Saved £3,800 on customs for a rare 1988 engine block
A client was quoted a massive import fee. We re-classified the shipment correctly under heritage rules and saved them a small fortune.
Julian found a rare 1988 engine block for his flagship project. Customs wanted to charge him standard tax rates like it was a brand-new part. We proved its historical value to the authorities and reduced the bill significantly.
The challenge
The engine block sat in a cold warehouse at the London Gateway port for 12 days. Julian received a duty bill for £4,620. The shipping agents had listed the item as a modern car part. This triggered a 10% import duty and the full 20% VAT.
On top of the tax, the port was charging £42 in storage fees for every day the crate stayed on the floor. Julian was worried he would have to abandon the part or pay more than it was worth. He needed a team that understood the specific UK rules for heritage car components.
Our approach
We started by pulling the factory blueprints for this specific 1988 engine series. Our team of 3 specialists spent 14 hours gathering serial number data and production logs. We contacted our contacts in Italy to get a signed letter verifying the casting date.
Next, we reviewed the HMRC Trade Tariff chapters. We found the specific code for 'collectors' pieces of historical interest'. We drafted a 12-page evidence pack to show the engine was over 30 years old and no longer in production. We handled 9 separate emails with the shipping agent to force a re-calculation of the fees.
The solution
We submitted the evidence pack to the customs team. We successfully argued that the engine should fall under the heritage rate. This changed the VAT from 20% down to just 5%. It also removed the 10% duty entirely.
We didn't stop there. We also challenged the storage fees. We proved the delay was caused by the agent's initial filing error. This got 6 days of warehouse charges removed from the final invoice. Once cleared, we sent our own van to pick up the block and bring it to our Bristol workshop for a full inspection.
Results
Julian saved a large amount of cash and avoided a long legal battle with the port authorities.
Timeline
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August 4, 2024Engine block arrived at UK port
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August 7, 2024Julian sent us the high duty bill
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August 12, 2024Heritage evidence pack submitted to HMRC
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August 15, 2024Customs clearance granted at lower rate
"I was skeptical because the shipping company said the bill was final. FC Azerbaijan proved them wrong. They saved me over £3,800 which paid for the gearbox rebuild."