Import A Salvage Vehicle Into Alberta

Process To License a Salvage/Rebuilt Vehicle in Alberta

If you are importing a vehicle from the US and the title indicates that the vehicle a salvage or reconstructed vehicle, please note the following for licensing in Alberta.

1. Prior to commencing your importation, please verify that the vehicle is admissible to Canada by checking at RIV or using this list;

2. Contact a salvage inspection shop using this Alberta Transportation map - http://www2.infratrans.gov.ab.ca/vis/production/vishome.asp ***PLEASE SELECT "SALVAGE" FOR INSPECTION TYPE PRIOR TO COMMENCING YOUR SEARCH.

3. Get 2 to 3 quotes for a salvage inspection; As these shops are privates businesses, prices may vary.

4. Take the vehicle for the customary Federal Inspection following the guidelines in the UCanImport guide, and then go for a salvage inspection. When you pass, you will receive a Salvage Inspection Certificate.

5. The Salvage Inspection Certificate is VALID FOR 14 DAYS only, so you must take the vehicle to a registry agent to have it registered and licensed within those 14 days.

6. You will then get your plates and your vehicle will be registered as "Salvage" in Alberta.

Recall Clearance Approval Process At RIV Has Changed

Importers No Longer Able to Obtain A General Inquiry Number Without Form 1

UCanImport has learned that there has been a slight change to the recall clearance approval process at RIV.

Until now, we had recommended that our readers submit recall clearance documentation to RIV prior to importing their vehicle into Canada. By so doing, importers could receive confirmation that the recall clearance documentation was approved by RIV. Importers would receive a General Inquiry Number (GIN) under which their recall documentation would be accessible until the vehicle was eventually imported into Canada.

As of now, importers will have to submit recall clearance documentation along with Form 1 to RIV only AFTER the vehicle is in Canada, all the border fees have been paid, and they have received Form 1 from the CBSA. Then, using the sample cover letter provided in the importing guide, the importer will submit the recall clearance documentation and Form 1 to RIV, await approval and the ultimate release of Form 2 (Federal Inspection Form).

If you have any questions or concerns about this change in process, please contact us at info@ucanimport.com

Importing A Motor Vehicle From The US

Avoid Common Dealer/Seller Scams When Buying A Motor Vehicle In The U.S.

This article written by Matthew de Paula of MSN Autos provides information on the following scams and give you tips on how to protect yourself:

1. Selling Cars Without Proper or Clear Titles;
2. Selling Wrecked or Salvaged Vehicles;
3. Bogus Warranties;
4. Financing Falls Through;
5. Credit/Identity Theft; and
6. Misleading Advertising.

For importers, note that in order complete your export out of the US, you must submit export documentation to the US Customs & Border Patrol office a minimum of 72 hours in advance. To complete this submission, you will have to provide copies of the front and back of the title certificate, as well as a copy of the bill of sale.

One statistic we have encountered suggests that up to 12% of online advertising is misleading. Please review the first part of this article to understand how to safeguard yourself against unscrupulous vehicle sellers.

Import a Mercedes-Benz from the US

How To Request A Recall Clearance Letter

If you are importing a Mercedes-Benz vehicle from the US, you will need to show RIV that there are no recalls outstanding on the vehicle.

To receive a Recall Clearance Letter from MB USA, you will need to fax a cover letter to (201) 476-6213 (Attention: CAC) along with proof of ownership in the form of a Title, Registration or Bill of Sale. You should also indicate that the recall information is required to complete an export out of the US and import into Canada.

Remember to provide your full contact information and your preferred method of delivery, i.e. fax or mail. Give yourself up to 10 days to receive this letter. To telephone MB USA use 1-800-367-6372.

At this time there is no charge for this letter.

Update on Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Auto Manufacturers

If you have imported a vehicle from the US into Canada, this update may affect you.

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Dear Vehicle Importer:

Thank you for your continued interest in the progress of our claim against the auto manufacturers.

At the time we commenced our lawsuit, a similar suit was commenced in Ontario, and we have been asked to join forces with that Ontario firm.

In order to join forces we have agreed to discontinue the claim in British Columbia. We believe that by this partnership we have a better chance of wining this David & Goliath battle.

These lawsuits are usually strenuously defended and can take years to wind their way though the legal system, so we ask you for your patience and continued interest. We will endeavor to provide monthly updates so that you can follow the progress of this lawsuit as it works its way through the court system.

Kindest regards,

Wm. Rory Lambert

Dinning Hunter Lambert & Jackson

E-mail: rlambert@dinninghunter.com

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BMW Imports From The US

Warranty Transfer Process

If you are importing a BMW vehicle from the US, you may come across conflicting information on the process.

For example, RIV doesn't require a Letter of Compliance from BMW Canada in order to release the Federal Inspection Form (Form 2) to you. You can register your vehicle in Canada without a BMW Canada Letter of Compliance. However, BMW Canada insists that one of its registered Canadian dealerships must perform modifications to your newly-imported vehicle, often to the tune of $3,000. They also insist that once the modifications are done, they must issue a Letter of Compliance at a cost of $500.

While the Letter of Compliance is not required for RIV/Transport Canada, BMW insists it is required for Warranty Protection on the balance of your vehicle's warranty.

This is a verbatim response to a customer query:

"Dear [BMW X3 Importer];

Thank you very much for your reply email.

We are truly sorry for the experience that you did receive at Calgary BMW and we can certainly look into this further if you would like us to do so.

However our response does remain unchanged regarding reimbursement of the costs associated with importing your vehicle from the United States. You are correct in stating that there are ways to go about importing your vehicle into Canada without paying the $500.00, but these ways are not suggested by BMW Canada as your vehicle would not be properly registered with us and the remaining portion of your warranty would not be validated.

If there is anything else that we can help with please email back and we would be glad to assist.

Sincerely,
Matthew
Customer Interaction Specialist
BMW Canada Inc. "


When asked by the importer to verify that folks need to "register" their imported vehicle with BMW Canada in order to have the warranty recognised, this was Matthew's response.


"Dear [BMW X3 Importer]

Thank you very much for responding.

I have contacted Calgary BMW and spoken with Service Manager Kevin Mah regarding your concerns and we certainly aim to improve the quality of service that you receive during your next visits. Regarding the importation of your vehicle, there is a difference between vehicles that are visiting from the United States and vehicles that have permanently moved to Canada and not registered their vehicle properly with BMW Canada. We certainly do assist our counterparts in the United States by honoring the warranty with customers visiting, but with vehicles that have moved to Canada permanently we do ask that the importation procedures that you have followed are performed.

I hope that this provides clarification regarding your concerns and if you would like to discuss these issues further please do feel free to contact me directly at 1-800-567-2691 and ask for extension 5069.

Sincerely,
Matthew
Customer Interaction Specialist
BMW Canada Inc. "

BMW does not come out and state that they will refuse to honour the warranty if the $500 is not paid for a "registration" fee. So, what exactly is their policy? We have long decided that BMW is seeking these financial rewards to appease their Canadian dealerships who have lost sales to importers seeking better deals in the US.

We encourage other readers to share their experiences. Like you, we are frustrated by the rules that BMW imposes and the penalties they charge.

If you have paid these fees to BMW, you may wish to put your name on the list of potential plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit. If so, please e-mail info@ucanimport.com and we will add your contact information to the growing list.

Vehicle Imports in 2008 Break Previous Records

The North American Automobile Trade Association (NAATA) has summarized the importing stats from 2008 as follows:

A total of 239,929 vehicles were imported into Canada through the Registrar of Imported Vehicles program in 2008, breaking the old record set the year before of 189,738 vehicles.

This figure represents an average of 22, 600 vehicles per month from January to October allowing for the dramatic declines in November (7,854 vehicles) and December (5,661vehicles).

With the drop in the Canadian dollar exports from Canada to the US and to other parts of the world are starting to pick up.