So here's the situation: I'm from Canada and I bought a 2007 Monster S2R800 from a dude in Chicago last weekend. The bike made it up to Toronto in one piece and I've been at the Registrar of Imported Vehicles trying to get the bike registered. One of the documents required is a recall clearance letter from Ducati indicating no recalls. I went to a couple of dealers around town and they say they charge $500 for the letter and they "inspect" the bike, which is, they confirm the VIN number with the title. There are no recalls they can confirm. So I contacted the dealer in Chicago that the original owner bought it from and they gave me a letter on their letterhead stating there are no recalls, quoting the VIN and model. This apparently is not sufficient, and the registrar needs a screen print from the Ducati maintenance computer network. The dealer in Chicago was happy to try to get that for me and he couldn't get the VIN and the clearance on the same computer screen. So I emailed Ducati North America and got this in response:
Effective August 29th, the procedures have changed regarding the issuance of a Recall Clearance Letters. They are now issued after an inspection is conducted at an Authorized Canadian Dealership.
Recall Compliance Letter: FAQ
Who requires the Recall compliance letter?
The Recall Compliance Letter is a requirement of Transport Canada and the Canadian RIV and must be submitted along with other required documentation before a motorcycle may be legally licensed in Canada. The Recall Compliance Letter must be issued by the manufacturer.
Some common requirements to be addressed/ planned for are:
The vehicle must be on Transport Canada's list of admissible vehicles to Canada from the US.
Any taxes and applicable duties must be paid by the purchaser.
US Customs requires notification prior to the vehicle leaving the US.
Clear title, Bill of sale and other documents must be presented at customs.
A fee is collected by the Canadian Border Services Agency on behalf of the RIV.
Purchaser must provide a Recall Compliance Letter from the manufacturer.
Purchaser will be responsible for any required modifications to the vehicle.
Purchaser must submit a completed Inspection Form back to the RIV before the vehicle can be legally licensed.
Why is there a fee for issuing the Recall Compliance Letter?
Accurate record keeping of vehicles that have been imported into Canada is crucial to maintaining proper support and services to Ducati Owners who have imported their vehicles from another country. The Recall Compliance Letter fee covers expenses associated with the Dealer's Inspection, administrative costs to update all related databases, cost and efforts applied in communicating with Transport Canada and the RIV about vehicle status and eligibility as well as the administrative time involved in researching the vehicle and issuing the recall compliance letter itself.
Why do I have to take my bike to an Authorized Canadian Ducati Dealer?
Recall Compliance Inspections must be conducted by an Authorized Canadian Ducati Dealer in order to ensure that all information that is represented to Ducati North America about the vehicle is accurate and validated by the Dealer. All outstanding recall campaigns must be performed by an Authorized Ducati Dealer and entered into the recall database as completed prior to the Recall Compliance Letter being issued.
Additionally your Authorized Ducati Dealer may be able to provide you with recommendations and information about services or products that will enhance the experience of owning your Ducati.
What is involved in the Recall Compliance Inspection?
Your Authorized Canadian Ducati Dealer will visually inspect the motorcycle to confirm all VIN plates are intact and unaltered and the dealer will verify the status of the manufacturer's SOC sticker on the vehicle and note this information for Ducati North America's use.
The dealer will then check the VIN for any outstanding recalls and service campaign history. The dealer will perform any outstanding recalls free of charge and update the manufacturer's records accordingly that the recalls have been completed. The dealer will notify the customer of any Service campaigns that apply to the vehicle. These campaigns will be completed during your next regular scheduled service if the vehicle is covered under warranty or the dealer may quote the cost of performing these service campaigns.
The Dealer will also verify the vehicle's warranty status and update the owner information in the warranty database to ensure that warranty coverage and any official notifications are properly directed to the new owner without delay.
The Dealer has recommended additional work or services, are these required in order to get my Recall Compliance Letter?
No, you are not obligated to undertake any additional work or services other than any open recalls that are performed free of charge. However, your Authorized Ducati Dealer is able to provide authorized service by certified Ducati technicians, genuine replacement parts and other Ducati specialized services. If your Ducati requires additional modifications by the RIV, your dealer should be able to provide you with a quote on these modifications.
How do I get my Recall Compliance Letter and how long will it take?
The Dealer will submit the completed Recall Compliance Report directly to Ducati North America on your behalf. If there are any open recalls to be performed they must be completed and entered into the warranty database prior to the dealer submitting the Recall Compliance Report. Once submitted, Ducati North America will verify the Recall status and update all data, this process may take up to a week. Once Ducati North America has verified all information the Recall Compliance Letter will be sent to the Dealer who will provide a printed copy to the customer.
What if I refuse to take my bike to an Authorized Canadian Ducati Dealer for the inspection?
Without the proper inspection by an Authorized Canadian Ducati Dealer, Ducati North America will be unable to issue a recall compliance letter. A recall compliance letter is mandatory in order to license the vehicle in Canada. The only source for this letter is from Ducati North America.
There is no reason to charge this fee other than Ducati is trying to get some money because their bikes are cheaper in the US. So basically, my feet are over the fire and I have no choice but to get this done. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get a compliance letter in any other way?
Thanks, Donzo
yup, sounds like a way for canadian dealers to make money off you, even when you purchase used from a private party.
pretty lame IMO.
[evil] I would figure out hoe to "make" one myself. I highly doubt the DOT is going to call DNA to verify anything, they will just look at it for a second and give you your registration. It is just BS highway robbery, so I say screw em.
Jeez, a defenition of bureaucracy if I ever saw one
The high fee is also a way to encourage canadians (or to penialize them for not) to buy from canadian dealers .
I think if I was faced with a similar issue, I'd just re-sell the bike in the US, and forget about ducati ever getting a cent of my money again. Thats such BS [bang]
Does this type of procedure apply to all other brands of motorcycles as well or is it just aimed at Ducati?
the recall letter is required for any vehicle (bike, cage, etc) purchased in the US and imported to Canada.
The fee the OP is refering to is just for Ducati's. Not sure what other manufactures do.
The recall letter is required for importing any used vehicle from the US. Only Ducati charges for this letter. I imported a Honda Accord the same way 2 months ago and the Honda dealer issued it to me upon my request in less than 5 minutes. Desmo Diva is right, it's a penalty for being diligent in trying to get the best price for a product.
I'm guessing I'll have to get it done unless there are any dealers out there that can hook me up. All being said, it's still a better deal than buying one here, and I'm dying to ride.
find a dealer who _wants_ your business, and explain your unhappiness to the owner/manager.
if that fails, suck it up, and then boycott the duc dealers as much as possible.
Isn't Ducati mostly Canadian-owned now???
Quote from: Duc Fever on October 10, 2008, 08:27:21 AM
[evil] I would figure out hoe to "make" one myself. I highly doubt the DOT is going to call DNA to verify anything, they will just look at it for a second and give you your registration. It is just BS highway robbery, so I say screw em.
Word! "Chicago was happy to try to get that for me and he couldn't get the VIN and the clearance on the same computer screen" Get both from the CHI dealer and ...
That's just not right. I bought a bike in the states last year and imported it to Canada amidst all kinds of pregnant doging and outright misinformation being put out by dealers on various Canadian boards, and was a little pissed off about it all but had no problem getting the all-important letter direct from DNA. Now they are in cahoots to extort money from you if you try to put "free trade" into effect. This kinda crap absolutely destroys any desire I might ever had had to patronize an actual Ducati dealer for parts and service. And don't give me any of this the cry baby sh$t - the dealers had a problem with their own distributer, but they chose to take it out on their customers instead. It ain't right.
Was the Chicago dealership Team MCC?
(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j135/JoshFan1980a/New%20Ducati/NHTSA.jpg)
... There may be a "recall" issue with your bike, so there being carefull....
... but if not WOW .... >:(
I imported a bike and asked Ducati NA directly for a letter which they courteously and promply sent the original.
Has anything changed since then? ???
DNA has been very unsupportive of owners in situations like this.
It used to be that importing a bike from Italy was easy -- you just buy the bike and Ducati Bologna would issue a conformance letter to be used for the RI. The conformance letter was a list of items on the bike that needed to be changed or added (such as VIN stickers or reflectors).
Until about 5 years ago, it was easy to get these letters -- I have a copy of one for a bike I imported which came directly from Italy. I inquired last year and was told to contact DNA -- who then basically told me to go screw myself.
I contacted the guy who wrote the letter from long ago and he told me that DNA did not want Ducati helping individuals import bikes since it undercut their sales. Period. He could not help me anymore.
Adds insult to injury since Ducati doesn't sell all their bikes in the US market (M400 for instance)