Yep, my compliance letter was from Acura Automobile Division, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

 

May I also ask which transporter and broker did you end up using?

Also best of luck on BAT!

 

I'll pm you the name of the transporter. They used a broker, I'm not sure who it was.

 

I don't think I saw anyone mention Smog. What's the deal. Do you have to Bar it once for the sticker or can you just take it anywhere?
I'm thinking of importing an R to SoCal myself

 

I'm still working on the smog. My caR didn't have the emissions sticker, I believe b/c of the jdm front end. I asked the seller to see if he can get one from his dealer in Canada. I've been to a few smog places and they won't do the smog without the sticker. If I can't get a sticker then I'd have to go to a referee and that doesn't sound like fun.

 

I was reading on the ezbordercrossing website and it says "You should obtain a temporary license plate / insurance card from the Canadian Province in which you are buying the vehicle – even if you extended your U.S. insurance to cover the it". Did you obtain the temp plate from the province you purchased your vehicle? Seems a little unnecessary since I plan to take the car across the border the same day I purchase it.

I did receive an email from the owner of the car saying they have requested the compliance letter from Honda. My journey begins. Ill start a thread.

 

In BC you have to purchase a temporary operating permit (TOP) to drive the car in Canada. Two pieces of paper; tape one to the windshield and the other to the rear window. Cost me $38 CAD for one day recently. Price goes down for extra days up to 14 days max. Can be bought at any insurance agent that sells car insurance.

I requested a recall letter from Honda Canada today. Once I receive that I apparently can call Honda America for the compliance letter.

 

Is that TOP something i can get after i buy it, or can it be requested ahead of time? Are you the owner of the canadian car? I thought only the owner could request the recall and compliance letter.

 

I believe you can request the compliance letter any time, don't actually need recall letter but it's a good idea.

 

The insurance office scared my seller into covering the car for 7 million dollars even though I already had my own insurance coverage if I ever did it again I would bring my own temporary registration from California there is a guy that sells 90 day passes for $60 my 3 day pass cost me over $120 US dollars

 

The TOP has to be purchased in person at a BC insurance agent after you purchase the car. They will want to see the BC registration paper signed by the seller (similar to a US title). My understanding is that even if you purchase your own coverage in the USA you still have to buy this permit to drive the car legally in BC. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Yes I am the owner of a Canadian Honda living in BC Canada and plan to sell it to an American buyer soon.

borderfatty confirmed for me today that Honda Canada provides the Recall Letter via mail. Once received I will contact Honda America and they will email or mail the letter. 2.5 weeks for email or 4 weeks for mail.

 

yes you are correct .. but when i did my compliance letter i did not get a recall letter at all i just contacted american honda and they did all the leg work for me they checked recalls themselves without needing a letter

 

I didn't realize that thank you. I called Honda Canada this afternoon and they said they mail a letter from Markham, Ontario and will arrive to me in 3 to 5 business days. I may as well wait then contact Honda America next.

 

It can take a while to get the compliance letter, so might as well request it now.

 

Ok thanks!

 

A friend of mine is coming up to buy my daily driver off me. When I called American Honda for the compliance letter, they needed me to call Honda Canada to have my info added as the current owner before they could issue the letter. I guess this is so that the current owner receives any recall or safety related information. I bought the car used a little over a year ago. AH said once that was done, they'd sent the letter right away, I got it within a week.

When I was on the phone with AH, they looked up the recall information based on the VIN for me to "expedite the process". honda.com and honda.ca both have a section for owners to check recall information. According to the website on the canadian site, they will only issue a recall letter to Canadian owners moving to the U.S. A few years back, when I brought my AP2 back from the US to Canada, AH gave me hard time. The RIV (Register of Imported Vehicles) here told me they just look it up on the manufacturers website just like everyone else. I printed the screen off honda.com showing my car was clear of any recalls just in case and when I brought the car through customs and registered it in Ontario, no one asked for it. It's most likely the same thing since you said you didn't need it; my brother in law bought an EP3 up here last year and all he really needed to get it into the US was the compliance letter.

I'll be requesting a compliance letter for my ITR shortly.

 

yes you are correct if they don't have the current owners information as the owner on record then they will have to call acura of canada and have it changed .. that slowed down my compliance letter by a few days

 

DC24 are you planning to sell your ITR to the USA? She looks awesome on the Work wheels!

Good info. I called Honda Canada first and they had to update my current owner information. It may not be necessary but they are mailing me a recall letter and I should have it in 3-5 business days.

I called Honda America this morning for the compliance letter. Sounded like my owner's info was updated with Honda Canada already thanks to my call a couple days ago. The letter will be drafted in 7-10 business days and then emailed to me. Like was stated you can have it mailed but it will take longer.

In both cases the CSR will provide an email address to email copies of the Canadian seller's drivers license or passport, insurance document and registration (like a US title). The seller can take pictures of the documents and email it so no scanning is required.

 

I will buy a CW ITR in canada if you guys are selling

 

Not selling mine but there are a couple for sale

https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/cto/5563459256.html This one has a few hits but clean title. Been on the market a while now.

https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/rch/cto/5545768591.html

1999 Acura Integra Type R for $26,990 in KELOWNA | autoTRADER.ca
Sale pending on this one

 

https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/cto/5563459256.html junk

https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/rch/cto/5545768591.html Trades only + its been tracked and modded to ****, he thinks its worth 30-40k+ LOL

1999 Acura Integra Type R for $26,990 in KELOWNA | autoTRADER.ca Sold


Appreciate it though

 

No worries What is the story on the first one for $13,900?

 

So, do I need to go to any random insurance company in BC and ask for a TOP, or is "insurance agent" mean something different that it does in the US? I have USAA for my car insurance, but I assume I would need to go to the DMV (department of motor vehicles) to attain the Temporary Operating Permit?

 

Yes you could go into any random insurance agent or most banks where they sell car insurance. They can all sell you an temporary operating permit (TOP). It is the same price anywhere you go because ICBC sets the price. I understand the US is different in that you go to your local DMV but here you can get the permit at any agent.

In BC we have an insurance company that is essentially run by the BC provincial (state) government called ICBC. It is a monopoly. We have to buy basic coverage through an agent that sells ICBC car insurance. Private and additional coverage is also available from other companies.

 

@touringteg: Mine is not officially for sale yet, but when it does, it will probably going south of the border because it's CW. I figure might as well get a compliance letter. Unfortunately, I don't have time or space for the car and money talks. A few people have asked and I did reach out to a couple others looking, but no one has asked to see the car after I threw out a number for my clean, all matching number car with 79k kms on it. Other R owners and past owners have told me to keep it if it can because I probably won't find another one. I love the wheels on it too, sure it is a bit low but the car pretty much just hardparks. Each time I see it, it's not stored where I live, I think "WTF am I thinking about rinsing my hands of it."

When I brought my AP2 up from the US, I already had my own insurance for it even before I paid for the car in full. I just added the car to my existing policy with the VIN, where the policy covers anywhere in the Canada as well as the US, but not Mexico. It's probably similar in the US. The seller let me use his plates to drive it back home, gave me the registration and a letter saying he authorized me to use his plates for transport. Leaving the US and entering Canada, neither CBP or the CBSA asked about the plates or registration, all that was verified was the VIN. It's probably because vehicle licensing is handled at the state or provincial level. My car my friend is buying, he is going to get his own insurance from his insurance company and use my plates to get back to MA. He did mention, he could use his plates on the car to transport until he gets to the DMV to register it as it is allowed. I can see difficulty in getting a temp plate when your drivers license doesn't match the state/province/country you are requesting it from.

@dave7. Can you not just get under hood emission stickers from a Honda dealer down there? The only difference in the labelling is that Canadian cars have it in English and French.