Importing a Canadian CDI into USA

[redgaucho]

Hi, everyone!

I want a Smart car, but CDI powered. I am looking, online, at several in Canada.

Does anyone know who I can contact to investigate the procedure to import a used 2006 Smart CDI?

I've got some general information from someone in the NAFTA web site. And some even more vague information from the NHSTA and EPA, the first dealing with safety/crash issues, the latter with emissions.

My insurance agent told me they would insure it for about $550/6mo.

Are there any private companies in the US that specialize in this type of thing?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

[uberwgn]

I really can't see how you think you're going to be able to do it on your own as they were never imported to the USA.

This company sells them: http://www.smartusa.com/

Their compliance and certification costs reach into the millions, of course.

[lkchris]

Perhaps some info at http://www.smartenthusiast.com/forums/index.php

[johnmci]

If you phone mercedes USA they will tell you which models can be imported into the USA and roughly how much that would cost you to upgrade/downgrade the model to meet USA transport safety regulations. There is of course a long list of models that mercedes deems as not possible to import.

For those you always have *someone* for a large fee that is willing to make the changes required, like for example http://zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=242 which was fixing up Smarts until they decided it was better to sue mercedes over the issue versus providing cars. If you look on ebay it's possible to find zap smarts which would be legal to use in the USA, but I think you'll pay a significant premium. I note of the 3 smarts for sale on ebay right now, only one claims it has the EPA Letter of Conformity & DOT Approval VCP-2 paperwork via being a gas powered ZAP construct.

[uberwgn]

Mercedes never imported them to the USA...that's where the problem begins.

It's not a big deal to import a Canadian model into the USA IF the identical vehicle was sold in the USA market. The mfr issues a letter of conformity and the process begins and is not complex or $$$.

Importing a newer model never officially sold in the USA gets far more complex and can be very $$$$. Head over to the NHTSA website and start reading. Don't miss the EPA reqs, either.

[johnmci]

$$$ depends, even on which direction too. For example I imported a 89 300TE to canada and it was a $ or two for the car seat anchor bolt, a $ or 10 for the colored diagnostic instrumental panel since canada/usa differ on what color the high beam lamp should be, a couple of hundred $ for the speedo, and somewhere around $1k for the 8 km painted bumper versus the usa approved 5Km bumper. Mind the damaged usa bumper was redeemed on ebay for $250 or so.


After 1991 or something you need oem daytime running lamps, I'll note the w124 repair manuals actually say how to add that using oem equipment to non-daytime running lamp vehicles (daytime running relay module, new lamp out module, wiring... ) Mercedes Canada told me this is the sore point since it can be expensive depending on year. Other than some SLs which require an engine transplant.

I guess if it was going from canada to usa, it might have only needed the color for highbeam changed, maybe the speedo.

Of course here in Canada the rules says if it's 15 years or older, then they only care if the horn, and brakes works, and if the tires are ok, no further changes required. Which is why folks in western canada see early 90's diesel wagons & GLs being moved from germany to here...

[redgaucho]

Thanks, everyone!

I am still hopeful, but it does not look very promising, huh?

Maybe I can find one already registered in the US.

Where do US owners get your parts and service for your Smarts? I would probably do most of my own maintenance, as with all my cars, but what about parts?

Thanks again for your replies!

[uberwgn]

Red, the SMART will be formally imported/sold in the USA in the near future...parts availability to follow.

[ttommy]

Red I have a gas one got it in Nov. 2005 call me or e mail i am in Jackson(ms) I can get you one! I work at the Mercedes dealership in Mississippi we will have em in the last part of 2007 or early 2008 601 946 0057 ttownsend@mercedesporsche.com

[mark cummins]

I Have a Great Source in Europe for ANY MB/Smart part..PM Me if Interested

The CDI Will Be VERY Tough to bring in to the States as the Conversion Shop G and K in Santa Ana Ca ONLY has the DOT/EPA and CARB release for the GAS For Two Smart

Also IF You have a (GRAY) Market Smart One WILL Need a EURO STAR aka SDS
to pull up codes and trouble shoot most ANYTHING on the Smart.


I Brought in LOTS of Spares for My Smarts even some Brabus Items..and made my Own Wide rear fenders in Carbon Fiber So I can Run the Brabus ROADSTER 17x8 rear rims..and Added Paddle shift to the For Two
Then installed a set of Xenons ....

Good source of Info for the Smart here in the US

http://www.smartenthusiast.com/forums/index.php

[redgaucho]

Great info in all the replies! Thanks, everyone!

Mark, Bummer about G&K non-CDI license... What is "EURO STAR aka SDS" Is it a Euro equivalent to the OBDII? Do pm me your parts source info, please. I'd much appreciate it!

Tommy, I will call or email you later in the day. I have my heart set on a CDI, for its fuel economy and biodiesel availability in NE MS, but I would consider a gasser.

I may have found a Canadian CDI sold by a "Snowbird" Canadian to a US person here in the US, and already registered/titled in the US. I will post results and findings later.

I am very interested in the availability of parts and tech data. Any good sources you all know of for these? I prefer a paper manual, like a Bentley, but would settle for a CD version, if one is available for a 2006 Passion CDI.

Any of you hear of or use a scanner/gage that connects to the diagnostic plug and provides a readout of "live" fuel mileage? I would like to get one of those asap after purchase.

Also, have any of you added a performance chip to your Smarts?

I joined the www.smartenthusiast.com forum and am learning a lot there too. But, as an MBCA member and proud owner of two great old Benzes, I appreciate this website immensely for all the friendships and education I continually gain here.

Thanks again for all you feedback and happy motoring!

[redgaucho]

Well, rats!

The 2006 Smart CDI I was looking at got sold before I could get to it... It must not have been meant for me...

I am still hoping to get something like it, though.

From my research, the legal loophole to get a CDI in the US seems to be as follows:

It has to be a used one, with 7500 miles or more,

It has to have been registered in Canada,

It has to be owned by a Canadian citizen who would sell it as a private owner (not a dealer), to another private owner (ie: Me!),

AND, (the biggie) your state has to allow it to be registered there, as well as your insurance has to be willing to cover it.

I already check with my state officials and they corroborated the above, and mentioned that I can, in fact, register and insure such a Smart CDI here in MS.

All I need now is to find an interested party in Canada.

Please, correct me if you have information to the contrary. I'd appreciate it!

I would appreciate it also if you can provide any information to help me find both a CDI and an interested party to sell one to me.

Many thanks,

[johnmci]

Likely you should post your request to
http://www.clubsmartcar.ca/forums/
where lots of canadian smart car owners hang out.
Also since there are nearly a thousand here on vancouver island you should check out
victoria's craigslist

http://victoria.craigslist.org/car/320807820.html
and our local newspaper
http://classifieds.canada.com/victoria/

[mark cummins]

I Have NO Problems with Insurance on my Smarts...it all based on ACV Actual Cash Value .........

Just The service Issue ...as The MB Dealers DO NOT have a Euro Star aka SDS to Diag the Smart ..for Check Engine/ABS/Trans Etc...Thats Why I Had to locate a Euro Star


Then The Parts....I Just Order them and Via Fed Ex ..I Have them in three days

The CDI can be brought in....I Thought about the CDI...But I wanted ALL The Power I could get ..So It was a Gas Smart...And Lead foot with AC on it still gets 50 MPG :)

[Don350SDL]

Just The service Issue ...as The MB Dealers DO NOT have a Euro Star aka SDS to Diag the Smart ..for Check Engine/ABS/Trans Etc...Thats Why I Had to locate a Euro Star

Then The Parts....I Just Order them and Via Fed Ex ..I Have them in three days

Just note that Mercedes Benz USA did not ever import the smart, and never will - united auto group (Roger Penske) will be doing that next year.

That means, MB USA and its dealers have as much to do with smart as they do with, say Buick. Specifically, nothing.

MBUSA has told me they cannot get smart parts, they do not have service or parts info, and they are precluded from supporting them.

Although service and parts can be found, MB USA isn't the place.

Don

[redgaucho]

Thanks for all the inputs, guys!

I have been visiting the www.smartenthusiast.com, the www.clubsmartcar.ca, and the www.evilution.co.uk forums, and man, I did not know there was such a huge following to the Smart cars!

I may be able to get my hands on a 2005 ForTwo Pulse CDI in the next week or two. I will post how the transaction goes. My state registration and insurance agents have told me I'd have no problems registering and insuring it, since it is used, and I am not a dealer, and am buying from another private individual, no a dealership. No need for conversion under those parameters either!

Anyhow, what kind of things would you look for on a Prior Purchase Inspection of a Smart car? I know the general basics, but specifically, what to look for on a Smart?

About the service issue, my indy mech is trying to get the tech data software from Europe. He has it for all other MB's, but somehow the Smart is not covered in his older software version.

Mark, I will PM you about parts sourcing.

Best regards,

[redgaucho]

Done deal!

It’s been about a month since my Canadian friend John drove his 2005 smart fortwo Pulse CDI to my home in N.E. Mississippi. It has the black tridium cell, stream green panels, air conditioning plus package, swivel rev counter and clock, cd holder, cup holder, cargo compartment cover, net map holders or doors and in rear compartment, engine block heater, and about 47k miles. John also gave me a set of steel wheels and tires (Two were shipped later, due to space available). It is well cared for, and the maintenance record book was complete and on schedule. He’d had zero trouble with it since he purchased it.

After a pretty thorough PPI in my garage first and then at my independent MB mechanic shop, I made a deal with John, and I became the happy owner of a smart car. Hurrah!!!! My insurance emailed me a proof of coverage card, and “Bugger”, as I named my smart, was covered right away.

Getting Bugger registered in my state was not as simple as I’d thought, but not a real ordeal either. I had, of course, already researched and confirmed that I could register and insure a smart cdi in my state, but… I found out when I went to register it at the tax collector’s office that I first needed to get the VIN certified and inspected by the MS Highway Patrol, at their district office. The Canadian VIN number does not normally pull up on their computers, so hence the need for verification. I learned this is a similar procedure to the one followed to register a salvage-titled vehicle. Anyway, it took almost three weeks to get an appointment at the MHP, but once I got there it took only about one hour for the inspection, and then the officer printed out an official looking certificate. I presented a copy of this back at the tax collector’s, and they called somebody in Jackson, MS where the VIN number had to be manually entered into their computer. The Tax office was then ready to issue a license plate… except I wanted a vanity tag with “.70MPG.” in it, so now I am waiting for it in the mail. I will have it in another week they said.

I hope I can actually achieve the 70 mpg or I will be a liar! If needed, I can change it next year to a real value… BTW, is getting 70mpg realistic for an average of 60mph cruising speed, mostly highway, on hilly terrain? Bugger currently has a stock 40HP engine, but I will be getting something like a TDC CR Power Box asap, to hopefully increase its performance some and its fuel mileage a bit more. This is the type of box that connects to the OBDII port and remaps the ECU. Does anyone have any experience with this Gizmo? It is on ebay for about U$D 230. WDYT?

For the past week I’ve had a Scangauge II connected to the OBDII port, and I really enjoyed using it, though I am sure I have to tweak it some more for greater accuracy. So far my mpg has averaged about 58mpg, using commercial B20 biodiesel. I am not the smoothest tiptronic operator yet, having been spoiled with auto trannys all these years, but I am learning. Any tips on this anyone? I also would like to know what the normal engine parameters are, such as max coolant temp, mas psi, etc, so I can deduce if anything I read on the SGII is going bad.

John also brought me an oil filter, an air filter, a wide fan belt (I noticed there is a narrow one also), a combination pollen/dust filter, and what he called a fuel filter. This, however, has a 3-pin electrical connector and looks like what could be a water separator instead. It looks like a screw-on type filter, but has two line fittings and an electrical connector on one end. I thought the fuel filters were cartridge types. What do you think?

I was sorry to learn the original Euro fog lights had been converted, to meet Canadian specs I think, into daylight running lights. I would like to return them to their original wiring, to be controlled manually by the switch in the turn signal stalk, if I can get a hold of the wiring diagram. Any ideas anyone?

I was surprised at the small (22 litre) size of the fuel tank! Despite the awesome fuel mileage, I still have to stop to refuel about twice a week. I would very much like to refit an extended range tank or get the newer tank that supposedly has 33 or 34 litres. Does anyone know anything about this? This will be a high priority mod, if I can find a way to safely and aesthetically do this.

And of course, being that as you say, Don, MBUSA won't touch the smarts, I need to find a reliable and knowledgeable supplier of parts, such as filters, belts, brake items, hoses, etc. Right now, I need a set of all weather floor mats asap! There seem to be a lot of accessories and cosmetic mod sources on line, mostly from Europe, but choices seem precious few for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance parts. I would be very thankful for any help in this all important area.

I have ordered the MB WIS and EPC, and should have them on hand in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait to start actually learning what’s where and how things work on this miniature engineering marvel!!

As a newbie smart owner, you can see I have dozens of questions. I hope you all can help me. I am an avid DIY’er and I will in the future post results of my experiences, as I have done in the past with my other vehicles in the W123 and W202 forums. But for now, I will mostly have to be the one asking for advice, I'm afraid.


I thank you all very much.

Happy motoring!