Importing A car

[Marzena & Stephen 544]

4 hours ago, broppy said:

 

I forgot to ask earlier, could you share details as to how you got the letter? It helps others if you've got a phone number or email address and what you need to provide them.

 

And I realised my previous post sounded a bit harsh - I didn't mean it that way - it's a real shame it cost you so much over something as silly as tire pressure monitoring.

Oh im not offended at all

I requested the letter of compliance from hyundai canadas customer retention phone # that was posted on google. The person on the phone automatically knew what i wanted (please be sure to ask for an emailed copy and an original) i didnt receive my first original until i phoned back aftet 2 weeks than he emailed it to me and sent me a new original with the original requested date which i received two weeks after phoning again.

I do not recommend getting letters at dealership level.

The letter DOES NOT say compliant to usa.

It will say it was made for CANADA and compliant to all canadian safety and ommissions but not compliant to these particular nhtsa / dot and it will list which sectors its not compliant to USA safety/emissions it is lacking.   Some cars have a sticker in them saying they are compliant already but its always good to get a letter. 

 

I was in contact with the below employee in customer retention:but i originally phoned: 1-888-216-2626 sometimes i would get through quick other time id literally sit in the phone on hold for 1.5 hrs and funny enough it was always rodrick on the other line answering everytime (a couple times after 1.5 hrs it would just hang up!! -super annoying!)

Rodrick Makengo Bilingual Customer Relations Coordinator Customer Service T 905 948 6768   rmakengo@hyundaicanada.com www.hyundaicanada.com

[Bourney0 0]

On 10/25/2017 at 11:30 PM, Marzena & Stephen said:

For anyone reading this forum regarding importing a vehicle into the usa i wanted to share my story.

I purchased a BRAND NEW eco friendly Hyundai top of the line sante fe 2017 ultimate sport in january 

Since it was a 2017 the canadian hyundai dealership told me it was identical to the usa model and i would not have any issues importing the car. Little did they know!!!!

I received the compliance letter from hyundai and the vehicle was good for everything except tpms which is tire pressure monitoring system (tells you when your tires are low.

This was something that hyundai national hyundai canada or hyundai usa could not install!!!! 

We fought about this for 2.5 weeks as i originally purchased the vehicle with the intention of importing and bought it under false intentions are the two models do differ! 

Long story short i spoke to NHTSA and they said tpms is mandatory the vehicle can not even be brought in for personal use (as i read that some people get their cars in and drive them than import them for personal use) well apparently that is not allowed or the case at all.(the tpms rule is for 2008 cars and newer)

The tpms also has to be oem installed identical to the usa version with photos etc.    Since that was no installable i had to try to sell this vehicle. 

We all know that once a vehicle is registered it is no longer new and drops value very quickly. The dealership tried to offer me a 13000 dollar loss. I told them i would come to terms losing 8 k but not 13 as the suv only had 4600 km on it. After two weeks of battling with them as there was nothing else they can do they finally settled for 40k

The vehicle sells over 50k new but since it was registered they can no longer give 0% financing so for them it wasnt worth buying the suv back.

I just wanted everyone to be very weary and know your facts before importing vehicles. This isnt just for new cars ..be prepared get a compliance letter asap to be sure you can take your vehicle to usa! 

I dont want anyone to go through the stress i did.

Alot of domestic vehicles have tpms and this is not an issue but nondomestic vehicles are not made with tpms any longer for canada as our weather creates low pressure in tires and the sensors constantly go off. Also the sensors need to be replaced with tire change or reset so it was a nusisance and they just decided not to add them anymore.

How long did Hyundai take to issue the compliance letter after you requested it? We have a 2017 Tucson to import.

[TBoneTX 43,014]

Thread from 2017 is now closed to further comment.

Edited March 31, 2022 by TBoneTX