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Old 11-02-2011, 04:21 AM   #21
kiwi2000
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I also was told that I would not get service from a Canadian dealer without RIV and federal CSA certification.
I have now made my purchase in the US and have again contacted my local dealer. He now states that for $100.00 he will certify the unit.
I have asked and Canadian tire also certifies import vehicles and trailers. I believe that is all there is to it.

But I have run across many local dealers that have given me the exact same line that it will cost thousands to CSA certify a US model trailer. Mine is in storage still in the US until spring. I hope to have this all sorted out by then.
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Old 11-02-2011, 07:41 AM   #22
Festus2
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Importing Vehicles into Canada

For all Canadians who are considering importing an RV or who already have purchased one in the U.S., please go to the following website:
www.riv.ca
This site, "The Registrar of Imported Vehicles" (RIV), will give you all of the necessary and official information you should be looking at if you are going to be bringing any vehicle (including RV's) across the border after having purchased it in the United States. Just follow the appropriate links to find this information.
It will tell you what needs to be done before you bring it across and what needs to be done after you bring it home. In addition to doing that, it gives you a list of all the forms and other paperwork that you need to complete.
If you do a Google search on "importing an RV into Canada" you will find other unofficial sites that will give you guidance.
If any dealer tells you that it will cost thousands of dollars to do certify it, he is out to fleece you. That is, of course, providing the RV does not really need $$$$ to repair any major problems that existed before it hit his dealership or repair shop.
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Old 11-05-2011, 11:49 PM   #23
Tikitim
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We live in Ontario and purchased our Cougar High Country 299 RKS in the State of Michigan, process was intimidating at first but after doing my homework it turned out to be an easy task.

In a nut shell:

First of all, shop at your local dealer, attend RV shows, do whatever it takes to find out all you can about the trailer you have your (her) heart set on, get the best possible price, etc. After you have done that start shopping the internet and making phone calls (usually toll free) to on-line dealers to get their price on the exact same trailer and if necessary ask if they will take your trade.

Next, if possible go to the dealership with your trade to look at what he quoted you on and make your best deal there. When you see how much you will save, (we saved $14,000) have salesperson write up sales contract. If you have a trade you will have to bring your old trailer back to Canada so it can be imported into the USA when you pick up new one. This must be done by a Canadian customs broker. His fee is determined by the trade in value of your trailer. We paid roughly $185.00 for a $13.000 trade in. We had to wire funds to dealer when he took delivery from Keystone.

Set up a delivery date with him, and bring your trade with you on that day. Don't forget passport. At the US customs you will give the officer the forms that your broker prepared for you. Some dealers will deliver new trailer to US side of border while ours let us go and pick it up at dealership. If you had a trade, you will trade his driver trailers on US side of border and come right back to Canada, Or you will take your trade to dealer just like over here. Do the walk through, sign the papers, buy extras etc. When you get back into Canada, you will tell Canada customs agent that you have a trailer to declare and he will tell you to go inside main office.

Now you will show invoice and do Canadian paper work with officer. they will ask you if you would like to pay $210 for RIV at this point or later. You should do it now because it gets things in motion, as by the time you get home you will have an e-mail waiting for you from RIV saying you are in the system. You will also pay the 5% GST only at this point.

Now the fun part. Get your nice new rig home and show it off to neighbours, friends etc. for a few days. Check e-mail for form that RIV has sent, print it and make arangements at inspection place. I went to Carrier truck center because I didn't want Canadian Tire clowns to touch my trailer. There they will do a 5 to 10 minute inspection and sign your copy of the e-mailed form as well as e-mail a copy to RIV. Bring your trailer back home and repeat line one of this paragraph. Within 7 days you should get your RIV sticker in the mail. Install it in proper location an that is it as far the Feds are concerned.

Next is the provincial part of thr process. Here in Ontario you will go to MOT and register trailer and pay registration fee and the 8% PST (ouch). You are now officially the proud owner of your new rig. I hope this helps everyone out who are looking to purchase in the U.S. Don't be scared or intimidated by your local dealer with warranty issues because you usually only bring it back once in the year of warranty. That is where our trailer is now.

P.S. You have only 45 days from import date to get RIV certification or trailer must leave country. NO if, ands or buts.

P.S.S. We also factory ordered trailer from Keystone with CSA certification. $300.00 well spent for 120 volt electricle system, propane system, proper grounding and extra set of marker lights on side of trailer. No hassles anywhere plus comfort factor.
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Old 11-06-2011, 06:10 AM   #24
CarKath
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Quote:
This must be done by a Canadian customs broker. His fee is determined by the trade in value of your trailer. We paid roughly $185.00 for a $13.000 trade in. We had to wire funds to dealer when he took delivery from Keystone.
I have to disagree with the MUST part. It personally cost us ZERO dollars for this process and NO customs broker involved.

Our process went like this:

We stopped at Canada Customs heading south. Ask the questions, do you need any paperwork done from us. We explained we are importing a trade into USA. Canada Customs said nope, have a nice trip.

Reported to USA side. Explained to US customs we were heading south to trade in Motor home on fifth wheel trailer. He said park off to the side and report inside. ( we expected this) We went inside and explained same story. heading south to trade off motor home. They gave us a form to fill out. It took a few minutes to complete and then they came out to have a look at home.

Done deal at ZERO cost to us.

Importing was pretty much as simple.
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Old 11-06-2011, 06:55 AM   #25
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We traded ours while we were in AZ last winter. Got a 90 day temporary sticker. Phoned our insurance and they covered it. Lived in it about 2 months. Stopped at the border on the way home in April. Paid the PST and the import fee. Canadian Tire checked and verified the serial # and the tire ratings against axle wts. and that was about it. Paid GST when licensing. Rather painless except for taxes. ...Al
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Old 01-09-2012, 03:15 PM   #26
watsong
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Waranty in Canada

One thing to think of is that the warranties are usually for a year only and basically you will pay for any service after that year anyway. appliances are covered by separate warranties and therfore you just have to got to an authorized Dometic dealer or whoever is the dealer for the appliance. Saving $10000 or more is a no-brainer, as you can pay for a lot of repairs with what you save.
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Old 02-18-2012, 11:47 AM   #27
mysdak
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CSA Approved

It appears that Keystone products are CSA approved according to this:



http://www.qai.org/Listing_Pages/QAI...RV_Company.htm
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Old 02-20-2012, 06:42 AM   #28
kiwi2000
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Quote:
It appears that Keystone products are CSA approved according to this:



http://www.qai.org/Listing_Pages/QAI...RV_Company.htm
That is a very interesting find indeed and dated 2009 no less.
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Old 03-11-2012, 01:20 PM   #29
albertr
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Question Importing RV into Canada

Did any of you guys see the labels as described? I have a 2011 Keystone Avalanche purchased in US which is in storage now. There is not a label as described ....QAI round label near the entranceway.
The 8 X 11 one may be inside a door which I could not open because the slide is in the way (under the kitchen sink). There is a label about 4X5 inches on the outside on the LHS saying that 'this vehicle conforms to all Canadian standards that were applicable at the time of manufacture.'
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Old 04-11-2012, 07:17 AM   #30
Zeb
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Certification Info

I worked at CSA for 10 years and here are a few tidbits that may help you understand the certification process, not only for RV's, but consumer products (electrical, gas) in general.

Standards for a particular product type are adopted in the US and Canada by the appropriate Gouvernment arm that covers said product. Certifiation agencies such as CSA, QAI, UL, RIV, etc are accredited to "certify" that a product meets a specific standard. Most agencies are accredited to certify to both Canadian and US standards. So when buying a product, you must ensure it is certified by an accredited agency/laboratory to the appropriate Can/US standard. In most cases when you see the certification mark on a product you will see a small "c" and/or small "us" at the 5 and 7 o'clock position as indication that the product complies to CAN and/or US standards. ( ex: cCSAus or cQAIus). Often they will also make reference to which standards the product was certified to.

Many standard are harmoinized between the US and Canada and most are very similar. There are a few that vary substancially. In the case of the standards that apply to RV's, they are not harmoized between Can and US but are similar. I read that there is a push to officially harmonize the two.
For more info on this you an go to http://www.rvia.org/?ESID=preleases&PRID=431&SR=1


RV standards are basically looking at the electrical, plumbing and gas systems plus anything having to do with the Transport/Hi-way code (axel/tire load ratings, lights, reflectors, etc.). For the US, the applicable RV standard is the NFPA 1192 and for Canada, it is the CSA Z240 RV. NOTE: CSA also publishes standards but just because the standard has the CSA mention on it, that doen't mean CSA must certify the product. In the case of Keystone, they use QAI for their Canadian and US certifications. For Canada, you will see a QAI label on the unit. For the US, you will have an RVIA label as RVIA manage the RV certification process for the US. I am sure however that QAI did the testing / inspection on behalf of RVIA.

Since most standars are harmonized or very similar, manufacturers that sell into both Canada and the US design units that will meet both standards, always meeting the most severe aspects of each standard. This will keep their production costs down (one design, one production line, one set of parts, etc). Only where there is a large descepency between the 2 standards, will a manufacturer have a Canadian version and a US version of the product because it is more cost effective that way for them.

In the case of RV's because I beleive the standards are quite similar, I would assume that manufacturers only have one version of the product, therefore a unit destined for Canada will most likely be identical to one destined for the US. The big difference is that a RV manufacturer has to pay per certification label applied to an RV. Therefore in order to save costs, they will naturally not apply a Canadian certification label to a unit destined for the US.

Servicing may be an issue only if you have a product certified for one county only and your try to service it in the other. The service center may not have the appropriate parts in stock or instructions how to or authorization to make the repair. I seriously doubt this is th case for RV's.

I know this was a long one, but I hope it de-mystifies some of the issues.
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Old 07-05-2013, 12:36 PM   #31
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I know this is an old post but its very useful one. Im curious as to where people bought there 291TG models from. We live in Alberta and are thinking our next trailer we will by from the states if we can save 8-10,00bucks. Right now Western RV center in Lloydminster is selling the 291TG for 27,990 is that a good deal or can we get it much cheaper in the states? Thanks
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Old 07-05-2013, 01:13 PM   #32
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farmboy44 -
Try doing a USA Google search for that model. You'll get lots of hits of both private sales and RV dealerships all over the country advertising that RV (or one very close to it).
You will soon get a pretty good idea of prices in the USA compared to Western RV.

If you've read through all of the previous posts, you will know that, while there may be some cost savings for buying in the US, there are also some disadvantages. You have to weigh the plusses and minuses and make your own decision.

I bought the truck in the US and saved a considerable amount of $$$. However, one of the big factors is the value of our dollar compared to the US. As you know, it now at its lowest point in 2 years. Not that long ago, it was at par or even slightly better than the US dollar. Not so now. By the time you account for admin fees and the rest, it is probably worth $0.92- .93 dollars US. So right off the bat, you are at a 7%-8% disadvantage.

Go online and Google. Without knowing the average US cost of the particular RV, you can't tell whether $27,900Cdn is a good deal or not.
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Old 08-28-2013, 06:45 PM   #33
Jan
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Originally Posted by CarKath View Post
planecrazy , you obviously went through the RIV process and inspection. Not to mention having paid all your fees and taxes.

Once you have done this. It is now Canadian approved. This sound like nothing more than the dealer trying to screw you around.

I'd pick my trailer up ASAP. Then I'd call Keystone and make then aware of what one of there dealers is trying to pull.

I'd also love to know the name of dealer. I'll never darken there doorways. Winnipeg is also my closest warranty place. Keep us posted as to how you make out!

Carl
We are from Manitoba and purchased our Cougar from Minnesota. The price difference was incredible. We did have some warranty issues and called Keystone. We are close to Winnipeg so they said to take it to Can AM in Headingly or Classic Trailers also in Headingly. Can Am said they would never work on a US RV. When I questioned him said that that was his choice and besides the fact he said that the RV's sold to Canadians were a lower quality
than the ones sold to US residents. What a bunch of BS!
Classic Trailers said that they were way to busy to help us out.
We are not impressed especially with Can AM. We ended up going to a US dealer and were well taken care of.
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Old 09-02-2013, 04:35 AM   #34
kiwi2000
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Originally posted by Jan
Can Am said they would never work on a US RV.
Classic Trailers said that they were way to busy to help us out.
Yes this all sounds familiar as it happened exactly that way with our US purchased 5th. Only difference is we were not well taken care of by US dealers and our warranty issues are still outstanding.

We have been told by dealers in Winnipeg to take our business else where more often than not.

Yes you can save on a US purchase but if you cannot do all of the maintenance work yourself &/or are not willing to travel to the US for every little thing that requires attention maybe you are not going to be saving that much by purchasing down south.

I know for sure you will not be purchasing piece of mind by buying in the US.
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Old 09-02-2013, 08:31 AM   #35
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Originally Posted by kiwi2000 View Post
Yes this all sounds familiar as it happened exactly that way with our US purchased 5th. Only difference is we were not well taken care of by US dealers and our warranty issues are still outstanding.

We have been told by dealers in Winnipeg to take our business else where more often than not.

Yes you can save on a US purchase but if you cannot do all of the maintenance work yourself &/or are not willing to travel to the US for every little thing that requires attention maybe you are not going to be saving that much by purchasing down south.

I know for sure you will not be purchasing piece of mind by buying in the US.
kiwi2000 -

All of the above only emphasizes the importance of finding and buying from a dealer who believes in and practices customer service - before, during and after the sale. Dealers who don't do this are found on both sides of the border - in the US and in Canada - makes no difference.

Notwithstanding the problems and issues that owners have with the construction and other "physical faults" of Keystone RV's, they seem minor compared to all of the complaints, frustrations, and headaches that are dealership oriented - American and Canadian.

It's unfortunate that you haven't yet found a good dealer close to home. Keeping looking - one is out there somewhere.
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Old 09-02-2013, 09:55 AM   #36
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It is interesting that the dealer told you the trailers Canadians buy are cheaper than the one's they sell. I was told the same thing but when I talked to a keystone rep at a trailer show, he said (right in front of the salesperson who told me that) that all trailers are built in their plant and come from a factory assembly line. All are built the same with the options being the difference.
For example..dual pane windows, glacier package etc.
I am adding a link from a Dealer site in the USA that talks about the things one must do to bring a trailer across.
http://petesrv.com/help/import_rv_to_canada.html

Just to be clear..I looked for many many many months until I found the right trailer and price..In the end..I bought in my home town in Alberta because he lowered his price..I was happy, he was happy..I now have local warranty service which in my mind is huge!!
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Old 09-02-2013, 01:15 PM   #37
kiwi2000
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On_THE_ROAD_AGAIN wrote

Just to be clear..I looked for many many many months until I found the right trailer and price..In the end..I bought in my home town in Alberta because he lowered his price..I was happy, he was happy..I now have local warranty service which in my mind is huge!!
I think that is the issue tight there. The local dealers are sore that we did not purchase from them and do not want anything to do with us as a result.

I have only tried the larger dealers in my area but am now going to branch out to the Mom and Pop operations and see what level of service I can receive from that avenue. It has got to be better than the 0 I have received so far.

I believe these large dealers have extremely short term thinking, they can make money on service as well.
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Old 09-04-2013, 12:54 AM   #38
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I purchased my premier in Yuma az. and I live in ca. yes it is true the ca. dealers are not interested in servicing the trailer I have to drive into Vermont to have work done. been down twice for warranty work this year.
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Old 09-04-2013, 05:03 AM   #39
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I was at the Halifax home show in February and there was a Gov. table set up with a pamphlet that read BUY LOCAL.

In it they give a number of reasons but the big one that stood out, long hauls to have service work done. I question the guy about it and he stated there will be no support for a consumer looking for warranty work completed in Canada. I asked if this was a Gov. directive and he stated no, but no complaint on any Canadian dealer who refuses service will be logged or investigated. Basically stated this "tour" they are doing is making sure the public knows.

No offence to the Canadian dealers, but you give people the idea when we buy from you. My last two trailers I bought, local, came with US paper work that had to be converted to Canada when I went to the DMV. Yeah you had a nice letter that stream lined it but at the end of the day you point out your only a middle man.
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