Importing a Vehicle (Subaru) Without TPMS - Success!

[TheJuggernaut 2]

Signed up to contribute my experience. I'm moving to Cali for work like it seems many here are, and would like to take our owned-since-new 2013 BRZ. Work is paying to ship cars but once the shipper heard it doesn't have TPMS, they said unless you import it, we won't touch it. I did everything as described and I splurged on a nice TPMS system from Schrader, with in-tire sensors and a neat little solar powered display unit that shows temperatures and pressures.

 

Went to Queenston/Lewiston as I know they specialize in import/export so I should have best odds of being serviced by someone who's done this a million times before and won't nitpick. I get there and the guy says ok show me the TPMS, I do and he says oh nothing but OEM installed by Subaru is acceptable. I referenced the anecdotal evidence I have from here and the guy said well I'm not totally sure so let me check with my supervisor. Comes back 15 min later and says yeah no way, it has to be OEM installed by the dealer.

 

I checked this thread again and I saw the one post I followed with the Mercedes reference Rainbow. I thought I'm already here, what do I have to lose but waste more time. I go down to Rainbow, the guy says the same thing and I'm about to walk away dejected and he says, take a seat inside, we'll see what we can do. They discuss things, ask me about the system, I say that they're OE-replacement sensors (my friend who got me the system owns a tire shop and he installs the Schrader sensors on aftermarket wheels for people as they can pair with OE systems). They said ok, we're just trying to see how we can bend things for you. Because recently we've had new rules come down that it must be OEM TPMS. They decided screw it, OEM sensors, who cares about the display, and imported it for me.

 

So I succeeded but purely by luck. So beware, this party may be over unless you get some officers interested in going out of the way to help you.

Edited July 2, 2022 by TheJuggernaut

[NikLR 13,228]

TPMS is a joke IMO... It's a good system, if it could be used properly.   Unlike in Canada, you don't have to get new sensors every time you put on wheels and tires in the USA.  So my sensors essentially never work down here because I'm not paying $200 twice a year to get new sensors when I change my tires from summer and winter. I just let my winter tires have priority because of where I live.  (If I used one set of all seasons all year, this wouldn't be an issue but there are traction laws where I live so winter tires are a requirement,) I should be able to just tell the system that my winters tires are on or my summer tires are on and that is that.  It has the ability to remember several sensors but can't seem to. Maybe it's a Ford thing.  

I rotate and put on my tires myself and the only time they get new sensors is if I get new tires put on my wheels. Even then I don't have to put sensors on, as it's not required by law.   It's a joke tbh.  

 

But as it's getting more and more expensive to buy cars (especially used cars) in the USA, importing cars you already own is more and more attractive.   Heck I could sell my 2018 with 45000 miles on it for MORE than I paid!!  Same with my motorcycle. 

 

[TheJuggernaut 2]

Yeah, I don't disagree... I have a motorsports system on my racecar and it's valuable for detecting a reasonably slow leak. But these OEM systems update once a minute so they're useless for all but the slowest punctures, or telling you that you already have a flat. Or that it's really cold outside... But it's like every time I get into a domestic modern rental crapcan, which have every doodad that is mainly focused on amusing you and helping you not crash while you are preoccupied by anything except driving. My first thought is, how insulting, and then I pull out of the airport into traffic and think, ok fine I get it.

[smurf344 1]

On 11/29/2018 at 5:51 AM, Bizy said:

I bought an after-market TPMS system from Amazon for like 89 dollars CDN (Vesafe TPMS CL-201) with 4 Bluetooth sensors that screw on to the stems tips and a small, flat unit that goes into the cigarette lighter and shows the PSI for each of the tires. 

 

I took the Vesafe TPMS system to a tire place (I went to "OK Tire" in Etobicoke) and they "installed it" for me, basically just screwing the sensors into the stems, and gave me an invoice indicating that they "Installed customer-provided after-market TPMS system", which I signed.

 

 

OMG just had to create an account here to say THANK YOU so much to the suggestions on this thread and it worked for me!!!  I recently moved from BC to the US and ran into the same problem with my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek and was legit panicking.  I bought the Vesafe kit from Amazon and was able to find an OK Tire to install it for me (Victoria, BC for reference) after I had called other auto-shops and been shut down.  The kit is so simple to install that I think in total with labor costs it was only around $80.  I was in disbelief that so many shops told me they couldn't help.

 

I took my car into a customs office in CO today and the woman I worked with was extremely nice once she realized I had all of my ducks in a row with paperwork etc.  She initially shut me down when I said the car did not have a TPMS, but once I said I had one installed she lightened up and it was easy from there.  Definitely recommend being super organized and having all of your paperwork ready to make their lives easier and keep them happy!  The woman even asked me "wow, they make these wireless now?" because the OK Tire receipt listed "Vesafe wireless" etc. and I said yep.  Made me nervous but she accepted it and was impressed by it lol.  Anyway, thanks again and hope this thread helps others out as much as it did for me!!!

[O.C 160]

Hello from OP 4 years later 👋

 

I just wanted to say that I am so happy to see how this post has helped so many people with importing their vehicles with the TPMS Issue. Funny enough, my TPMS sensors literally stopped working like a few months after they were installed.  I was involved in a car accident a year ago so my Subaru that started this all is now totaled and gone 😥 

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by O.C

[Ontarkie 14,307]

On 7/20/2022 at 10:10 AM, O.C said:

Hello from OP 4 years later 👋

 

I just wanted to say that I am so happy to see how this post has helped so many people with importing their vehicles with the TPMS Issue. Funny enough, my TPMS sensors literally stopped working like a few months after they were installed.  I was involved in a car accident a year ago so my Subaru that started this all is now totaled and gone 😥 

 

Welcome back, I'm happy you made it through that at least. 

[ambujakshi92 0]

On 6/14/2021 at 12:40 AM, 2013HondaCivic said:

Hi all,

 

This thread has been tremendously helpful  for me getting my vehicle imported to the States and so I wanted to share my story that is pretty fresh from two days ago.

 

I have TN visa and I am working in the US already and I went up to Canada last month to see my parents (yes, in the midst of pandemic - as soon as I got my vaccines).

My parents recently bought a new car so they were willing to give me their old one which was 2013 Honda Civic.

I requested the compliance letter from Honda America and of course no TPMS, and the letter also says it has to be installed with genuine Honda parts, etc. etc.

My mom and I went to Service Ontario to transfer the ownership. I had all the documents so it was done right on the spot.

I also got an aftermarket TPMS system and went to a local autoshop who helped me install and also provide me with an invoice. I got this advice from this thread, so thank you.

As my time to return approached, I was worried I would get denied because of the aftermarket TPMS. I called multiple Honda dealerships and asked if I can get any TPMS system or even a simple letter saying my car has TPMS system and they all refused because they do not have any Honda genuine part for TPMS and did not want to risk anything. 

 

I also called Detroit border CBP office for vehicle import and explained my situation. The officer couldn't give me a clear answer because he said the approval / denial would really depend on the officer I will see.

 

On the day of, I first encountered the border officer to pass the border. I told him I wanted to import my car and he initially said why do you want to import if you only have a temporary visa. He said I would simply need to come back once a year to renew the Ontario license plate. He didn't want to take me to the office for vehicle import and so I almost gave up there, but I insisted. He finally gave me a yellow ticket a0nd I could then head to the office for import.

 

The other officer who helped me with the importing process was very nice. She simply asked all the information I needed. I filled out a form she gave me and I waited for about 15 minutes and that was it.

While I was in the office, my car was inspected by other officers, but mainly for items I'm bringing in, not the car compliance or functioning of the TPMS system. They didn't seem to care much about it. 

 

In the end I would also have to say I was lucky, but I just wanted to share that an aftermarket TPMS still worked for me on June of 2021.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Which company did you use for shipping / importing ? Thanks !

[ambujakshi92 0]

On 7/1/2021 at 9:51 PM, Ahanaf said:

This post really helped me a lot with importing my vehicle and I would like to share my experience. I have successfully imported and registered my vehicle (2018 Kia Forte). I am a green card holder if that makes any difference.

 

I was relocating from Ontario to California for a job and my company offered to deliver my car to California. I had a vehicle importing company but they said that they wouldn't be able to import the car to the USA because my car did not have a TPMS sensor. In the letter from the manufacturer it states:

 

In addition, this vehicle met most of the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), except for the following:

FMVSS 138 Regulation as this vehicle was not equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

 

The vehicle importing company said they would still be able to drop my car off in California, and I would be able to drive the car for a year, after which the car had to be exported. This is the option that I chose. They gave me an ACE Manifest which I had to show to the customs office. Once my car arrived in California, it was my responsibility to go to a customs office to get it imported officially (which is required to register the vehicle). I was supposed to make changes to be compliant with the FMVSS but every Kia dealership I called said that this process would be very costly and they would basically have to strip half the car to put it in. I wanted to try with aftermarket parts as I saw it worked for some people so I got a 30 dollar TPMS kit from Amazon and just installed it on my car myself. I wrote a short letter stating that I installed the TPMS sensors myself to make the car compliant with the FVMSS. Then I drove to the closest Customs office that does vehicle imports with all the paperwork (you can find the required files online) and they just looked over all the files and didn't really take a second glance at the TPMS sensor. They didn't question about it or anything. This might be because this Customs office was not in the border between Canada and USA so this type of import problem isn't very common. I got my forms stamped and the next step was the DMV.

 

When I got to the DMV, I also had to show them my compliance letter. They didn't really look at it that much either. I could have gotten lucky here as well because some DMV officers might be picky. Along with the other documents that the DMV requires (you can find them on the California DMV site), if your car was bought less than a year ago, then bring proof of purchase that shows that you paid tax in Ontario or else they will make you pay tax in California. Luckily I had proof of purchase so my registration fee was 280 dollars. 

 

Timeline:

Compliance letter: End of May 2021

Car exported from Canada: End of May 2021

Car in my hands in California: Mid June 2021

Visit California Customs office: 1 week after arrival in California

Visit California DMV: 1 week after visiting Customs office

 

That is the end of my story. If you have any questions, feel free to ask

Which company did you use for shipping your car ? The one that issued Ace manifest. Thanks! 

[intex 0]

I just got my US PR. Can I travel to the US in my car with Canadian plates without importing it? I need to make 2-3 visits to the US this month. But I wanted to spend another 4 months in Canada before moving permanently to the US and importing my car.

[mam521 2,113]

4 hours ago, Mark Sa said:

 

Your post really helped me. 

I'm going to US on a H1B in late September (next month)

I was thinking of importing my car ahead of time to get this over with, but looks like I can't.

Your post helps me plan a drive back to Canada just for this importation thing after my visa gets granted.. unless we do everything the same date when we move. 

 

If you are moving yourselves and crossing the land border, the CBP officer may make you import it.  Make sure you have all of your ducks in a row.  If the vehicle is financed, you'll have to verify that they'll even let you import it to the US.  Most lenders won't.  

 

I've imported a vehicle.  If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't even bother.  The vehicle had factory TPMS, so that wasn't even a worry.  I took a hit to the value because the VIN was Canadian and jumping through hoops to get it inspected and registered was a pain in the behind. 

[kkeys 40]

Sorry to bring up such an old thread... ! 

To find out if I can bring my car without extra work from Canada to USA, I just email my car company (Buick/GM) and ask for what exactly? A letter of compliance to what? 

[ChiOtt 0]

49 minutes ago, kkeys said:

Sorry to bring up such an old thread... ! 

To find out if I can bring my car without extra work from Canada to USA, I just email my car company (Buick/GM) and ask for what exactly? A letter of compliance to what? 

Letter of compliance from Buick/GM that the vehicle meets US Federal safety standards and EPA requirements...

Also take a look at the inside driver door jam, should have Transport Canada plaque and potentially a US Federal safety plaque. EPA may be there too or on the underside of the Hood!

 

Anyways Buick or GM Canada should be able to provide this letter 

[georgy2030 2]

Hi, 

Can someone clarify the customs duty / tax implications on the imported car.?  Is there any sort of tax exemption that a new resident can avail.? 

Thanks 

[TPMS 2]

Hi Everyone,

 

I want to share my story as this forum was extremely helpful to me to import my Hyundai Elantra 2020 to US.

 

I moved to usa on TN visa as I got job. I started completing documents including compliance letter & loan pay off. Initially, I came to know that there was a recall on my car and I could not get compliance letter until the recall is cleared. Hyundai mentioned they were trying to figure out how to resolve the issue but they did not had solution at that time. It took almost two months to get the recall cleared. Then, it took 2-3 weeks to get compliance letter where the real story begin.

 

Compliance letter showed the car is not installed with TPMS. We bought off the shelf TPMS from amazon, made an appointment with Canadian tire. They only charged around 20 cad to install, they mentioned that they are charging minimum amount required to issue invoice otherwise they could do that for free as it was so simple process.

 

We declared the car at Windsor-Detroit tunnel on one Sunday night and officer sent us to go inside the custom office. We went inside and officer there checked the record and told us that car status is shown its salvaged we can’t import. I mentioned that we bought it from dealership he said get some letter from service Ontario and come back. He mentioned that TPMS is not issue we have already installed with mechanic and have invoice. Additionally, he mentioned that we are not required to import car on TN visa we can drive as long as i work on TN as it is considered as temporary visa.

 

I received a letter from service Ontario showing car was bought brand new nothing salvaged. Next weekend crossed the boarder and declared the car. Officer inside the custom office mentioned again we don’t require to import and can drive Canadian plates on TN visa. He checked and said all documents were OK including TMPS invoice. And said if want to import just pay duty and all process is completed. But said again you are not required to import as you are here temporarily. We changed mind and left without import but after a few weeks we decided to import it did same process at boarder, paid duty, showed documents and import process was done.

 

next we got local insurance, title, and license.

 

All the officers accepted the after market installed TPMS. I believe import thing is the original compliance letter, no loan attached to car, and TPMS with installed invoice would work.

 

Thank you everyone for support.

 

 

 

[mam521 2,113]

Just info to anyone who looks - the reason an aftermarket TPMS may not be accepted is because it doesn't technically meet FMVSS regulation.  From NHTSA (for Canadian imported vehicles): 

 

"If the manufacturer’s letter states that the vehicle complies with all applicable FMVSS but does not comply with the requirements of FMVSS No. 138 Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems, the vehicle can only be imported as a conforming motor vehicle under Box 2B if the importer furnishes Customs with an invoice from a franchised dealer or authorized repair facility of the vehicle’s original manufacturer showing that a tire pressure monitoring system identical to, and with the same part number(s) as the system the manufacturer installs on vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States has been installed on the vehicle for which entry is sought."

 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/vig_canada09122017.pdf

 

So, don't be angry if the CBP officer doesn't pass an aftermarket TPMS system.  His or her job could potentially be on the line if they let the vehicle in. The standards are clearly outlined.