 2014 Camaro SS LS3 Join Date: May 2018 Location: GA Posts: 107 View My Garage	How do they know if you have modded the "American Import" in Czech? I think it would be financially worthwhile to move to USA for cheaper gas __________________ 416HP, 422TQ. Rotofab CAI, Dyno Tuned. ALP's and a V1.

09-27-2018, 04:20 AM	#2
Slower Drives: 2011 SS convertible Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Posts: 11	Not sure if the info is still needed. In most of the EU countries, you can drive with foreign registration legally for 3 months as long as you have an insurance. You can get EU insurance for VIN code. After that it is sort of risky, most likely no one will notice/are, but I would not risk it. I'm not from Germany but from the Czech Republic. So I don't know the exact procedure, but we share a lot of common laws (for example import laws are same across EU). I am currently in the process of shipping my car from Houston to Bremerhaven in Germany (and then I will drive it to Czech and get it registered here). So let's start with the shipping - there are two methods, container and ro-ro (basically ferry). Ro-ro is cheaper and easier (got quotes about $1200 including insurance), but you can't have personal items in the car. Shared container cost me $1650 from Houston. Both prices are port->port. I also got a quote for $2500 for port-> the Czech Republic in the container. If you were living out of EU for more then 12 months (which I guess you were) you are eligible for tax and duty-free import. Thought, you still will need to declare the car and get it registered in Germany. Registering Camaro should not be a big deal, although it will most likely be a bit of hassle, but you will need to pass some inspections + you might need to adjust it to EU standards (for example orange rear turn lights) and/or get some exemptions. I'm not sure about this one, generally, in Germany it should be a bit easier than in Czech. They at least allow mod car legally (which is not case in Czech). In Germany, there is an inspection organization (I guess TUV, but I'm not sure) which should be able to process it. Getting the car adjusted to EU standards is not that difficult, US cars are not super rare in EU, you should expect to pay $1000-$2000 to get it done. In Czech I got an offer for $6000 to get the car transported door-door, registered, and adjusted. Though I can get it cheaper if I do it myself. If you are military personnel, all of the above should not concern you, as you can legally drive US cars on US plates and you can just provide relocation orders to customs officials. The gas - we normally have 91 to 98 octane gas. However, we use a different octane measurement method, so our gas is rated about 5 octanes higher than the same one in the US. 87 is roughly 91, 93 is 98. Camaros sold in EU are required to use 98 here. I guess you are aware of the prices of the gas in Germany - over $7 for a gallon of premium gas. Also, we use different engine oil standards, but you can easily get Dextron 2 from GM that is suggested for Camaro in EU (or get US oil imported).