Problems with Mog Import.....Need some opinions.

[mogwildRW1]

Here he is:

http://www.scuderiablackforest.com/

[charlieaarons]

Thanks - I stand corrected. I did remember the Case thing but those were 406 type round cabs. I was unaware that anyone in N. America had legally sold new 435s (at least in quantities greater than one-off at a time), certainly didn't think a MB dealer had sold them.
I hope it's true that we will see new Mogs in the NA or US market again. Euro VI emissions are very close to EPA 2007/10, they are going with the usual EGR/DPF/SCR setup, and they have some new derivatives of the 900 series motors, the 934/936, which are 5.1 and 7.7L. I'm sure the lawsuits related to (mis)use of CTIS weren't encouraging for them...

Charlie

[LukeH]

So you have to ask yourself the questions:
How much restoration work can be done on the insurers back?
How comfortable are you about that sort of "line smudging"?
Do you want a damaged/repaired vehicle when you paid for an undropped one? I fail to see how a cab (or its mounts) could be undamaged with such a twisted drop
Could you get the insurer to write it off completely considering a civilian 1980 U1700 costs 8000 euros on Mobile.de
How do you know the chassis is good? Just putting a Mog on a frame jig is going to cost more than 500 dollars.

I personally would NOT accept a damaged/repaired unit when I paid SO MUCH for an undamaged one.

But then I personally CANNOT BEGIN TO COMPREHEND how mog prices in the US can be so high. I mean look at it:

A 1300 ex mil at VEBEG can be had for 6000 euros (7-8000 if you buy on Mobile or other S/H markets)
A container plus clearing from EU to a US port won't double your price that and RoRo is cheaper.
So the importers are taking a huge markup for poor service and really pathetic handling.

Now think about how much a couple of weeks unpaid leave, a return flight to Germany and some hotels and a bit of tourism are going to cost you...

I'm guessing by the rubbish delivery time the importer is not one of the big players who has his own workshop; he's just a chancer hoping to make an easy buck. Once your Mog is delivered you'll never see him again.

Take your money and run, Fly to Germany and choose the unit yourself, then give it to a competent import/clearing specialist. You'll have it a month or so later and have change.
mogwildrw1, did you organise shipping yourself? If so how much was your flatrack?

That's what I'd do, if I really wanted a noisy, thirsty, slow, go anywhere, tough, lightweight Mog; and I lived in the US.

Every time I see the cost of the ex-mil MB trucks in the US I get a step closer to wanting to ship one or two out myself.
One day I'll quit my job and get to follow this overland passion, I really like the idea of doing something that would help others get a truck.
One day...

[Verkstad]

Sorry to see your distress.

On the bright side as your name is Mjölnir, a couple thumps of your mighty Magic Hammer should set matters right.. Either to the adverse persons or the 'MOG itself.

Sorry, being a smartass aside.
Considering a portal hub parts alone is around 2 grand to repair,( yes I know this firsthand)
I think the insurance estimate so far is too low. Insurance will only pay for whats immediately and visibly damaged, They are going to be very un-cooperative to look for un-detected damages or stressed components that may appear OK right now but cause some early failure later on. Especially so on a used vehicle.

I know its sort of a heartbreaker, But unless the insurance payout is SUBSTANTIAL, I would bail out of this 'MOG.

[dhackney]

Doug Hackney reported that when he shipped his truck RoRo to South America, it was driven onto the ship, but the dock in SA didn't have a RoRo ramp so the truck was lifted off the ship with a sling and crane.

He was there watching, and says it looked like the sling crew were actually competing to see who could do the most damage. They rigged the sling on his truck so that when it tightened up as the crane pulled, the sling cable drug down the side and ripped off the driver's mirror and the first thing he had to do after he got the truck was put it in the body shop to get the broken driver's door fixed.

This retelling of our experiences is not accurate. Our cab and camper box were damaged during unloading on the docks in Valparaiso, Chile. The damage was nowhere near as extensive as yours and did not involve the chassis itself.

I can easily believe that your truck was dropped and bent by the dockworkers.

I can too.


In your case, I think you'd be better off to get your refund and start again.

I don't know anything about Mogs, and I don't know if these are the proper model for you, but there are quite a few listed here: http://www.ljacksonandco.com/index.p...533&Itemid=158

[dwh]

This retelling of our experiences is not accurate. Our cab and camper box were damaged during unloading on the docks in Valparaiso, Chile.

My bad. Call it "old age memory". It's been a while since I read the report.

"The unload crew here unloaded a new Porche Turbo while we were waiting on customs clearance. They cut it off of the Porsche platform and craned it out the same way they did our truck and damaged the Porsche the same way the did our truck. They laughed about it afterwards." [sic]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...325#post155325

[Mjolnir]

So at this point I have decided not to take this truck. Thanks everybody for giving your 2 cents. The big bummer is there is no real chance of me finding a U1300L with OM366A and fast axles in as good a shape as this one for as cheap 27K without going to Germany and finding one. I have no idea where to even start which is why I used an importer in the first place. Back to the drawing board and set back by two years. Not how I saw my first Unimog experience. On the bright side it gives me more time to plan the cabin.

Mjolnir

[LukeH]

Good call IMHO!
Don't despair, the right vehicle will pop up eventually; although I feel the 1017 or more powerful is so much better suited to long distance travel.
You should read Steven Stewart's accounts of mogging across the continents.
When you consider the prices in Europe it's got to be worth a trip.
Bring the family and make a holiday of it (if you can get that much time off).
Happy hunting

[dieselcruiserhead]

Looks like fork lift damage to me as someone probably noted. The parts will be expensive but probably repairable. My guess is insurance will treat you just fine. If you do want the truck and it is decent/not rusty in person, Any decent 4WD vehicle or a handful of people I could probably recommend in BC could repair that easily...

Just my $.02