trafford

Hoping someone can help me regarding fair charges for steam cleaning. Our container arrived recently and the NZ shipping agents have sent us a letter from biosecurity requiring two cars and two bikes to be steam cleaned. The charges seem pretty damn high. We have been quoted $600NZD for each car, and $275NZD for each bike. Particularly annoying was the fact that both the cars and bikes were cleaned before shipment. There is no way around this it seems. What made me laugh/cry was to avoid the $275 charge for cleaning each bike, we could pay $375 each for destruction!!!

Northern Henry

Ouch! exactly how did you clean them in UK...? Did you get the underside done?

trafford

Cars and bikes were steam cleaned! Underneath and engine bay done for cars. And inside vacuumed.

m0rk

Push Bikes, or Motorbikes?

I don't fancy having all my bikes (cycles) steam cleaned

trafford

Bicycles.

BEVS

DAft question probably but did you provide the steam clean paperwork evidence when you submitted your MAF papers this end?

trafford

The international movers did all the paperwork (except the forms I had to fill in). We had the cars cleaned before taking them to the movers and they cleaned them again just to make sure. But we had no paperwork and I'm not sure if the movers provided any. Would this help next time? We have 2 other cars and a container still to go, so if I can avoid this happening again, I will get paperwork if it would help. Thanks for the tip.

MrsFychan

we had our car professionally cleaned, I photographed it being done and left the paperwork and invoice visible in the car before it was put onto the container at our house. as for bikes we cleaned with Vikal, I think it was called, recommended by the removal firm but hear that Jeyes is also good. as long as it smells bleachy and looks clean from my should be all good. but then again you won't know how long the container is going to stand still at anyone port, and what creepy crawlers are already on the container or will get on it so if MAF see cobwebs they are going to want it cleaned again anyway, thats my understanding

BEVS

Among those forms would have been the one where you declare anything that might be of interest to MAF and what you did to clean that.

I think THIS ONE ( link works)

i.e. tools - cleaned with Jeyes fluid.

Cars - steam cleaned by xxxx

Walking boots etc.

You would have filled that out and the Shipper would & should have provided that to MAF with the rest of the paperwork. If the Shippers had the cars professionally cleaned then they should have the paperwork to cover that as it would be part of their accounts.

Those fees seem a bit steep to me.

Another link MAF biosecurity


edit to add... motor cars and bikes will always be inspected but that is not necessarily so for other items including cycles.

jmh

I was charged $218 (plus GST) for a 'quarantine treatment' for my bike and a woollen floor rug. I hadn't cleaned either beforehand so I knew it was a risk. Also they had been in storage for 2 years so the bike had cobwebs on. The MAFF clearance certificate said they needed a vacuum and wash. Neither looked washed to me when I got them!

Oddly, my garden furniture, which they checked but didn't clean, had cobwebs on too when it arrived.

trafford

Thanks for the links BEVS. I don't think I completed that particular form but I did fill in an unaccompanied personal baggage declaration. It included cars and bikes but did not specifically ask about cleanliness etc, so I didn't state anything, nor did the shippers ask for any. Next time I will make sure to attach copy invoices for cleaning as MrsFychan suggests, and also send them with the baggage forms.

Bonitarosa

I've been steam cleaning everything myself. I'm hoping this is okay as they don't smell of bleach! As for the car I've had one shipping company tell me not to bother with the underside, just take it to a hand car was as they'll want to do a the underside regardless of having been cleaned here or not. Another company said yes do it all here including underneath. Where did you take your cars to be cleaned underneath?!

MrsFychan

we got someone round to do ours on our driveway, steam cleaned inside, underneath engine and inside and I took photo's as they went. Photo's of their van and put these and the paperwork in the car for MAF to see if needed. we had no cleaning requirements this side. (our car was put on to the container at our house so was not driven on the road after the steam clean apart from about 20 ft to get it on the container.
there is also talk that you have to drain as much petrol out of the car before loading but not sure who's requirement that is.

Bonitarosa

Thanks MrsFychan I'll look into someone coming to do it on the drive then. How many days in advance of loading onto the container do you think ? I've read on here that everything needs to be really dry for obvious reasons.

MrsFychan

we had ours done I think the week before inside and out then he came back the day before removal guy turned up to do a quick once over on the outside and made sure the tyres were free from stones etc. Lovely guy was really helpful