red996

Hello. So i go to the RIV website to see if an 2005 E55 is admissable and it says to contact M-B Canada. I call M-B Canada and ask them if it's ok to import.
They tell me to call a dealer. So I call the dealer. This is where it gets ugly. They tell me basically nothing about what is needed to bring the car up to Canadian spec and basically talk to me like something that should be flushed.
So I know the daytime running lights and spedo. needs to be looked at. What about anything else? Anyone have any suggestions as to whom to talk to about other mods. that need to be done. Thanks for your help.

b5audia4

I think you are fine w/ the speedo as it shows Miles & KMs in the cluster (KM would be smaller from a US car) and you can change the display through the options to show in KMs too. So DRL should be the only thing you need + a child seat anchor from Canadian Tire to past federal inspection + French airbag sticker (most don't check on this I think).

Best bet is to call MB Canada and RIV again. Dealer won't care as you are not buyin from them.

red996

I really need to know if there are any issues with the bumpers or airbags. I would also like to see something in writing from M-B showing what needs to be modified.

jasonintoronto

write MB canada, not the dealer.

fdss

In most cases, the dealer is Mercedes. A lot of dealerships are owned by Mercedes Canada, especially in the GTA!
I wish I could find where there is a post on how to certify a Mercedes, but from what I remember, only Mercedes can convert a car for you. It's not because there is anything special to convert the car, they are being a pain in the *** about it.
If you want to beat them at their own game, you will need new bumper shocks, DRL module and the clearance letter. The dealer in Canada changes the speedometer to metric as a cash grab and to punish you for bringing in a U.S. car. Get all work done in the U.S. since you will probably get an inspection and get the U.S. dealer to get you a clearance letter.

It's not as bad as a Ferrari though!

pongobaz

I believe MB bumpers are non-compliant and need to be swapped. Rumour is (according to a General Mgr at a dealer) that MB Canada will charge in excess of $4000 for the parts per bumper! Oh and yeah, all dealers in the GTA are corporate MB Canada stores.
Good luck!

1 PGH 1

Happened to have my CLK in the other day at Downtown Mercedes and asked the service guy about importing an SL. He was pretty good about it (service vs. sales depart and I have been a customer there for a few years). He did say each model was somewhat different. For the SL, he said you have to swap out the instrument cluster because the US ones only show mph (even the electronic read-out apparently, on the SL), the front bumper strip has to be replaced and I believe it was the rear bumper bar that sits behind the bumper cover had to be replaced and the bumper strip - not sure about the bumper shocks ... plus the child seat anchors, DRL. I believe the airbags are ok. He had done one earlier for another customer and he thought the total bill to have been $5,000 - $6,000. And yes, the conversation has to be done/approved by MB Canada.

AllanJ

Sounds right to me. About a year ago I was talking to an importer and he said MB were typically around $5K to modify for Canada.

Cheers,

YYC930

It is roughly an $8K job based on the last E55 I saw about 6 month ago.

The parts will not be in stock readily and when it is all said and done the dealer service rep will have to come out and sign off on the car. And he is not going to come out just for your car. So it may wait even longer.

You have to call MB as per RIV with the actual VIN of the vehicle you want to import. They charge you $300 (last time I checked) and send you a letter of compliance detailing what needs to be done.

red996

Thanks for all your help. You guy's gave me more info. than M-B.
Hows that for service. Thanks.