Import a Mercedes-Benz from the US

How To Request A Recall Clearance Letter

If you are importing a Mercedes-Benz vehicle from the US, you will need to show RIV that there are no recalls outstanding on the vehicle.

To receive a Recall Clearance Letter from MB USA, you will need to fax a cover letter to (201) 476-6213 (Attention: CAC) along with proof of ownership in the form of a Title, Registration or Bill of Sale. You should also indicate that the recall information is required to complete an export out of the US and import into Canada.

Remember to provide your full contact information and your preferred method of delivery, i.e. fax or mail. Give yourself up to 10 days to receive this letter. To telephone MB USA use 1-800-367-6372.

At this time there is no charge for this letter.

***IMPORTANT*** AS OF 2010 MERCEDES-BENZ WILL COLLECT $350 FOR THIS LETTER. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING POST CAREFULLY TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS FEE MAY IMPACT YOU *****

http://ucanimport.blogspot.com/2010/03/mercedes-benz-charging-for-recall.html

Update on Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Auto Manufacturers

If you have imported a vehicle from the US into Canada, this update may affect you.

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

Dear Vehicle Importer:

Thank you for your continued interest in the progress of our claim against the auto manufacturers.

At the time we commenced our lawsuit, a similar suit was commenced in Ontario, and we have been asked to join forces with that Ontario firm.

In order to join forces we have agreed to discontinue the claim in British Columbia. We believe that by this partnership we have a better chance of wining this David & Goliath battle.

These lawsuits are usually strenuously defended and can take years to wind their way though the legal system, so we ask you for your patience and continued interest. We will endeavor to provide monthly updates so that you can follow the progress of this lawsuit as it works its way through the court system.

Kindest regards,

Wm. Rory Lambert

Dinning Hunter Lambert & Jackson

E-mail: rlambert@dinninghunter.com

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

BMW Imports From The US

Warranty Transfer Process

If you are importing a BMW vehicle from the US, you may come across conflicting information on the process.

For example, RIV doesn't require a Letter of Compliance from BMW Canada in order to release the Federal Inspection Form (Form 2) to you. You can register your vehicle in Canada without a BMW Canada Letter of Compliance. However, BMW Canada insists that one of its registered Canadian dealerships must perform modifications to your newly-imported vehicle, often to the tune of $3,000. They also insist that once the modifications are done, they must issue a Letter of Compliance at a cost of $500.

While the Letter of Compliance is not required for RIV/Transport Canada, BMW insists it is required for Warranty Protection on the balance of your vehicle's warranty.

This is a verbatim response to a customer query:

"Dear [BMW X3 Importer];

Thank you very much for your reply email.

We are truly sorry for the experience that you did receive at Calgary BMW and we can certainly look into this further if you would like us to do so.

However our response does remain unchanged regarding reimbursement of the costs associated with importing your vehicle from the United States. You are correct in stating that there are ways to go about importing your vehicle into Canada without paying the $500.00, but these ways are not suggested by BMW Canada as your vehicle would not be properly registered with us and the remaining portion of your warranty would not be validated.

If there is anything else that we can help with please email back and we would be glad to assist.

Sincerely,
Matthew
Customer Interaction Specialist
BMW Canada Inc. "


When asked by the importer to verify that folks need to "register" their imported vehicle with BMW Canada in order to have the warranty recognised, this was Matthew's response.


"Dear [BMW X3 Importer]

Thank you very much for responding.

I have contacted Calgary BMW and spoken with Service Manager Kevin Mah regarding your concerns and we certainly aim to improve the quality of service that you receive during your next visits. Regarding the importation of your vehicle, there is a difference between vehicles that are visiting from the United States and vehicles that have permanently moved to Canada and not registered their vehicle properly with BMW Canada. We certainly do assist our counterparts in the United States by honoring the warranty with customers visiting, but with vehicles that have moved to Canada permanently we do ask that the importation procedures that you have followed are performed.

I hope that this provides clarification regarding your concerns and if you would like to discuss these issues further please do feel free to contact me directly at 1-800-567-2691 and ask for extension 5069.

Sincerely,
Matthew
Customer Interaction Specialist
BMW Canada Inc. "

BMW does not come out and state that they will refuse to honour the warranty if the $500 is not paid for a "registration" fee. So, what exactly is their policy? We have long decided that BMW is seeking these financial rewards to appease their Canadian dealerships who have lost sales to importers seeking better deals in the US.

We encourage other readers to share their experiences. Like you, we are frustrated by the rules that BMW imposes and the penalties they charge.

If you have paid these fees to BMW, you may wish to put your name on the list of potential plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit. If so, please e-mail info@ucanimport.com and we will add your contact information to the growing list.

Vehicle Imports in 2008 Break Previous Records

The North American Automobile Trade Association (NAATA) has summarized the importing stats from 2008 as follows:

A total of 239,929 vehicles were imported into Canada through the Registrar of Imported Vehicles program in 2008, breaking the old record set the year before of 189,738 vehicles.

This figure represents an average of 22, 600 vehicles per month from January to October allowing for the dramatic declines in November (7,854 vehicles) and December (5,661vehicles).

With the drop in the Canadian dollar exports from Canada to the US and to other parts of the world are starting to pick up.

Daytime Running Lights for Chrysler Vehicles

Canadian Dealers Can Activate DRLs

A few weeks ago a subscriber asked:

"Do you know if Chrysler makes a module to turn on the DRL system in a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. I live in the States and have a Canadian made unit. All the dealers and Chrysler have given me is a run around. Anything will be helpful."

UCanImport offered this reader some advice on how to get the information, and asked them to provide any feedback for our subscribers and blog readers. Here's the answer for all Chrysler importers:

"I finally found the answer to the question. American Chrysler product dealers do not have the ability to turn the DRL system on with their Tech Box, but I have discovered that Canadian Chrysler product dealers do. All I have to do is drive over to Windsor and go to the dealer and they will take their box and flash the PCM and on they come."

UCanImport advises that in many instances Canadian Tire may be able to help depending on the year of the vehicle.

Import a Mercedes-Benz from the US

Transport Canada list shows 2009 models are now admissible to Canada

If you are seeking to import a Mercedes-Benz vehicle from the US, please review the newly-updated list at Transport Canada for admissibility requirements. To review admissibility listings directly at Mercedes-Benz, please see http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/index.cfm?id=6872

We encourage you to review an earlier blog posting to understand how to obtain a Recall Clearance Letter for your Mercedes-Benz importation.

Transport Canada Admissibility Listing Currently Not Available

If you are trying to import a vehicle from the US, you must first check the admissibility listing at Transport Canada's web site through www.riv.ca

At this time, Transport Canada is modifying its web site and the link to the list of admissible vehicles is not working. RIV informs us that this is a temporary issue and you will have access to the admissibility list shortly.

If you are in a hurry and would like to receive a copy by e-mail please telephone RIV at 888-848-8240.

Happy Holidays to all.