Thread: Warranty on private imports?

Can anyone here who has either had a rifle imported (ar15) or has knowledge of the process enlighten me on how the warranties go with faulty products that have been privately imported?

I'm about to go for my E some time soon and after spending the last 3 years ogling at guns online I've found one to suit once I slap an optic on there. Trouble is that none of these are in new zealand and I'm not sure if anyone here has authority to import a BCM product? If I was to have it privately imported then would it be like a parallel import and void all warranties, leaving me in the deep end?

For those that want to know

BCM® Haley Strategic Jack Carbine (HSP)

It has all of the features I would add myself to another generic AR without the fuss and cost of me getting it done. Aside from perhaps a hand stop or AFG and Aimpoint.

Basically if you import one on your own you take the risk, if you want a warranty buy locally. It will be covered by a warrenty BUT generally when you export an AR out of the USA you they will never allow you to re-import back there (if you had warrenty issues) it not that it would be worth doing anyway.

You cannot have your cake and eat it too

You could buy a good one here for the landed cost ( freight, GST, Customs Duties, Export paperwork fees etc) of that one. Trust me I know I have imported a few over the last 15 years

Digit (NZAR15.COM) has some of these arriving in the next week or so.

Originally Posted by Macca

Can anyone here who has either had a rifle imported (ar15) or has knowledge of the process enlighten me on how the warranties go with faulty products that have been privately imported?

Brownells have a '100% Satisfaction Guarantee'.

Originally Posted by Daggers_187

Digit (NZAR15.COM) has some of these arriving in the next week or so.

In this model/configuration or BCM in general?

Most warranties require a "return to base". In this case, you would be required to send it back to the states. This can be a quite costly way to get a "free" warranty repair. What are you looking for the warranty to cover anyway? In most cases, it would be cheaper to get the gun repaired locally if something did go wrong.
Items like optics are another story. Quite easy to ship, little paperwork, and more likely to require warranty repair than firearms. I have sent several scopes to Leupold and they pay the return to NZ.

Also just noticed your BCM has a "perm comp". This means the compensater is pinned to the barrel and cannot be removed should you want to unscrew it and attach a suppressor at some point in the future. Be sure that is what you want.

Basically you imported it your problem

Originally Posted by Macca

In this model/configuration or BCM in general?

This exact model/configuration.

What can go seriously wrong with a lump of metal designed to be abused by a squaddie? Otherwise, I've imported stuff of Brownells, I brought in 3 x 5rnd mags that jammed constantly I complained and they sent me 3 new ones free of charge so I guess it depends on the vendor.

Just watch out for charges eg $250USD state department fee and possibly other fees getting added to get it exported. I looked at doing a rare - ish 1950 LB no4 mk1* Enfield and the cost was $600USD to export it, (he only wanted $500US for it in the first place!) stuff that.

Its simple for warranty you just send it back to them as there will be anyone to do warranty work on it here in nz.
But in reality prob more cost effective to get it repaired locally, in anycase there isn't too much that generally goes wrong with ar that you cant simple buy an off the shelf product to fix anyway.

Looks basically the same as heaps of others, just send the link to digit ar15 and ask him how much to import / build one the same