Importing a Vehicle (Subaru) Without TPMS - Success!

[mam521 1,739]

On 8/16/2021 at 12:16 PM, Dimidimi said:

I am moving to Utah this fall and considering importing my vehicle using the advice on this thread. I have a 2019 Mercedes GLA and just got an email from them stating that it doesn’t comply with U.S. FMVSS #138 and/or #208; they won’t actually issue a letter, just an email. I would like to ask a few questions:

 

- do I have to import my vehicle when I cross the border and validate my TN, or can I decide later? What should I tell the agent then? Could they deny entry if I don’t import? I need my vehicle as I will be driving my large dog. Currently there are COVID related flight restrictions so I must drive my dog. I would be crossing the border in Ontario. 
 

- if I were to import, would an email instead of a letter of non compliance work at the border? MB won’t issue a formal letter just an “assessment” in email form.

 

- if I don’t import, do I continue to drive with my Canadian DL? I would keep my Canadian insurance on a Canadian address and come back every few months to visit Alberta. 
 

Although I would prefer the import route (I really love my car), my main issue right now is the car loan. I would prefer not paying it off right now since I have considerable expenses until the end of 2021. I understand some states like Utah allow for temporary registration without title transfer, but I don’t know if this would work for a Canadian vehicle. 
 

Any advice would be appreciated!

You can bring your car into the US for a year without importing it.  Your TN visa isn't an immigrant intent visa, so it shouldn't be an issue.  

 

If you did want to import it, chances are the finance company would not allow you to do so, especially if it's financed through Merc themselves.  BMW wouldn't let me because their financing departments are country specific, where as TD Auto Finance didn't care as long as the payments were being made but they have a US subsidiary.  The state of Utah may also not allow you to register it because the lienholder is in Canada.  

 

You'll need to speak to your insurance agent about keeping it insured in Canada while you're working in the US.  As for your license, that will depend on the rules in Utah.  If you have to switch your license, I'd make sure you get your AB Driver's Abstract before you leave AB as well as an insurance history from your insurance agent(s). It's a royal pain to do when you're not in AB.  If you have insurance through Meloche or AllState or any company that has US subsidiaries, I'd think it should be easier 

[Dimidimi 0]

Hi all, a bit of an update and one more question. I was able to speak with the DVM in Utah again, POE and lien holder (Scotiabank). In Utah a new resident (even under TN status) must register their vehicle within 60 days. POE needs an authorization letter from the lien holder; Scotiabank will only give an authorization letter for 6 months. Because the vehicle is manufactured in Germany I will also need to pay 3% duty. Anyways, I decided to go ahead and try to register it. I will make the call later about paying it off or driving it back to Canada for sale. 
 

My question is regarding the letter of compliance. The officer was very clear that I needed a “letter” and if my vehicle didn’t have the tire sensors then l should have it professionally installed and bring proof. That’s fine I will follow advice from this forum for the sensors. But MB only sent me an email not an actual letter. Will they accept an email? Also what should I do about FMVSS #148 and #208?. Thanks!  

[GB221 0]

Hi everyone! 

 

First of all, thanks for sharing your stories. It is all really helpful.

 

I am currently looking to move to the US on a temporary visa (J1) for the next two years, and I would also want to import my vehicle to be able to use it while in Washington DC.

 

As my car lacks TPMS I understand that I won't know for sure if I can import it under Box 2B with an after-market device up until speaking with the CBP officer at the border.

 

I just wonder if anyone has had any experience importing a not fully compliant vehicle under Box 5 (temporary import upon bond)? If I understand correctly, the latter allows you to import your vehicle for up to a year. Can you however register it with the DMV if it is imported under this exemption?

 

I would really appreciate if anyone as an experience to share in that regard. (I understand that it might vary according to states, though...)

 

Thanks!

[TimeWall 0]

On 6/14/2021 at 12:40 AM, 2013HondaCivic said:

Hi all,

 

This thread has been tremendously helpful  for me getting my vehicle imported to the States and so I wanted to share my story that is pretty fresh from two days ago.

 

I have TN visa and I am working in the US already and I went up to Canada last month to see my parents (yes, in the midst of pandemic - as soon as I got my vaccines).

My parents recently bought a new car so they were willing to give me their old one which was 2013 Honda Civic.

I requested the compliance letter from Honda America and of course no TPMS, and the letter also says it has to be installed with genuine Honda parts, etc. etc.

My mom and I went to Service Ontario to transfer the ownership. I had all the documents so it was done right on the spot.

I also got an aftermarket TPMS system and went to a local autoshop who helped me install and also provide me with an invoice. I got this advice from this thread, so thank you.

As my time to return approached, I was worried I would get denied because of the aftermarket TPMS. I called multiple Honda dealerships and asked if I can get any TPMS system or even a simple letter saying my car has TPMS system and they all refused because they do not have any Honda genuine part for TPMS and did not want to risk anything. 

 

I also called Detroit border CBP office for vehicle import and explained my situation. The officer couldn't give me a clear answer because he said the approval / denial would really depend on the officer I will see.

 

On the day of, I first encountered the border officer to pass the border. I told him I wanted to import my car and he initially said why do you want to import if you only have a temporary visa. He said I would simply need to come back once a year to renew the Ontario license plate. He didn't want to take me to the office for vehicle import and so I almost gave up there, but I insisted. He finally gave me a yellow ticket a0nd I could then head to the office for import.

 

The other officer who helped me with the importing process was very nice. She simply asked all the information I needed. I filled out a form she gave me and I waited for about 15 minutes and that was it.

While I was in the office, my car was inspected by other officers, but mainly for items I'm bringing in, not the car compliance or functioning of the TPMS system. They didn't seem to care much about it. 

 

In the end I would also have to say I was lucky, but I just wanted to share that an aftermarket TPMS still worked for me on June of 2021.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Thank you very much for the detailed information! I am in the area as well; do you mind sharing if you took the bridge or tunnel? And where you got your system from?

Edited September 27, 2021 by TimeWall

[2013HondaCivic 4]

58 minutes ago, TimeWall said:

Thank you very much for the detailed information! I am in the area as well; do you mind sharing if you took the bridge or tunnel? And where you got your system from?

Hi, I took the Ambassador Bridge. I got my TPMS system from Amazon. It's not really important which specific product you get because they did not even go through the system with me. Again, all they told me was to get off the car and go inside the office for the paperwork while the officers outside checked my vehicle. The check was just a general inspection to see if there were any illegal stuffs I'm bringing in.

 

When you go inside the office, you are not allowed to use your phone, so print all your paperwork and nothing in a digital format.

[TimeWall 0]

10 minutes ago, 2013HondaCivic said:

Hi, I took the Ambassador Bridge. I got my TPMS system from Amazon. It's not really important which specific product you get because they did not even go through the system with me. Again, all they told me was to get off the car and go inside the office for the paperwork while the officers outside checked my vehicle. The check was just a general inspection to see if there were any illegal stuffs I'm bringing in.

 

When you go inside the office, you are not allowed to use your phone, so print all your paperwork and nothing in a digital format.

Thank you for the quick response!

Do you know if your car has a FMVSS approval sticker in the door? I have heard that makes the TPMS issue not a problem but my car doesn't have that. Also, did it matter the mechanic? ie; is Canadian Tire best or is your local Mechanic in Windsor ok?

Edited September 27, 2021 by TimeWall

[2013HondaCivic 4]

9 minutes ago, TimeWall said:

Thank you for the quick response!

Do you know if your car has a FMVSS approval sticker in the door? I have heard that makes the TPMS issue not a problem but my car doesn't have that. Also, did it matter the mechanic? ie; is Canadian Tire best or is your local Mechanic in Windsor ok?

Hey no problem. No my car doesn't have the FMVSS approval sticker. The only sticker I have is the Canadian version of it. I think it's called CMVSS. It's a silver rectangular sticker. The mechanic did not matter for me. I used a local mechanic I knew back in Toronto. Since installing the TPMS is such an easy and quick thing, they may not even charge you. All you need from the mechanic is a single paper invoice showing the name of the business and what has been done to the vehicle. The invoice I got from my mechanic did not have much detail. Very plain, but it worked fine. 

[TimeWall 0]

On 1/14/2021 at 12:49 PM, pooj97 said:

This advice is still good. There are quite a few people on the Canadian FB group I follow who have successfully imported their cars with aftermarket TPMS in 2020. My fiance plans on doing this as well when he moves some time this year. 

What FB  group is that? Even DMing the answer would be really appreciated. I haven't found one that people are talking about it.

[TimeWall 0]

5 hours ago, 2013HondaCivic said:

Hey no problem. No my car doesn't have the FMVSS approval sticker. The only sticker I have is the Canadian version of it. I think it's called CMVSS. It's a silver rectangular sticker. The mechanic did not matter for me. I used a local mechanic I knew back in Toronto. Since installing the TPMS is such an easy and quick thing, they may not even charge you. All you need from the mechanic is a single paper invoice showing the name of the business and what has been done to the vehicle. The invoice I got from my mechanic did not have much detail. Very plain, but it worked fine. 

Ok, thank you again. I am in the same situation with the stickers. Did they checkbox on your HS7 form 2A or 2B? Since 2A shouldn't apply with that missing FMVSS sticker I would think.

 

Did you install something like these then or ones that actually go into your tires? (amazon page)

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by TimeWall

[2013HondaCivic 4]

16 minutes ago, TimeWall said:

Ok, thank you again. I am in the same situation with the stickers. Did they checkbox on your HS7 form 2A or 2B? Since 2A shouldn't apply with that missing FMVSS sticker I would think.

 

Did you install something like these then or ones that actually go into your tires? (amazon page)

 

It was 2B. The product I installed was like that, but gee that one is expensive. I think I got mine for about 50 CAD or less. They come with a monitor and four sensor caps with batteries.

One more thing I was told from this thread was to be able to switch the speedometer from kmh to mph. I guess this only applies to digital ones like my civic.

[Mat.man 0]

In the process of importing a 2011 Subaru Impreza from Canada to the US.  All things are ready to go except for the FMVSS 101 & 138 as many other posters have run into. The 101 TPMS seems to have been sorted by others, so my question is regarding the 138: brake, abs telltale and Combimeter differences. 

 

I've read thru this forum and while there was a lot of good information I cannot find any experiences specifically with 138. Have people been going to a shop and getting a whole new face plate to remedy the MPH vs KPH problem? And for the telltales, I imagine it depends on the officer present during the process but has anyone actually fixed this issue?

 

Thank you all!

[TimeWall 0]

On 9/27/2021 at 3:14 PM, 2013HondaCivic said:

It was 2B. The product I installed was like that, but gee that one is expensive. I think I got mine for about 50 CAD or less. They come with a monitor and four sensor caps with batteries.

One more thing I was told from this thread was to be able to switch the speedometer from kmh to mph. I guess this only applies to digital ones like my civic.

I have called the border and they mentioned being on a TN visa I could only import the car for a year. Did they try saying that to you or were you able to permanently import it? TN is 3 years so only importing for a year seems very annoying.

[2013HondaCivic 4]

38 minutes ago, TimeWall said:

I have called the border and they mentioned being on a TN visa I could only import the car for a year. Did they try saying that to you or were you able to permanently import it? TN is 3 years so only importing for a year seems very annoying.

 

Importing a vehicle is a permanent thing. There is no import for a year. What the officer said is not correct.

 

I think I mentioned in my original post but I was also faced with the similiar-minded officer at the border booth. He said my visa is TN so why bother all the hassle of importing my car. He rather suggested I just do nothing at the border and drive with my Ontario plate which you are only allowed to do for a year (whether you're on TN or just visiting). After that you need to cross the border every year to "reset" the clock. Again this is not an import, but just driving a Canadian vehicle in the States. 

 

I told the officer I still wanted to import because I will not be able to bring the car back to Canada every year for next 2 years and I insisted. The officer gave me a confused look but he still went ahead and gave me the paper that would take me to the border office to complete the importing work because they cannot stop you from importing the car with TN visa.

 

The border office you'll talk over the phone is not necessarily the officer you're going to meet at the border, so the answer you get over the phone is not going to help you.

Nonetheless, you are allowed to import your vehicle with TN visa. The officer can stop you with a vehicle compliance issue, but not because you have a TN visa.

[Ashtim 4]

On 1/16/2019 at 8:17 PM, grupetto said:

Also bringing in a 2016 Elantra to the US without TPMS. No problems requesting compliance letter from 

Hyundai Canada... guess you folks warmed them up. Do we need to have aftermarket

TPMS professionally installed as folks report they keyed on the receipt? Ordered aftermarket

TPMS from ebay for $25. Please keep us informed.

So how did it work out for your Elantra ? I am in same situation with 2017 model 

[Ashtim 4]

On 9/19/2019 at 5:36 PM, hetakshpatel said:

Can i import the vehicle elsewhere? Like if i go to North Carolina after getting the green card with my ontario plates? What happens to them once i register the car in NC? Is there an option like go there drive for a month and then import it at a dmv or something? Asking this because i have a short timeline and planning to move asap when my passport comes back from interview as i have a job waiting in usa.

 

My compliance letter says your car complies with EPA standard but does not have a sticker and then at the bottom it only shows the TPMS missing which is easy to fix as everybody mentioned.

 

@grupetto where did you get your car value from? Bluebook? Autotrader?

So how was with your car without tpms did they let you import ?