Jul 06
Transport Canada also backs off on the admissibility letter!
Besides the updates related to the new Bumper harmonization, the new 2008-07-04 RIV list now shows that the letter of admissibility from the manufacturer is no longer required to import Mercedes, BMW and Volvo.
This is another major step forward by Transportation Canada in removing “artificial” trade barriers preventing Canadians the freedom to Shop in the U.S. In conjunction with the pressure we have been exerting on Transport Canada to simplifiy the rules, the recent NAATA Lawsuit filed earlier this year, relating to BMW and Mercedes import restrictions really carried the day as well!
The new rules though still insist that ALL modifications required be performed and documented by an authorized CANADIAN Retailer, and must be completed before a recall clearance letter can be issued by BMW (Mercedes, Volvo) CANADA.
So in other words… just buy a model that doesn’t require modifications!!?
Otherwise the opportunity to price gouge still exists.
It might appear that Transport Canada has put the ball back in the Car Manufacturers court..
We feel these boys should simply provide Transport Canada with the information they require. Let the public know upfront what modifications are required and provide reasonable pricing.
If these modifications were public knowledge, then a Qualified US dealer should also be authorized to do the work!
Then the recall letter could be provided from either The Canadian or U.S dealer and this would end the “gouging ($500.00) recall letter!. ”
Does this make sense? We would like to hear your opinion.
July 6th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Does anyone have confirmed this with TC?
July 6th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
May I suggest that anyone who has paid for an admissibility letter to keep the receipt, or a copy of the Credit Card transactionr for their records.
It may well be useful in a class action suit against these price gougers at a later date.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Hopefully TC puts a similar rule in place for the recall clearance letter and removes the restriction on forcing importers to go to the Canadian dealership to get the work done.
Again, thanks Bob and Serge for continuing your excellent quest. Hope you guys are successful in simplifying the process even further!
July 7th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Keep up the good work and eventually manufacturers will realize that pricing should be North American.All dealers should pay the same price for their vehicles from the manufacturers.Shipping and pre delivery costs should either be the same or based on actual cost.A vehicle off loaded at Halifax pays $2000.00 while the same car forwardd to Texas pays less than a $1000.00.Then we will have real free trade and real competition among all dealers based on real costs.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Folks I just spoke to TC and BMW they stated that the letter of admissibility is still required and the list is in error. Can you believe this??
July 7th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Her how arrogant BMW has become…
************************
Thank you for contacting BMW Canada.
Please note that the RIV cautions that they cannot guarantee the accuracy of their information. As the manufacturer in this case, we are informing you that this information is incorrect.
Sincerely,
Steve
Customer Interaction Specialist
BMW Canada
July 7th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I call Ucanimport in regards to this & pointed out this post. Here is their response.
“RIV actually was clueless when I called them, but the final answer is that letters of admissibility are NOT required for any vehicles showing on the RIV listings in the admissible columns.
I spoke with Bibi who is a customer rep and she dug up this info after I wouldn’t accept her first answer.
Hope this is helpful.
Regards,
Zabin Somani
General Manager
UCanImport Publications”
This is “hot off the press”
July 7th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Hello, Could someone please clarify this : Does the recall letter have to come from Volvo Canada oe Volvo USA? N how do I know what modifications need to be done….. I already own a Volvo S40 in the US which I plan to get to Canada.
Thanks
July 8th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Vivek if you want to know if there are any recalls on your car, you can go to http://www.carfax.com. That the way you can know about the history of your car and you make sure it isn’t a lemon.
For the recall letter - it doesn’t come from the Canadian company normally because they all claim they don’t know anything about US cars!!!
I find that the RIV have really improved their service these days and if you write to info@riv.ca - you will get a quick response. Volvo, BMW, Toyota all have different rules - but the info@riv.ca
will tell you what they will accept - and that’s what counts to get From 2.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Thanks Serge, I already have a recall clearance letter from Volvo USA, as I have had this car for about a year now. I spoke with one of RIV service reps yesterday and they told me all that they reequire is: a)Title b) Bill of sale c)Recall clearance letter. Subesequent to that I sent an email to info@riv.ca clarifying what all there rep had advised me over the phone. I am still waiting to hear back from them.
My understading is also that this has to come from Volvo USA. The RIV website says this as of 8am today morning “The letter must come from the OEM’s head office and be written on official company letterhead, duly signed with the name and position of the official at the OEM clearly visible. If the manufacturer’s logo is not on the letter it will not be accepted.”
On Volvo Canada website under the page Vehicle Admissibility it says this: Q: How do I obtain a Recall Clearance Letter for my US Volvo?
A: To obtain a Recall Clearance Letter, contact Volvo Cars of North America Customer Care Centre at 1-800-458-1552. You will be required to provide the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
July 8th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Hello all
I did some further reading.
Even though some manufacturers do not indicate a recall letter is required section 8 indicates that the riv needs confirmation. There is also a link from that section which also indicates a recall letter is needed.
Here is that section take from the riv list.
8. CONFIRMATION OF NO OUTSTANDING RECALLS: Confirmation that there are no outstanding recalls on a vehicle is a mandatory
requirement of the RIV program. This confirmation has to be sent to the RIV as soon as possible before, during or after the importation
of a U.S. specification vehicle into Canada. The Inspection Form (Form 2) will only be sent to the importer by the RIV upon receipt and
acceptance of the confirmation of no outstanding recalls. To verify what types of confirmation of no outstanding recalls are accepted by
the RIV, please visit their Web site at the following address:
http://www.riv.ca/english/html/recall_clearance.html
. Please send your
confirmation of no outstanding recalls to the RIV either by e-mail: recall@riv.ca, or by fax at 1-888-642-9899, or by mail at 405 The
West Mall, Toronto ON M9C 5K7.
The symbol (#) indicates that the manufacturer will not issue a confirmation of no outstanding recalls for vehicles that were once
declared “salvage” in the U.S. Failure to produce this confirmation will result in a failed inspection; therefore rendering the vehicle
inadmissible. Please contact your manufacturer in all cases to ensure that this confirmation can be issued.
Serge or Robert, am I missing something or do we really still need that letter.
Thanks
July 8th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Oh yeah
I looked this up because of what the mercedes notes say.
MERCEDES-BENZ #
(see notes)
#: Please refer to paragraph 8 of explanations sections.
Thanks
July 8th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I was doing some research and found out that it is possible to verify recall information on-line for any ford product (this would include Volvo).
http://www.ford.com/owner-services/maintenance-service/recall-information
I sent a printout of the results to the RIV and I was able to get my inspection form within 2 days of having faxed it.
hope that helps to those frustrated Volvo owners out there.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Went to my BMW dealer in Ottawa today. Service person was very nice and said for a Z4 Roadster no mods
required and if the DRL are already activated by the US dealer great they will only confirm that they work and go over
the VIN ETc… cost 200$ plus $500 for the no recall letter. No issues raised. he did not know about
the admissibility letter issue and did not argue but said if I need one just to let him know.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
i contacted the RIV today regarding the import of a BMW. The agent i was speaking with confirmed that an “internal network dealer printout from an authorized dealer” wold be ok. If I cannot get a leter from my dealer then i will have to contact BMW Canada.
I will let you all know what happens if i follow through with my purchase…thought everyone might want to know that going to BMW Canada and getting “screwed” with our money is not the only option…
July 10th, 2008 at 1:03 am
I have imported a Porsche and an Infiniti from the US in the last 8 months, also a Chrysler 2 years ago; all the recall letters I got were from the respective USA manufacturers, not Canadian. There was no, or very minimal charges for these letters, and in all these cases the US manufacturers were very helpful. One really does not have to involve the Canadian manufacturers at all especially now that even with Mercedes a letter of admissibility is no longer required.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:19 am
They only go by the website at the border at Canada Customs. If that is what it says on the site. Then the border agent cannot say no. So if I buy a BMW now.(1) I don’t need a admissibility letter from BMW canada anymore (2) I can just get the recall letter from any USA BMW dealer. I’m sure any BMW dealer will be more then happy to print out a recall letter at no cost. Or just buy them all coffee. If someone brought in a BMW and managed to skip all the crap with BMW Canada. Please confirm if this is true. keep my fingers crossed
July 15th, 2008 at 7:21 am
As for the other people who have called transport canada. Don’t bother. All you need is RIV. If riv says it’s okay…. then it’s okay. All we need is the form 1 and form 2 from them and we’re set.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I imported a 2006 BMW 550 on July 1st. Drove the car to Canada and imported it myself. Had the letter of admissibility from BMW which the Canadian Customs officer had no interest in. Have my car a dealer now having the “necessary” modifications done. In the meantime I have obtained my Form 2 with a recall letter provided to me by a US BMW dealer at no charge. As of last week RIV no longer requires a recall letter from BMW Canada. Had I not already had the modifications done ($3500.00) these likely could have been avoided as well.
July 17th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
WOW! Has anyone spoken about this with RIV….or has got a form 2 without the so called Dealer (Money Grab)Inspection…..esp a Volvo. Please share your experiences…..thanks.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 am
When did the Gov’t outsource their job? This is like having the fox minding the chicken house so the businesses have free reign to gouge Canadian consumers with impunity while the Gov’t sits by and watches.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:25 am
Latest update from RIV: ” Thank for your recent inquiry about importing a passenger car from the
United States into Canada. To import a vehicle from the U.S. the vehicle must be cited as
admissible on Transport Canada’s List of Vehicles Admissible from the
United States. Assuming this vehicle is listed as admissible, the
vehicle must also bear a Statement of Compliance label affixed by the
Original Equipment Manufacturer stating that “the vehicle as
manufactured to comply with all US federal emission, bumper and safety
standards on the date of manufacture”. Failing that, we will accept a
letter from the manufacturer stating the same.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
does anyone know the current price of the recall letter from BMW canada as it newly states that recall letter has to be from BMW Canada… or a printout from BMW USA dealer is still okay?
August 12th, 2008 at 8:05 am
My experience:
BMW Dealer in Calgary(both are the same company, as is Saskatchewan dealerships) has indicated that the $350(letter of admissibility that slows down the buying process & is a cash grab), $500(recall clearance letter, more cash grab) and some $1650(unnecessary cluster replacement to change the vehicle to all KM & permanent DRL) is all necessary and will result in continuation of North American warranty through BMW Canada. BMW dealer in US has indicated that they are able to provide US Recall clearance letter and DRL activation(albeit with user able to switch back) is free. Hmmm…
I have written to Transport Canada & received the standard response that RIV, a private company now looks after this. I have replied that this is the case of fox guarding the henhouse and received a reply indicating Stockwell Day will reply. It’s been 8 months & counting… I’ll be reassessing the vote for the Tories next election… if I get a reply before then.
August 20th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Here is another twist. I have my 2006 M3 home with form one. I made the mistake of completing BMW survey acurately. The sales person does not know me because they got less than perfect score! They still have not sent floor mats or the extra key as promised.
I’m in limbo when I ask for US dealer recall print out. US BMW customer service tells me if one of their dealers gives the letter they will be in trouble! US BMW will call the dealer but will promise nothing….Its just a franchise.
The lesson here folks is DONT DO BMW SURVEYS…EVER.
I can tell you BMW will get 500.00 From me over my dead body.
Thanks for your good work and encouragement!