Jeep
JK-Forum and the pitfalls of running a forum
19/06/10 07:32
I think it was late 2006 that I stumbled upon Project-JK.com. It is a forum for the community interested in Jeep JKs (Jeep Wranglers from 2007 onwards). The site is very nicely designed and the community grew rapidly. The site is run by someone called Eddie aka "Wayoflife" based in California. J33PER met him back in March 2009 at a Project-JK organised event but didn't get a chance to chat. Eddie is an enthusiastic Jeeper himself, runs the business and contributes to the discussions. This blog sets out to dissuade people running such a forum from actively participating themselves.
The business model of JK-Forum is pretty simple; Eddie has designed the site and attracts members to the community who contribute to discussions enthusiastically. Sponsors are gained who provide Eddie with an income. So far so good!
A forum should generally serve the purpose of exchanging views and to inform. As everywhere in life, people's opinions differ. This invariably calls for some moderation of such a forum. Project-JK and JK-Forum are absolutely Eddie's babies and therefore Eddie has a right to do whatever he likes like I do on this site. Eddie also feels that he has a duty to protect the interest of sponsors and this is where things have become interesting. There are rumours out there
The business model of JK-Forum is pretty simple; Eddie has designed the site and attracts members to the community who contribute to discussions enthusiastically. Sponsors are gained who provide Eddie with an income. So far so good!
A forum should generally serve the purpose of exchanging views and to inform. As everywhere in life, people's opinions differ. This invariably calls for some moderation of such a forum. Project-JK and JK-Forum are absolutely Eddie's babies and therefore Eddie has a right to do whatever he likes like I do on this site. Eddie also feels that he has a duty to protect the interest of sponsors and this is where things have become interesting. There are rumours out there
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Importing the JK Part 5
26/10/09 19:28
The deed is done, the JK is finally registered and now has her very own V5 document. She passed her SVA test last week after weeks of waiting. The Jeep was last driven by me on April 16th... Yes, a long wait indeed.
If you've been reading my blog entries before, you will have been aware of my impatience. I used www.shipmycar.co.uk to deal with the process of exporting, shipping, importing, testing and registering my vehicle in the UK. If you're thinking of importing a vehicle from the US yourself, you may find my experience of interest.
So, shipmycar takes care of everything. The time it takes is looong though and I can't help but feel that had I managed the process myself she would have reached my garage here in Somerset a lot sooner. Over the last fifteen years I have been importing goods from the US and perhaps I should have used that expoerience and decided to do everything myself. If you are a control freak just like me then I suggest you go for that option.
However, if you're not too familiar with exporting and importing, shipmycar is probably an excellent option for you. Once the Jeep was sent for its proper SVA test, shipmycar had prepared the vehicle with quite a lot of care and I can't fault the shape the Jeep was in when I picked her up on Friday. She was spotless and the reversing light and fog light were neatly put in place (albeit in a precarious place considering I will do some serious off-road driving in her). All the electrics work absolutely fine.
I shipped the Jeep from Los Angeles which takes 35 days. If you ship from New York, your car will only be on theAtlantic for seven days. This tells me that undoubtedly I should have driven her from LA to NY. That would have been a great journey and saved me lots of time.
So, long story short; the guys at www.shipmycar.co.uk are nice enough and have done a good job. The overall time it takes is way too long and I think they should be able to do a lot better on that with better planning.
If you've been reading my blog entries before, you will have been aware of my impatience. I used www.shipmycar.co.uk to deal with the process of exporting, shipping, importing, testing and registering my vehicle in the UK. If you're thinking of importing a vehicle from the US yourself, you may find my experience of interest.
So, shipmycar takes care of everything. The time it takes is looong though and I can't help but feel that had I managed the process myself she would have reached my garage here in Somerset a lot sooner. Over the last fifteen years I have been importing goods from the US and perhaps I should have used that expoerience and decided to do everything myself. If you are a control freak just like me then I suggest you go for that option.
However, if you're not too familiar with exporting and importing, shipmycar is probably an excellent option for you. Once the Jeep was sent for its proper SVA test, shipmycar had prepared the vehicle with quite a lot of care and I can't fault the shape the Jeep was in when I picked her up on Friday. She was spotless and the reversing light and fog light were neatly put in place (albeit in a precarious place considering I will do some serious off-road driving in her). All the electrics work absolutely fine.
I shipped the Jeep from Los Angeles which takes 35 days. If you ship from New York, your car will only be on theAtlantic for seven days. This tells me that undoubtedly I should have driven her from LA to NY. That would have been a great journey and saved me lots of time.
So, long story short; the guys at www.shipmycar.co.uk are nice enough and have done a good job. The overall time it takes is way too long and I think they should be able to do a lot better on that with better planning.
A tense morning...
19/10/09 19:51
This morning I started off a bit tense since my Jeep was going to be tested for Single Vehicle Application. The good news is that it passed! So well done to the guys at Shipmycar.co.uk! Credit where it's due!
So what is up next? Well, it needs to be registered now with the DVLA which takes time, they may want to see the vehicle so we're not quite there yet. However, I'm forever hopeful but doubt very much whether we'll be able to get it all done for the Mille Rivieres event in France. We probably have to wait until next year for that one...
Now I can start thinking about getting the top painted and all the bits sorted out like the Bleutooth iPhone connector etc. Wouldn't it be handy if Mikey was here! To be continued!
So what is up next? Well, it needs to be registered now with the DVLA which takes time, they may want to see the vehicle so we're not quite there yet. However, I'm forever hopeful but doubt very much whether we'll be able to get it all done for the Mille Rivieres event in France. We probably have to wait until next year for that one...
Now I can start thinking about getting the top painted and all the bits sorted out like the Bleutooth iPhone connector etc. Wouldn't it be handy if Mikey was here! To be continued!
Importing the JK Part 4
17/10/09 11:31
Two weeks ago today I made the journey to Milton Keynes to get wheels and tyres that are road legal which were made so kindly available to me by Vince and Rachel. It was good to see the JK for the first time on British soil... Not much had been done to it... Anyway, long story short, yes, on Monday 19 October the JK will undergo the SVA test (or is it IVA now, well whatever...). Shipmycar is quietly confident it will pass. J33PER can't help but wonder how long the process takes to get his hands on it but I'm not even wanting to think about the next stage yet to avoid disappointment.
Your webmaster however is not allowing himself to get too excited! The last time the JK was driven by me was on April 16th which is exactly six months ago plus a day... Rubbish isn't it!
Perhaps I should've gone to this Shipmycar.com site...
Your webmaster however is not allowing himself to get too excited! The last time the JK was driven by me was on April 16th which is exactly six months ago plus a day... Rubbish isn't it!
Perhaps I should've gone to this Shipmycar.com site...
Importing the JK Part 3
21/09/09 06:18
Patience is not J33PER's virtue! The saga of the Jeep's import is still going on. This week, we were meant to be on holiday in the South of France driving the JK. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The JK was not SVA tested last week and it isn't going to happen for another two weeks. On the positive side, Shipmycar.co.uk now have ample of time to get the proper Jeep parts fitted to the Jeep as requested. So when should we expect to finally be able to drive her? Well, your guess is as good as mine. It's a jolly long process and trying my patience...
Importing the JK Part 2
15/09/09 23:03
It's the day before the JK is undergoing its SVA test. In any case, that was the plan according to Shipmycar. It arrived at their depot in Milton Keynes yesterday so they have literally a day and a half to prep the Jeep. From day one I insisted they use proper Jeep/Mopar parts and offered them part numbers. First things first; let's hope it passes and secondly that they used the right parts. Imagine some nasty Land Rover parts being used to make it road legal in the UK! Anyway, must stay positive and keep fingers, legs and arms crossed for tomorrow. If it doesn't pass, you can expect another blog entry containing strong language tomorrow!
Importing the JK Part 1
07/09/09 07:14
After having spent a year in the US, it was time to get the JK to the UK. After lots of research, J33PER found www.shipmycar.co.uk, got in touch and decided they should deal with the import. After having paid half the total cost, paperwork and instructions arrived in March 2009. On my trip to Easter Jeep Safari, the title document was dropped of to the shipping company in Gardena which is close to LAX. The actual vehicle finally got to the shippers on June 5th after the hardtop was exchanged due to a crack. Finally, on around the 16th of August shipmycar.co.uk got in touch to say that the vehicle was about to arrive. On August 24th J33PER received notice from HM Customs that the JK was cleared through customs. The way that shipmycar.co.uk works is that they set out the timescales at the beginning and if you don't hear anything all is running as expected. It is now September 7th and I am getting very itchy! Has the vehicle had any work done on it yet (indicators, lenses, rear light cluster and fog light)? Has it passed the SVA test? Has the SVA test been booked? You're not meant to contact shipmycar.co.uk and I don't want to make a nuisance of myself. The next time I should hear from shipmycar.co.uk is when they want an insurance cover note so that the JK can get a proper UK V5 document. The waiting goes on....
