People sometimes worry that a car from the desert has been cooked. It is a fair thought: you have seen what a Gulf summer does to a car left in an open car park. In practice the effects are predictable. They show up in the same places on almost every car, and most of them are cheap to put right.
This guide walks through what heat and sand typically do, the one big advantage a Gulf car has over a UK car, and what to look at before it sails and after it lands.
What years of Gulf summers do
Heat and strong sunlight are hard on anything made of rubber, plastic or paint. That doesn't make the car worn out, but certain parts age faster than they would here, and they are worth checking rather than assuming.
Rubber seals, bushes and wiper blades
Rubber dries out and hardens in sustained heat. Door and window seals can shrink or crack, suspension bushes can perish, and wiper blades often go brittle. Wipers rarely get much use in the Gulf, so it is common to find a set that has quietly baked to the glass.
Tyres
Tyres deserve their own warning. A car that does modest mileage in the Gulf can keep the same tyres for years, and they can still look perfectly good, with plenty of tread. Age and sun do the damage, not wear.
Every tyre carries a date code on the sidewall showing the week and year it was made. Check it. Look closely between the tread blocks and on the sidewalls too, because fine sun cracking is easy to miss at a glance.
Batteries
Heat is hard on car batteries. A battery that has done several Gulf summers may be closer to the end of its life than it seems, and the change of climate can be the moment it gives up.
Plastics and the dashboard
Interior plastics and dashboards take a beating from sunlight through the glass. Fading, a sticky or chalky feel, and cracking on top of the dash are all typical signs. Exterior plastic trim can fade and go grey as well.
Paint and lacquer
The roof and bonnet face the sun all day, and they show it first. Clear lacquer can turn cloudy, then start to peel, whilst the sides of the same car still look fine. It is worth standing on a step to look at the roof properly.
Air filters and sand
Fine sand and dust get everywhere. Engine air filters and cabin filters often clog faster than on a UK car, and sand can settle in door shuts, under trim and around the engine bay. A fresh set of filters is a sensible, inexpensive start to UK life.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning on a Gulf car works harder than almost any other system on it. It is often the most used part of the car. If it isn't blowing cold, or makes unhappy noises, find out why before you rely on it.
The upside: very little rust
A Gulf car is usually far cleaner underneath than a UK car of the same age, which surprises people.
Rust needs moisture, and UK cars get plenty of it, along with salt spread on the roads every winter. Inland Gulf cars live in dry air and never see a gritter. Their floors, subframes and brake lines are often in a condition a UK owner would envy.
There are exceptions. Cars kept close to the coast can pick up corrosion from humid, salty air. And a car that spent earlier years somewhere wetter, including cars imported into the Gulf from elsewhere, may have brought that history with it. So it is still worth a proper look underneath.
That dry underside is one of the main reasons people bring Gulf cars home, particularly older and classic cars. It is worth protecting once the car is here.
What to check before it sails
A little time in the Gulf saves trouble later. Before you hand the car over, it is worth running through these.
- Tyre date codes and sidewalls, front and rear, and the spare if there is one.
- The battery: how old it is and whether it starts the car happily.
- Wiper blades, door seals and any obvious perished rubber.
- The roof and bonnet paint, from above, in good light.
- The air conditioning, run from cold, on a hot day.
- Underneath, particularly if the car lived on the coast or came from elsewhere.
- Any service history, kept together, ready to travel with the car.
You don't have to fix everything before it leaves. Knowing what you have means you can decide where it is better or easier to do the work, and there are no surprises when the car arrives.
What we check when it arrives
Containers are unloaded at our own site in Castle Donington, Derby, so the first people to look the car over properly are the team who will be working on it. The car is then prepared for its UK test, whether that is the IVA for cars under 10 years old or the MOT for older cars.
Tests look closely at the things heat attacks: tyres, wipers, lights and the condition of safety-related parts. If something that has aged in the sun needs attention to pass, we tell you before any work is done. It means you stay in control of what is spent on the car.
Your online portal keeps you up to date as the car moves through each stage, from arrival to registration.
The first UK winter
Your car has spent its life in a climate that never sees frost, rain for weeks on end or salted roads. The first UK winter is a change of scene for it, as well as for you.
Salt on the roads
Councils grit the roads with salt when ice is forecast. Salt and moisture together are what that clean Gulf underside has never met. Many owners consider underbody protection before the first winter, and a regular rinse underneath through the colder months does no harm either.
Cold starts and the battery
A cold morning asks more of a battery than a warm one. If the battery has done years of Gulf summers, the first proper frost is often when it shows its age. Having it tested in the autumn is a small job that can save a morning stuck on the drive.
Wipers, lights and tyres
You will use the wipers and lights far more here than you did in the Gulf. Fresh blades, clean lenses and tyres with decent tread and sensible age all earn their keep from October onwards.
Bringing a Gulf car home
Heat and sand leave their mark, but it is usually the kind of mark a set of tyres, a battery and some fresh rubber will put right. Against that, you often get a body that is cleaner underneath than anything you would find for sale here.
If you would like to know what bringing your car home involves, send us the details through the quote form. Someone at My Car Import will look at it and build a quote around your car, with no obligation to go ahead.
Questions people ask
Do Gulf cars rust?
Usually far less than UK cars, because the air is dry and the roads are never salted. Cars kept near the coast in humid areas, and cars that spent earlier years somewhere wetter, can be the exception, so it is still worth a look underneath.
Should I replace the tyres before shipping?
Check the age first. Every tyre carries a date code on the sidewall, and a tyre can look healthy while being old and sun-cracked. If they are old or cracked, plan to replace them, either before the car leaves or once it arrives in the UK.
Does a Gulf car need anything for its first UK winter?
It is worth thinking about. UK roads are salted in winter, which the underside of a Gulf car has never met, so many owners consider underbody protection. Cold mornings also test a battery that has spent years in the heat.