Canadians getting screwed!

[initial_D]

^^ Roger that, maybe Artic MisRemembered. 

[Benhaze]

AS has a point. Although I agree with Railton that the various companies should honour warranty regardless of where their car was retailed.

After all, if I go to the US on a four month winter vacation, is (manufacturer) Canada going to tell me they won't honour the warranty while I am out of the country? BS!

Don't confuse an off-the-wall type claim with full blown cross-border shopping and relative warranty claim process. These two scenarios have nothing in common.

[sailor723]

So far the local GM dealer has been treating me very well when it comes to honouring warranty claims on my US sourced SRX. I obviously don't expect to get goodwill once the exact time or mileage is up but it's (US car shopping) been a positive experience to date.

In fact,if the dollar stays strong I would certainly look at doing it again. I've come to believe that late model "high end" used cars with most of the original warranty remaining are the way to go for me and that the US is the best source for those kind of vehicles.

[articsteve]

Let me get this straight AS. Are you saying you can get BMW's through the RIV process and licensed in Canada without paying all the BMW "modification" fees but if you don't jump through their hoops you don't get warranty?

In future when you use phrases like "are you saying", use of the quote function would be appreciated so I know exactly what you are referring to. 

To get any vehicle into Canada that is on the eligible list and in order to receive your "inspection form" from the FEDS all you need is a copy from any authorized dealer in America saying that the vehicle meets the clearance requirements.  So for a Bimmer all one needs is a clearance letter typed on the letterhead of any US BMW dealer saying all recalls are in effect.

One does not need to deal with BMW Canada or BMW USA or pay them anything.  All that needs to be done is get past the inspection at Crappy Tire and that deal is between you and the service manager at Crappy.

Warranty   I have no clue about what BMW Canada's warranty position is on US Bimmers nor do I care.  Like HCRV says,  if I was importing in a US car I wouldn't be bringing in a vehicle that "the warranty" was a deciding factor.

[articsteve]

Let me get this straight AS. Are you saying you can get BMW's through the RIV process and licensed in Canada without paying all the BMW "modification" fees but if you don't jump through their hoops you don't get warranty?

If Articsteve believes this, he is a bit misinformed.

Don't leave me hanging, tell me all about it. 

[Benhaze]

Let me get this straight AS. Are you saying you can get BMW's through the RIV process and licensed in Canada without paying all the BMW "modification" fees but if you don't jump through their hoops you don't get warranty?

If Articsteve believes this, he is a bit misinformed.

Don't leave me hanging, tell me all about it. 

The following quote is from Transport Canada  http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/safevehicles/importation/usa/vafus/list2/BMW.htm

Note 1: BMW Canada informed Transport Canada that ALL modifications MUST be performed (and documented) by an authorized BMW Canada or MINI retailer and must be completed before a recall clearance letter can be issued by BMW Group Canada. Contact an authorized Canadian retailer for information on exact nature and costs of modifications required. Modifications vary by model and may be expensive.

See the problem to bypass BMW Canada is to get an official list of modifications that are required to meet Canadian Specs. How can you be sure that RIV will accept that a car will meet canadian requirements without BMW Canada's approval? Unless BMW US can provide it and that it is recognized by the Canadian government, you may be playing Russian roulette... 

A Recall Clearance letter obtained from a US dealer does not address meeting Canadian requirements.

[sailor723]

Exactly!........and this is where Transport Canada isn't doing their job. TC should decide which cars meet Canadian standards and are therefore admissable ,not the manufacturer.

[articsteve]

Exactly!........and this is where Transport Canada isn't doing their job. TC should decide which cars meet Canadian standards and are therefore admissable ,not the manufacturer.

Exactly    It's just a scare tactic in an attempt to keep a lid on cross border shopping. 

TRANSPORT CANADA OR THE REGISTRAR OF IMPORTED VEHICLES CANNOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS LIST. THE INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

Here is what Toyota Canada says about Scions which they really want to keep out of Canada;

Note 2: Since Scion models are not sold in Canada, Toyota Canada will not supply information relating to the modifications required to bring them into Canadian compliance

Sounds worse than the BMW.   Lots of US Scions in the GTA.


Acceptable forms of recall clearance documentation

RIV will accept any of the following recall clearance information:

A printout from an American or Canadian dealership’s vehicle service database.
This document must be produced by an authorized dealer and not a reseller. You can confirm whether or not a dealership is authorized by visiting the manufacturer’s web site or by calling their head office and providing them with the dealership’s location. The printout must also contain the 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN), year, make and model, and indicate that there are no outstanding recalls. RIV routinely forwards a copy of these printouts to the manufacturer for authentication.

http://www.riv.ca/RecallClearance.aspx

[No H2O]

Acceptable forms of recall clearance documentation

And in the end, kind of a joke isn't it?

As an owner of a Canadian bought vehicle, I might receive a recall notice in the mail. There is nothing forcing me to get the recall done.

Sort of like a Safety Standards Certificate in Ontario when buying a used car, yet I can continue to drive my own car with bad brakes.

[jaman]

Regarding BMW recall letter....

"For anyone else considering importing a BMW, I strongly recommend getting the Warranty Vehicle Inquiry to use as your recall letter. This would avoid having to deal with BMW Canada prior to registering your vehicle. As long as you have the recall letter and DRL turned on, that's good enough for RIV. No need to change instrument clusters, etc."

Came across the above here:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/wow-new-cars-us-up-30-cheaper-cost-import-under-200-a-307601/1212/

[kevlar]

great infomation.  for bmw, do you have to go to the states to get your servicing and/or warranty work done? can you buy new and used from a usa dealer or is another way of doing it? 

[safristi]

^^ Roger that, maybe Artic MisRemembered. 

...........Roger whom!!!..........is this not an equal opportunity  site..who missed his member!!!?

[No H2O]

One does not need to deal with BMW Canada or BMW USA or pay them anything.

Exactly, there is a lot of misinformation on forums, usually from people that hate it is you buy anywhere but locally.

A neighbour brought in a car a year ago. He never had to deal with the US or Canadian representatives. The dealer gave him everything that was required.