Submitted by: UCanImport reader
Comments welcome
It looks like I will have no choice but to join the list of many on your suit. Here is my, what I believe to be unique, story.
I am a Canadian Snowbird with 2 homes and spend just under 6 months in the USA and the remainder in Canada. I am a Canadian Citizen.
I recently purchased a 2006 650 Convertible in Arizona. It is registered and insured in Arizona State. I had planned on driving it to Canada for July and August and then returning to Arizona.
Unfortunately, I found out that Canadian residents cannot drive a USA registered vehicle in Canada. No exceptions not even for 1 minute I was told by Canada Customs. Now I must import the vehicle if I want to use it in Canada for the summer months.
I do not want any warranty transfer as I'm not interested in dealing with BMW Canada for the 2 months the car will be in Canada. This was to be an annual thing for me.
Also, BMW Canada wants me to change the instrument cluster and heater controls. They want the KPH in large font instead of small and the heater controls in "C" instead of "F". As an older guy, I prefer "F" and I would rather have the MPH in large font as it's in the USA for most of the year.
If you have any suggestions...feel free as I find dealing with BMW Canada stressful.
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In response to the comments from the snowbird, I believe a non-resident of Canada can temporarily import a vehicle from the U.S. for up to 1 year without going through the RIV process or even registering it here.
ReplyDeleteI believe the same rules apply going southbound – a Canadian can import a vehicle to the US for up to 1 year (I could be wrong on the time frame).
This exception is NOT available to a Canadian resident snowbird who wishes to drive a US registered vehicle in Canada for 6 months.
If this is correct, it would be best the writer to import the vehicle into Canada, go through the RIV process and then drive it in the US with the Canadian registration.
If I were in his shoes, I would try to get the RIV to approve the importation without making any changes to the instrumentation. The Motor Vehicle Safety Act does not require these modifications. The US instrumentation meets Canadian standards. Presumably the warranty coverage on the vehicle would still be valid on the vehicle, although I have read BMW comments to the contrary.
If he does not spend the money and can get the vehicle registered in Canada without paying the extortion fee to BMW, then there are no losses to be recovered.