bswiftly

Well my current auto-forum home is Corrado Club of Canada and I hope the community here is as generous and respectful as that one.

Unfortunately I need a little more room so I have to sell the Corrado

You can see it here: Picasa Web Albums - bswiftly - Corrado


Now to the real reason I'm posting: I've been researching online and through word of mouth for a few weeks now and I'm set on importing an Audi S4 - to drive for the winter at least. If I can profit on selling I may do that to buy another one (as a way to finance my new S4) but my main concern is all the hoops you have to jump through to get one across the US border.


So: This is what I know, please add any insight (ie recommended transport companies / border officials names, and especially anything S4 specific like what I should watch out for on inspections etc).
-6.1% duties
-6% tax (I'm in Calgary)
-shipping I've heard anywhere from 500 to 1500. It seems most Audis are in the NE US, or SE.
-100 AC tax
-270 to RIV ?
-Federal inspection (not sure on cost)
-Provincial inspection (not sure on cost)

With the dollar as good as it is now (or rather the USD as crappy as it is!) I'm hoping there are lots of you with experience to share!

Thanks for any tips!

Brett

dr_zoidberg

My friends say different (as in they say importing an s4 to Canada is possible), but RIV Audi Canada and Audi USA all say it's not allowed and they say there is no mod you can do to make it legal.

Try calling RIV and Audi USA (that's what I did), maybe you can find someone who knows more about why and if there is a way around. I basically got a straight up no from everyone.

Better do your research before you buy!

AF Site Team

meh, there are a few threads on importing the S4 here, good luck. I looked into it and it seemed like a huge road block for me.

Check this thread here ( CLICK )

As for the Corrado, man, i love those things. My buddy owned one and recently sold it. He sold it and the rims, car was sick. LOL

Black_RS4

hey,

welcome to the forum...

When exporting a vehicle from the states there are a few things to consider.

First of all, when you import a car to Canada, it has to meet the legal requirements of the Canadian Ministry of Transportation.

To check if your car is allowed in, check out Registrar of Imported Vehicles RIV: How to import a U.S made vehicle into Canada to see if your car is on the list.

I don't think you can import an S4, altho I did look at the 2000-2001 model year specifically a while ago and it was not allowed. Maybe different years are.

You have to get all the recalls done stateside, prior to the vehicle being imported.

You have to let U.S. customs know by faxing the ownership (title) of the vehicle to the border crossing 3 business days prior to bringing the vehicle across the border. These are the rules at Lewiston as they do not have 24 hour car importation in place, but at Windsor they only need 72 hours notice as they are a 24 hour vehicle importation facility.

Also important to note, Lewiston has funky business hours 9-5 I think for bringing cars across. They do have wonderful and very helpful customs officers there, so you may call them in advance to get more information.

You have to take the car over to Canadian Customs and fill out a form. Pay a RIV fee and GST when you bring the vehicle in. You will have to pay PST when you license the car (more on this later)

When at the border, they explain to you that you have to take the vehicle into a recognized auto center to have the vehicle inspected within 30 days. Canadian Tire stores across Canada are authorized to do this inspection.

To title your car, bring the papers they give you at customs, and the RIV papers, as well as your U.S. title and bill of sale to your local ministry office to get the ownership. If you want plates as well, you have to bring a certification of safety for the car for sure, and an emission test if the vehicle is over 3 years old.

Please note, it is very important that you do not have any liens on the title when you export the car from the states, as they may/may not turn you back, depending what kind of lien release papers you have.

Hope this helps.

cr1

Hi RS4,

Thanks for the helpful post (I'm thinking of importing an S4 as well)... can you elaborate on the lien information? My understanding is that you cannot have a lien based in the U.S. and export the vehicle to Canada but that you can have a lien, e.g., a car loan, from a Canadian bank.

Thanks in advance!

freewilly50

Re:Importing an S4
I imported 2 S4's this year both 2004's. Since then they have become inadmissable.
All 2004-2006 S4's are inadmissable. I tried to find out why and was unsuccessful.
Good luck. I have an 04 S4 for sale in Calgary if you're interested.

Blue S4

I just brought in a S4 cab '06 from Oregon. Indeed the car was inadmissible, but the politics of this decision has been challenged and changed.

Right now my car is plated and on the road.

Please support this site as it is the only one that supports our interest when it comes to bringing in cars from the US.

If you are not happy with the Transport Canada and RIV talk to your MP as well! Right now the list of inadmissible cars is dictated by the Car Manufacturers!

For all Audis, and VWs there are some mods to be made.

First DRL, you can program them with VAG-COM 09-Elec. Ctrl. Mod.

Tweak: Coding options for lighting Coding is 000XY.

X=1 for Xenon Headlights,
X=0 for conventional Halogens.

Country DRLs: Fogs w/o low beams:
Y=1 RDW (Rest of World) No Yes
Y=2 NDL (Netherlands) Yes Yes
Y=3 USA No No
Y=4 KAN (Canada) Yes Yes
Y=5 DAN (Denmark?) Yes Yes
Y=6 SON (Other?) Yes Yes

I choose the Y=2 option as it turns on the Xenons rather than 4 which turns on the fogs.

2) To change from Miles to KM, use the menu on your MFA and change it right there.

These changes can be done in 15 minutes or less. To hear that some dealerships are charging $200 to $600 for this is absurd.

3) The other thing you need is a letter that tells you all the recalls are completed on the car - actually this is legally not required but another RIV road block - and make sure you have an official dealer stamp on this printout (signature is bonus). I did that at the dealership in Oregon - they are way friendlier there

4) Lastly for sedans you need child seat anchors. Convertibles do not need them.

Good luck, and make sure your voice is heard on importing your car of choice.

Happy New Year.

Martin

Black_RS4

Hi Martin,

What made RIV sway in your case?

AF Site Team

It doesn't add up. Why would they sway for anyone when they're taking the Canadian dollar and spending outside of the country.

If there was some sort of case law, we would all be out buying S4s in the US

Blue S4

Really timing. RIV and TC are under pressure by the media a the guys that started the Cars without borders - Autos sans frontières site.

As of the 19th of this month all pending cars with "immobilizer issues" were released.

My car was one of them.

The whole process in which RIV determines if a car is admissible is so slanted toward the manufacturer it is not even funny. People that bought Toyotas and were deemed admissible when they brought it across the line, were retroactively made in-admissible. And the reason: immobilizer location....

If you think this is acceptable, keep the status quo. But if you think this is not: complain to your MP, or better yet sign the petition.