Hi all,

I will be relocating to Vancouver from the US next month. My ride is an '03 MCS...US spec.

Anyone here have tips on going through the import procedures? The mini will be imported "in bond" by a transport company.

I've been hearing horror stories of BMW Canada extorting owners with $500 charges for a simple written statement there are no recalls open on the car and more crazy charges to turn on the DRLs and switch the digital display to metric.

I've managed to get a letter from my local mini dealer stating there are no open recalls...but they said they were not allowed (by head office) to provide it if I was exporting the car to Canada. So I told them it was for a buyer I was selling the car to. They were fine with that.

I'm hoping the type written letter withg the US dealer's stamp on it will satisfy the Canadian import folks....but I'd like to hear other's stories on their experiences.

Cheers!

Mike.

 

Welcome to Canada : )
In general, the stories you heard have more to do with importing a new car into Canada. If you are moving to Canada, it should not be a major issue to bring your car with you. DRL's are easily retrofitted by simple reprogramming of the software in the ECU and the MINI Dealers in Canada are actually pretty good to deal. In Vancouver, there are two MINI dealerships. Arthur at MINI Richmond and Graham at MINI Yaletown have good reputations and have treated there customers well enough that most MINI owners here have stayed with letting the dealerships service their MINIS even after the warranties have expired.

You're not buying a new car so bringing it in with your US registration and insurance, you have a few months before you have to convert to Canadian giving you time to deal with that once the car has arrived in Canada. I believe you can also insure your car as US spec so you may not need to do anything to your car. Maybe others can chime in and correct me if my information is out of date or wrong.

As for new cars, besides DRLs, I believe bumper requirements are different along with ignition immobilizer and French labels. That's all I can think of.

 

Thanks Man...that's good to know.

But, I just sold my car today....my company is offering a "stop-loss" benefit on the car...which means they will give me the difference between blue-book value and what I can sell it for...upto $5k difference. That seemed like a better deal than tryin to import it, the hassle, and then still be owning a 6 year old car. Blue book was $15.5 USD...and I sold it for only 9k (ya...pretty low..but this was a short notice thing). So, I will end up with 9+5=14k. Enough to buy another similar model in Vancouver used or make a hefty downpayment on a new one.


I arrive mid to late next week (driving up in my VW Van pulling a boat trailer)

Cheers!

Mike.

 

Welcome to Vancouver, Mike.
The Vancouver MINI Cooper Club plans to have a lunch get together around the time you arrive. You're more than welcome to join us for lunch and meet some of us. Look for more details on the club website.

 

I too might be moving to Canada (Alberta specifically) with my MCS convertible. Can anyone offer me any advice? Any recent updates as far as all these letters are concerned? Will i have any issues getting them? What about modifications?

Thanks for any advice anyone can offer!!

 

Go to "UcanImport" http://ucanimport.com for loads of tips and details on what to expect. Hardest thing seems to be to ge the recall letter from BMW. I'd advise checking your local US dealers for a print out or letter stating no open recalls...but don't mention it is for Export to Canada reasons...as they will tell you corporate office will not allow them to give you the letter. I told them it was for an internet sale and the buyer required it. They were fine with that and I got a letter. But I did not have to use it the end as I decided to sell the car prior to leaving.

I did export a VW and it was quite a smooth process...RIV accepted the US dealer recall letter. Had to pay duty on the vehicle...customs guy simply asked the value...didn't request proof of the value (ie a blue book print out etc). He also didn't specify the value needed to be trade-in/re-sale or retail value...so I could have low baleld him to save more $$$. I recieved my RIV Inspection Letter within 1 day of crossing the border. Now I need to go to an inspection station (local Canadian Tire store) and have the car inspected. Not expecting issues as the car already has DRL's and dual Imperial/Metric speedo. I've got 45 days to pass the inspection.

Mike (currently in Mini Withdrawl!! )

 

Thanks Mike!