[colinmac]

I've been working with a Mazda dealer in Surrey BC for the last two weeks to buy and then import their very low-mileage 2019 BMW Sunset Orange F31 car into the U.S. but have finally realized that it's going to be impossible. The Canadian tire pressure monitoring system can't be brought into compliance with the U.S. TPMS system, and U.S. Customs says that a fully-functioning TPMS is 100% required for importation.

To say that I'm bummed is a major understatement because the car checked every single one of my boxes. First off, it's sunset orange (would look fabulous here in Hawaii) with a venetian beige interior, then it had a May 2019 build date so it's one of the very last F31s built for the NA market. Some of the major plusses for me were that it's an M-Sport with both adaptive suspension and variable port steering, head-up display, surround view, park assist, HK sound, Multifunctional Instrument Display (would have been easy to switch from kph to mph, grrrr), rear side roller blinds, and the original owner swapped out the (staggered?) 19" rims for 18" (square) rims (403M?).

Here are the full specs (I was a little surprised because I initially used bimmer.work to decode the VIN and it showed (incorrectly) that the car had a black interior but mdecoder shows the correct interior color of Venetian beige: https://www.mdecoder.com/decode/wba8k3c5xka484467

And here's a link to the car: https://www.freewaymazda.ca/inventor...k3c5xka484467/

In any case, my loss can be some lucky person's gain. My contact at Freeway Mazda has been Peter Herbert, their General Sales Manager, and he's has been both kind and extremely helpful, a true gem of a person.

I really hope that someone will be able to take advantage of this deal.

[erickonphoenix]

That really is a bummer. So close and yet so far.

It always surprises me when I learn the US has such high safety and compliance requirements for imports. Especially when I'm sitting behind a Toyota Echo in traffic.

[colinmac]

Originally Posted by erickonphoenix

That really is a bummer. So close and yet so far.

It always surprises me when I learn the US has such high safety and compliance requirements for imports. Especially when I'm sitting behind a Toyota Echo in traffic.

Tell me about it, I thought that I had every entry requirement nailed and had even put down a deposit on the car. Unfortunately, although there appears to be an out in the U.S. NHTSA regulations:

If the manufacturer’s letter states that the vehicle complies with all applicable FMVSS but does not comply with the requirements of FMVSS No. 138 Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems, the vehicle can only be imported as a conforming motor vehicle under Box 2B if the importer furnishes Customs with an invoice from a franchised dealer or authorized repair facility of the vehicle’s original manufacturer showing that a tire pressure monitoring system identical to, and with the same part number(s) as the system the manufacturer installs on vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States has been installed on the vehicle for which entry is sought.

at least for some BMW models and years, this isn't really an option. For the Canadian wagons the BMW Canada parts inventory doesn't even show the required parts (e.g., ECU). I suppose it's possible that I could purchase all of the parts from a BMW dealer at this end, fly to Vancouver and have a BMW dealer there install them but they wouldn't have any shop billing information in their systems on how much to charge either.

And I guess another real option that might possibly work is to supply U.S. Customs with a certified surety bond for 150% of the dutiable value and then have the worked performed within 120 days but this going this route is way beyond my capabilities.

Sooooo frustrating!

[jmanB45]

Nice wagon, but expensive!

There's a red one that I've been watching in Ontario, it's CAD$11K less.

https://www.autotrader.ca/a/bmw/3%20...20211151411955

[colinmac]

Originally Posted by jmanB45

Nice wagon, but expensive!

There's a red one that I've been watching in Ontario, it's CAD$11K less.

https://www.autotrader.ca/a/bmw/3%20...20211151411955

Yes, I had seen that one some time ago. But for me, as an ex-Toronto guy but living in Hawaii for decades, it would have worth it getting a BC-only car. For one thing, it's thousands of miles closer to Honolulu. But important to me, BC has just one auto insurance agency. So if a BC car gets into an accident and the owner claims insurance, then it will show up in Carfax. This is not the case in most provinces or states.

I realize that this is perhaps more important to me than for many other people, but when you're stuck on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you want to reduce your potential risk factors as much as possible.

The red one if defintely a cool car though.

[skander]

I almost had a heard attack. Today there's an F30 sunset orange showed up in QC (I was so happy since I'm from montreal so I called at the first hour to check). It was a bug in the system and the car isn't available in QC but in BC (at the dealer's partner location). I though you're talking about the same.

[571 M3]

Originally Posted by colinmac

Yes, I had seen that one some time ago. But for me, as an ex-Toronto guy but living in Hawaii for decades, it would have worth it getting a BC-only car. For one thing, it's thousands of miles closer to Honolulu. But important to me, BC has just one auto insurance agency. So if a BC car gets into an accident and the owner claims insurance, then it will show up in Carfax. This is not the case in most provinces or states.

I realize that this is perhaps more important to me than for many other people, but when you're stuck on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you want to reduce your potential risk factors as much as possible.

The red one if defintely a cool car though.

Any accident resulting in claims will appear on carfax in Ontario too though, not just BC, so that's not really a bonus point for being a BC car. The tires that are on the car currently are winter tires, previous owner either didn't include the original wheels for the sale or dealership took it. Rust on the calipers and fender liner bolts seem excessive for the mileage, I had just got a blue 330 wagon from Quebec (you may have seen the listing) and the rust in the same area isn't that bad. And lastly at this price, shipping that red Ontario car a couple extra thousand miles would still be the right choice. Most importantly, it's best to check the car out in person, car could have been scratched or even worse, been in accident but then repaired without insurance claim, so damage isn't shown on the carfax.

Regarding the TPMS, I am not sure if my factory wheels came with TPMS (have them stored at the moment, can check later), but my winter set I got without and the car does not throw a warning. All I have to do is to reset the pressure and car will know the current pressure is "okay" and warn me if the ABS sensor or something detects a loss of air. The screen will show that all 4 tires are "ok" and that's it, no display of actual psi, however it is apparently possible to code in the psi display while having tpms installed. I don't know how strict the US inspection would be or if what I had said will make importation possible but just a thought. The part# for the correct tpms sensors aren't hard to find on the forum since US cars use them, will just need a shop to perform the modification which can be a challenge for you.

[Th3Walrus]

Originally Posted by jmanB45

Nice wagon, but expensive!

There's a red one that I've been watching in Ontario, it's CAD$11K less.

https://www.autotrader.ca/a/bmw/3%20...20211151411955

That one is originally from Quebec, meaning it's likely been in an accident that doesn't show up on the Carfax.

[571 M3]

Originally Posted by Th3Walrus

That one is originally from Quebec, meaning it's likely been in an accident that doesn't show up on the Carfax.

Not necessarily, the price is reasonable. Just because its 11k less than a car that's priced ridiculously doesn't mean its got problems. Any car could have had a fight with a wall and got repaired without insurance lol. I brought a friend and a paint film meter when I went to see my car(Quebec car) and everything checked out. No repaints on any of the panels. The key is to personally inspect the car, however from a retailer/wholesaler's perspective, as long as the carfax is clean, minor repairs done privately wouldn't be an issue. A lot of people in the US seems to be comfortable with buying a car sight unseen.

[Th3Walrus]

Originally Posted by 571 M3

Not necessarily, the price is reasonable. Just because its 11k less than a car that's priced ridiculously doesn't mean its got problems. Any car could have had a fight with a wall and got repaired without insurance lol. I brought a friend and a paint film meter when I went to see my car(Quebec car) and everything checked out. No repaints on any of the panels. The key is to personally inspect the car, however from a retailer/wholesaler's perspective, as long as the carfax is clean, minor repairs done privately wouldn't be an issue. A lot of people in the US seems to be comfortable with buying a car sight unseen.

Sure, but the Carfax shows that it's been in Quebec the entire time, and now it's for sale at an Ontario dealership. It's common practice.

Back in 2011 we bought a 2009 Mazda 3 with super low kms and at a great price. I could tell opening the hood that it had a new front fender, but the dealership denied any repairs were done and showed me the clean Carfax, showing the car came from Quebec. We bought it anyways, and within a few days the driver's door wouldn't open when it went below freezing. I removed the door panel, discovered the door had been reskinned, and a plastic sheet that keeps water from the window off of the door lock rods was reinstalled on the wrong side of the rods. Easy fix, and never had another problem with the car, but I will never buy a car from Quebec again, unless the repairs are disclosed and not lied about.

[571 M3]

Originally Posted by Th3Walrus

Sure, but the Carfax shows that it's been in Quebec the entire time, and now it's for sale at an Ontario dealership. It's common practice.

Back in 2011 we bought a 2009 Mazda 3 with super low kms and at a great price. I could tell opening the hood that it had a new front fender, but the dealership denied any repairs were done and showed me the clean Carfax, showing the car came from Quebec. We bought it anyways, and within a few days the driver's door wouldn't open when it went below freezing. I removed the door panel, discovered the door had been reskinned, and a plastic sheet that keeps water from the window off of the door lock rods was reinstalled on the wrong side of the rods. Easy fix, and never had another problem with the car, but I will never buy a car from Quebec again, unless the repairs are disclosed and not lied about.

Sorry to hear that, absolutely, I would definitely agree that cars from Quebec generally aren't the best choices, and totally understand that your grudge against it having had a bad experience yourself. In my case, my car was leased from the same dealership I bought it from and then off-lease, I obtained the full maintenance record since car was new. One thing about Quebec is that carfax doesn't show their annual registration renewal mileage, so that's one less tool we get to verify the true mileage. I guess it was a hit for me, but agree that you could miss more than you hit. I would still say that doing a thorough inspection is more important than anything but again I totally respect that you don't ever wanna look at a Quebec car again. if you find something fishy you just gotta walk, no dealerships (in the entire country) are going to admit fault, just something that sucks about the industry.

[Djphonics]

You can certainly have a poor experience with any car from anywhere. I have not seen any definitive proof of this, and is important that this is made clear. This hearsay is also very old.

With the above said, I have been told that after a salvage car is repaired in Quebec, it can be rebranded as fit after a structural inspection. I've heard too many horror stories of cars from Quebec that I won't touch them. It's frustrating because they seem to know how to spec their cars much better than elsewhere.

[hengly]

I ended up buying this sunset orange f31 and It made across the US border just fine.

[Oksamit78]

Congrats 👏 Enjoy the car.

[Djphonics]

It's a well specified car. Enjoy!