import Canada

[Philip J]

Has anyone brought a mercedes across the
boarder to Canada lately? I'm thinking about buying a sl 600. In the past I have imported 2 560 sl's. Any input/ changes to regs? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks Philip 87 560sl 45k

[B.Bear]

I brought mine in last fall, had the shipping company submit the paper work. I don't think there have been any changes lately. The last one I heard about was for newer cars where they are now acepting US rated bumpers, no more upgrading to Canadian standards. Now the Canadian Tire thing seemed a bit of a joke to me, but maybe you've had better experiences with them than I have. Lots of racing around, from customs, to insurance, to inspection, to insurance. But it was so worth it, cost of the car was so much lower, even with all the work I put in it was still good value.

[Philip J]

Did you have to pay for the letter of admissably? I was recently in a dealership and the salesman was telling me that they now charge for this. He mentioned 2,000$, which I find rather hard to belive, but maybe he thought that would make his car more attractive to me.

[dugald]

You can find all you need to know here:
http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html

Lots of companies charge for the Letter of Admissibility .... BMW wants $500, and I believe the $2000 is correct for MB.
Vehicles older than 15 years need none of that stuff.

[Philip J]

For the 2 other mercedes I imported [both 87 560 sl]a letter was needed but I did not have to pay for these. Do you think that they charge for the letter if the car is newer than 15 years old? Philip

[dugald]

Originally Posted by Philip J

For the 2 other mercedes I imported [both 87 560 sl]a letter was needed but I did not have to pay for these. Do you think that they charge for the letter if the car is newer than 15 years old? Philip

My '86 imported in 2006 needed no letter.
Newer cars do. Look at the website I posted.

[Arctic1]

Also check these sites:

http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/index.cfm?id=6872

The following is a quote from UCANIMPORT.COM:

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Mercedes-Benz Imports Exempt From Letter of Admissibility


RIV List Updated To Show Admissible List of Mercedes-Benz Models

We are pleased to report that as of today importers of Mercedes-Benz vehicles from the US will not require to apply for a Letter of Admissibility. The RIV list has been updated to show which Mercedes-Benz models are admissible to Canada.

Importers may obtain admissibility information from www.riv.ca or from Mercedes-Benz Canada at the following web address: www.mercedes-benz.ca/admissibility

A separate Letter of Admissibility is not required from the manufacturer's head office.

Previously, the requirement for a Letter of Admissibility made it difficult for importers to negotiate on vehicle purchases in the US as they required advance written confirmation from Mercedes-Benz Canada that the vehicle in question would be allowed to enter Canada. In addition, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) would request proof of admissibility prior to allowing the vehicle to be imported into Canada.

Waiving this requirement means importers simply have to verify the admissibility list before completing their negotiations and purchase in the US.




Posted by UCANIMPORT PUBLICATIONS at 9:12 PM 9 comments
Labels: Admissibility, Mercedes Benz


Do the research cause the rules changed frequently in 2008 and early 2009. Anything more than 15 doesn't need much, so that would explain the ease of importing an 86 in 2006.

Going to be interesting to see what happens with the inadmissible 1995 MB cars in 2010. Supposedly they will be 15 and mean that they are admissible, but are still listed as inadmissible. When looking for 95 wagon I contacted RIV in regard to this and got a very confused answer so I went out and bout a 97 SL instead.

Good luck and please post your results with the importation process. In a lot of ways I have found that the results vary from location to location. Also noted some inconsistencies in who has to do the modifications to bring the car in to compliance with federal legislation.

jb

[Philip J]

Unfortunately the car I was looking at was sold . But my quest to find a sl600 is still on. Your post is excelland and makes my process one step easier. Thanks Philip 87 560sl 45k

[300sdToronto]

I imported a 1982 380SL a year ago and the process was a cinch. Very straightforward.

I drove across the border myself. Suggest you avoid highly congested times to reduce your wait time. Arranging temporary plates and insurance will take more time on an older model than figuring out the customs regs. In my case I was able to convince Ontario MTO to issue a 10 day temp plate so I could drive the car home and put it through its Ontario safety inspection before permanent plates could be issued.

[Carlo(s)]

Anyone with info on importing a Japanese Mercedes via CA to the U.S.?

[DWOLD]

I have a 98 SL600 which I brought up to Canada recently, paid the GST and Import Tax at the border. In order to get compliance to register in Canada, this model and year have to do the following:

1) Letter from MB USA that there are no warranty issues, this car being a 98 was straightforward and I have letter of admissibility.
2)Compliance letter from MB Canada. $500 fee to get letter, after inspection of work done, see 3) below.
3)Install daytime running lights and get new symbol strip put in (stupid, but the "check engine" and "brake" symbols need to conform to ISO standards)
4)Get RIV inspection and pay fee. (Canadian Tire or other accredited inspection service can do this.
5) Drive away with one of the greatest cars MB built in its day.

I still have the car, but am moving back from US and wish to sell. If you are interested in it I have it listed on kijiji.com (Nevada) and autotrader.com. All my information is on ads.

Cheers!