We imported our 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 3dr to Germany this summer, which we've come to regret. Can't believe the red tape over here and after nearly three months of modifications and technical data faxed back and forth to and from the US we're still waiting to have it cleared by TUV, the German equivalent to DMV. The last points which now need to be clarified are: the maximum speed (yep, you'd think that would be obvious by just looking at the speedo) and how "loud" the car is (I'm sure there is some technical term and this is directly translated). Can anyone help?

About 110mph.

Speedo NEVER reflects how fast the car can go...
My Speedo is at 160.. There is No Way I can get my car up to 160

the focus is speed limited at 108 from the factory.

as for how loud, i believe they are talking about the sound decibels. I'd have to dig a bit to find that out

the focus is speed limited at 108 from the factory.



Really??? Is there a way to override that?[deviltail]

get a custom tune that has the Speed limiter disabled [thumb]

I knew a dude that takes his SVTF overseas. He had to have the headlights and turn signals modified, I never heard about any other stuff......

You should have just bought a euro foci, then have it transported back here when you returned......THAT would have been better

Ouch>>>>>>>>>>>>

hmmm i agree with blue you shoulda just kep tht eofucs in the states or sold it and bought a new car when you got to germany, it woulda been a lot less hassle

agreed with the selling point. Could of basically got the same focus over there too.

Yeah should have gotten an Euro ST

umm guys, they have the car imported already so the comments arent really helping any. kinda like if we imported an st, we'd have alot of hoops to jump through to get it certified. maybe they just wanted something different than they could get over there, kinda like us here.

now... does anyone know the decibel level of the exhaust?

the focus is speed limited at 108 from the factory.

as for how loud, i believe they are talking about the sound decibels. I'd have to dig a bit to find that out

is that limited to all foci including SVT?? i didnt know that..

i personally would have kept my focus in storage here, bought one up there like an st170... thats just my opinion...

is that limited to all foci including SVT?? i didnt know that..

no the SVT is not limited like the others. i have had mine past 108. as for the desibles. it couldn't posibly be that loud. maybe like 10-20 decibles. that is just a guess though so don't quote me on that.

Check this informative thread
I just did this (brought my car over from the US) and it was easy peasy lemon squeezy! As long as you do it within a year of moving here, you save a crapload of taxes. Shipping from Los Angeles, insurance for a 10K worth car, and shipping from the port in Bremen to Munich was 1,500 euros. It's right now getting the initial TUV reporting done (as it's the first Infiniti in Germany) and we expect a few minor 'adjustments' to bring it up to German standards.. but all in all cheaper than buying a car here. (I should say a 'comparible' car here... as mine is a 4 door sedan, with all leather, kickass stereo and sunroof...) If you are curious how it all works out in the end, pm me in a few weeks!
EU conformity is indeed the big issue. I have owned a few American vehicles, both in the Uk and Germany. Cars registered in EU countries must conform to EU regulations - cars registered before these restrictions came into effect are exempt but new registrations are not.

Manufacturers like GM and Ford make different variants of their models for the European market. The differences include:-

Speedometer & odometer in Kmh - most modern cars can switch between Kmh and Mph - sometimes it is requires dealer programming;

Combined Stop and Turn lights - have to be changed - not too expensive;

Lights must have EU approval (CE logo) - this is not an expensive conversion - just fit some German made lights e.g. Hella (I found my local TUV didn't like Cibie, resumably because they are French and not German);

Headlight dipping adjstment - this is usually not too expensive to retrofit;

Tyres must also have EU approval (CE logo) - this can start getting expensive;

Window glass must have EU approval (CE logo) - all windows, not just the windscreen - if you have to change all the windows, it simply is not worth it.

http://www.tuev-sued.de/car_vehicles

http://www.toytowngermany.com/lofi/index.php/t39236.html

Good info.

is it a stock exhaust on the car? we're trying to find out dB level and dont know if its stock...lol

Thanks, that will help. Yeah, we should have sold the car in the US etc. but we did our homework before we left and according to sources on the internet it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to import it over here. Nevermind, we learnt a lesson.

yes it is a stock, thanks.

Are you (or your spouse) military? If so then why not get a base plate and save the hassle?

For European ZETEC 2.0L models top speed was on paper 205km/h .... if you still have governor in your car it's limited to around 175km/h.

If I were u...I would do all the papework in one of those Eastern EU countries and then bring it to the Germany...it's not that far away (Czech/Slovak republic).... where u can give someone few $ and have id done...I think it's possible because they are part of EU...

Hi there,
To get back to the dB level, I did a quick search and found this: inside a running car the normal or accepted dB level is 70. Measured from a distance of 25ft the level should be 80 dB. Now I don't remember how this is measured in Germany (too long I've been out of there), meaning from a distance or right up the exhaust. If it is measured close to the exhaust then I guess it should stay under 93 dB to be at all legal.
Hope this helps you out a bit.
Cheers, Paul.

Thanks for all the useful information, guys. I have now got most of the information I need, the car has had head lights, indicators etc. changed over, windows did not need changing which is a huge saving. I expect the approval papers from TUV this week. Also managed to get good second-hand winter wheels this weekend, so now we can get cracking!

Cheers
Christina

My friend had a car imported to europe and the best thing that he could do was to take it to the local dealership there and have them modify the computer to european standards!! it was fairly simple, the same rule applies to european cars imported to the US. Bring it to a local dealer and have them reconfigure the computer. Most of the red tape can be cleared just by having a local dealer work on it!!

get a porsche