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Old 07-22-2014, 10:57 AM
 
1 posts, read 1,310 times
Reputation: 10

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We are thinking about shipping our daughter's 2003 Ford Focus to Hawaii. Our mechanic scared us and said that cars get turned away. It is in good shape. No leaks. No broken windows. Everything works. She has lived there long enough now to see how the vehicle inspections work and she has no worries about it passing that. However, she did live in Montana and drove it on a country road so it is dusty and dirty. We will get it cleaned and detailed but I am worried about the USDA (ag inspection). My fear is we will ship it and it gets over there and they find a spec of dirt and turn it away. I am more than happy to spend money for them to wash the dirt off over there if they found something but I don't want to have to ship it back. Is anybody familiar with this. Am I just over thinking it or is it a real concern.
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Old 07-22-2014, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Kahala
12,120 posts, read 17,974,188 times
Reputation: 6176
Quote:
Originally Posted by Imdamama View Post
My fear is we will ship it and it gets over there and they find a spec of dirt and turn it away.
If the car is accepted at the mainland port it'll be fine - the shipping company will do an inspection before it is put on the ship.
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Old 07-22-2014, 11:40 PM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
127 posts, read 180,765 times
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Agreed with Whtviper1, as long as it's working over there, it should be OK here. Make sure the shipping company looks all around the car, not just one side. I know someone whose shipping company (carrier actually to get them from FL to CA) picked up the car at night and did not look at the car. When it got to CA, they called him as they saw a cracked window and wouldn't ship it - but to be honest, the guy knew about the crack and was hoping to file a claim - ok, he's a little shady. It gets dirty on the way here BTW, mainly from the ride from Oahu to Kahului (if you choose Matson). I shipped mine over from Texas in May and it was pretty dirty by the time it arrived in Kahului. However, I took it right to the car wash down the street and it was good as "new." I took it to get the safety inspection dude the next day and it passed with flying colors. My car has been in 10+ snowstorms, a hurricane, and a few (illegal) off road expeditions, yet it managed to pass all the emissions and inspections, etc. here. I would suggest getting the car up to snuff in the state it's in now, so you can manage the repairs from there. Otherwise, repairs here may cost a bit more and take longer, since most everything needs to be flown or shipped over.
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Old 07-23-2014, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
4,131 posts, read 7,458,343 times
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If there's any dirt, the shipping company will clean it off. Otherwise they'd be eating the cost to ship it back :P
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Old 07-23-2014, 02:08 PM
 
Location: Hawaii-Puna District
3,752 posts, read 11,533,236 times
Reputation: 2488
Quote:
Originally Posted by Imdamama View Post
We are thinking about shipping our daughter's 2003 Ford Focus to Hawaii. Our mechanic scared us and said that cars get turned away. It is in good shape. No leaks. No broken windows. Everything works. She has lived there long enough now to see how the vehicle inspections work and she has no worries about it passing that. However, she did live in Montana and drove it on a country road so it is dusty and dirty. We will get it cleaned and detailed but I am worried about the USDA (ag inspection). My fear is we will ship it and it gets over there and they find a spec of dirt and turn it away. I am more than happy to spend money for them to wash the dirt off over there if they found something but I don't want to have to ship it back. Is anybody familiar with this. Am I just over thinking it or is it a real concern.
Not sure what is going thru your mechanic's mind?
And yes, you are over-thinking this. Hundreds of vehicles show up in Hawaii each week - maybe thousands. As long as they accept it at the port, its no issue. Just empty it and clean it and have no broken/chipped glass and only 1/4 tank of fuel.
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Old 07-23-2014, 04:57 PM
 
Location: Volcano
12,969 posts, read 28,501,862 times
Reputation: 10760
Quote:
Originally Posted by Imdamama View Post
We will get it cleaned and detailed but I am worried about the USDA (ag inspection). My fear is we will ship it and it gets over there and they find a spec of dirt and turn it away.
Detailing it is unnecessary. A normal car wash should do it. Maybe a spritz with the high pressure wand if there is serious mud buildup on the undercarriage.

Your mechanic doesn't know. The carrier will not accept the car at the port if it won't pass inspection in Hawai'i.
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