What is required to import 04 Prius to Canada

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GeeWiz @ Aug 18 2006, 10:26 PM) [snapback]305703[/snapback]</div>

I'm glad you asked, because I'm about to do the same thing.

To get detailed instructions on what's required, you need to contact the Registrar of Imported Vehicles:

Registrar of Imported Vehicles
405 The West Mall, Suite 400
Toronto, Ontario M9C 5K7
Within North America: 1-888-848-8240 ENGLISH & FRENCH
Outside North America: (416) 626-1803
Internet Address: http://www.riv.ca
E-mail Address: [email protected]

You may also want to contact the Canada Border Services Agency:

Canada Border Services Agency Automated Information System (ACIS)
Phone: (204) 983-3500 (English) or
(506) 636-5064 (English)

Here are some of the key points from the RIV web site:

Upon arrival at the border you will require the vehicle’s title, documents related to its purchase and a valid driver’s license or passport. There must be evidence - Compliance label or manufacturer’s letter - that the vehicle was built and complied to US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards at the time of main assembly. You must have some means of paying the Registrar’s fees, customs charges and taxes - Visa, MasterCard, a certified cheque or money order are all acceptable.

Upon arrival at the Registrar’s inspection station you must have proof that your vehicle is not subject to a US recall or that the recall work has already been completed in the US.

The Registrar’s fee is $195.00 Cdn plus GST at Designated Ports and at Non-Designated Ports, in all provinces except Quebec, where the fee is $195.00 Cdn plus GST and QST. A list of Designated Ports follows this section. The importer is responsible for the actual costs of modifying the vehicle. There are also fees and charges resulting from failure to pass the initial inspection within 45 days.

Here's a list of the requirements the vehicle has to meet:

ü Recall clearance letter
ü The vehicle must bear a manufacturer's valid U.S. statement of compliance label at the time of importation.
ü The Registrar of Imported Vehicles will mail a Canadian statement of compliance label to you after passing the federal inspection.
ü Valid alpha-numeric 17-digit VIN
ü Metric speedometer and odometer labels (provided by inspection centre)
ü Daytime running lights
ü Infant restraint kit
ü Child tether anchorage (refer to Admissibility List)
ü 8 km/hour bumpers (refer to Admissibility List)
ü French supplementary restraint system label for airbags that require periodic maintenance.

A recall clearance letter is a document issued by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of your vehicle that states whether or not there are any outstanding recalls on your vehicle. If you are not sure of what a recall is, simply put, it is a safety defect on your vehicle as a result of the original manufacturing process. The OEM is responsible for notifying the last known owner, and fixing the problem normally at their expense. It's best to obtain this information before you import the vehicle to avoid any unnecessary delays.

The letter must come from the OEM's head office and be written on official company letterhead, duly signed with the name and position of the official at the OEM clearly visible. If the manufacturer's logo is not on the letter it will not be accepted.

We will also accept a printout from an authorized American dealer. If you obtain a printout from an American dealer, you must ensure that they are an authorized dealer and not a re-seller. You can confirm this by calling the head office of the manufacturer and providing them with the location of the dealership in question

If the printout is from an authorized American dealership, the company stamp must be affixed to the printout. In either case, the 17 digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the vehicle in question must be included in the letter.

If your vehicle does not have any outstanding recalls then the letter should say "this vehicle has no outstanding recalls." This letter must be presented to your authorized inspection centre, where it will be forwarded along with your completed Form 2 to the RIV.


I hope this helps.

If you get through the process before I do, I'll be interested to hear if you had any problems.

I expect to bring my own car into Canada in late October. When I do, I'll be driving a new 2006 Prius. Well... almost new. US Toyota deals won't sell a new car to a resident of Canada. So a US relative is going to buy one on my behalf, drive it for a couple of weeks, and sell it to me at the same price.

Wish me luck!

Blair

 

Just brought my 04 Prius back 4 weeks ago from Ohio, it's my 3rd car import from the US over the past 6 years.

You will need DRL, and that's it. If it's got HID, wire it to the fogs, otherwise, wire it to either the fogs or the headlights. Canadian Tire had ballparked $100 to do the modifications, but it wasn't a firm quote and I felt they were going to either screw it up or end up charging me more because of "complications". Last time I went to Crappy Tire for an alignment it ended costing me another $300 from damages that they've done that I couldn't prove (they torched the rear bolts to get it loose to do the alignment, but in the end, they couldn't get it loose, and they wrecked the rubber bushing nearby). Bottom line, I didn't trust them, and I took it to my mechanic who did it for less than $150.

Other than the DRL, you'll need the standard stuff on a car purchase. In Ontario, that's a safety, but no emissions.

As an aside, for those that were looking to modify the fogs to run as DRL (there's been a couple threads on this) my mechanic, with the purchase of a DRL module, was able to do all the wiring underneath the hood without going under the steering column.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GeeWiz @ Aug 18 2006, 10:26 PM) [snapback]305703[/snapback]</div>

 

Has anyone had a dealer switch the car "internal region" so the odometer reads metric? Just wondering if a dealer can access this, because if you get into the screen to do it yourself, it ignores you (info I gathered from reading other's posts).

I've had a few US dealers offer to sell me a new Prius. Not sure where the dealer you delt with got the refusal to sell to Canadians idea. Perhaps Toyota has threatened them, along with the lawsuit against the fellow in BC who was importing and selling the cars in Canada?

Good info on the DRLs. I wondered if the fogs or driving lights would suffice.

Canadian Tire (we call them Crappy Tire for those Americans wondering what you were talking about) has the inspection contract for the federal govt. so you have to take it to them for that.

The Prius is on the above mentioned list as importable - that is, the bumpers are fine and the child restraint is there.

For those wondering why we (Canadians) want to do this, Toyota Canada pricing still reflects a 1.4 multiplier on the price. Now that the Canadian dollar has risen it should be 1.1 or so. We can save over $5000 Canadian buying in the US, including all duties, taxes and fees - plus adding $1000 for "travel expenses". That's a pretty good scam for them! No wonder they are building such fancy facilities.

 

I'll actually be talking to the dealer about changing it to metric. I've bought a 3rd fob, and plan to buy a 4th and bring it into the dealer in a month or so to do the reprogramming. I've been told so far the dealers haven't been able to from other posts here, but I'll ask the local dealer here to find out.

I'm not sure about DRL's on the "parking" lights, but to the headlights at full or 1/2 intensity is OK, and so are fogs. On fogs, I'm not sure if they're any fogs or not, but I would assume any fogs approved for use by Transport Canada will suffice.

As for the inspection, it's any Canadian Tire or a list of about 75 shops across the country that can do the federal inspection as well. The inspection actually isn't done by a mechanic, it was done by the counter service rep when I went to have it done. Just make sure you have ALL your paperwork (recall letter, form 2 (initialled by mechanic if not done at CT), form 1).

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(David Beale @ Sep 1 2006, 12:00 AM) [snapback]312571[/snapback]</div>

 

I recommend a module. DRLs need to be properly controlled. An example of a module that can use the fogs or headlamps (non-HID), is #45020 from hamsar.com. Using the module means you don't have to worry about all the details, such as "the DRLs will not come on if the parking brake is on when you start the car, but will if it isn't", "the DRLs use the high beam filiment", etc. Most importantly, if you modify the wiring and then turn on the headlamps and burn out the switch it's going to be very expensive!

I wouldn't try to use the HIDs if you have them for DRLs. All cars I've seen in Canada equiped with HIDs use other bulbs for DRLs, some the high beams (halogen not HID), some the turn signals (yellow), some the driving/fog lights, and some, an "extra" bulb provided just for this function.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GeeWiz @ Oct 30 2006, 12:00 PM) [snapback]340646[/snapback]</div>

I have an 06 Prius and I'm having a tough time finding someone to install the DRL. Could you tell me which dealer did this work for you? Hopefully it's in the Toronto area and I can go there too. Thanks!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GeeWiz @ Nov 11 2006, 12:37 PM) [snapback]347486[/snapback]</div>

I went up to the helpful folks at Don Valley North Toyota. I called about a dozen dealers in the GTA and only Don Valley North was able to help. They installed a relay as you mentioned above and tied it to the ignition to keep the fog lights on all the time. I have HID lights and they suggested to use the fog lights.

I went in to Toyota on Front and they were hopeless. The advisors had no clue and the parts guy kept telling me to call the RIV for help.

Thanks for all the advice.