Buying a new Truck for import to europe

Silverado_DXB · May 21, 2019

You could opt getting a Silverado from Dubai, GCC spec. No problem sending them to Europe, and they have km/h cluster e.g.

movario · May 21, 2019

I already bought one, so that`s not an option anymore

I asked my dealer about the sticker, and he said that there isn`t one. I can`t check by myself because the car is 5200mi away from me.

I already wrote GM about getting a new sticker, any other information?

Could someone with an 2014 5.3l V8 4x4 CrewCab Standard Bed send me a picture of this sticker? I know that the VIN is printed on it, so i need to get one by myself, but as the other data probably won`t change, I can already order the documents.

EDIT: Or is at that sticker in the attachment? Because that`s the only one I have.

Edited May 21, 2019 by movario

Gagliano7 · May 21, 2019

On 4/26/2019 at 12:57 AM, flyingfool said:

get the base Work truck with a 6.2 and 375 gears and 6 speed, the less technology the better .. I've seen the analog gauges on Saudi trucks look different, you might need a different gauge cluster calibrated in Metric system . lol

If that was possible that would be the truck i would own but the only way to get the 6.2 is with the higher trims and has to have a double cab or crew cab.

L86 All Terrain · May 21, 2019

Do you have a GM dealer in Switzerland? If not, you're going to be screwed the first time you need a transmission update or some warranty work. Almost all of these trucks need some sort of in-house computer interface to work on them these days. There are more software updates than actual break-down problems with these trucks, mine 2015 with 20,000 miles has had over 5 software updates. What are you going to do when your truck needs an update that no one in Switzerland can provide? Are you going to mail your ECU or TCM to America to have it updated and being without a truck for 2 months? If I were you, I would opt for a 1981 4x4 with a carbureted 350, and least that way you wont have to export it to work on it.

movario · May 21, 2019

Nope, no GM dealers in switzerland. We have some chevrolet dealers, but they only sell the korean chevys or the corvette. So no support from them. Well, I have to work out a way for the updates. I still have some other cars, so leaving the truck for 2 months wouldn't be that much of an issue. But switzerland has some of Dodge Ram, Ford F-Series and GMC / Chevy drivers, so somehow, it must be doable :D, as none of these cars are sold officially in switzerland, so no support from the manufacturers. Also, we have some dealers here that have the original software from GM, so software updates shouldn't be a showstopper.

But sure, you`re right, it won`t be as easy as it would be in the states.

Edited May 21, 2019 by movario

NomadicCPO · May 21, 2019

Having been stationed in Europe and driven through most of the Western European countries, there is no way I would personally want to own a full-size truck there. Narrow roads, tiny parking spaces, a generally liberal attitude when it comes to trading paint, and gas prices that make you want to cry....that’s a hard pass for me.

To each their own though. Good luck!

Madcow2020 · May 22, 2019

Yeah I forgot the new trucks have one of those scan codes you use your phone to get the vehicle data sticker information. That’s if I am recalling correctly.

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Silverado_DXB · May 22, 2019

5 hours ago, Madcow2020 said:

Yeah I forgot the new trucks have one of those scan codes you use your phone to get the vehicle data sticker information. That’s if I am recalling correctly.

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I scanned mine, and see the chassis number, year, truck type and then a whole bunch of 3 letter/number codes. How to decode that?

Edited May 22, 2019 by Silverado_DXB

movario · May 22, 2019

10 hours ago, NomadicCPO said:

Having been stationed in Europe and driven through most of the Western European countries, there is no way I would personally want to own a full-size truck there. Narrow roads, tiny parking spaces, a generally liberal attitude when it comes to trading paint, and gas prices that make you want to cry....that’s a hard pass for me.

To each their own though. Good luck!

Well, I have a second car, so driving into the city won`t be a problem. You have to look out a little more, but I tow a trailer with my work car almost all day, which is much longer than the truck, and that works out aswell.

With european cars, you have a much better fuel economy. But you always have to fight bad reliability and huge repaircosts. US-Car repairs and parts are cheap compared to european cars. At the moment, I drive a 2010 BMW F11 530d. The engine was already replaced which would have costed me 24000$ if the warranty hadn`t covered it. And for that money, I can burn a lot fuel.

And you can`t really compare Switzerland to the rest of europe. Sure, we don`t have as much space as in Germany oder the US. But, for example, I can drive my truck as a commercial vehicle and will even save taxes compared to my BMW. And because it`s a gas engine, it`s not banned in the cities, like the diesel are nowadays. Also is the fuel, compared to the average income, cheaper than in most european countries.

But overall, yes, there would be smarter and cheaper ways of transportation than driving a full size truck, and there will be moments where I will think that a smaller car would have been better. But on the other hand, I have the desire to drive a full size truck, and there is only one solution to that.

Back to topic: I wrote GM and hope they`re able to give me an answer to that issue regarding the sticker.

Madcow2020 · May 22, 2019

I scanned mine, and see the chassis number, year, truck type and then a whole bunch of 3 letter/number codes. How to decode that?

They are RPO codes they tell you how the vehicle is equipped. Just type in Gm RPO the 3 characters in google and you’ll find out what they are.

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Wiggums · May 22, 2019

For the 2018 models and before, the Mexican Silverado (called Cheyenne) didn't have California emissions. I was just there and it seems for 2019, all the Cheyenne with the 5.3 V8 on the lot had California emissions.

Does the VIN on the truck start with a 1 or a 3? If it's 3, it's Mexican-made and more likely has the California emissions on it. Quality and reliability between Mexican and American made Silverado trucks are identical, disregard the concerns over it.

Having been to Saudi Arabia, the GMC and Chevrolet is definitely cheaper. I forgot to mention that I also noticed a lot of American cars in the Netherlands, there are plenty of smaller specialized dealerships selling American cars not intended for the European market. I saw fewer in Germany though, but there's still some around. I know a couple who imported a Mexican Ford Lobo in Germany that didn't have California emissions (which was legal), but I can confirm that a Mexican-made SIlverado now has California emissions on it. However, some American-made Silverado trucks don't have California emissions.

One mentioned Dubai, good idea. I recall the prices of Chevrolet Suburbans being quite a bit cheaper in Saudi Arabia when I was there ten years ago. I suppose it's the same for other GCC's, I've never been to Dubai or the others, just Riyadh and Jeddah.

Wiggums · May 22, 2019

7 minutes ago, Wiggums said:

For the 2018 models and before, the Mexican Silverado (called Cheyenne) didn't have California emissions. I was just there and it seems for 2019, all the Cheyenne with the 5.3 V8 on the lot had California emissions.

Does the VIN on the truck start with a 1 or a 3? If it's 3, it's Mexican-made and more likely has the California emissions on it. Quality and reliability between Mexican and American made Silverado trucks are identical, disregard the concerns over it.

Having been to Saudi Arabia, the GMC and Chevrolet is definitely cheaper. I forgot to mention that I also noticed a lot of American cars in the Netherlands, there are plenty of smaller specialized dealerships selling American cars not intended for the European market. I saw fewer in Germany though, but there's still some around. I know a couple who imported a Mexican Ford Lobo in Germany that didn't have California emissions (which was legal), but I can confirm that a Mexican-made SIlverado now has California emissions on it. However, some American-made Silverado trucks don't have California emissions.

One mentioned Dubai, good idea. I recall the prices of Chevrolet Suburbans being quite a bit cheaper in Saudi Arabia when I was there ten years ago. I suppose it's the same for other GCC's, I've never been to Dubai or the others, just Riyadh and Jeddah. But I didn't check for California emissions that time and I highly doubt it if they're American made.

movario · May 22, 2019

To clarify that issue regarding the california emissions. The 2014 truck I bought (and originally sold) in TN is California Certified. And I looked at a lot of trucks allover the US, and requested the emissions tag, and I haven`t found one that wasn`t california certified.

Edited May 22, 2019 by movario

movario · June 5, 2019

Next thing on my list is the trailer connector. As we have in europe a 13-pin-connector, I need to change it.

Are the lights controlled by the CAN-Bus, or can I just splice the additional cables into the harness without getting lighting errors?

The most difficult thing to do is getting a separated blinker signal. Because I will tow mostly european trailers, I need a separate signal for blinker, brake light and tail lights. Or is the lightning already separated on the truck, like on the 2001 Tahoe with it`s yellow turn signals? If not, I need to check wiring diagrams and get the signal directly from the indicator switch.

Most important thing: Is the lightning CAN-Bus controlled, so that I`ll need a separate control device? Or can I just splice it into the wires?

movario · June 19, 2019

On 5.6.2019 at 11:33 PM, movario said:

Next thing on my list is the trailer connector. As we have in europe a 13-pin-connector, I need to change it.

Are the lights controlled by the CAN-Bus, or can I just splice the additional cables into the harness without getting lighting errors?

The most difficult thing to do is getting a separated blinker signal. Because I will tow mostly european trailers, I need a separate signal for blinker, brake light and tail lights. Or is the lightning already separated on the truck, like on the 2001 Tahoe with it`s yellow turn signals? If not, I need to check wiring diagrams and get the signal directly from the indicator switch.

Most important thing: Is the lightning CAN-Bus controlled, so that I`ll need a separate control device? Or can I just splice it into the wires?

No one an idea?

Or does anyone have access to a wiring diagram?

It`s a 2014 Silverado

Edited June 19, 2019 by movario