carsystems.eu recommendation (and Vagtec warning bells)

[borat]

I've been looking to buy an OEM reversing camera kit. I was going to use Vagtec until I saw reviews on here! I called the VAGTEC "vw extension" and it seemed to get me through to a guy on his mobile. He then proceeded to tell me how goods would come from EU but there would be no import duty / tax as they had "found a way around it"... Sounded dodgy so I decided to use carsystems.eu instead and thought I would share the experience on both

In case people use carsystems - I contacted them after placing the order to check if the VAT mentioned on the website was UK VAT.. it is not, its Polish VAT (23%). Thanks to Brexit the UK VAT will be added and collected by the courier + admin charges I assume. The guys refunded the polish VAT immediately but for anyone else using the service, they said if you register an account and then contact them they can set the account up as VAT free and then it will remove the polish VAT.. All in all the price should then be not far out once Brexit tax is added and makes it pretty competitive with the VAGTEC price.

Cheers

 

[Oz41]

I've been looking to buy an OEM reversing camera kit. I was going to use Vagtec until I saw reviews on here! I called the VAGTEC "vw extension" and it seemed to get me through to a guy on his mobile. He then proceeded to tell me how goods would come from EU but there would be no import duty / tax as they had "found a way around it"... Sounded dodgy so I decided to use carsystems.eu instead and thought I would share the experience on both

In case people use carsystems - I contacted them after placing the order to check if the VAT mentioned on the website was UK VAT.. it is not, its Polish VAT (23%). Thanks to Brexit the UK VAT will be added and collected by the courier + admin charges I assume. The guys refunded the polish VAT immediately but for anyone else using the service, they said if you register an account and then contact them they can set the account up as VAT free and then it will remove the polish VAT.. All in all the price should then be not far out once Brexit tax is added and makes it pretty competitive with the VAGTEC price.

Cheers

Hi

I was looking on Vagtec website and considering buying off them, and found your post above, after which I looked at the VAT amount which is 23% just as you said. I had assumed it just was 20% UK VAT until I read your post, so thanks for the heads up. Just wondering how did you actually fare out in the end - was the UK VAT collected by courier, and was there any admin charge?

Kind regards

 

[borat]

Hi

I was looking on Vagtec website and considering buying off them, and found your post above, after which I looked at the VAT amount which is 23% just as you said. I had assumed it just was 20% UK VAT until I read your post, so thanks for the heads up. Just wondering how did you actually fare out in the end - was the UK VAT collected by courier, and was there any admin charge?

Kind regards

Hey

It worked out roughly as I thought. The courier collected the 20% and added a fee (of course!). I can't remember the charge now but I think overall the price you see on their website with the 23% Polish VAT included is roughly what you will pay at the end of it, assuming you get them to remove that.

 

[Oz41]

Hi

That's great. Many thanks for your reply.

 

[Tango5]

I've been looking to buy an OEM reversing camera kit. I was going to use Vagtec until I saw reviews on here! I called the VAGTEC "vw extension" and it seemed to get me through to a guy on his mobile. He then proceeded to tell me how goods would come from EU but there would be no import duty / tax as they had "found a way around it"... Sounded dodgy so I decided to use carsystems.eu instead and thought I would share the experience on both

In case people use carsystems - I contacted them after placing the order to check if the VAT mentioned on the website was UK VAT.. it is not, its Polish VAT (23%). Thanks to Brexit the UK VAT will be added and collected by the courier + admin charges I assume. The guys refunded the polish VAT immediately but for anyone else using the service, they said if you register an account and then contact them they can set the account up as VAT free and then it will remove the polish VAT.. All in all the price should then be not far out once Brexit tax is added and makes it pretty competitive with the VAGTEC price.

Cheers

Avoid Carsystems. They are crooks in my opinion. I recently used CarSystems (October 2022) to buy an 'OEM' RVC camera advertised as for 7E /7H for my T5.1 - I provided my VIN number. The website was advertising prices 'including VAT' yet when the goods arrived I was stiffed £50 for import duty and brokerage fee. No mention of this on the order. When I contacted them they said "yes, that's a mistake on our website". That was it. No goodwill offer. No real apology. Nothing but an admission that they already knew their website pricing is misleading.
So between February (your transaction) and October 22 they have done nothing to correct their misleading advertising - nice customer care.

I contacted them and explained I was not happy with this 'mistake' as I had the option to purchase exactly the same item from a Czech supplier Cars-Equipment for €90 less. Cars-Equipment clearly state the duty and tax situation upfront with no 'Mistakes' on their website. They then offered to refund the VAT - guess what, I'm still waiting.

Cut to the next issue. When I opened the package containing the 'OEM' RVC camera kit that I paid well over the odds for I got nasty shock:
1. The camera is cheap Chinese copy that you can get on AliExpress for €30, not a genuine VW part as claimed.
2. The ID etching on the camera had clearly been ground off to hide this fact.
3. The camera body had been modified to fit the Genuine VW plastic housing.
4. The plastic housing (which was VW branded) was clearly for a different vehicle and had been hand carved to accommodate the modified Chinese camera.
5. The all of the connectors on the harness had the pins pushed into the connector housings meaning the power, reverse signal and Ground connector to the camera could not fit through the camera hole in the tailgate meaning I would have to pull the connector apart or cut the harness (VW supply wire harnesses crimped but with the plastic housing not yet assembled to allow the wire to be installed then inserted into the housing, fairly sensibly but not these could't care less crooks), and best of all,
6. The camera camera supplied was the entirely the wrong type to fit through the hole in T5.1 tailgate when installed in the OEM position in licence plate light bar. There was no way the tailgate bar could be refitted with the camera installed.

I sent Car-Systems an clear explanation of the problem. I have heard absolutely nothing since. Like I say. In my experience, crooks.



I hope this cautionary tale helps someone else avoid being ripped off the tune of close to €300 for a collection of cheap incompatible Chinese rubbish they could pick up elsewhere for @60.

 

[Pauly]

That’s strange, I have bought loads from them and have purchased pretty much every T6 kit they offer and also a few T6.1 kits and all of them are spot on, all use genuine parts throughout and even the looms are made with genuine VAG connectors so not sure why yours was so different, never bought anything T5/5.1 from them but even so seems strange ?

 

[Tango5]

That’s strange, I have bought loads from them and have purchased pretty much every T6 kit they offer and also a few T6.1 kits and all of them are spot on, all use genuine parts throughout and even the looms are made with genuine VAG connectors so not sure why yours was so different, never bought anything T5/5.1 from them but even so seems strange ?

100% true though. Truly awful product, truly awful experience.

 

[Fluff34567]

Avoid Carsystems. They are crooks in my opinion. I recently used CarSystems (October 2022) to buy an 'OEM' RVC camera advertised as for 7E /7H for my T5.1 - I provided my VIN number. The website was advertising prices 'including VAT' yet when the goods arrived I was stiffed £50 for import duty and brokerage fee. No mention of this on the order. When I contacted them they said "yes, that's a mistake on our website". That was it. No goodwill offer. No real apology. Nothing but an admission that they already knew their website pricing is misleading.
So between February (your transaction) and October 22 they have done nothing to correct their misleading advertising - nice customer care.

I contacted them and explained I was not happy with this 'mistake' as I had the option to purchase exactly the same item from a Czech supplier Cars-Equipment for €90 less. Cars-Equipment clearly state the duty and tax situation upfront with no 'Mistakes' on their website. They then offered to refund the VAT - guess what, I'm still waiting.

Cut to the next issue. When I opened the package containing the 'OEM' RVC camera kit that I paid well over the odds for I got nasty shock:
1. The camera is cheap Chinese copy that you can get on AliExpress for €30, not a genuine VW part as claimed.
2. The ID etching on the camera had clearly been ground off to hide this fact.
3. The camera body had been modified to fit the Genuine VW plastic housing.
4. The plastic housing (which was VW branded) was clearly for a different vehicle and had been hand carved to accommodate the modified Chinese camera.
5. The all of the connectors on the harness had the pins pushed into the connector housings meaning the power, reverse signal and Ground connector to the camera could not fit through the camera hole in the tailgate meaning I would have to pull the connector apart or cut the harness (VW supply wire harnesses crimped but with the plastic housing not yet assembled to allow the wire to be installed then inserted into the housing, fairly sensibly but not these could't care less crooks), and best of all,
6. The camera camera supplied was the entirely the wrong type to fit through the hole in T5.1 tailgate when installed in the OEM position in licence plate light bar. There was no way the tailgate bar could be refitted with the camera installed.

I sent Car-Systems an clear explanation of the problem. I have heard absolutely nothing since. Like I say. In my experience, crooks.

View attachment 180327

I hope this cautionary tale helps someone else avoid being ripped off the tune of close to €300 for a collection of cheap incompatible Chinese rubbish they could pick up elsewhere for @60.

Hopefully you paid with a credit card !!