Has anyone recently imported a Mercedes Benz from US to Canada?

I was thinking about a 2003 E320 or E500.

Does anyone know if the MBUSA warranty will apply in Canada - will MB Canada honor it?

What if I get an extended warranty or star certified warranty in the US - will MB Canada honor it?

I thought I would put this question out there, in case anyone has any experience doing it. I contacted MB Canada, still waiting for a reply. The stupid thing is that the Canadian Goverment website WWW.RIV.CA lists what has to be done for all the manufacturers to make it admissable for import, but for MB it says you have to contact the manufacturer. MB is being secretive, I guess they don't want their cars going back and forth like a commodity, like other cars.

I think all recent MB cars from the US have to get their bumpers modified to meet the Canadian standards. Why is Mercedes Benz putting in inferior bumpers for the US market??

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'90 300E
Lowered with Eibach Springs
Mouldings and bumpers painted body color
Clear front corners
94/95 W124 Taillights

Several forum members on www.canadiandriver.com have done it, have you looked there?

I don't know what modifications you'd need but I would think daytime driving lights and kph speedometers might likely be among some of them

I agree that you definately need to get more information, from Mercedes and the Canadian government regulatory agencies before you do buy a US carr for import though.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

It is my understanding that Mercedes Benz Canada determines whether the vehicle for import is eligible for Transport Canada modifications. The cost for this is $500. All modifications must be done at a Mercedes Benz approved repair facility (most likely the dealer). Mercedes is the only manufacturer in the RIV that does this. The only way to bypass this is to import a vehicle 15 yrs or older. No such restrictions for BMW or Porsche. My neighbour imported an NSX without problems. Minimal modifications at the dealer- only DRL's and English/French labels.

There used to be an excellent article on this from a Mercedes Benz Canada Memo at MBCanada.com but the site is no longer in use.

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ARVY

1999 E430
1999 C230 Kompressor
1992 300E (write-off)
1984 190D 2.2 (sold)

Why do you want to go through all the hassle of importing a US car to BC? Aren't there any in Vancouver that you could buy?

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Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

they're MUCH cheaper, up to 10g's cheaper.

just wait until MB of Canada authorizes you. do not purchase that particular vehicle until you are clearly given the costs to import it. keep in mind 6% duty on top of your province's tax and 6% GST.
also confirm if the warranty will be transferred (if your car comes with it).

typejr is right, the vehicles are much cheaper in the US. With the CDN$ at about 90 cents to the US the savings are a lot.

arvy is right - that MB is the only manufacturer that requires the vehicles to be modified at MB Canada. Unlike in the United States, in Canada, all the MB dealerships are owned by MB Canada - no independents. Talk about a closed shop!


I emailed MB Canada asking them what needs to be done for a 2003 E320. I also asked if the 4 yr manufacturer's warranty transfers over, and if any additional warranty in the US is valid in Canada (like star certified).

This is the useless reply I got:

Thank you for your inquiry. Please note a US specific Mercedes-Benz 2003 E320 Sedan was not manufactured to meet Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, however it may be possible to convert this model to meet Canadian standards. The certification work requires extensive modifications and can only be carried out by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. dealership. Generally speaking, the modifications may cost between $ 3,500 to $ 6,000, however the dealership would have further information. Once you have the complete 17-digit VIN, simply fax this along with the model year/model to our Customer Relations department at 416-425-6370. Please allow 2 business days for the letter of admissibility.

Regarding the validity of US warranty, please note only the New Car
Limited Warranty of 4 years/80,000kms (50,000 miles) is applicable in Canada - any additional warranties and/or maintenance contracts offered in the US are not applicable in Canada. Subsequently, US model Mercedes-Benz vehicles do not qualify for an extended warranty in Canada and a US extended warranty is not applicable in Canada. In addition, Emergency Roadside Assistance is payable by the customer on a US version Mercedes-Benz and the customer would have to submit their invoice directly to MBUSA for reimbursement.

Best regards,

Erin Somerville
Customer Relations Co-ordinator
Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.
smart Division Canada
email:cac@mercedes-benz.ca
1-800-387-0100
1-877-627-8004

I am going to fax them at that number and see what they tell me. I can't believe they say it is going to cost $3,500 to $6,000. They are being evasive by not answering it because they don't want people to import from the US, because they are making a killing on the high prices in Canada.

They want me to provide a VIN number for each car? Like a silver 2003 E320 is supposedly different than a black one with navigation system. They are all the same - all the other manufacturers just list the year and model number and tell you what needs to be done. Yet MB Canada wants you to provide the VIN for each car!

Also, all the manufacturers including BMW, list what is required for all models on the government website www.RIV.ca For MB, it says contact MB Canada.

Also, notice how the reply says the US E320 was not manufactured to meet Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards - is this hogwash or are all of you in the US getting unsafe cars? I think it has to do with the bumpers. It will be interesting to see what reply MB Canada gives me.

BTW, you can import many cars, including Nissan Pathinder into Canada and you have to do nothing. The speedo has km under the miles and it comes is daytime running lights. You don't have to change any of the climate control stuff from fahrenheit to celcius. It would be interesting to see if MB Canada makes you do this to keep cars from being imported. AND we are supposed to have free trade.

All I got to say, is this would never happen in America. I admire your free markets.

__________________
'90 300E
Lowered with Eibach Springs
Mouldings and bumpers painted body color
Clear front corners
94/95 W124 Taillights

Does your E320's (US ones) all have daytime running lights installed?

how about the speedo - it is electronic correct? so does it change from miles to km also?

__________________
'90 300E
Lowered with Eibach Springs
Mouldings and bumpers painted body color
Clear front corners
94/95 W124 Taillights

Thank you. That's very nice of you to say. In all honestly we do have a hiccup now and then, like Enron, but it was only about a $60 billion writeoff.

Importing or Exporting a vehicle.
Importing or Exporting a vehicle.