Importing a Tacoma: Has anyone ever had issues?

What did you folks do for registration and insurance while you were driving back your trucks to Canada?
-Do they give you a temporary plate/sticker at the dealership prior to leaving?
-How did you get insurance coverage for out of country?
Thanks!

 

For the plate for my Tacoma I got the dealer to arrange for a 30 day temp permit and drove it back.
For a Nissan that we bought the dealer lent us a dealer plate and we couriered it back to him.

For insurance I called my insurance company and gave them the vin. They emailed be a insurance slip, same as buying a car here. They also indicated that even if you don't give them the vin you are still covered on your current policy for 14 days.
In my case I didn't have collison coverage on my current policy so I wanted to ensure it was added. Your Canadian insurance is good for both Can and the US. Same ad if you drive your current car in the US.

Shawn

 

Your insurance company should give you insurance at least for 2-3 weeks while you are going through the import process.

As for registration, if you buy from a dealer (like I did) they should be able to give you a temporary permit. Mine is good for 30 days. If you buy privately, I would call the DMV in that state. They should be able to tell you what your options are. Some states, the plate stays with the vehicle.

 

Just picked up my 09 Taco Saturday morning in Connecticut. It's sitting on the other side of the border waiting for the 72 hour period to elapse, so I will pick it up Wednesday morning.

Insurance was no issue.

For the permit, I went to the CT DMV myself after completing the paperwork at the dealership and got a 30 day temporary permit for $20. The key thing they wanted to see was that I had liability insurance and title.

Just called the Recall hotline and as of 2:00pm EST May 17 the remedy is still not available.

I also picked up the parts for the DRL. I had ordered them in advance, $79 with tax.

 

Hotline?

 

I think the issue will be that even if the recall has a remedy, and it is applied to your truck, you will then still have to have Toyota update there Service Recall system to indicate that there are "No Outstanding Recalls".
From what others have experienced, even if the recall fix is applied, and you have proof, the RIV will still want a System Generated Letter on Toyota letterhead indicating that there are no recalls. The RIV will not want to see a Service Invoice showing that the remedy has been applied.

Hopefully once the fix is done, Toyota will be quick to update there system, and your dealer will be able to provide the letter.
Make sure you stay in touch with the dealer you bought it from, or your local dealer (if you have a good relationship with them) as apparently Toyota Corporate (both US and Canada) will not issue the letter.

Good luck, keep us in the loop as to what happens.

Shawn

 

1 800 331-4331 Florida Call Center. Press 1 for Recall then 6 to talk to an operator. Give them your VIN and ask if the remedy has been issued for for the 9SL campaign. However, they cannot tell when the remedy will be issued.

I call them about twice a week.

 

I bought mine through NOTT in Winnipeg, they deal mainly with importing cars from the US.

http://www.nottautocorp.com/

 

Ahh....the "Customer Experience Center".....I know that number.

 

That may be true....maybe not.

This is direct from RIV.ca

According to this, it seems to me that they would accept a Service Invoice. But who knows. I will certainly try and I will bitch if they won't.

 

Lets hope they do, and/or at least give extensions if they don't.
The very fact that they have a seperate section for the acelorator recall at least shows that they are aware of the situation and may give a bit.

Let us know what happens.

Shawn

 

I was talking to RIV the other day and they said getting an extension would not be a problem.

 

Well, my 09 Taco is now on Canadian soil. Brought it across this morning. Got my new Leer cap and bed mat ordered up.

Spoke with the 'Customer Experience Center' this afternoon... still no remedy. I went poking around on the Toyoto.com/recall website and got a little fright.

I think the June date the person at the call center mentioned is the date by which all recall letters will be sent out. I saw these quotes which are not a good thing...

"The recall remedies for accelerator pedal entrapment for the Corolla, Matrix, Venza, Highlander, Tacoma, Tundra, and Prius will occur on a rolling schedule during 2010."

and

"What vehicles has Toyota begun notification on for the floor mat recall?
Toyota has begun issuing notification for the Lexus division involved models – ES350 and IS250 and IS350, and the Toyota Camry and Avalon. The recall remedies for other involved vehicles will be rolled out through 2010."

It's the during and throughout 2010 that concern me.

 

Where did you order your cap from?
I bought my ARE from the US side, it was just over $700 cheaper then my best quote here.

Shawn

 

Not to hijack thread which has been a good education, but related given above reference to ARE cap...
Are there any particularly good places just over the border i.e. Buffalo, Niagara Falls, from where OEM options can be bought? Was looking for running boards, wheels, etc. Thanks!

 

Any dealer in Buffalo will have better regular prices then here.
I have however have had good look with Auto Place Toyota matching online prices which makes it even cheaper. My local dealer won't give any discount, let alone match online prices.

Just a couple of weeks ago I bought tires for my wifes car, the cheapest price I could find in the GTA was $209 per tire, in Buffalo $86 per tire

Shawn

 

Duffy North, Joleger,

Just so I can learn from your experience for if/when I import another car,

- Was the dealer not willing to provide you with a Recal Letter before you actually purchased the truck?
- Was the dealer also not willing to provide a copy of the ownership to fax to the border, prior to money being exchanged?

I know these guestions may be after the fact, but if the dealer had done both, you may be not in the situation you are in now, or at least you could have knowingly waited to buy (I know you could have lost out on these paticular used trucks) until the recall issue was over.

Same hold true for the ownership, if the dealer would have provided it a copy to fax, then you would not have been held up at the border for 72 hours.

I insisted the dealer I dealt with provide both, before any money was exchanged, and they did (after 4 attempts, but I insisted they provided everything that the RIV indicated the letter had to have), without issue. If they didn't then I would have been able to walk away.

Shawn

 

Dang it! Just read the entire thread. Good info but a little scary to me as I will be moving to Ontario this July, taking the Taco with me.

My honey-do list is already insanely long for the move, and this thread cues me that I should being working on the recall clearance letter and DTRL right now as I have about 60 days before the move.

Gotta do it. Appreciate all the info here....

 

I would just keep it plated in the States until all this recall stuff is figured out.
I've read that car companies are more accomodating in regards to recall letters and info if you are actually moving countries vs. buying strictly for export.

The DTRL should be easy, just follow the thread link that was posted.

Shawn

 

Yep you are right DTRL looks easy.
Good thought on delaying the registration - but if I import it while moving into Canada, I do not have to pay any duties/taxes on it (as I am truly moving into the country and it is a personal item I am taking with me). If I do not import at that time - I enter the painful world of Canadian taxes!

No biggie though - we have good support group here and should all be able to share our experiences and get it worked out.