Help!!! Sleds Stuck on Wrong Side of Border!

[TimG]

So, I bought a Polaris in Utah, and a buddy also bought one. I did tons of homework before the sale. Title, bill of sale, proof of payment, copy of the ad, border clearance letter, MSO, everything. Exporting from the states went great, and then--- we came to the Canadian side. The tunnel on my sled had been replaced, hence, no more decal on the tunnel. I had contacted Polaris beforehand about the "letter of compliance" that Canada customs said I needed. Polaris assured me that what I needed was the MSO (manufacturer's statement of origin) which has the build date and VIN on it.

At the Canadian side, however, they said that sled wasn't getting across the border without the letter of compliance, which I believe needs to state the exact same thing as the decal on the tunnel. My buddy's sled had the decal, but the build date was illegible because of being rubbed out by a boot while being ridden. So it was in the same boat; letter of compliance needed. This sucked, because it was Friday night- no getting ahold of Polaris until Monday morning. We found a place to store the sleds on the US side, and came home (North of Edmonton).

Now here's where the real trouble starts (like it wasn't bad enough before). I called Polaris this morning to get the letter of compliance, and at first, they didn't know what I was talking about. After being on hold for a while, the girl came back on the line and told me Polaris doesn't do letters of compliance, because they have no way of knowing if the sled still complies to the SSCC certification. So, as it sits, I'm screwed. I've read posts on here referring to guys getting this letter of compliance from other manufacturers, so what's Polaris' problem? Does anyone have any ideas? Is it just a matter of finding the right person at Polaris? How does everyone get sleds across with aftermarket tunnels? Are they doing it as a competition vehicle? How does one go about this? There must be some way! Any and all ideas are appreciated. Thanks!

Tim

 

[Blu Du]

i thought a dealer in the states can get that stuff?

 

[brutis]

You also need a recall clearence letter from the manufacturer.
If any recalls exist for the sled you need to prove they were done.
With an after market tunnel you might be out of luck.

 

[TimG]

I did get the recall clearance letters (border clearance letters). Polaris was great about that.

I am pursuing the dealer avenue right now. I bought the sled from a fellow who had it on consignment at Tri-City in Centreville, so I called the guy (Mike) that was helping me get the paperwork in order. He is contacting Polaris about it. He has been super helpful through the whole process. It's come to the point that I hate to bug him, but I need the clout of the dealer to help me.

I was pretty freaked out when I wrote the first post, but now that I sit and think about it, it's probably that Polaris is misunderstanding what I want. I don't need them to state that the sled currently complies to any standard, just that it did when it was manufactured.

 

[imdoo'n]

yeah, no sticker you need the clearance letter, you may be sol sorry. keep after the dealership.

 

[MTdream]

yeah, the dealer should be able to accomodate...as well, they may have the repair history if it was a dealer repair on the VIN from the tunnel showing the work was done...

but tri city should be about to get you cleared up...if not, give Kurts Polaris a call in Kalispell Montana, they sell a ton of sleds to canadians, and should be able to either help your dealer or get it taken care of for you...

 

[TimG]

Thanks, good idea about calling a dealer familiar with the process, as Mike at Tri-City has been great, but isn't really well acquainted with the ins and outs of the export process. I will try calling Kurt's if my own efforts and the efforts of Mike prove fruitless.

I do have a complete history of all the work that was done on the sled, from 2002 on (it's an '03 Escape), with a big star beside the tunnel replacement. It is actually a stock tunnel, replaced because the guy's buddy hit him. I mentioned this to the customs guys when they started hassling me, and they said the reciept doesn't do a bit of good. Mike even offered to write a letter explaining when and why it was done, but customs just doesn't care.

The more I think about the situation, the more ridiculous it seems. I just can't believe there is no recourse here. I think I'll call Polaris in the morning and try and explain that I only need them to confirm in writing that the sled conformed to all applicable standards when it was built, not necessarily now. If they won't do that, there is something haywire with that company.

Thanks, guys, keep the ideas coming!
Tim

 

[teeroy]

I've got an idea...how about buy a fawking sled in Alberta? or BC...or anywhere else in CANADA. how much did you really save?

 

[TimG]

Enough to make it well worth it. I can't see ever coming across one of these in Alberta for even close to what I paid. It's a UBR 900 personally tuned by Max at Tri-City. EZ-Ryde rear susp., carbon fiber nitrous, custom SLP race pipes, Boss seat, Holz front end, Walker Evans shocks, newly completely rebuilt eng and clutches. I've got receipts for over 17 grand US. The price was what beat up '99 700's with 7000 miles are going for up here. It was a very good deal. I had the time on my hands to go get it, and picked up another sled for a buddy while down there, so the travel costs get cut in half.

You're right, though, it ain't worth nothing as long as it's sitting in Sweetgrass. So for now, I'm the guy with a big red light on my head flashing the word "loser". The funny thing is, I've learned a lot from this so far, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, as long as that tunnel decal is intact. If this works out, I wouldn't hesitate even if there is no tunnel decal.

As far as this situation goes, how about the competition vehicle angle of things? Has anyone imported a race sled or mod this way? My contact at Tri-City tells me they ship race sleds up here all the time this way as they sponsor several guys up here. Any thoughts, anyone?

 

[m8inthemtns]

May be easier to move to the US!

 

[teeroy]

Enough to make it well worth it. I can't see ever coming across one of these in Alberta for even close to what I paid. It's a UBR 900 personally tuned by Max at Tri-City. EZ-Ryde rear susp., carbon fiber nitrous, custom SLP race pipes, Boss seat, Holz front end, Walker Evans shocks, newly completely rebuilt eng and clutches. I've got receipts for over 17 grand US. The price was what beat up '99 700's with 7000 miles are going for up here. It was a very good deal. I had the time on my hands to go get it, and picked up another sled for a buddy while down there, so the travel costs get cut in half.

You're right, though, it ain't worth nothing as long as it's sitting in Sweetgrass. So for now, I'm the guy with a big red light on my head flashing the word "loser". The funny thing is, I've learned a lot from this so far, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, as long as that tunnel decal is intact. If this works out, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again even if there is no tunnel decal.

lol..I was just being a dick, I truly do feel bad for your situation. hope it gets resolved and you can bring your sled home, it seems you have researched the chit outta this deal....I wouldn't call you a loser, can't fault a guy for jumping on a good deal.

good luck Tim.

 

[TimG]

"May be easier to move to the US!"


It probably would. Or I could just make all my sledding trips down there.

 

[oregunrmk]

That sucks.. Good luck. Sounds like a fun sled. There has got to be a way around it.

 

[TimG]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I really am in love with this sled. Maybe I should just ship it up piece by piece. "I'm declaring one used piston ring today"... "Hello, officer, I have to declare a used clutch weight today." If I lived closer to the border, it would probably work. Honestly, I'm pretty optimistic. I'll just see what Polaris says in the morning. If I knew the right person there, it'd probably be a snap. Sure does make a guy anxious, though.

 

[benamen]

Do you plan on registering it? Could bring it across as salvage.

 

[TimG]

Do you plan on registering it? Could bring it across as salvage.

How would that work? Do you mean as parts?

 

[TimG]

So I called Polaris this morning, and it just led to a big dead end. The girl kept saying that there was no way they would do the compliance letter because the vehicle had been outside Polaris' control, so they had no way of knowing if it would currently comply- it might have been modified. I kept saying that it didn't need to state that it currently complied, just that it did when it was built. She directed me to a website which doesn't work, http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/basic_trade/.com which I gather will re-issue the decal after a complete inspection to make sure nothing has been modified. Of course, the whole sled is one big modification. I was on the phone for about half an hour, and just kept explaining the same thing over and over. In the end she just hung up on me, and I never raised my voice or anything. Unbelievable.

 

[benamen]

Here is a link to the RIV site for the regulations.

http://www.riv.ca/PartsAndSalvageVehicles.aspx

My argument would be is that if it does not qualify as a vehicle that can be registered in Canada, then it must be salvage. Plus once it is in Canada, you could find a tunnel with a valid sticker and swap it out. Then you could register it in Canada. Just a thought.

Ben

 

[rmk2112]

I understand you live in Canada and bought in US, trying to get to take it home....
Don't want to hijack this thread either, but ....What kind of documentation do you need to get sleds in/out of Canada if I wanted to go up there, ride for a week, then come home?

 

[TimG]

Thanks. Looks like it might work as parts, not as salvage, though, because it doesn't have a salvage title from the US. I spoke to a lady from the RIV about 15 minutes ago, and she was the most helpful I've spoken to so far. We discussed all the options, and she still thought it was best to try to find someone at Polaris to help me. She said that even as a parts vehicle, they still may need to see the decal or letter of compliance. She was baffled that Polaris refused to write the letter.

So, does anyone have contact information for anybody a little higher up than the people that answer the phone at 1-800-POLARIS? I will also try calling Kurt's Polaris in Kalispell, as MTdream had posted that they have had experience with importing to Canada. I'm just waiting for them to open.

Thanks to all for the help.
Tim