Registering Canadian Camry in US

I have a Canadian 2002 Camry which has Odometers in KM. I am moving to
NJ next month and in order for me to register my car, I have been told
that the odometer has to be in miles. I called up Toyota USA and Toyota
Dealer and what I heard from them is not very encouraging. The dealer
is not 100% sure whether the odometer can be converted form KMs to
miles.

I can't believe this. Surely there must be lot of folks who would have
taken their auto to USA. Do they all face this problem.

BTW when I moved to Canada from USA, I did not convert my car from
miles to KMs.

KM is fine. This happened to me and my friend. However, you have to
pass US Standard Safety.
But I think Camry is fine. If your car doesn't have airbag then your
car failed. This only applies if your importing your car from Canada.
Of course there are a lot of cars in the US without air bag.

When you cross the border just tell them that you're importing your car

rogercute2...@gmail.com wrote:[color=blue]
> KM is fine.[/color]

Yeah that makes sense. When I got those weird answer from NJ DOMV,
Toyota folks I was not believing them. I know that so many Canadians
go to US and register their car without this hassle. Plus many of
Canadian cars are actually manufactured in US and sold in Canada.
My 2002 Camry is also one of those cars.
[color=blue]
>This happened to me and my friend. However, you have to
> pass US Standard Safety.
> But I think Camry is fine. If your car doesn't have airbag then your
> car failed. This only applies if your importing your car from Canada.
> Of course there are a lot of cars in the US without air bag.
>
> When you cross the border just tell them that you're importing your car.[/color]

Yes I have all those documents, including a letter from Toyota Canada
saying that my car satisfies all US DOT safety requirements except
for minor labelling. I checked DOT site. A letter like mine is
acceptable.

However in that letter from Toyota they also stated that my car shows
odometer in KM and it may not acceptable in many US states for
registration. That only started my concern.

Did you or your friend register your car in New Jersey.

thanks.

<dcruncher4@aim.com> wrote in message
news:1148052666.243419.138690@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>I have a Canadian 2002 Camry which has Odometers in KM. I am moving to
> NJ next month and in order for me to register my car, I have been told
> that the odometer has to be in miles. I called up Toyota USA and Toyota
> Dealer and what I heard from them is not very encouraging. The dealer
> is not 100% sure whether the odometer can be converted form KMs to
> miles.
>
> I can't believe this. Surely there must be lot of folks who would have
> taken their auto to USA. Do they all face this problem.
>
> BTW when I moved to Canada from USA, I did not convert my car from
> miles to KMs.
>[/color]

I have never heard that the odometer has to be in miles. You may wish to
confirm this before you spend any money.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Ray O wrote:[color=blue]
> I have never heard that the odometer has to be in miles. You may wish to
> confirm this before you spend any money.[/color]


This is my understanding too and that's why I am posting here.

But I am surprised that no one at Dept of Motor Vechiles, NJ or
Toyota seem to knowledgable about it. What sort of people work
at customer support, eh?

Not too worry. In NJ it will most likely be stolen, for its parts, during
the first week you live there LOL


mike hunt


<dcruncher4@aim.com> wrote in message
news:1148054009.347617.252220@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> rogercute2...@gmail.com wrote:[color=green]
>> KM is fine.[/color]
>
> Yeah that makes sense. When I got those weird answer from NJ DOMV,
> Toyota folks I was not believing them. I know that so many Canadians
> go to US and register their car without this hassle. Plus many of
> Canadian cars are actually manufactured in US and sold in Canada.
> My 2002 Camry is also one of those cars.
>[color=green]
>>This happened to me and my friend. However, you have to
>> pass US Standard Safety.
>> But I think Camry is fine. If your car doesn't have airbag then your
>> car failed. This only applies if your importing your car from Canada.
>> Of course there are a lot of cars in the US without air bag.
>>
>> When you cross the border just tell them that you're importing your car.[/color]
>
> Yes I have all those documents, including a letter from Toyota Canada
> saying that my car satisfies all US DOT safety requirements except
> for minor labelling. I checked DOT site. A letter like mine is
> acceptable.
>
> However in that letter from Toyota they also stated that my car shows
> odometer in KM and it may not acceptable in many US states for
> registration. That only started my concern.
>
> Did you or your friend register your car in New Jersey.
>
> thanks.
>[/color]

<dcruncher4@aim.com> wrote in message
news:1148055713.100590.289470@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Ray O wrote:[color=green]
>> I have never heard that the odometer has to be in miles. You may wish to
>> confirm this before you spend any money.[/color]
>
>
> This is my understanding too and that's why I am posting here.
>
> But I am surprised that no one at Dept of Motor Vechiles, NJ or
> Toyota seem to knowledgable about it. What sort of people work
> at customer support, eh?
>[/color]

The standards for vehicle safety and emissions are generally set by the
federal government. Some states may impose higher standards than the feds.
I would check the Department of Transportation and the National Highway and
Traffic Safety Administration web sites.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Mine was registered in CO.
My friend was registered in San Diego.

This is Federal. Once you clear the customs or border you should be
fine on any State. You just need to present the clearance on any DMV.


Just minor requirement, DMV will ask for a Police Clearance on the
state you're registering. So just go to the nearest police county.

Also, Insurance companies in the US are private. Some of them don't
even even want to recognize your driver license or driving experience
in Canada. Geico and Progressive insurance are among of them.

Prepare yourself for the hassle and stress when moving. Hope this
helps.

<dcruncher4@aim.com> wrote in message
news:1148055713.100590.289470@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Ray O wrote:[color=green]
>> I have never heard that the odometer has to be in miles. You may wish to
>> confirm this before you spend any money.[/color]
>
>
> This is my understanding too and that's why I am posting here.
>
> But I am surprised that no one at Dept of Motor Vechiles, NJ or
> Toyota seem to knowledgable about it. What sort of people work
> at customer support, eh?
>[/color]

My '88 Supra came from Canada (I don't know when...) and has the original
instrument panel in kM. I asked my friend at the inspaction station (Mass.)
if it made any difference, he said, None at all. WHich meant that it had to
pass Federal emissions...

On Fri, 19 May 2006, [email]rogercute2002@gmail.com[/email] wrote:[color=blue]
> Also, Insurance companies in the US are private.[/color]

Same as in some major provinces in Canada.
[color=blue]
> Some of them don't even even want to recognize your driver
> license or driving experience in Canada. Geico and
> Progressive insurance are among of them.[/color]

Same as with Canada private insurances.

However, you may still pay cheaper in US - depend on the state.
My first car insurance in US, in IL, was way cheaper than my
insurance in Toronto will ever be.

--
(Stephan Paul) Arif Sahari Wibowo
_____ _____ _____ _____
/____ /____/ /____/ /____
_____/ / / / _____/ [url]http://www.arifsaha.com/[/url]

Disclaimer: IANAL, IANALP, IANAMD, IANAMP, IANAAP
my statements - if any - should be treated as such.

<dcruncher4@aim.com> wrote in message news:1148052666.243419.138690@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>I have a Canadian 2002 Camry which has Odometers in KM. I am moving to
> NJ next month and in order for me to register my car, I have been told
> that the odometer has to be in miles. I called up Toyota USA and Toyota
> Dealer and what I heard from them is not very encouraging. The dealer
> is not 100% sure whether the odometer can be converted form KMs to
> miles.
>
> I can't believe this. Surely there must be lot of folks who would have
> taken their auto to USA. Do they all face this problem.
>
> BTW when I moved to Canada from USA, I did not convert my car from
> miles to KMs.
>[/color]

Call the "Department of motor vehicles" for the state you plan on moving to.
They should have all the information you might need and mail you the paperwork.

[email]dcruncher4@aim.com[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
> However in that letter from Toyota they also stated that my
> car shows odometer in KM and it may not acceptable in many
> US states for registration. That only started my concern.[/color]

The last time I checked, US DOT regulations allowed an odometer in
kilometres as long as the reading is explicitly labelled as being
in km. (Similarly, my understanding is that a speedometer with
km/h markings is OK as long as a secondary MPH scale is present.)

AFAIK, a homemade label, made using a personal labelmaker, and
stuck on the clear plastic cover of the instrument panel near the
odometer, is sufficient for this purpose (i.e., you don't need to
take the dashboard apart in order to affix the label directly to
the speedometer/odometer). When I imported my car into the US
from Canada in 1997, I created a label of this type reading as
follows:

ODOMETER READS IN
KILOMETRES (km)

and I never had any problems.

As far as state rules are concerned, I'm not a lawyer, but my
understanding is that federal DOT regulations override conflicting
state rules -- i.e., since federal rules permit a metric odometer,
any state law or regulation prohibiting such an odometer would be
unenforceable. This is the same principle that, in the mid-90's,
forced all states to allow vehicles with daytime running lights,
even though many state vehicle codes at the time prohibited DRL's
on the grounds that they were unauthorized use of the high beams.
Again, though, I'm not a lawyer, and I would recommend that the
owner of the vehicle in question should consult with a top-level
official of the New Jersey motor vehicle department (I suggest a
high-level person because low-level people at field offices may
not be aware of situations like these and are more likely to end
up giving out misinformation).

Rich Wales [email]richw@richw.org[/email] [url]http://www.richw.org[/url]
*NOTE: I've lived in both Canada and the US and have dual citizenship.
*DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer, professional immigration consultant,
or consular officer. My comments are for discussion purposes only and
are not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice.

Here's New Jersey DMV website you should be able to get some
information from them regarding registration:

[url]http://www.dmv.org/nj-new-jersey/department-motor-vehicles.php[/url]

On 21 May 2006 04:37:54 -0700, "r.s." <rand@hickorytech.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Here's New Jersey DMV website you should be able to get some
>information from them regarding registration:
>
> [url]http://www.dmv.org/nj-new-jersey/department-motor-vehicles.php[/url][/color]
Registering a Vehicle from Out-of-country

To register a vehicle with a foreign (out-of-country) origin the
vehicle must be first titled in New Jersey.

To obtain a New Jersey Title visit the central office at:

Motor Vehicle Commission
Special Title Unit
225 E. State Street 2 West
Trenton, NJ 08666

Or mail the required document* to:

Motor Vehicle Commission
Special Title Unit
PO Box CN017
Trenton, NJ 08666

* To obtain information and instructions on what documents are
required to title the vehicle call 888.486.3339 (in NJ) or
609.292.6500 (from out of state)

After the vehicle has been titled in New Jersey, visit any MVC Agency
to register the vehicle.

Special Note: If a customer relocating from Canada has a Canadian
title already in his or her name the vehicle can be titled and
registered at any MVC Agency.





[url]http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/cit_registration/v_reg_out_of_country.html[/url]
--

Scott in Florida

[color=blue][color=green]
> > Also, Insurance companies in the US are private.[/color]
>
> Same as in some major provinces in Canada.[/color]

New Jersey has historically been noted as an expensive state for
automobile insurance. When I moved from New Jersey to Ontario, my
insurance dropped from US$1,300 to CA$800 for the same amount of
coverage.
[color=blue]
>[color=green]
> > Some of them don't even even want to recognize your driver
> > license or driving experience in Canada. Geico and
> > Progressive insurance are among of them.[/color]
>
> Same as with Canada private insurances.[/color]

You have to hunt around. Luckily, I was able to find a Canadian
insurer who had no problem recognizing my US driving history.

In my mind, though, I can see it being harder to find a US insurer
willing to accept a "foreign" driving record. Many insurers have their
systems set up to verify driving records with the DMVs throughout the
US, but they can't verify driving/insurance histories in foreign
countries. The OP may have to shop around.

The OP should get a letter from his insurer in Canada showing his
claims history. Also, a letter from the driver licensing authority in
the province where he lives showing (hopefully) that he has been a safe
driver with no (or few) traffic violations may also help.

[color=blue]
>
> However, you may still pay cheaper in US - depend on the state.
> My first car insurance in US, in IL, was way cheaper than my
> insurance in Toronto will ever be.[/color]

But, New Jersey is usually on the high end, so it may even go up,
especially if they won't accept a prior driving history.