gryfan Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 hello fellow cutlass vert fans, i just imported a '94 up from the states to canada. i need a daytime running module so can put it on the road in canada. can't get a new one. the other issue is , will the american car have a place in the wiring harness to plug the module in? canadian tire wants $50.00 for some item they have cooked up....and $300.00 to install it. need some help from some some more experienced mechanical types. it was suggested that i borrow on for the day so it will pass the safety inspection. i do not intend to keep the module in the car. i hate dtr lights. thanks, gryfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) Seeing as the car is more than 15 years old (they use the build date to determine the age of the car) , you do not need to go through the RIV (registrar of imported vehicles) inspection, and therefore do not need to add DRL's. Do yourself a favour and get the hell away from Canadian Tire. Take it to your favourite local shop, get it safetied and e-tested, and go into the MTO office with those documents, your Form 1 import form, bill of sale and the title from whatever state you bought it from, pay the PST, plate it and be done. I just brought back a 94 DOHC vert myself back in October from Texas (I live in Kitchener, Ont) and did not do any RIV related inspections or repairs. Looks like you are in the Burlington area so you aren't too far away. Edited February 24, 2011 by GOT2B GM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryfan Posted February 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 thanks GOT2BGM, that gives me some hope. i will show this to my mechanic and hopefully he will do the safety and i will proceed as you describe. could you share with me the address of the mto location that you did your transfer? i will check with the ministry locally , and hopefully i will have some success. my e-mail address is gryfan@hotmail.com could you e-mail me .....i have a couple of questions. thanks, gryfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryfan Posted February 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 GOT2B GM, good morning, well no luck for me.....the mto insisted that some form of light must be on when the car is running. i cited your case and they did not believe me. i went to canadian tire......the boss there said that some light must light up when car is on. he said some people choose the parking lights.....some the head lights.....he said some even select the tail lights. again i cited your case ...and again they felt that that was not possible. boy this is confusing. cheers, gryfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Get the hell away from Canadian Tire. They are idiots. Go to a smaller shop. That or jumper a wire from a Pink/black stripe wire (hot when Ign on) to the headlight switch so when the key is on, the clearance lights are on. That'll get you through the inspection at Canadian tire and won't cost you anything. Then you can remove that wire and proceed like normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 If you prefer to email me : mshantz83@hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryfan Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 thanks GOT2B GM, really appreciate your help. i will go to a smaller shop and hopefully they understand your directios re the pink/black striped wire ...and i can get away with saving a couple of hundred bucks. again really appreciate your help. as you can tell ...i love cars....but not a mechanic. i can do the oil changes, filters etc. ....but that is where it ends. gryfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 If you are planning a trip to the Kitchener area anytime soon, i could help you with that wire if need be as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwik-6 Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 That's right, as long as the build date is 15 years or more, you dont need anything other than your Ontario safety check, U.S. title and import papers to show you brought it in from the U.S. Just go to the MTO / License Bureau with that and proof of insurance and you can get your Canadian ownership. I bought a 94 specifically for that reason, as a 95 would have needed the RIV inspection at that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryfan Posted February 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 thanks kwik-6, i have heard that from others....and yet when i went to the mto , i was told that i need an riv inspection....15 years or not. this has been very frustrating......because i can't seem to get a definative answer. thanks your you input though. gryfan where are you located kwik-6? i'm in burlington Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryfan Posted March 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 the saga of the canadian daytime running lights continues. after being told by a mechanic, the mto and canadian tire (the riv centre in canada) that i needed dtr's. i did get advice from 2 members from this forum that i did NOT need them because the car was 15 years or older......i went ahead and did the dtr work. when i contaced the people in charge of importing cars in to canada about the need for dtr's they sent me a nice short e-mail indicating that since my '94 vert was 15 years or older...it was exempt. i asked 3 , what i thought were good sources...and all 3 were wrong. they guys on this forum were right. 15 years or older no need for dtr's ...just a safety and emissions test. you would think that the woman who works at the mto would know . any way, thanks to GOT2B GM and kwik-6 you guys were right, and the people in the industry , who should know , were wrong. cheers, gryfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwik-6 Posted March 10, 2011 Report Share Posted March 10, 2011 Sorry to hear of your hassle. Maybe I've been lucky living near the US border (Grand Bend) and dealing with a small MTO office that sees a lot of US imports. So they know the rules. What's even luckier is that I am in one of the few parts of Ontario that does not require emissions testing (ever) believe it or not. I did import a 2002 Tbird that required Daytime Running Lights, so I put a piece of black tape over the sensor on the dash. That way it thought it was dark when you started the car in the daytime and magically the lights came on..which the Canadian Tire inspector thought were Daytime Running Lights. Passed. Otherwise it was a $500 module to accomplish vs $0.05 of black tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted March 10, 2011 Report Share Posted March 10, 2011 I like your tape trick Kwik6. On an unrelated topic. What kind of top did you get for your vert and where did you have it installed? Also how much did it cost if you don't mind me asking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryfan Posted March 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2011 Sorry to hear of your hassle. Maybe I've been lucky living near the US border (Grand Bend) and dealing with a small MTO office that sees a lot of US imports. So they know the rules. What's even luckier is that I am in one of the few parts of Ontario that does not require emissions testing (ever) believe it or not. I did import a 2002 Tbird that required Daytime Running Lights, so I put a piece of black tape over the sensor on the dash. That way it thought it was dark when you started the car in the daytime and magically the lights came on..which the Canadian Tire inspector thought were Daytime Running Lights. Passed. Otherwise it was a $500 module to accomplish vs $0.05 of black tape. kwik6 , that was a great trick. i almost bought a t-bird of that vintage....but my head brushed up against the top....so i ended up with an '05 chrysler crossfire. again thanks for your help. you will have to join us for our gtg's this summer. also , are you going to the oldsmobile homecoming in lansing?it is june 17th-18th.i have registered it is only $10.00 ....so my wife said i could go (lol) cheers, gryfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwik-6 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Hey GOT2BGN.....Yes, the top is canvas and is "Stayfast". Here's their website. http://www.haartz.com/en/products/convertible_toppings/cloth/stayfast.asp . It was installed by Dixie Auto Trim in London, Ontario (519)-451-6601. It's a one-man shop. The fella who owns the shop came up from the southern US 30 years ago married a Canadian and stayed here since. Still has the accent...and is a great guy with super workmanship. The top that was on the car when I bought it last fall was shrunk and leaking. But the car only had 42k miles..so I drove it for 3 months to see if it was going to be a good car before investing in a top. The rest of the car is mint and being from Tennessee has no rust and is super clean underneath. Because I don't plan to sell it, I spent money on the top that wouldn't make sense for someone who was not keeping it. If I recall the job was about $1700 plus taxes (I had to buy the back window since I was switching materials. But when you see it, you'll say it "makes" the car....plus NO leaks. And gryfan...keep me posted on any get togethers as well as your plans for Lansing. That's even closer for me than you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwik-6 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 typo...I didn't mean to call you GOT2BGN.... the "N" key is next to the "M" key !!! Although nothing wrong with GN's either ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gryfan Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 kwik 6, i am registered for the olds home coming....$10.00 ...so even i can afford that. it is june weekend....16th,17 th i think. why not register and we can go. keep it in mind. cheers, from burlington.........gryfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Kwik, no worries and thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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