As I just now finally got my car all legal in Canada, I thought I'd share my experiences with others who may be considering doing so.

The two issues as I'm sure you're aware is the fact that there are no running lights as well as the bumpers normally will need to be replaced.

I decided to call the dealership (out of curiousity) about doing the running lights. They told me it would be a 4-5 hour job and would cost around $500 with the new harness. That seemed excessive to me. Some helpful folks here provided be with some suggestions including wiring up the fog lights as running lights. I thought I might go that route but decided to call around to a couple of other places too. I found a shop that works strictly on Audi/VWs and he knew exactly what I needed. He said it would take less than an hour and it cost me all of $94 parts/labour to get the running lights done. Makes you wonder what the hell the dealer is doing for those other 4 hours hmm?

Secondly, as you all know, the US spec bumpers are a no-no in Canada. Having known this in advance of purchasing the car I got the dealership that I purchased the car from to write on the bill of sale that the bumpers conformed to Canadian standards. This of course was not the case, but the dealer was willing to do it and I figured there was no harm in giving this a try.

Now, given that the shop who must inspect/pass these cars are Canadian Tire (as the government has a contract with them to inspect cars) they were not the most knowledgable folks in regards to Audis. Now this was a good thing in this case. They looked up the car on their system and deemed that it needed to have running lights and difference bumpers (no surprise there). So given that I had already done the running lights, that was no problem, and the tech seemed satisfied with the bill of sale stating that the bumpers conformed to standards, so thankfully, no problem there either, and no need to spend thousands to get them done (not to mention they are damn ugly).

So I just thought I'd share my experiences with you. If some of you are considering bringing a TT in, you might want to do the same thing as the tech at Canadian Tire isn't likely going to even know what the correct bumpers are even supposed to look like. All he cares is that there is some sort of documentation stating that they've been changed and meet Canadian standards.

Steve

 

sweet.

I'm dealing with an altogether different animal, yet, still just as much of a PITA.

Turns out, its damn hard to buy a car in PA from a private party with a lien on the title. I think I have it figured out thru a notary shop though. Maybe in a week I'll be back behind the wheel of a TT.

BTW, whats did the shop do to turn the fogs into daytime running lights? I've thought about jumping the contacts in the switch since I always drive with the lights on anyway. It would save me that .04 seconds of turning the switch. You have no idea how many times I've rammed my hand into the lower dash of these rental cars instinctivly reaching for the headlight switch.

Is instinctivly the right word for that sentance? Whatever.. you get the idea.

 

I didn't end up doing the foglight mod, but XCLR8TT pointed me to this posting which was very thorough if you decided to go that route:

http://forums.audiworld.com/tt/msgs/1469136.phtml

Good luck getting that car! Is that the green one you were talking about in another thread? I like the unique colored ones, even if silver is faster.

I have a white one myself...

 

Yeah, the green one. I like the rarer colors too, and as a bonus, green happens to be my fav. color.

 

as is mine. I think the green TT's are sexy

 

ive been after a TT for a while and i figure the best opition is to get one from the states as i live in BC , since theirs more to choose from and just a better deal.

1.8L
6 speed
black or silver with blackleather
under 50miles
2002+


what is the process as far as acutally buying the car , once i find one...

how do drive it back to canada? insurance?
how did you pay?
when you get to the board how does that work?

im looking into doing the same thing that you did , find a car , bringing it to the dealership to get it inspected.. then get them to write up a about the bumper and if that fails at the inspection im gonna find a local tt and just borrow the bumper for a day and pay the owner a fee

any help would be great im looking into importing one into canada end of june or early july

thanks

 

Hey Avery

Here's the procedure:

1. Buy the car. Make sure you get a clear, official receipt listing exactly how much you paid for the car (something hand written on foolscap ain't gonna cut it) and ensure you get the title and recall clearance form (all recall work completed on car) on manufacturer letterhead;

2. Get insurance for the car before you plan on driving back across the border;

3. 72 hours before you plan to cross, fax a copy of the car title (green form) to the US customs and border protection office located on the US side of the border crossing you intend on using, they will research the title to ensure that it's clear (no liens on the car);

4. The day you cross, stop at US customs on your way back to Canada and present the original title and the car. US customs will stamp the title authorizing it's export out of the US;

5. Declare the car upon arrival at Canada customs. DO NOT attempt to undervalue the amount you paid to save some tax dollars, you risk having your car seized and end up paying both the taxanyway AND a big fine to get it back;

6. You will complete the RIV paperwork and pay GST based on the amount you paid on the car converted to Canadian dollars (6%) at customs before the car will be released to continue into Canada. Ensure you have the funds for the tax or the car will be held at customs until you can pay;

7. The RIV fee is $210 and RIV will mail you a package in about ten days telling you to get whatever mods are required to bring the car up to Canadian compliance.RIV gives you 45 days from the date of import to get the work done;

8. Once the mods are done, the car will be inspected for compliance and if it passes, you will get a Canadian compliance sticker;

9. Now you get a provincial safety inpection (separate from RIV inspection), if it passes, then you can go get plates;

10. When you apply for plates, the PST will then be applicable on the total value you paid on the car and paid at that time, again make sure you have the funds available or you won't get your new plates until you pay.

Hope this helps....

John

 

yea , that helps alot

Only part that im a bit confused about is the Insurance , so you get universal insurance or how does that work with us/canada and ownership of the car? do i have to make two trips?

and the only taxes i end up paying are just GST (at border) and PST (at insurance place).. now other taxes for bringing it into canada?

also do i have to wait 45 days to get the inspection once reciving the RIV package or can i just go get it inspected as soon as possible once its complitant

thanks alot

 

Hey Avery

You don't have to make two trips. Canadian insurance is valid on both sides of the border. Just go to your insurance company and tell them that you have bought the car and they will issue a new policy for it once the deal is done and you're ready to go get it.

As for taxes, you may be stuck paying a higher rate of tax for the car at Canada customs as the car was made in Hungary. Customs can apply a tariff treatment called MFN (most favoured nation) due to this in which case the tax charged would be higher. You may also pay a $100 surcharge if the car has air conditioning as well. There is no duty on the carhowever.

Finally, you can get the inspection done any time after RIV mails you the package and once the work is complete. The 45 days is the maximum time limit you have to get it done...don't wait until the last minute because if it doesn't pass, you maybe stuck exporting the car back tothe US.

 

Just thought I'd provide an update.

While my car passed the preliminary inspection, it has since temporarily failed with the government on account of not having all the documentation supporting that the bumpers have been changed.

As Audi so kindly sends you a complete list of parts that are required to swap them out, I am going to create a document stating that all those parts have been installed.

I'm not necessarily recommending this to others, but rather as a notice that simply borrowing someone elses bumpers may not be enough in getting the car legal.

I'll keep you posted with the outcome.