[Bigtimekegger]

Give me 1000 pay all taxes and duties and I'll do the leg work

[grandmaster]

Sorry to revive this thread.

Has anyone brought up a US car and used a non Canadian BMW recall letter and had warranty done recently at a Canadian dealer?

If so, did the dealer have any issues with you not going through BMW Canada for a recall letter/import process?

I found a used car down south, and it doesnt have much warranty left. I'd hate to spend the $3000 for a new cluster just for the off chance I might actually use it in the remaining months. Was curious though as it is nice to have a little bit of warranty left.

Thanks for any help.

[scruff]

Warranties and recalls my dealer does, but not the freebies like oil changes.

My questions is, how do you get a Warranty Vehicle Inquiry from anyone? BMW wants $500. Is there a free way to get one of these? It should be a simple printout.

[Flyingz]

Imported a 2009 BMW 335i Coupe successfully on Feb 1, 2013. Submitted a copy of the Vehicle Warranty Inquiry to RIV, they accepted it without issues. Was able to obtain the Vehicle Warranty Inquiry from the place I had my Pre-Purchase Inspection done. It was almost impossible to get this printout from the dealer as they have strict instructions not to do so. Saved myself $500 by not having to goto BMW Canada for the Recall Clearance Letter. Vehicle came with iDrive so no programming required for DRL. Process was very easy otherwise and I would do it again!

[drevil2k2]

Originally Posted by Flyingz

Imported a 2009 BMW 335i Coupe successfully on Feb 1, 2013. Submitted a copy of the Vehicle Warranty Inquiry to RIV, they accepted it without issues. Was able to obtain the Vehicle Warranty Inquiry from the place I had my Pre-Purchase Inspection done. It was almost impossible to get this printout from the dealer as they have strict instructions not to do so. Saved myself $500 by not having to goto BMW Canada for the Recall Clearance Letter. Vehicle came with iDrive so no programming required for DRL. Process was very easy otherwise and I would do it again!

Thanks for the update, just wondering if your savings was significant?

[vvs]

has anyone bought a car through a private seller or just from u.s. dealers?

[Modmike]

Sorry about the late reply. I estimated about 15K for a comparably equipped car.

[titanle]

I bought a X6 ActiveHybrid through manheim but I was unable to get a vehicle warranty inquiry, I think Im going to have to go through BMW Canada.

[Blackice013]

bought a 08 M3 from Cali.... easy process. Had to leave the car in Buffalo while waiting for my title. It was from a porsche dealer. would do it again saved over 10K.

[grandmaster]

Has anyone dealt with the Calgary BMW dealers for warranty work for a US car where you didn't have the cluster replaced and used BMW Canada for the recall letter? Was the experience positive or negative?

Thank you in advance.

[Lotus99]

Shouldn't matter which dealer. Should be no problem getting it done.

[Kid Eh]

I'm about to import a car and these letters seem impossible to get now. I guess it's time to shell out $500.

[craignucks]

I just did this a few weeks ago. Bought a used 335 (2009) in Central Florida. It was very time-consuming thanks to a LOT of trial and error with insurance, funds transfer and license plate issues. Simply put: the majority of people you contact for help have no frickin' clue what they're doing. Be patient. The car will be totally worth it.

Here were my detailed steps after test driving the car and negotiating a price:

1. Called RIV. They told me I needed a Warranty Vehicle Inquiry, daytime running lights and a speedometer in kilometres. The DRL was a checkbox in iDrive. Speedometer had both km/miles already.

2. I contacted BMW Grand River in Kitchener. They e-mailed me the Warranty Vehicle Inquiry PDF in minutes, no charge. I bounced the PDF to RIV, they replied with an approval.

3. Contacted my insurance company in Canada. It took a few HOURS on the phone to sort this out, but they were finally able to insure a car that wasn't yet registered in Canada. Had to fax them a copy of the bill of sale and send them a picture of the VIN plate for them to process it.

4. Another few hours on the phone with my bank (RBC). Getting a wire transfer initiated from Canada by me while in the United States was a no-go. In the end, I opened a free online account with RBC Bank (US) to transfer the funds. Cost me $25 in wire transfer fees. The dealership had the money the next day.

5. Picked up the car. The dealership charged me $31.50 (it's $7.50 directly from the DMV) for the temporary Florida plate. It was valid for 28 days.

6. Faxed the title document (provided by the dealer) to the Vehicle Import/Export Department at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit. They require a fax confirmation page -- so get one! They're also open 24 hours/7 days, unlike Buffalo.

7. Enjoyed driving my new purchase all the way up I-75.

8. Presented the vehicle, title, release of liens document and the fax confirmation page to the nice folks on the US side in Detroit. They stamped them all. I was in and out in 15 minutes, most of that time spent waiting for security to let me in and out of their gated compound.

9. Claimed the vehicle as a purchase with Canada Customs in Windsor. Showed the Bill Of Sale. Got the yellow slip and was sent inside to the secondary inspection area.

10. Paid 6.1% duty, as the vehicle is not covered under NAFTA (made in Germany). Paid GST. Paid the $100 air conditioning enviro fee. (??!) Paid $195 + tax for RIV fee.

***NOTE: They will charge you the taxes/duty on the full out-the-door price. (eg: purchase price + dealer delivery fee + battery fee + document handling fee + tag/title/registration fee + state sales tax.)

I felt a tad screwed at this point, but I ended up with a spiffy RIV Form 1 and a "Casual Goods Importing Document."

11. Received RIV Form 2 link via e-mail. Printed and took it and RIV Form 1 to the only non-Canadian Tire location near me for the compliance check. He kept RIV Form 2 and stamped my RIV Form 1.

12. Took it to a local shop for the Safety Inspection ($70 + $15 for certificate) and Drive Clean ($35).

13. Brought everything to the MTO. They needed to see the RIV Form 1, Safety Certificate, Drive Clean and the Casual Goods Importing Document forms.

14. Bought a front license plate holder from the dealership for $45.

That's it! Tedious as hell, but well worth it. Even after being taxed twice, I'm still ahead by a few grand.

Any questions? PM me and I'll be happy to help out.

Cheers,

Craig

[Kid Eh]

Originally Posted by craignucks

I just did this a few weeks ago. Bought a used 335 (2009) in Central Florida. It was very time-consuming thanks to a LOT of trial and error with insurance, funds transfer and license plate issues. Simply put: the majority of people you contact for help have no frickin' clue what they're doing. Be patient. The car will be totally worth it.

Here were my detailed steps after test driving the car and negotiating a price:

1. Called RIV. They told me I needed a Warranty Vehicle Inquiry, daytime running lights and a speedometer in kilometres. The DRL was a checkbox in iDrive. Speedometer had both km/miles already.

2. I contacted BMW Grand River in Kitchener. They e-mailed me the Warranty Vehicle Inquiry PDF in minutes, no charge. I bounced the PDF to RIV, they replied with an approval.

3. Contacted my insurance company in Canada. It took a few HOURS on the phone to sort this out, but they were finally able to insure a car that wasn't yet registered in Canada. Had to fax them a copy of the bill of sale and send them a picture of the VIN plate for them to process it.

4. Another few hours on the phone with my bank (RBC). Getting a wire transfer initiated from Canada by me while in the United States was a no-go. In the end, I opened a free online account with RBC Bank (US) to transfer the funds. Cost me $25 in wire transfer fees. The dealership had the money the next day.

5. Picked up the car. The dealership charged me $31.50 (it's $7.50 directly from the DMV) for the temporary Florida plate. It was valid for 28 days.

6. Faxed the title document (provided by the dealer) to the Vehicle Import/Export Department at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit. They require a fax confirmation page -- so get one! They're also open 24 hours/7 days, unlike Buffalo.

7. Enjoyed driving my new purchase all the way up I-75.

8. Presented the vehicle, title, release of liens document and the fax confirmation page to the nice folks on the US side in Detroit. They stamped them all. I was in and out in 15 minutes, most of that time spent waiting for security to let me in and out of their gated compound.

9. Claimed the vehicle as a purchase with Canada Customs in Windsor. Showed the Bill Of Sale. Got the yellow slip and was sent inside to the secondary inspection area.

10. Paid 6.1% duty, as the vehicle is not covered under NAFTA (made in Germany). Paid GST. Paid the $100 air conditioning enviro fee. (??!) Paid $195 + tax for RIV fee.

***NOTE: They will charge you the taxes/duty on the full out-the-door price. (eg: purchase price + dealer delivery fee + battery fee + document handling fee + tag/title/registration fee + state sales tax.)

I felt a tad screwed at this point, but I ended up with a spiffy RIV Form 1 and a "Casual Goods Importing Document."

11. Received RIV Form 2 link via e-mail. Printed and took it and RIV Form 1 to the only non-Canadian Tire location near me for the compliance check. He kept RIV Form 2 and stamped my RIV Form 1.

12. Took it to a local shop for the Safety Inspection ($70 + $15 for certificate) and Drive Clean ($35).

13. Brought everything to the MTO. They needed to see the RIV Form 1, Safety Certificate, Drive Clean and the Casual Goods Importing Document forms.

14. Bought a front license plate holder from the dealership for $45.

That's it! Tedious as hell, but well worth it. Even after being taxed twice, I'm still ahead by a few grand.

Any questions? PM me and I'll be happy to help out.

Cheers,

Craig

I find it strange that you had to pay state tax. From what I've read you only pay for the car. Then at the border you pay duty and RIV. Then once in Ontario you pay the HST tax when registering. I know some people mention paying GST at the border but that was before HST was introduced after this thread was started. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[farbmw]

How old does a US BMW has to be to ship up to Canada?

[craignucks]

Originally Posted by Kid Eh

I find it strange that you had to pay state tax. From what I've read you only pay for the car. Then at the border you pay duty and RIV. Then once in Ontario you pay the HST tax when registering. I know some people mention paying GST at the border but that was before HST was introduced after this thread was started. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Well...you asked...

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/forms/2009/gt800030.pdf

"What is Taxable?
Six (6) percent sales tax must be paid on all new or used motor vehicles sold, leased, and/or delivered in Florida, unless exempted by law, or qualify for the partial exemption for a resident of another state (see Partially Exempt below). The purchase of a motor vehicle in Florida by a resident of another country is taxable at six percent."

In summary, I paid Florida State Tax, then 6.1% duty and 5% GST (not HST!) at Canada Customs. The Canadian taxes/duty were calculated on the after-tax and fees price on the invoice.

[Kid Eh]

Originally Posted by craignucks

Well...you asked...

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/forms/2009/gt800030.pdf

"What is Taxable?
Six (6) percent sales tax must be paid on all new or used motor vehicles sold, leased, and/or delivered in Florida, unless exempted by law, or qualify for the partial exemption for a resident of another state (see Partially Exempt below). The purchase of a motor vehicle in Florida by a resident of another country is taxable at six percent."

In summary, I paid Florida State Tax, then 6.1% duty and 5% GST (not HST!) at Canada Customs. The Canadian taxes/duty were calculated on the after-tax and fees price on the invoice.

Must be a Florida thing then. I'm getting my car from Delaware where there is no state tax anyway.

[craignucks]

Originally Posted by farbmw

How old does a US BMW has to be to ship up to Canada?

The guy at the dealership in Florida told me it only has to have one previous owner on title, age and mileage don't matter. He also warned against buying brand new in the US and exporting it back to Canada.

(This was followed by a story of someone who bought a fully-loaded ride from him two weeks earlier, brought it back on trade-in, and ordered another one with identical specs in a different colour. Whomever bought that 'used' car got a screaming deal, apparently.)

[farbmw]

Originally Posted by craignucks

The guy at the dealership in Florida told me it only has to have one previous owner on title, age and mileage don't matter. He also warned against buying brand new in the US and exporting it back to Canada.

(This was followed by a story of someone who bought a fully-loaded ride from him two weeks earlier, brought it back on trade-in, and ordered another one with identical specs in a different colour. Whomever bought that 'used' car got a screaming deal, apparently.)

Thanks, that is good to know, but I still don't understand why buying a new "used" BMW is not a good idea.

My plan is to have my nephew get the M4 in his name and then "buy" it off him and bring it to Canada.

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by craignucks

Well...you asked...

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/forms/2009/gt800030.pdf

"What is Taxable?
Six (6) percent sales tax must be paid on all new or used motor vehicles sold, leased, and/or delivered in Florida, unless exempted by law, or qualify for the partial exemption for a resident of another state (see Partially Exempt below). The purchase of a motor vehicle in Florida by a resident of another country is taxable at six percent."

In summary, I paid Florida State Tax, then 6.1% duty and 5% GST (not HST!) at Canada Customs. The Canadian taxes/duty were calculated on the after-tax and fees price on the invoice.

Weird. So you didn't pay any taxes at the MTO office?
I recently got a car from NY and paid 6.1% duty at the border. HST was paid at the MTO office. No state tax.

[farbmw]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

Weird. So you didn't pay any taxes at the MTO office?
I recently got a car from NY and paid 6.1% duty at the border. HST was paid at the MTO office. No state tax.

Different states do have different Tax laws.

[parylizer]

Thanks this thread has helped me alot! I am going to be importing a 335 soon is there anywhere that I can get a clearance letter or a dealer letter that shows no recalls for free? I am buying privately so I don't know where I could get one.