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View Full Version : Help importing car from Canada.....anyone with "pull" @ Chrysler?



1FastCSX289
04-24-2006, 10:47 PM
This is kind of an unsual "help!" request, but I am trying to purchase a Turbo Dodge in Canada. I bought the car on ebay. I live in ROchester, NY and its only about a 2 hour trip to get the car across the border. I contacted US customs and they said it is a simple process of getting a letter from the manufacturer stating that the vehicle meets all federal safety and emissions standards for the model year. I simply present the letter to border patrol and they pass me through.

Awesome!.......nope, not with &**!! CHrysler!!!!! I called the recommended customer support line and they flat out REFUSED to give me such a letter.......in order to "promote buying CHrysler vehicles from dealerships in the country". I must have talked to 5 different people and all they can do is respond in their minimum wage earning, monotone, programmed response....."sorry sir, this is the company policy".

I called the EPA to ask them if there was another way to do this and the guy I talked to (very nice guy) told me that Chrysler is the ONLY manufacturer who denies these requests.....and that I am pretty much screwed.

Anyone have any pull with Chrysler? Anyone willing to help a fellow TD'er out with that pull? ANyone ever done this before? ANyone live near Chrysler customer support and want to punch someone? I really want to buy this car and it so close....yet so far away

Will Martin
04-25-2006, 06:27 PM
You can get a Canadian Chrysler letter stating that it meets the U.S. requirements. I've accepted this before as I'm generally the "car guy" wherever I get stationed. This is excepted because where did most older TD's come from? The U.S. And typically, Canada's laws are more stringent than the U.S. I can look it up at work but it may take a while as I don't work at the land border anymore, and I work at an airport. And yes, I work for U.S. Customs as a Customs Inspector. And here's a little hint <I've never seen a letter get 'checked' at work, although that may not be typical> ;) :bolt:

Blue Iroc R/T
04-25-2006, 11:25 PM
Not sure if this would work or not; Take the car to a Canadian Chrysler Dealership and pay the Service Manager at the dealership $20-$50 to check the car out and write a letter (on his Chrysler Dealership Letter Head Paper) stating that he has inspected car Vin# .... and it meets or exceeds all required US EPA requirements. Sign/Date by Dealership Service Manager. From what Will said, this might be just enough to get it across the border.

Will Martin
04-26-2006, 12:14 AM
Not sure if this would work or not; Take the car to a Canadian Chrysler Dealership and pay the Service Manager at the dealership $20-$50 to check the car out and write a letter (on his Chrysler Dealership Letter Head Paper) stating that he has inspected car Vin# .... and it meets or exceeds all required US EPA requirements. Sign/Date by Dealership Service Manager. From what Will said, this might be just enough to get it across the border.

Exactly. Remember, it really doesn't matter if it's Chrysler Canada or Chrysler USA, Chrysler is Chrysler and as long as it's an official Chrysler letter headed letter, then usually the Custom Inspector won't get too technical, especially on an older car. :thumb:

1FastCSX289
04-26-2006, 04:32 PM
Exactly. Remember, it really doesn't matter if it's Chrysler Canada or Chrysler USA, Chrysler is Chrysler and as long as it's an official Chrysler letter headed letter, then usually the Custom Inspector won't get too technical, especially on an older car. :thumb:


Problem is.......the car doesnt even run. I cant have it tested for emissions......actually it would be pretty clean!!!

I thought about getting a friend at a dealership here get a hold of some Chrysler letter head, but the last thing I need is to be arrested at the border for a federal offense. The car is not worth that!

I called the Canadian Chrysler headquarters and they say they dont have the power to write such a letter. They referred my back to the US headquarters. Everyone at Chrysler just keeps referring me elsewhere.....DOT, EPA, independant importers, etc. They just WONT do it for me.:mad:

I even told them I was a teacher and my kids were going to be working on the car to build a race car after school as a club project (which is a partial truth) and they didnt seem to really care.

Customs also told me I wouldnt need a letter if the Federal emissions and DOT labels were on the car. I had the owner check for the emissions stickers and the one under the hood says: "Tampering with emissions devices is violation of provincial and federal laws." The one on the door states that "vehicle meets all federal crash and bumper standards".

I called border patrol at the Lewiston bridge in Buffalo and they told me that the wording is not quite right and wouldnt be accepted. What do you think?

tryingbe
04-26-2006, 06:37 PM
Time to back out from the deal.