.

Costantino Ditri just posted a letter he sent to Nissan US on our forum concerning his attempts to ensure his new 2010 Nissan was covered by the U.S. warranty.

 This warranty issue does not only apply to Cars but it appears to us that many US backed muti-national companies are creating this non-tariff barrier to trade as our governments sit idly by  and allows Canadians to be price gouged and treated like second class citizens.  If I buy a fridge and stove in Plattsburg, one that readily sells in Canada, why can’t I obtain warranty coverage. 

Canada should demand that if a company sells products in Canada and Guarantees and warrants that product in Canada, then the product, if purchased in the US by a Canadian also be covered.

Since this is a major consumer issue, I wonder what all the other wonderful Canadian Consumer organizations are doing about this? 

We would like to hear from our members and supporters on this.  Is it worth putting together a class-action suit?  Do we go after Harper and his bandits? 

 At this time Serge and I would like to wish all our World Wide members and supporters a Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year!

Many thanks to one of our members who documented his experience in our newly updated forum:

“Howdy

I actually Factory Ordered a brand new 2011 Base Mustang GT (you cannot get this model in Canada) in April 2011. I aquired this vehicle in Montana July 2011. I was refused by 3 Ford dealers before I found one that would sell to a Canadian. In my case, U.S. Ford dealers have to worry about their Mustang “allocations” as they are only allowed so many Mustangs per Dealer, and if they sell to a Canadian, which Ford Head Office frowns upon, when they find out, may sometimes “punish” the dealer by reducing their Mustang allocations the following year.

This dealer was very fluent in the importation process as they sell a lot of trucks to their neighbours in Sask.

The things I needed to do to import the car were as follows,

- Immobilizer - Already installed when you order the Security System option
- Child Tether Anchors - Already factory installed on all Mustangs
- Recall Letter - Aquired from my U.S. Dealer on U.S. Ford letterhead. accepted by RIV.
- DRL’s - this is the tricky one….
The Daytime Running Lamp (DRL’s) Modules in the US sourced Fords are already in the vehicles, they just don’t turn them on.
My US dealer was happy to activate them, but was unable.
Reason, US Ford Dealer computers need a “password” from Transport Canada to activate the DRL module via the computers in their service departments. This “password” is not provided until Form 1 is filled out at the border.
That’s why we can only get them activated at a Canadian Ford Dealer as their computers can somehow access Transport Canada servers to retrieve the necessary password.
- Sales Tax - This issue goes out the window as there is no sales tax in Montana, and no sales tax in Alberta.
- GST - paid at the border.
- Driving Home
A couple years ago, I once bought a car in another province, at that time i needed an in-transit permit to drive it home. I expected the same for this car. Instead, my local Registration office said “not required, just bring a valid plate with you, and put it on the car.” I was about to do so in Montana, but instead the Ford dealer has a Paper Licence in plastic attached to a licence plate frame that is registered with the local (and State I think) Authourities. Once I got to the border, I asked the Customs official what to do with this Paper Licence, I was informed I can leave it on there for the rest of the trip home! There was no charge for this! cool….

In total, after accounting for the exchange rates ( I had been been adding to my US account over time) I saved a little over $8000.

Next time, If I can even save a $1000 bucks, I will do this again. ”

If you have questions or just achieved some great savings shopping in the U.S. tell us about it!  Join our Forum today.

Maybe a bit off topic for some of you bargan hunters and  Consumer Advocates, but today’s article  in the Gazette’s “opinion page” by Jason Magder really hits home.  “Age of Openness is a good thing”

As most of you are aware the Internet and WikiLeaks have been making considerable headlines recently.  This article outlines the good, the bad and the ugly of privacy issues related to the internet and the electronic media in general.  

The Internet allowed thousands  of our followers and supporters to uncover the hoaxes and untruths perpetrated by the Car Companies and Transport Canada back in  October of 2007.   Many of these issues are still not yet resolved and hidden under a cloak of “privacy” by our duly elected government officials and their “price-gouging” friends.  

Looking at the big picture WikiLeaks and the Internet are here to stay!  Some of our Elected officials work hard to protect us and hide everything from us, but in the end they will be exposed.  Transparency today is not an option.  It is only a matter of time  Mr. Harper, M. Charest, M. Tremblay, Transport Canada!

Age of Openness is a good thing

EveryBody Knows…EveryBody Knows

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That’s how it goes
Everybody knows

The Gazette editorial folks are really asleep at the switch these days… I guess it is ok now and then to see if they can light a fire under normally placid and laid back Montrealers.  I wonder how many letters they received encouraging Mr. BousQuet’s comments.  (Click it to enlarge) and see our reply below:

Car Buyer Beware, Do your Homework!

Re: “Buy a Chevy” (Gazette November 22,2010)

I had to laugh out loud when I read Mr. Bousquet’s comments encouraging “hard working Canadians” to spend their hard earned dollars on a GM vehicle. Turns out he states that most of the well to dos are driving foreign cars. Yes that is right, and a great many that have been purchased directly in the U.S; thus saving them thousands of dollars.

Before you run out and spend your hard earned dollars on GM products to support the North American Market and GM shareholders, please do your homework! GM’s “price-gouging” tactics have now gone one step further. There is currently a 18.96% difference between the price of a The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe purchased in the U.S. versus the same model purchased through your local Canadian dealer. One contributing factor is that the delivery and processing fee in Canada is $2145 versus a fee of $825 in the U.S. Of course if you want to buy just “four wheels and a board” GM will accommodate you with an options limited Cruze for just under $16,940, including handling and delivery of $2000 and excluding taxes.

Car Buyer Beware, Do your Homework and save your hard earned dollars to pay for your children’s education or your retirement.

Robert Lamb

Kirkland

Founder of CarsWithoutBorders

We often wonder what all our other Consumer Protection Groups across are the country are doing to protect you the consumer.  They to are all asleep at the wheel!

Here is a pretty good report on Canadians buying cars in the U.S. that aired on the local Global station. One of the U.S. dealers just south of the border in Vermont is thinking about hiring a French speaking salesperson to handle all the people coming down from Quebec.

BMW is still out there price gauging Canadians,  but now we have the SWISS folks going after the car company for preventing them from buying in other countries where prices are less expensive. 

The NAATA.org folks have highlighted the story! 

Wonder when Canadians and the SWISS are just going to wake up and stop buying until the prices are more competitive…. EVERBODY KNOWS….EVERYBODY KNOWS…

So we left yesterday morning at 8:15a.m., enjoyable ride thru to Cornwall and then onto the WalMart in Massena N.Y. ( waited no more than 5 minutes at the border)

My new-found MalMart friend, Steve had set aside 4 tires for me, and to my surprise they had the wrong price!  $74 each instead of $80.  My lucky day.  So for a total of $326.72 I picked up my 4 PaceMark SnowTrakker Radial ST/2 and headed home.  Each tire included a N.Y. State Tire Tax of $2.50 and then a 7% N.Y. State tx was added and included in the total.

Did some grocery shopping and picked up some winter boots at a great savings.  Filled up my gas tank at $2.97 per Gallon ( around .7435 cents per litre) Canadian at par. and drove to Canadian Customs. 

I paid $15.66 GST on the Tires and $3.33 on the boots and drove home.  I arrivided safe and sound around noon. 

Note: Steve was wrong about the country of Manufacture.  It was the U.S. not Canada, but he  did tell me  several other models were built in Canada.

In Summary, this is one Canadian that is not going to be taken to the cleaners by overpriced Canadian Tire and Auto manufacturers….. I enjoyed myself on a cold but sunny October morning, and I met many Canadians doing the same thing.  Saving their hard earned $$$$$$!!!!

Just went onto the Goodyear web site and registered my purchase.