I have run into a major road block. BMW Canada is telling me that once the modifications and inspection has been completed at a BMW retailer, that it will take 15 to 20 business days to receive a recall clearance letter. Obviously I can't insure my vehicle until I have that letter, and by the sound of it, my new BMW will have to sit in my garage for 3 or 4 weeks before I can drive it.As you can imagine, I'm a little upset.
They are claiming that the recall letter must be signed by several high ranking BMW Canada executives, and that they will not make an exception for anyone in Canada. I sounds like B.S. to me!!
I'll let you know how things turn out.
UCanImport says:
The problem with BMW is that they aren't happy nor supportive of importers. All these requirements have come up just in the last week. Please see the additions to RIV's site at http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/VAFUS/list/Section5_3.htm. These suddenly important requirements are totally baseless and cause redundancy of effort on several parts.
What's interesting is how this policy has been implemented shortly after BMW announced cash rebates on Canadian purchases. Give Canadians a cash rebate and throw up all kinds of deterrents to shopping in the US. It reeks of bad marketing and a knee jerk reaction to the swelling tide of Canadians rushing to the US for a much better deal on their BMW.
I'm sorry you've been thrown into this predicament. Had BMW been honouring their previous, completely satisfactory and expedient protocol of issuing internal dealer printouts through their US dealerships, a lot of importers would be a whole lot happier today. This is a money grab and paper shuffle motivated by fear and loss of sales.
And now we have even more proof that Transport Canada and RIV are kowtowing to the auto manufacturers whims. Tomorrow BMW may decide that you can't import a red vehicle without getting a stamp of approval...
UCanImport says:
The problem with BMW is that they aren't happy nor supportive of importers. All these requirements have come up just in the last week. Please see the additions to RIV's site at http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/VAFUS/list/Section5_3.htm. These suddenly important requirements are totally baseless and cause redundancy of effort on several parts.
What's interesting is how this policy has been implemented shortly after BMW announced cash rebates on Canadian purchases. Give Canadians a cash rebate and throw up all kinds of deterrents to shopping in the US. It reeks of bad marketing and a knee jerk reaction to the swelling tide of Canadians rushing to the US for a much better deal on their BMW.
I'm sorry you've been thrown into this predicament. Had BMW been honouring their previous, completely satisfactory and expedient protocol of issuing internal dealer printouts through their US dealerships, a lot of importers would be a whole lot happier today. This is a money grab and paper shuffle motivated by fear and loss of sales.
And now we have even more proof that Transport Canada and RIV are kowtowing to the auto manufacturers whims. Tomorrow BMW may decide that you can't import a red vehicle without getting a stamp of approval...
29 comments:
If the regulations from TC and the RIV do not change, I will be waiting alot longer than 4 weeks. I will be waiting 11 years for my 2003 BMW 525 to be "legal" to drive without BMW's consent, as it will be a 15 year old vehicle by then and immune to BMW's shenanigans.
I just spoke to the BMW store in Vancouver to confirm my steps. A person by the name of Daniel said that I must,
1) get a letter of admissibility from them to bring to the border before it is allowed into Canada. This will take 2-5 business days and $350.
2) get a letter of recall for $500.
3) they must do the work to change the DRL. And also they must change a setting (light) in the instrument cluster.
They quoted me anywhere from $1200-$1300 ($500+$350+$400). The $400 is 3 hrs at $126.50.
I guess I need to buy the letter of admissibility right away.
we need a lawsuit
All importers of most new or recent BMW's will find that they must now replace the instrument cluster on their imported vehicles to make them comply.
This will add about $1500 to the $850 BMW Canada forces on all importers of new or used vehicles. The reason they give is 'software issues'.
Interesting that these issues didn't exist 2 weeks ago!
I know this is INSANE and just un heard of.. I bought 740il BMW from New York, before that BMW told me i had to purchase recall paper that came up to 600$ after taxes, a white paper that has a BMW logo on it and just states " the vehicle with the vin number of so and so has no recalls" WHAT IS THAT ALL ABOUT!!
My brother bought a 7 series few months back all he had to do is go on internet and print that paper for free.~~~ Anyways to make things worst, when i got the paper it suppose o be presented @ Canadian Tire when you come in for the inspection, and guess what, they told me they didn't even need this paper, they said its A RIP OFF what BMW is doing. We need to find a way to solve this Bo**&it
If anyone hears anything let me know~
My car is finally fully registered in Ontario.
TIMELINE
Nov. 30 - Won a car on E-bay. Notified my Insurance that I will be adding a car to my policy.
Nov 31 - Received Title and Bill of Sale from Seller.
Dec 1 - Faxed the Title to Queenston-Lewiston Bridge (72 hours in advance of crossing border)
Dec. 4 - Bought Admissibility Letter from BMW Canada ($399CAD)
Dec 10 - Flew to NJ, pick-up car with 20 days Temp License from New Jersey
Dec 11 - Crossed the border, showed BMW Admissibility Letter, got Form 1, paid duties and GST and Air-con tax. Drove home.
Dec 12 - Through internet I paid RIV and scanned and e-mail them my Form 1
Dec 17 - Went to BMW Canada and got Daytime Running Lights (DLR at $119CAD) activated and paid for Recall Clearance Letter ($570CAD)
Dec 31 - Got car emission test and safety certificate for Ontario
Jan 3 - Still awaiting BMW Canada Recall Clearance Letter. Received Form 2 from RIV (on Section 4 the checklist says "Recall documentation is not required on this vehicle". Brought the car to Canadian Tire immediately and got federal inspection in 10 minutes for FREE. Got Form 1 and Form 2 stamped by Canadian Tire. Canadian Tire faxed Form 2 to RIV. Took the forms to Ministry of Transportation Ontario Licensing Office, they do not even look at Form 2. Registered the car and paid PST and Plates and Registration. Received ownership certificate and attached sticker and plates to car.
Now I am a proud owner of 2002 BMW 325i.
Jan 4 - Awaiting Canadian Manufacturer Certificate Sticker to replace the US sticker from RIV.
I did not need the recall clearance letter at all. I didn't show it at Canadian Border, I never sent it to RIV and I did not show it to Canadian Tire or MTO Licensing Office.
I think I have a great case of getting my $570CAD back. Any suggestions on getting the refund?
On January 4, I picked up my 530XI without knowing the custom need to see the "letter of admissibility". Thought that I would need to stay at Vermont for 2-5 days waiting for letter. With my persuasion, BMW faxed it to the custom on the same day.
Cost of letter: $350
"Now I will have to deal with the additional cost of CRL. $400 as "anonymous" has experienced?
I have got a BMW USA recall list paper without cost from my dealer. Hope I dont have to deal with this additional recall letter cost.
It certainly is mindbogging BMW Canada is doing all these things to deter people buying US vehicles.
I successfully imported my mini cooper last month. In terms of recall clearance - I got the dealer internal system printout which RIV also accepst and it said "no oustanding recall campaigns" or something to that effect, and RIV accepted that and emailed my inspection form 2 days later. however, one snafu i have hit is that if your car is still under warranty - they won't transfer the warranty without this stupid 500 fee - so you are kind of stuck no matter what if you car is under warranty and you want to use the warranty.... You go to the Ford website and you can download the recall letter directly from the web - would be nice if BMW wasn't such a pain eh!!!
In response to donald's comment regarding warranty, I was told by my US dealer that the warranty should be honoured anywhere by BMW, Canada or US. I am not sure if BMW Canada would insist you pay the recall letter before any warranty work will be done.
Can someone share his/her experience on warranty issue. I am not prepared to pay for the recall letter if it is not needed.
Hi - thanks for the comments. I bought a 07 328i from NY and got a recall clearance letter from the dealer in NY. Has anyone had the RIV accept a letter from the US dealer?
Please see new info posted at:
http://ucanimport.blogspot.com
/2008/01/bmw-motorcyle-imports-from-
us-bmw.html
Looks like RIV is getting flack from BMW and they are tightening up their systems.
Thanks for link. I guess RIV is getting pressure from BMW. Do I have to get the instrument cluster changed in order to get the recall letter?
Not all BMWs require a cluster change, but yes all BMW imports will require a Letter of Compliance from the dealership that confirms to RIV that the vehicle conforms to Canadian Safety Standards. That letter costs $500 plus the labour for any modifications.
If anyone has had a different experience, please share.
Can you obtain a temporary permit on a car in Ontario if you bought it more than 6 days ago? I need to take my BMW to the dealership but the licensing office is refusing a temporary permit because I bought the car in the USA 3 weeks ago - any ideas?
We understand that Ontario has different rules about issuing trip permits. I suggest two options: 1) Ask the seller to send you a revised Bill of Sale by fax or e-mail showing a later date of purchase OR 2) visit the licensing office with the Title and Bill of sale in person and ask them for temporary plates if they won't issue you a trip permit.
Please let us know how you make out. We will advise others.
I got a revised bill of sale and was able to get a temp permit - taking it to BMW for inspection...thanks for the advice
Have just talked with everyone about importing a 2006 525i, from what I understand and still need to check on a few things is that Canada Customs requires the letter of admissibility to allow the car across the border. But have talked with a few BMW dealers in the Us and said the DRL is just a 1/2 hour programming option if the car does not have IDrive otherwise it is just a option on the IDrive. Was told about $63.00 also said they would print up a recall letter for free. Called the local RIV inspection place was told as long as I have form 1 and 2 and DRL are installed, I am fine. Called RIV talked with Wane, asked him if a US recall letter would be allowed. He stated that as long as it was from a BMW dealer it would be accepted. Before I go buy this car I want to know if anyone had RIV refuse a US recall letter. My local BMW dealer wants $4900 to install a new cluster and heater panel to enable DRL and give me Recall letter. What they are doing is criminal and I can't believe they are getting away with it.
From what I understand, RIV may accept the recall letter via the US dealership and issue Form 2, but on Form 2 it will state that a Letter of Compliance is required before the vehicle can pass the Federal Inspection. Please be aware that MB, Volvo and BMWs are all part of this policy and the Form 2's may be marked as such.
Let us know how you do please.
I have just been flat out refused an admissibility letter by BMW Canada, even after the dealership said 2006 Z4 3.0si coupe was admissible and accepted my $500 and $350 payments for the two letters. Since I purchased the car based on dealer promises, this has left me with no option but to sell the car. RIV and TC refuse to get involved. Amazing how the company can run roughshod over consumers.
As of November 23, 2007, just 3 days before BMW changed its importing policies, they had already told Transport Canada and RIV that the 2006 Z4 was admissible to Canada.
Here is a link to the historical RIV lists very kindly provided by CarsWithoutBorders.com
http://www.carswithoutborders.com/
wordpress/wp-content/vafus2007-11-23.pdf
In this case the dealership was right - by all prior admissions the vehicle was admissible to Canada.
BMW Canada is going back on its own policies - why doesn't that surprise us?
I don't know what recourse you have in this case. I always advise our clients to put a deposit on a vehicle purchase "subject to receiving a letter of admissibility" as this is the only way we have to prevent monetary losses for our subscribers.
If anyone can offer an avenue for this reader to pursue to find some justice for the unfortunate predicament he is in, please post to this blog.
I finally fully registered my car in Ontario today. I am writing this as I found a way to obtain the recall letter WITHOUT having to pay the $500 to BMW Canada. My brother lives in Buffalo and I went down to visit him and I thought I would go in and ask them if I could get a recall letter from BMW North America. I took my BMW key and ownership papers and they were able to print it out within minutes. As this letter was issued to me from BMW North America, the Canadian RIV had no problems accepting it.
So I suggest that you also try and go to the US and get a Recall letter printed from BMW North America (Make sure it is not BMW USA). It is quite gross that BMW Canada is charging this exorbitant fee for a piece of paper. Good luck everyone!
I've called a few dealers in buffalo and none say they can issue this letter - if you're still viewing this blog, can you disclose the dealer you got your letter from?
Thanks for your post and question.
Our suggestion is to try and purchase your vehicle from a BMW dealership and negotiate the "Warranty Vehicle Inquiry" into your purchase.
This is a screen capture on the BMW internal systems and will be approved (at least at the time of writing)by RIV. You will therefore receive your Form 2 from RIV and can take the vehicle for the federal and provincial inspections.
RIV receives these printouts regularly so there are a number of dealerships who are willing to print this for their clients, especially if it locks in the deal for them.
Best of luck to you.
I just imported a 2007 BMW 328i convertible from the U.S and the BMW dealerships here in Toronto told me I had to pay $500 for a recall letter and then $2500 for the instrument cluster to change it to km/hr, and then another $300 for day light running lamps. Thats almost $3500+! BMW is getting ridiculous.
Luckily I found a shop here in Toronto that gets recall letters from an internal BMW employee for $400 flat fee, his email is bmw@cagossip.com
Thanks for your post kumaman.
Quick items to consider:
1. When modifications are not performed at a BMW dealership in Canada, BMW states that it cannot honour the warranty on the vehicle.
NOTE: you may purchase 3rd party warranty protection from a separate party at a cost less than the cost of modifications.
2. We advise all BMW importers to negotiate the internal system printout at the time of vehicle purchase. RIV states that they receive these printouts all the time, so we can only assume that there are many dealerships that will provide this information to importers, despite the crackdown from BMW North America.
Good luck to all BMW importers. Remember to review the class action lawsuit information regularly at http://autolawsuit.blogspot.com/ and post your comments and importation stories.
We just imported a 2007 BMW 328I from the US. Same story from the Canadian dealers...you have to do the cluster change to activate your daytime running lights, work can only be done by BMW dealer, and they will not issue you with a recall clearance letter until they do the modifications...total cost of $2768.80. I contacted the originating US dealer he provided the Warranty Vehicle Inquiry for FREE. I forwarded that to RIV who accept it for recall clearance letter. I have a mechanic friend who installed a relay and basically hard wired the low beams so they work with the ignition switch. BMW say they will not cover my warranty if it has anything to do with the lights...big deal!
Just want to confirm that I got the BMW recall letter from bmw@cagossip.com. $400 quick and easy, he got RIV to approve it the same day.
TO KEITH. D.
When you contacted the original dealer, what did you ask them for? Warranty Vehicle Inquiry? I need help ASAP. My local dealership is charging me $1000.00 just for the recall clearance letter.
Thanks.
I just got my BMW approved, the dealership in Toronto (Unity Automotive) got me a bmw recall letter for $375
=)
Post a Comment