Importing a 3rd Gen to the UK...

[Geekfest84]

Hi all!

As above really, I'm looking at the possibility (in all fairness it's highly probable, just trying to work out cost) of importing a 3rd Gen to the UK. Given my budget (I want to spend as little as possible to be fair ) it'll probably something around 2008-2012, with probably around 200k to 250k miles on the clock.

I'm thinking that straight after getting over here I need to give it a full service, replace the timing chain kit (Inc guides) and the cam phasers as a just in case/preventative maintenance measure kinda thing? Would there be anything else that would be a good thing to do before I start using it? Maybe a gearbox oil and filter change?

Quick question to any 3rd gen owners in the UK already, how did you sort out amber indicators on the rear of your expedition? I'm not sure whether or not I'd need to fit some UK legal rear lamps (if such things exist for the 3rd gen expedition) or if I need to modify the existing tail lamp units?

Thanks all

 

[Gumbyalso]

I have an '11 4WD Eddie Bauer (if they hadn't been in a dispute with Eddie Bauer that year). I think Ford called it an XLT+ when I bought it in 2011. I now have 302k on it. Cam phasers are original. Only engine work was replacing all lifters and rocker arms at 250k. That cured my tick for a while. You might want to add lifters and rocker arms to your list. Though my front hubs are also original that's another thing you should think about if you're going to buy one with 250k on it. I would think you could still find a low mileage somewhere in the US for not a lot of money. When I was in my late 20s in 1984 visiting England I decided after a few beers that it was a good idea to import a 72 Silver Shadow. Turns out it wasn't such a good idea. It was held together by rust and bondo. I couldn't afford parts and had no access to manuals. Right hand drive made driving more exciting than I wanted it to be. The US Department of Transportation sent me a letter demanding that I have it crushed before I finally (kind of) met the US standards. Fortunately I sold it and broke even. My experience importing a car could have been better. And having racked up a couple thousand kms on UK roads, I was happy to be driving a compact SUV instead of my Expedition. Those are some narrow roads, especially when a large lorry is headed the opposite way and there is zero space between you and a stone wall. Good luck with your import.

 

[Gary Waugh]

In case it gives you an idea, when I imported my 3rd gen expedition to the UK back in 2004 I just bolted some round orange indicator lenses from a mini to the rear lens cluster (didn’t want to make holes in the body), it didn’t look that great but met the legal requirements and passed the MOT testing. I ran an extra wire from the brake switch to the two rear brake lights and modified the wiring in the indicator switch so that the brake switch didn’t make the indicators light up. Hope that makes sense. Now a days you can probably find small self contained LED orange lights to mount at the rear of the car to be indicators, but I have seen several cars in the UK that have the flashing brake light for an indicator, so maybe the law has changed and a flashing brake light is now legal? Might be worth checking before you modify your car. It’s only the rear brake/indicator lights that need to be changed.