[MaxL]

I'm trying to import a car from the US and ran into a totally unexpected issue. I tried getting a recall clearance letter from BMW dealers in the US, and they confirmed that this is something they would be happy to provide (no cost, BTW), but I have to own the car and show up in person with proof of ownership to get it... I've heard this from two dealerships already. I obviously cannot do this, because I have not bought the car yet, but once I buy the car, it will be too late - I need the letter BEFORE I import the car... Kind of catch 22.

Last year a BMWNA dealership just emailed me the service record printout - no fees and no questions. I am not sure what to do now...

Anybody had this problem? How did you resolve it? Does anyone know a friendly dealer in the US who could help? I promise a beer and/or a ride in the new beast

Thanks!

[2kaccordocoupe]

A buddy of mine used Towne BMW in Buffalo last fall. Give them a call.

[MaxL]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

A buddy of mine used Towne BMW in Buffalo last fall. Give them a call.

Did he get the letter before or after he bought the car?

[2kaccordocoupe]

The person he bought car from arranged all the paperwork. We just had to pickup the car from the dealership. So the previous owner must have pulled all the recall info etc... All the docs were present when he went to see the car prior to even making the purchase.

FWIW when I bought my bike from Ray Laks honda in Buffalo they also took care of all the paper work and faxed everything to customs. The process was flawless.

[jigga]

i just imported my car a few months ago from the US. the dealer that i bought it from was a non bmw dealer. he just called up his local bmw dealer and got it from them for free and faxed it to me.

no biggie and very simple. you shouldn't have to do this... the seller should get it for you.

[jigga]

oh another thing... you dont need that letter until AFTER the car comes into Canada. they won't ask you for it when you are physically crossing the border, so you can still come thru with the car. all you need is the title of the car when you are crossing.

[sandecker]

Originally Posted by jigga

oh another thing... you dont need that letter until AFTER the car comes into Canada. they won't ask you for it when you are physically crossing the border, so you can still come thru with the car. all you need is the title of the car when you are crossing.

Correct you don't need the letter until after you purchase and bring the car to Canada. And whoever you buy the car from just ask them to get the letter for you from the dealer they use locally if need be...and i'm sure you know this already but don't forget about the 6.1% import duty, and both GST (payable at border) and PST (upon provincial registration) on the purchase price. And one final suggestion for those so inclined - do not try to fudge your purchase price to attempt a lower tax on a cross border purchase - there are very serious consequences including vehicle seizure for starters.

[MaxL]

Originally Posted by sandecker

Correct you don't need the letter until after you purchase and bring the car to Canada. And whoever you buy the car from just ask them to get the letter for you from the dealer they use locally if need be...and i'm sure you know this already but don't forget about the 6.1% import duty, and both GST (payable at border) and PST (upon provincial registration) on the purchase price. And one final suggestion for those so inclined - do not try to fudge your purchase price to attempt a lower tax on a cross border purchase - there are very serious consequences including vehicle seizure for starters.

Got it. What form of payment do they accept at the border? Is personal check or debit/credit card ok?

The dealer I'm buying from will try to get the letter for me on Monday. Good point about not needing it to cross the border - I showed it at the crossing last time I did this, so I thought that was required - but I remember they did not ask for it - I just showed all I had prepared.

If all goes well, I'll be driving a 2009 M3 before the end of the month - so excited!

[Blackadder]

When I brought my wifes vehicle across the border (in BC) they only accepted credit card and interac.

You are aware that there are able 3 taxes you will have to pay at the Cdn Border.

GST
Import Tax (6.1%)
Green Tax
and then a $100 AC levy.


Cheers

[TwinPowerF30]

^ what about PST?

[dpwr]

i'm actually thinking about getting m5 from states, if someone went through all this, what exactly do I need step by step? and how much will all that process cost ?

[MaxL]

Originally Posted by weiweiwei

^ what about PST?

PST is paid when you get the plates in the ministry. The worst part is that you pay PST on GST, Duty and all other taxes that you already paid.

[jigga]

Originally Posted by dpwr

i'm actually thinking about getting m5 from states, if someone went through all this, what exactly do I need step by step? and how much will all that process cost ?

you should do a search. i already posted all the steps when i imported my car in november 2009. i doubt anything has changed since then.

[jigga]

Originally Posted by MaxL

Got it. What form of payment do they accept at the border? Is personal check or debit/credit card ok?

The dealer I'm buying from will try to get the letter for me on Monday. Good point about not needing it to cross the border - I showed it at the crossing last time I did this, so I thought that was required - but I remember they did not ask for it - I just showed all I had prepared.

If all goes well, I'll be driving a 2009 M3 before the end of the month - so excited!

i used credit card. not sure about cheques... i doubt they'd accept it.

[Blackadder]

Originally Posted by MaxL

PST is paid when you get the plates in the ministry. The worst part is that you pay PST on GST, Duty and all other taxes that you already paid.

This is the part that I had the biggest problem with. Paying tax on a tax is robbery!

[dpwr]

Originally Posted by jigga

you should do a search. i already posted all the steps when i imported my car in november 2009. i doubt anything has changed since then.

can you point me to it please? i searched and can't find anything :/

[jigga]

Originally Posted by dpwr

can you point me to it please? i searched and can't find anything :/

here you go... it was in another thread near the bottom so i copied/pasted/edited a bit of it with more info and created a new thread for everyone.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=360292

[dubr]

Hi Everyone,
I am relocating to Canada and bringing my 2006 E90 with me. The only issue that I still have is a recall clearance letter. The dealership that I had my car serviced at (in Detroit) refused to give me a recall clearance letter telling to contact the BMW of North America. I've called them and, over the phone, the rep told me that they do not send out those letter since June of 1997 and prohibit US dealers to do this. This contradicts the information in this thread. Does anyone know what's going on or can recommend a way out of this. Thanks a lot!

[bulldog_yyc]

Originally Posted by dubr

Hi Everyone,
I am relocating to Canada and bringing my 2006 E90 with me. The only issue that I still have is a recall clearance letter. The dealership that I had my car serviced at (in Detroit) refused to give me a recall clearance letter telling to contact the BMW of North America. I've called them and, over the phone, the rep told me that they do not send out those letter since June of 1997 and prohibit US dealers to do this. This contradicts the information in this thread. Does anyone know what's going on or can recommend a way out of this. Thanks a lot!

call another dealer!