Got 90% of my registration process completed yesterday. Just need to go back and get the final safety check after I figure out how I'm going to "mount" my front plate. Thanks again to the awesome folks who came before me and put together the tips and tricks document. It really helped! I did run into a few issues during the process though and wanted to share just in case. I'll preface everything with the biggest problem I had was with the Bill of Lading. When I took delivery, the SC gave me a copy of the Honolulu Freight Service trucking receipt (looks like a print screen from a web page) and copies of receipts from Horizon Lines for the 40 ft. container the car came in. I specifically asked Jimmy when I took delivery about an original and he said that was all there was available. YMMV, but here were my experiences. I also shared these comments with the SC team and my DS, just in case there's anything that can be done for future deliveries.
Safety check location: Bavarian Motor Experts - no issues. Will be returning early next week to get the final safety check.
DMV Location: Fort St. Mall
@ State Tax Department:
I went around 12:30 on Friday. I could not find the EV stalls on the Mauka side of the building. Not a big deal, since there's lots of (free) street parking on Punchbowl & Halekauwila St. and restaurant row is a short walk and they have free chargers there (but you have to pay for parking). I waited about 10 mins after I pulled my ticket to get called. The tax department clerk gave me a hard time with paying my use tax, because they could not determine if the shipping costs to Hawaii were paid. I explained that the "destination and regulatory doc fee" on the final purchase configuration sheet includes shipping, however I think they would like to see it explicitly stated someplace in the configuration or MVPA. They were also confused with the copy of the bill of lading documentation, why it was a copy and why there was not a shipping cost printed someplace on it.
@ C&C DMV (Fort St. Mall)
I spent almost an hour at the DMV because: (a) I needed to fill out an original application for registration (they wouldn't accept the copy provided at delivery (I was prepared for this - thanks!); (b) I didn't have an original bill of lading; and (c) the copy of the bill of lading lacked a signature that they would accept. They asked me multiple times why I didn't have an original BOL document - this seems to be a key issue for them. In the end, they made me sign something as the registered owner attesting that I brought the car here and I didn't have a shipping document as evidence, but that was after multiple back and forth with the clerk and her supervisor.
Also, they gave me a June 2014 registration sticker even though it's August now, so I'm losing out on one month of registration fees. The clerk explained the one year registration period starts based on the date the car landed here, which was July 31 per the BOL documentation I provided. The timing is just like the safety checks - doesn't matter what day in the month it is. It's just bad timing really, but FYI for those with cars that arrive near the end of the month. Registration fee was approx $400.
Safety check location: Bavarian Motor Experts - no issues. Will be returning early next week to get the final safety check.
DMV Location: Fort St. Mall
@ State Tax Department:
I went around 12:30 on Friday. I could not find the EV stalls on the Mauka side of the building. Not a big deal, since there's lots of (free) street parking on Punchbowl & Halekauwila St. and restaurant row is a short walk and they have free chargers there (but you have to pay for parking). I waited about 10 mins after I pulled my ticket to get called. The tax department clerk gave me a hard time with paying my use tax, because they could not determine if the shipping costs to Hawaii were paid. I explained that the "destination and regulatory doc fee" on the final purchase configuration sheet includes shipping, however I think they would like to see it explicitly stated someplace in the configuration or MVPA. They were also confused with the copy of the bill of lading documentation, why it was a copy and why there was not a shipping cost printed someplace on it.
@ C&C DMV (Fort St. Mall)
I spent almost an hour at the DMV because: (a) I needed to fill out an original application for registration (they wouldn't accept the copy provided at delivery (I was prepared for this - thanks!); (b) I didn't have an original bill of lading; and (c) the copy of the bill of lading lacked a signature that they would accept. They asked me multiple times why I didn't have an original BOL document - this seems to be a key issue for them. In the end, they made me sign something as the registered owner attesting that I brought the car here and I didn't have a shipping document as evidence, but that was after multiple back and forth with the clerk and her supervisor.
Also, they gave me a June 2014 registration sticker even though it's August now, so I'm losing out on one month of registration fees. The clerk explained the one year registration period starts based on the date the car landed here, which was July 31 per the BOL documentation I provided. The timing is just like the safety checks - doesn't matter what day in the month it is. It's just bad timing really, but FYI for those with cars that arrive near the end of the month. Registration fee was approx $400.
