Provincial Inspections for Vehicles Imported in Alberta

The Province of Alberta requires that vehicles previously unregistered in Alberta have a Out-of-Province (OOP) Provincial Inspection completed prior to registering their new vehicle in Alberta. This step is in addition to the required Federal Inspection regulated by Transport Canada and RIV.

Use this handy interactive map provided on the Provincial web site at http://www2.infratrans.gov.ab.ca/vis/production/vishome.asp

Make sure you select the "out-of-province" option at the top of the page before clicking on the map. Narrow your search quickly and select from a list of licensed shops.

Car Imports from the US break records: NAATA publication

The North American Automobile Trade Association newsletter states that a record number of vehicles entered Canada from the US in 2007.

A whopping 189,738 vehicles entered into Canada through the RIV program last year, a 55% increase over 2006 - also a record year.

January 2008 saw 21,661 vehicles come into Canada. With the Canadian dollar at par with the greenback, these figures reflect the price advantage of shopping in the US.

For more information, visit NAATA

Private Seller Transactions for Vehicle Importation: Understanding your payment options

UCanImport has indicated within the importing guide that there are several ways to seal the deal when paying for you new vehicle. Recently, we have noticed that there is a growing trend for Canadians to purchase their vehicle from a private US seller. While the importation documents and processes don't change, what may be affected is the level of comfort of seller and buyer when it comes to receiving payment or paying for the car respectively.

Payment options include:

1. Wire transfer from your bank account or a foreign exchange merchant
Excellent reliability, but little protection from a fraudulent seller. This is a good option to transfer funds for a deposit amount. You may want to note the details of the transaction directly on the memo field of the transfer. For example: deposit against VIN 12ABC34DEF56GHI78.
Keeping a receipt or screen printout that shows the seller's name and the details of the transfer are useful precautions.

2. Certified cheque or US Cash delivered in person when you pick up the car
A great option to protect both parties as you can see what you are buying and there are generally no surprises. You travel with the cheque or cash, making sure to declare it to the border officers if the value is over $10,0000. The seller delivers the vehicle and you can accompany the seller to their financial institution to deposit the funds to their account. This process is a bit more cumbersome, but it offers a greater level of security, assuming no one steals your wallet or purse.

3. Escrow services to keep the funds with a 3rd party until the vehicle is delivered to you
For a small fee, this is a great option for the wary buyer and seller. The buyer transfer funds to an escrow account, which then holds the funds for the seller until the buyer confirms that the transaction occurred successfully. Caveats: not all escrow services are legitimate, which means you have to do your homework. EBay refers its customers to Escrow.com to handle these types of transactions. There is a fair bit of information on the website that explains how each step of the process works.

4. In-Trust accounts through buyer and seller lawyers
Anticipate a fee if you use your lawyer's office to transact the deal with the seller. Similar to a real estate transaction a lawyer will use an in-trust account to hold funds for the buyer, and confirm same to the seller's lawyer. The funds will be transferred to the seller's lawyer to be held in-trust for the seller pending successful delivery of the vehicle to the buyer. The downside here is that you have a number of people to work with and depending on location, potentially different time zones. But the service does keep the transaction on the up and up, and for cross-border shopping sprees, does wonders for your comfort level.

Have you purchased a vehicle from a private seller? How did you transfer your money? Share your information here so that other importers can benefit from your experience.

BMW Service Bulletin for Instrument Cluster Change on BMW Imports from the US

Submitted by a UCanImport Subscriber

Please review this bulletin and let us know if these conversions are truly required to meet Canadian Safety Standards or are just being implemented to slow down imports of BMW. Costs for the instrument cluster change can run up to $2,500 or more.

If you can shed some light on why these changes were implemented post-Nov 26, 2007, we would be very interested.
---------------------------------


This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI 00 80 07 dated November 2007.


SUBJECT
Vehicle conversion – USA to Canada

MODEL
BMW and MINI models

SITUATION

BMW and MINI vehicles are built to operate correctly and to meet safety requirements in their respective markets. In Canada some of these important requirements that differentiate USA to Canadian cars are related to Daytime Running Lights (DRL), different instrumentation, hardware and software components.

The high sophistication of components involves a large amount of interactions and interdependencies between the fitted control units of a vehicle. This highlights the importance of carrying out a proper USA-Canada conversion as recommended by BMW AG, which not only ensures compliance of the systems, but also ensures the correct operation and interaction of all control units.

While some features can be modified by means of software which might appear to fulfill Canadian compliance and technical requirements for a correctly functioning vehicle, they do not. This type of modification is not suitable for correct functioning of the Daytime Running Lights and therefore cannot ensure compliance.

BMW Group does not support hard-wiring of Daytime Running Lights due to the complexity of the vehicle electronics.

On certain USA vehicles, depending on model, production date and specification, it is possible to have the Daytime Running Lights turned on by means of:

• The Personal Profile feature which allows the driver to switch the DRL function on and off from within the car using either the Controller (i-Drive) or Instrument Cluster functions. Turning on the DRL via the Controller or Instrument Cluster does NOT constitute
compliance.

• The Car Key Memory (CKM) functions. This feature was designed for USA vehicles only. Therefore operation and illumination brightness varies depending on the production date of the vehicle or software level of the relevant module. To ensure correct operation to Canadian specification, CKM must NOT be used as an alternative to performing the correct USA – Canada conversion.

Depending on the model, the vehicle technology can be divided into two categories:
• Vehicles with an I-Level: E60/E61, E63/E64, E65/E66, E70, E90/E91/E92/E93, R56
• Vehicles without an I-Level: E46, E53, E83, E85/86, R50/R52/R53
Vehicles with an I-Level (Software Integration Level)
Situation for E60/E61, E63/E64, E65/E66, E70, E90/E91/E92/E93, R56 models

These models use Integration Software technology, usually referred to as an I-Level, which basically means all control modules fitted to a car have to be compatible with each other in order to function correctly – they have to be at the correct I-Level.

Canadian specification vehicles are built with km/h Instrument Cluster, which is written into the Vehicle Order, which is the “fingerprint” of the car, and this determines how all control units fitted to a vehicle interact. Therefore, for a car to be correctly converted for use in Canada it should have a km/h Instrument Cluster fitted and the relevant Vehicle Order modification carried out using the BMW Diagnostic and Programming equipment within the retailer workshop.

Using this correct process ensures the Daytime Driving Lights function as Canadian specification requires, and any future programming updates can be carried out without problems. If the correct process is not followed this invariably results in customer inconvenience, non-warrantable costs and potentially a non-compliant vehicle.

Another benefit from using the correct procedure for converting cars from USA to Canada is that technical support will be provided to assist with the conversion.

Note: Technical support may not be provided for programming, coding or diagnosis issues related to a vehicle not converted using the recommended procedure.

When carrying out the USA to Canada conversion using the BMW Diagnostic and Programming equipment the technician is instructed to replace the Instrument Cluster (Kombi) and on E60/61/63/64 models the Heater Control Module (IHKA), before the conversion can be carried out.

This is due to the I-Level needing the correct control module for operation within the vehicle electronics network and therefore cannot be worked around without replacing the specific part. Note: The USA R56 models only have a MPH display, km/h marking are required, so the Instrument Cluster (speedometer) should be replaced with the Canadian km/h version.

Vehicles without an I-Level (Software Integration Level)
Situation for BMW E46, E53, E83, E85/E86, R50/R52/R53
For vehicles without an Integration Level, the control modules infrastructure does not have the same inter-dependencies based on Software and Hardware. Therefore, the Instrument Cluster does not need to be replaced, except for the R50/R52/R53 – see note.

The Progman procedure must be followed to ensure the Canadian specific options are compliant and included in the Vehicle Order or Central Encoding Key (ZCS).
Note: R50/R52/R53 models require a replacement Instrument Cluster and Rev Counter due to the location of several warning lights causing incorrect illumination or not lighting at all, such as the Fasten Seatbelt light.

USA to Canada conversion (status as of 11/2007):

Models Parts required Tech Dept assist Other work required
E46 No No – Progman OK CKM for other settings
E53 No No – Progman OK CKM for other settings
E60/E61,Kombi No - Progman OK i-Drive for other settings
E63/E64 and IHKAN
E65/E66 Kombi No – Progman OK i-Drive for other settings
E70 Kombi Yes – modified VO i-Drive for other settings
E83 No Yes – modified VO CKM for other settings
E85/E86 No Yes – modified VO CKM for other settings
E90/E91/E92/E93 Kombi No – Progman OK Kombi / i-Drive for other settings
R50/R52/R53 Kombi and Rev counter No – Progman OK CKM for other settings
R56* Kombi Yes – modified VO Kombi / i-Drive for other settings

*Note: The USA R56 models only have a MPH display, km/h marking are required, so the Instrument Cluster (speedometer) should be replaced with the Canadian km/h version.

Legend
Progman: Diagnostic and Programming software for SSS
CKM: Car Key Memory
VO: Vehicle Order
Other settings: Temperature display, Board Computer display, mileage display
Kombi: Instrument Cluster

Importing a 2007 PORSCHE CAYMAN S from the US

Submitted by a recent importer and client of UCanImport:

"There were no modifications required, only a Drive Clean emission test at Canadian Tire which was not included in the free Provincial Inspections in Ontario. Other than that, no modifications needed."

In addition, UCanImport can confirm that Porsche - at this time- does not require a Letter of Admissibility and does not charge for the Recall Clearance Letter.

Changes to Volvo Compliance Process for Importers

Submitted by: UCanImport Reader

Please note that this is the process you must follow once the vehicle is in Canada. Remember that you will require a Letter of Admissibility from Volvo Canada to present to the Canada Customs officer on the date of import.
------------------------------

Thank you for your email regarding the importation of a Volvo vehicle into Canada from the USA.

Once the vehicle is in Canada, you must bring the vehicle to an authorized Volvo Canada retailer for a safety/mechanical inspection and to ensure the completion of any required CMVSS modifications. Please be advised that the following modifications may be necessary to meet Canadian specifications:

• Recall clearance Letter (Issued through Volvo Cars of North America at 1-800-458-1552
• The vehicle must bear a manufacturer's valid U.S. statement of compliance label at the time of importation.
• The Registrar of Imported Vehicles will mail a Canadian statement of compliance label to you after passing the federal inspection.
• Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit VIN
• Metric speedometer and odometer labels (provided by inspection centre)
• Daytime running lights
  
• Infant restraint kit
• Child tether anchorage
• 8 km/hour bumpers (2000 - 2004 Volvo S40 and V40 only)
• If the GVWR of this vehicle is less than 10,000 lbs, and the manufacture date after September 1, 2007, it must be equipped with an electronic lock and immobilizer system that meets CMVSS 114.
  

Volvo Cars of Canada will issue a Safety Inspection Compliance Letter to the consumer after receiving from them, a copy of the Safety Inspection report, applicable invoices related to CMVSS modifications and other required work. All requests for the Safety Inspection Compliance Letter must be in writing and must contain a return mailing address. You may fax this at 416-850-5618.

The consumer will then take the Safety Inspection Compliance Letter to a RIV approved Canadian Tire centre for the issuance of a final Certificate of Compliance.


Best regards,


Shiva Nimapoo
Customer Relations Consultant

--------------------------------------------------

RIV Update For BMW Imports - Admissibility and Recall Information

Please note: Information regarding admissibility and recall information is only provided by BMW Canada.

This list is based on information supplied to Transport Canada and The Registrar of Imported vehicles by the Vehicle manufactures on a voluntary basis. Therefore, they do not have to provide it under any circumstances.

Moreover, if a manufacturer fails to supply any compliance or modification information at all on a particular make or model; the vehicle is also deemed inadmissible.

This information is under the control of the manufacturer, and therefore must be obtained directly from them.

If you wish to import any BMW into Canada then, please contact an authorized Canadian BMW or MINI Retailer to request a letter of admissibility and for information regarding the exact nature and costs of modifications required. The modifications vary by model and may be expensive. ALL modifications MUST be performed by an authorized Canadian BMW or MINI Retailer and must be completed before a recall clearance letter can be issued by BMW Group Canada. Prior to reviewing your request for a letter of admissibility, the following information must be
provided:

- Model
- Model year
- 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

An official letter of admissibility from BMW Group Canada must be presented to a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer at time of importation. In addition, the official recall clearance letter obtained from BMW Group Canada once the required retrofits have been completed and documented by an authorized Canadian BMW or Mini Retailer must be presented to the Registrar of Imported Vehicles in order to properly register a vehicle.

Please note: BMW, Transport Canada and The RIV have all agreed that if you can prove that you've purchased the BMW BEFORE November 26th, BMW will issue a letter of admissibility free of charge.

You can contact BMWs Customer Relation department at 905-683-1200 for a letter.

Please be aware that as of June 1, 2007, BMW has initiated a new policy regarding recalls. We can only accept a letter from BMW Canada's head office typed on their official letter head. To obtain a recall document when you take your vehicle to an authorized BMW dealership, have it undergo a visual inspection, complete all recalls, and pay a fee of $500. At that point, BMW North America will issue a recall letter directly to you. The RIV will also automatically receive a copy of said letter directly from head office as well.

Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act the responsibility for bringing an imported vehicle into compliance with Canadian safety regulations lies entirely with the importer; the RIV cannot be held responsible for any reason should the importer fail to complete the process successfully. Any information provided by the RIV is strictly based on the facts presented by the importer and reliance upon such information is at the importer's discretion.

The information contained in this email is intended to assist individuals interested in importing a vehicle from the United States, and contains information on the admissibility of various makes, models, model years and class of vehicles provided by the original equipment manufacturer. This information is contained on the List of Vehicles Admissible Form the United States which is available to the public on our web site at www.riv.ca or directly at:

http://www.riv.ca/english/US_vehicle_admissibility.pdf

The admissibility of any particular make, model and model year of vehicle can only be ultimately determined by a) the presentation of the vehicle to Canada Customs at the time of importation, b) the decoding of the VIN contained on the vehicle import form - form 1 as presented to Canada Customs, and c) the successful completion of the federal inspection.