Moving car from Canada to US

[itrocks4u]

Hi,

Has anyone made a move where they took their BMW from Canada to the US for work purposes? I've been reading up online and there are quite a bit of resources but wanted to see if someone has had hands-on experience with BMWs in particular. A few things that I'm unclear on:

1) Miles versus km/h - I have HUD display so it's quite easy to change km/h to Miles so I think I should be okay there.

2) TPMS - My car does not have TPMS but the normal low pressure warning system. Is this a quick fix? I have seen the option to code TPMS but not sure it would work without actual senors?

3) Anything else?

Car is 2017 M3 so I feel like if I try to sell, it will be a bigger loss. And I like it enough to not change it at this point.

[coldfish]

Originally Posted by itrocks4u

Hi,

Has anyone made a move where they took their BMW from Canada to the US for work purposes? I've been reading up online and there are quite a bit of resources but wanted to see if someone has had hands-on experience with BMWs in particular. A few things that I'm unclear on:

1) Miles versus km/h - I have HUD display so it's quite easy to change km/h to Miles so I think I should be okay there.

2) TPMS - My car does not have TPMS but the normal low pressure warning system. Is this a quick fix? I have seen the option to code TPMS but not sure it would work without actual senors?

3) Anything else?

Car is 2017 M3 so I feel like if I try to sell, it will be a bigger loss. And I like it enough to not change it at this point.

For Question #2, you can code TPMS without sensors but it won't work. You will always have the error about TPMS in your idrive.

[SMGCFP]

Selling a Canadian car in the US will have a lower resale all other things being equal.

EDIT: Didn't fully read your statement. Yes, your 2017 will be tough to sell if you bought new without taking some kind of financial hit.

[01ON19]

Things may vary by state. I took a Canadian car to Seattle and registered it in Washington. Had to replace the instrument cluster so as to show mph. Also, coded off daytime running lights.

If you install TPMS sensors in the wheels and code, it will work, i.e., the receiver is already in the car.

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by itrocks4u

Hi,

Has anyone made a move where they took their BMW from Canada to the US for work purposes? I've been reading up online and there are quite a bit of resources but wanted to see if someone has had hands-on experience with BMWs in particular. A few things that I'm unclear on:

1) Miles versus km/h - I have HUD display so it's quite easy to change km/h to Miles so I think I should be okay there.

2) TPMS - My car does not have TPMS but the normal low pressure warning system. Is this a quick fix? I have seen the option to code TPMS but not sure it would work without actual senors?

3) Anything else?

Car is 2017 M3 so I feel like if I try to sell, it will be a bigger loss. And I like it enough to not change it at this point.

Someone purchased a used F30 in Canada and imported to USA (Chicago area iirc) several months ago.

Many advised him not to.

He did anyway. All kinds of potential gotchas (SiriusXM subscriptions and connected drive, not to mention warranty issues).

I'm pretty sure he documented most of it in a thread in the main/general forum.

[Commanderwiggin]

I moved my 2012 X5 35D to the US and didn't have any issues. I had already changed the units on the cluster to the Imperial backgrounds. Easy to do.

Get a compliance letter from BMW before hand...Customs import paperwork at border or other POE location if you are importing after crossing border...did a smog before going to DMV...took it and previous registration (proof of title) to DMV for registration...got plates in the mail and a new title later.

Called BMW, they emailed me the paperwork to do a warranty transfer. Easy to fill out and it transferred no issues.

I owned the vehicle outright and BMW most likely will not give you a compliance letter before importing if you owe on it.

[itrocks4u]

Originally Posted by Commanderwiggin

I moved my 2012 X5 35D to the US and didn't have any issues. I had already changed the units on the cluster to the Imperial backgrounds. Easy to do.

Get a compliance letter from BMW before hand...Customs import paperwork at border or other POE location if you are importing after crossing border...did a smog before going to DMV...took it and previous registration (proof of title) to DMV for registration...got plates in the mail and a new title later.

Called BMW, they emailed me the paperwork to do a warranty transfer. Easy to fill out and it transferred no issues.

I owned the vehicle outright and BMW most likely will not give you a compliance letter before importing if you owe on it.

PM'd

[nickl630]

Don't do it. The resale value is destroyed by a "previous canadian" or "grey market" car like this.

It's easy to transfer and get plates in the us. The issue is dealers wont want to touch a Canadian car in the states. I suppose if you keep it forever that's not a big deal though.