[nickcurotto]

I’m thinking of importing a 335 from Canada. It’s a rare 6mt xdrive and could be within my budget. Google is saying it needs to meet all DOT and EPA regulations, but there could be some issues with that. First, the speedo is only in kph, though it has a HUD that the seller told me can be switched to mph, and I read somewhere that someone did a similar thing and was passed. Secondly, it has a cat less downpipe. Now, the EPA website says cars need a cat to be imported, but a lot of other places, government websites included, say as long as the vehicle has a badge saying it conforms to certain EPA standards (which this car has) it can pass. Will that cause issue? The other route to that is there’s a certain form you can fill out saying “I know the car doesn’t pass EPA and/or DOT regulations because of these modifications, and contingent upon the fact I fix those modifications within the next x days the car can be legally registered in the US. What do you all think, more trouble than it’s worth?

[_ObiJon]

I would suggest consulting or hiring a vehicle import broker. It'll cost you more money but will save you on potential headaches. Plus, if something goes wrong, it's on them.

First one on my google-fu search:
https://www.davidsonandsons.com/serv...hicle-imports/

[tturedraider]

Probably more trouble than it’s worth. What year model? N54 or N55? E90 or F30? Personally, with the B58 being out there now I wouldn’t consider either an N54 or N55.

[eff32fl]

The USA models have clusters that show MPH and KPH. If the Canadian models only show KPH you can switch out the gauge face with a USA version or there's aftermarket ones with optional different colors. Upgrading to a 6WB cluster and coding it for MPH is another option. The cool thing about the aftermarket gauge faces is you can choose to only have MPH markings without the KPH markings for a cleaner look.

Aftermarket gauge faces:

https://venoxy.com/715-mph

[Wires]

Guy I used to work with moved from Canada to the US, and was required to make his Honda Civic US DOT compliant. Speedometer will be one issue for you, not sure what else on a BMW. There is slightly different changes for US vs Canada - DRL, turn signal colors, etc. That might not be applicable for the car you are looking at.

It would be worth checking with someone who specializes in this as _ObiJon suggested. Otherwise it would get stuck at the border until it is changed to be US compliant, which most likely would require OEM parts to accomplish.

[Salty B.]

No cat means it will fail any state emissions inspection. I don't know what y'all do in PA, but here we have an annual inspection, and a catless DP will definitely fail.

If the seller is serious I'd make them put the stock DP back on. It will make for less drama trying to register it.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by Salty B.

No cat means it will fail any state emissions inspection. I don't know what y'all do in PA, but here we have an annual inspection, and a catless DP will definitely fail.

If the seller is serious I'd make them put the stock DP back on. It will make for less drama trying to register it.

Could not agree more. Replacing all emissions-sensitive parts with OEM parts first and then engaging a broker would my recommendation as well.

[amancuso]

Originally Posted by Wires

Guy I used to work with moved from Canada to the US, and was required to make his Honda Civic US DOT compliant. Speedometer will be one issue for you, not sure what else on a BMW. There is slightly different changes for US vs Canada - DRL, turn signal colors, etc. That might not be applicable for the car you are looking at.

It would be worth checking with someone who specializes in this as _ObiJon suggested. Otherwise it would get stuck at the border until it is changed to be US compliant, which most likely would require OEM parts to accomplish.

Canada doesn't have any difference in turn signal indicator color. They can be amber OR red.