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Car Forum / Honda Cars / September 2007Importing a Honda from USA to Canada
With the Canadian dollar being stronger then the US dollar right now, and the Civic SI costing about $23K US in the States and 33K Canadian in Canada I'm thinking it might be worth the effort to buy one from the states. Anyone have any experience or suggestions on doing this? My understanding is I won't have to pay duty as the SI is made in North America. I will just have to pay GST at the border and get some sort of Insepection done to the vehicle? Sounds like a small amount of work to do to save $10 000 > With the Canadian dollar being stronger then the US dollar right now, and > the Civic SI costing about $23K US in the States and 33K Canadian in [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Insepection done to the vehicle? Sounds like a small amount of work to do > to save $10 000 And if prior posting in the past are true, you will have warranty issues. > My understanding is I won't have to pay duty as the SI is made in North > America. I will just have to pay GST at the border and get some sort of > Insepection done to the vehicle? Sounds like a small amount of work to do > to save $10 000 Canadian Honda Motor Manufacturing doesn't warrant cars that were sold by Honda in the US. You'll have no factory warranty. > With the Canadian dollar being stronger then the US dollar right now, > and the Civic SI costing about $23K US in the States and 33K Canadian [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > sort of Insepection done to the vehicle? Sounds like a small amount > of work to do to save $10 000 Here y'go. Straight from the horse's mouth: http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html RIV is the Canadian government agency that handles vehicle importations into Canada. Generally speaking, the American Honda factory warranty will be honored by Honda Canada Inc.  SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > Generally speaking, the American Honda factory warranty will be honored by > Honda Canada Inc. No, it won't--not any more than the Honda Canada warranty will be honored by American Honda. >> Generally speaking, the American Honda factory warranty will be honored by >> Honda Canada Inc. > > No, it won't--not any more than the Honda Canada warranty will be > honored by American Honda. Anything to back this up? It would seem to me that you're saying that if I buy a Honda in upstate NY and then move to Ontario when there's, say, 15,000 miles on the car after 16 months, I'm screwed if something goes wrong if I try to have it remedied by Honda in Canada. Doesn't sound correct. >>> Generally speaking, the American Honda factory warranty will be >>> honored by Honda Canada Inc. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Doesn't sound correct. Hi, They know the origin of car by serial number. Then you go back down to U.S. for warranty service. Very inconvenient. [snip] >>> No, it won't--not any more than the Honda Canada warranty will be >>> honored by American Honda. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > They know the origin of car by serial number. Then you go back down to > U.S. for warranty service. Very inconvenient. No debate there, Tony. I realize they can tell which market the car was made for/delivered to. Do you know for a fact that Honda Canada will send you packing back to the States? For that matter, what will they do if I take my American delivered Honda up to Montreal on a business trip and the transmission fails? Tell me to go back to an American dealer? Doubt it. >[snip] >>>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >delivered Honda up to Montreal on a business trip and the transmission >fails? Tell me to go back to an American dealer? Doubt it. Not the same situation, visiting is not the same as importing. I would expect under visiting you would 'pay' the Honda dealer to repair and then be reimbursed by Honda US. With respect to the original question, there is likely to be minor differences between US and Canadian models and you need to submit the vehicles for inspect and certification at an approved centre. When I imported a Volkswagen Golf into Canada (Halifax) I took it to a Volkswagen dealer to find out what was required then took it to the approved centre (Chrysler Dealer) for inspection and certification. In my case there was nothing required, off hand I can't remember the fee but it was not significant. > > No, it won't--not any more than the Honda Canada warranty will be > > honored by American Honda. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Doesn't sound correct. Yup. Easy to back up. Just call American Honda. Or head to odyclub.com, where people had five years of shortages in the US and were bringing vehicles down from Canada to supplement them. >> Generally speaking, the American Honda factory warranty will be >> honored by Honda Canada Inc. > > No, it won't--not any more than the Honda Canada warranty will be > honored by American Honda. Yes it will. Both ways, too. A guy I know moved across the border with his Canadian market car. There was no problem whatsoever with the warranty. The problem is the dealer may refuse to sell you the car in the first place. Honda takes a dim view of cross-border selling. If it becomes prevalent enough, Honda will issue prohibitory notices to the dealers, telling them not to sell to non-residents. I have seen these notices myself. SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > > No, it won't--not any more than the Honda Canada warranty will be > > honored by American Honda. > > Yes it will. Both ways, too. Nope. Not at all. >>> No, it won't--not any more than the Honda Canada warranty will be >>> honored by American Honda. >> >> Yes it will. Both ways, too. > > Nope. Not at all. this doesn't seem logical. if i drive my car to brazil [long adventure vacation], and it breaks down within the warranty period, the local factory agents won't cover it? i find that hard to believe. a friend of mine drove an audi through europe, middle east, and had a suspension arm break somewhere in north africa. it took a while, but he got that warrantied. if audi can manage that there, it seems unlikely honda can't/won't cope with the wild uncivilized natives of canadia. "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in news:elmop- 83FAC5.09453923092007@nntp1.usenetserver.com: >> > No, it won't--not any more than the Honda Canada warranty will be >> > honored by American Honda. >> >> Yes it will. Both ways, too. > > Nope. Not at all. Cite your source. SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > >> Yes it will. Both ways, too. > > > > Nope. Not at all. > > Cite your source. Personal experience of people at odyclub.com who were suckered by their dealers into buying Odysseys from Canada, back when the demand was super-high and the dealers were looking to get product any way they can to sell to people who were ecstatic to pay list plus. They went for warranty work and discovered they weren't covered. >> >> Yes it will. Both ways, too. >> > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > They went for warranty work and discovered they weren't covered. Anecdotal evidence from Internet postings wasn't good enough for me; too much "Internet wisdom" floating around (some of it even from me). So I called my local dealer, plus I called Honda Canada Inc. Customer Service (1-888-946-6329). Both you and I are partially correct. Here is the final word from Honda Canada Inc: (Remember that dealers are independent companies; they are NOT part of Honda. They just buy franchise licenses from Honda.) ------ Situation 1: Legal US resident with US address moves to Canada, whether permanently or temporarily. So long as he remains the owner of the vehicle and retains proof of his former US residency and driver's license, the US warranty REMAINS VALID and Canadian dealers may obtain from American Honda reimbursement for warranty repair. Situation 2: Canadian resident moves to US as Situation 1, brings his Canadian car with him. Canadian warranty REMAINS VALID in US as in Situation 1 with conditions as per Situation 1. US dealers may repair and apply for reimbursement from Honda Canada. Situation 3: Canadian resident with Canadian address buys car from US dealer, legally imports it to Canada. US warranty is NOT VALID in Canada. Car must be driven to US dealer for warranty service. Neither you nor the Canadian dealer may apply for reimbursment from American Honda. Situation 4: US resident with US address buys car in Canada, legally imports it to US. Canadian warranty is NOT VALID in US. Car must be driven to Canadian dealer for warranty service. Neither you nor the US dealer may apply for reimbursment from Honda Canada. EXCEPTION: "Safety Recall" repairs WILL be done under warranty in ALL situations by ALL dealers on BOTH sides of the border to ALL cars, regardless of the import situation, provided the importation was legal. ------ The Honda rep was unaware of any governmental laws concerning this. As far as she knew, this was Honda's policy and that other car manufacturers may have different policies. She was careful to say she was no expert on the legal side of the issue. All she knew was /what/ Honda's official policy was, not /why/ it existed. My personal suspicion is that this has something to do with franchising laws. Auto franchises are backed by considerable federal and state/provincial regulation, this in order to protect them from the automakers and from each other. It would not surprise me to find out that such policy exists as a way of protecting dealers from cross-border competition arising from currency fluctuations and pricing based on that fluctuation. So there you have it. SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > Situation 1: > Legal US resident with US address moves to Canada, whether permanently [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > conditions as per Situation 1. US dealers may repair and apply for > reimbursement from Honda Canada. That's merely an agreement between the two entities. That's fine--but everyone should be aware of two things: 1) the agreement could change at any moment, because 2) even though the cars may be identical, the business units who sell the cars are different and separate. They're separate financial entities. > Situation 3: > Canadian resident with Canadian address buys car from US dealer, legally [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > ALL dealers on BOTH sides of the border to ALL cars, regardless of the > import situation, provided the importation was legal. This addresses individuals buying cars and going through the import process. And of course Honda will handle safety recalls regardless; it'd be suicide not to. But you may want to call back and ask about dealers bringing the cars down across the border and selling them. Do the dealers have to go through a formal import process? My impression was that even though the cars may be zero mile cars, they are essentially "used" cars when brought into the foreign (non-home) market. The dealerships wouldn't admit to that... <snip> > That's merely an agreement between the two entities. That's fine--but > everyone should be aware of two things: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > the cars are different and separate. They're separate financial > entities. This may not be true if government auto franchising regulations govern this matter (which I suspect). At that point, the delaers would have to lobby the government to get the regulations changed. Franchise regulations are very complex and intrusive, much like those surrounding auto insurance, or health care. <snip> > This addresses individuals buying cars and going through the import > process. And of course Honda will handle safety recalls regardless; > it'd be suicide not to. > > But you may want to call back and ask about dealers bringing the cars > down across the border and selling them. I called again to ask just this. It appears the same ownership/residency thing holds for dealers as for individuals. Franchised Honda dealers MUST buy their vehicles directly from the local Honda affiliate in their home country. Honda will NOT (except in /extremely/ rare circumstances) sell dealers in one market vehicles intended for some other market. If a dealer wishes to cross the border, buy some cars from a dealer on the other side of the border, then resell them to you, there is NO FACTORY WARRANTY. If the importing dealer wishes to sell the car with /some/ kind of warranty, it will be a warranty arranged by that dealer, at that dealer's cost. Honda will not have anything to do with it. To protect yourself from scams resulting from unauthorized importation, look at the sticker on the door frame. If the vehicle's certification authority is NOT the one that governs your market/country, the car is an unauthorized import. A Canadian market car's sticker will mention Transport Canada. A US market's car will probably mention the NHTSA (don't know for sure). > Do the dealers have to go through a formal import process? Same as an individual. Honda is NOT involved in ANY way and does NOT sanction importation that is not corried out by Honda itself. > My impression was that even though the cars may be zero mile cars, > they are essentially "used" cars when brought into the foreign > (non-home) market. The dealerships wouldn't admit to that... They are "used" because ownership has changed hands. Honda sells the cars to an authorized dealer, and authorized dealers in the SAME MARKET may sell the cars to each other. These are the ONLY classes of sale that retain the car's "new" designation. ANY other kind of sale thereafter means the car is USED. The car could get sold to the automaker's own leasing arm, to you, to a dealer in another market, a company, it doesn't matter. It's a USED car even if it never turns a wheel. SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > If a dealer wishes to cross the border, buy some cars from a dealer on > the other side of the border, then resell them to you, there is > NO FACTORY WARRANTY. Which is exactly what Odyssey buyers were finding during those 5 years of shortages. And skanky dealers weren't disclosing this. "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in news:elmop- 8AE520.18081324092007@nntp1.usenetserver.com: >> If a dealer wishes to cross the border, buy some cars from a dealer on >> the other side of the border, then resell them to you, there is >> NO FACTORY WARRANTY. > > Which is exactly what Odyssey buyers were finding during those 5 years > of shortages. And skanky dealers weren't disclosing this. I left out a bit in my haste to post: If you are willing to drive the car back to its home country, the factory warranty is STILL VALID there even though the car is registered /outside/ the car's home country. The dealer will not care where you live, or where the car is registered and licensed. They only care what market the car was originally made for. Taking the car back is easy for peple living an hour or so from the border, a lot more difficult if you live further than that. My original assertion that the warranty was valid both sides of the border was based on the experience of the guy I know who took his car across when he moved. His Canadian warranty was honored in the US because 1) he was the original importing owner, and 2) he had proof of former Canadian residence. I was unaware until today of the ownership and residency requirements, so thanks to Elmo for prompting that. SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ I have to contradict this, the Honda dealer in Grand Forks will not service vehicles with out of country tags. What would be the best way to proceed? t >"Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in news:elmop- >8AE520.18081324092007@nntp1.usenetserver.com: [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >I was unaware until today of the ownership and residency requirements, so >thanks to Elmo for prompting that. > I have to contradict this, the Honda dealer in Grand Forks will not service > vehicles with out of country tags. > > What would be the best way to proceed? Call American Honda Motor Manufacturing, either the customer relations line or your local zone office: http://www.odyclub.com/customer.html They'll straighten the dealer out. I had them straighten a local dealer out back in, oh, 1988 or so. Dealer's service manager didn't like it, and told me so. I gave her a big "so what? Do your job." >>I left out a bit in my haste to post: >>If you are willing to drive the car back to its home country, the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >>registered and licensed. They only care what market the car was >>originally made for. > I have to contradict this, the Honda dealer in Grand Forks will not > service vehicles with out of country tags. > > What would be the best way to proceed? I'd call American Honda. I'm just relating what the Honda Canada reps (two of them, independently) told me. Perhaps it's just that dealer. Have you tried another one? SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ not much choice unless you drive way farther.... :( >>>I left out a bit in my haste to post: >>>If you are willing to drive the car back to its home country, the [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >Perhaps it's just that dealer. Have you tried another one? >>> the Honda dealer in Grand Forks will not >>> service vehicles with out of country tags. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > not much choice unless you drive way farther.... :( I have some theories about that Grand Forks dealer: 1) they are unaware of American Honda's warranty policy; 2) they have a personal animosity against out-of-country vehicles; 3) they don't see the point of spending their warranty budget, or the time and trouble of applying for reimbursement, for somebody who will never be a regular customer. SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ >>>> the Honda dealer in Grand Forks will not >>>> service vehicles with out of country tags. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > time and trouble of applying for reimbursement, for somebody who will > never be a regular customer. 4) warranty reimbursement is nowhere near as profitable as the fully loaded, fully marked up price that can be obtained by bullshitting the gullible and uninformed. >> I have some theories about that Grand Forks dealer: >> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > loaded, fully marked up price that can be obtained by bullshitting the > gullible and uninformed. Utterly cynical, and yet somehow compelling... SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in news:elmop- > 8AE520.18081324092007@nntp1.usenetserver.com: [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > 1) he was the original importing owner, and > 2) he had proof of former Canadian residence. And that was the question which I had which may have prompted (at least in part) this "I'm from Missouri, show it to me!" discussion. I can understand how the concept of buying what is essentially gray market goods, i.e. US produced/warrantied auto by a non-resident who immediately heads back across the border, might impact on ones warranty work. Similarly, I fail to see how a legitimate change of residency would defeat the warranty owed to an otherwise bonafide purchaser. Interesting development..... http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2007/09/26/classaction.html >> "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in news:elmop- >> 8AE520.18081324092007@nntp1.usenetserver.com: [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >work. Similarly, I fail to see how a legitimate change of residency >would defeat the warranty owed to an otherwise bonafide purchaser. |
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