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BMW 5-Series (G30) Forum 2017+ BMW 5 Series (G30) General Discussions Possibility to use G31 Touring in the US?

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      02-02-2017, 09:58 PM   #1
Mariuss
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Possibility to use G31 Touring in the US?

This may be a stretch but I will ask anyway:
I may need to live for two years in the US, mainly in California with some trips to Arizona. Is there any chance to ship G31 Touring from Europe and use it without cop trouble for two years? If it was possible, I might sell it to someone currently complaining it can't be officially bought there
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      02-03-2017, 07:06 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mariuss View Post
This may be a stretch but I will ask anyway:
I may need to live for two years in the US, mainly in California with some trips to Arizona. Is there any chance to ship G31 Touring from Europe and use it without cop trouble for two years? If it was possible, I might sell it to someone currently complaining it can't be officially bought there
I doubt you'll have any "cop troubles". Probably just a few jealous fans and inquiries as to how you got a Touring stateside.

That said, you may be up a creek if it comes to warranty work. I can't speak for BMWs, but I've seen other products that were denied warranty claims because the device was purchased outside the US and the warranty claim was made against the US arm of the company (usually electronics). That would be something you would need to look into. Particularly if you have a Euro-only engine, as we don't necessarily get the same engine selections here, so parts could be harder to come by...if needed.

On top of that, while it would be cool to have one of the only G31s here, you've got to factor cost in, too. I have no idea how much it would be to ship a single car, but I can't imagine it's cheap. You may even come out ahead buying a car here and selling it when you head home vs. shipping a car back and forth across the Atlantic.
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      02-03-2017, 07:57 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mariuss View Post
This may be a stretch but I will ask anyway:
I may need to live for two years in the US, mainly in California with some trips to Arizona. Is there any chance to ship G31 Touring from Europe and use it without cop trouble for two years? If it was possible, I might sell it to someone currently complaining it can't be officially bought there
I can see at least the following problems

1) G31 is not certified or crash tested in the USA. Would they allow it in ?

2) Parts of the USA, especially California, have different emissions regulations and get different engines. Yours may not comply

3) BMW LL-04 oil used in European countries is not allowed to be used with US fuel quality on petrol cars.

4) USA has different rear light regulations, so get different rear lights to comply.

5) US cars are required to have reflectors in the fornt bumpers that Euro cars do not have

6) You will have no warranty as the warranty is with your countries BMW representative where you bought the car, not BMW Group worldwide

7) US cars are fitted with different airbags and airbag systems to comply with US laws. Yours will not comply

....
...
..
.
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      02-03-2017, 08:08 AM   #4
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Yep you'll be missing those stupid number reflectors!!
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      02-03-2017, 08:25 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by E90Fleet View Post
I can see at least the following problems

1) G31 is not certified or crash tested in the USA. Would they allow it in ?

2) Parts of the USA, especially California, have different emissions regulations and get different engines. Yours may not comply

3) BMW LL-04 oil used in European countries is not allowed to be used with US fuel quality on petrol cars.

4) USA has different rear light regulations, so get different rear lights to comply.

5) US cars are required to have reflectors in the fornt bumpers that Euro cars do not have

6) You will have no warranty as the warranty is with your countries BMW representative where you bought the car, not BMW Group worldwide

7) US cars are fitted with different airbags and airbag systems to comply with US laws. Yours will not comply

....
...
..
.
Thanks for this list. The oil part troubles me the most, can I switch oil for a US spec (say in a 540i)?
The rest is legal stuff which is why I aksed if I get into "cop trouble when pulled over". The reflectors issue seems to me like the least of my problems - can't I just buy an amber reflector sticker and stick it to the bumper? I know some users are actually covering their reflectors with paint colored insert to "get rid of them".
Do I need to get US license plate or can I use European plate for two years?
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      02-03-2017, 10:56 AM   #6
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You're not going to have problems with police. You'll have problems getting the car through customs. When I was in the Army, there were special NATO agreements that allowed us to bring US-spec cars to Europe that didn't meet European guidelines without any changes, but I don't know how that works on the reverse, and if you have a special route to bring a non-approved car into the States - you'll need to do some research.

However, selling the car will be difficult. For example, when I brought my car to Germany it had to be registered with the Army post - if I were to sell it to a local German, then they would have had to do a bunch of modifications to the car (change rear lights, pass TUV inspection, etc) to buy it - so I'm not sure how it will work bringing your car to the states, and then getting it registered. Good luck though!
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      02-03-2017, 11:11 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mariuss View Post
This may be a stretch but I will ask anyway:
I may need to live for two years in the US, mainly in California with some trips to Arizona. Is there any chance to ship G31 Touring from Europe and use it without cop trouble for two years? If it was possible, I might sell it to someone currently complaining it can't be officially bought there
One year max for private individuals.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.do...fojuly2016.pdf
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      02-03-2017, 02:17 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mariuss View Post
Thanks for this list. The oil part troubles me the most, can I switch oil for a US spec (say in a 540i)?
The rest is legal stuff which is why I aksed if I get into "cop trouble when pulled over".
As mentioned above, customs, not cops.
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      02-03-2017, 02:18 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lemetier View Post
One year max for private individuals.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.do...fojuly2016.pdf
Well that settles some of it

Quote:
NONRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

A vehicle registered in a country other than the United States may be imported for personal use by a non-resident of the United States for a period not to exceed one year. The vehicle cannot be sold while in the United States and must be exported within one year from the date of entry. This period cannot be extended under any circumstances.
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      02-03-2017, 02:56 PM   #10
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Thanks everyone
I'll just scratch the G31 idea and will think about other options for transportation. I went to Scottsdale, AZ BMW dealership and was told as an alien, I can't get a leased vehicle and would have to buy it. Selling it after 2 years would lose me 35-40% of the value so that's also not an option for me...
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      02-03-2017, 03:34 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mariuss View Post
Thanks everyone
I'll just scratch the G31 idea and will think about other options for transportation. I went to Scottsdale, AZ BMW dealership and was told as an alien, I can't get a leased vehicle and would have to buy it. Selling it after 2 years would lose me 35-40% of the value so that's also not an option for me...
Just buy something slightly used. You'll barely put any miles on it in 2 years (20K at most?), so you won't take much of a hit when you need to sell it.

I bought a low-mileage CPO (not a BMW) luxury car 2 years ago below market value. I haven't even put 10K miles on it and could sell it today for near market value.
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