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      08-21-2019, 08:38 AM   #132
warrenw
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South Korea
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Drives: 19 AW M2C, 21 M340i
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Seoul

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Update - changes, but no change

Well, a lot has changed (but actually very little) since my last update!

Mid June I put my car in a container and shipped it to the US.



I dropped it off June 12th, and June 3rd it hit the port of Long Beach! Then it took about two weeks to clear customs.



Due to the fact I had to surrender my plates in Korea, I had no way of driving it home so I had a friend pick it up for me and drop it at my house.





Then started the saga of getting it registered. I took everything into the DMV, but they rejected me because I only had copies of the customs forms instead of the "wet signature." Have you seen these guys' signatures? It's literally just a line, or an X, or a scribble. Anyway, had to track that down from CBP and have him mail it to me. Meanwhile I needed a smog, VIN verification, EPA certs, etc. Even though it's a brand new US spec car.

The funny part was CBP made me get a letter of conformity from BMW for EPA and DOT conformance even though BOTH are literally listed on the title of the car - which I had provided - and are on stickers in the engine bay of the car, which was technically in his possession.

Anywho, I took everything to the DMV and got it registered. I was really worried that I would have to pay CA use tax on the car, but thankfully my bill of sale was July 12th and I registered in CA on July 14th of the following year, so since that's technically 12 months I was exempt from paying tax.



It's great having the car back in my possession, and it's great being able to drive it on smooth roads! In comparison Korea was like driving on a washboard. I had also forgotten how easy it is to rack up miles too - in a little over a month I've already done an additional 1,200 miles!

My next hurdle is getting ConnectedDrive to work. The Korean VPC disconnected it so I've never had maps, carplay, or anything like that. My phone connects via bluetooth not wifi. I've taken it in twice now, the first time they couldn't help me because I "wasn't in the warranty system yet", the second time I went in they complained they didn't have enough techs since it was Saturday and nobody was there who could code, and now I have an appointment for Monday. Hope they get it working.

After that, I need to take the car in to a friend's shop and have the holes they drilled in my bumper fixed. It's driving me nuts.

Then, I need to track down why my Ohlins are making so much noise. I started a thread on it last week, I'm thinking I need new top hats. There is so much ticking and clacking especially at slow speeds and while turning it's driving me insane.

Future mods? I'm trying to get my competition brakes mailed to me here and I plan on selling the Volks and getting 763's. I love the Volks, but having the downgraded brakes just kind of bothers me a little bit. It's like I'm driving around with something missing.



Just as a side note, it's weird being back. I was gone for 5 years and so much has changed in America since then. Not to mention the stark cultural contrast, I definitely feel out of my element. I'm slowly getting back in the groove though.
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