light_duty said:
There is no "exemption" for any vehicle when it comes to the Motor Vehicle Act. A vehicle is exempted from meeting RIV requirements for importation, but that exemption does not speak to vehicle safety. At least that is how I understand it.
Robin
[edit: removed some stuff to keep from the prying eyes of the man]
Why, you worried about the man reading your thread? Hahaha
Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, vehicles over 15 years of age are exempted from otherwise applicable Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Federally speaking once it's 15 years old it doesn't need anything. It falls out from under TC's regulations. Provincially it's another story.
Under Transport Canada The Motor Vehicle Safety Act mandates compliance for vehicles through Schedule III. Schedule III specifies what standards apply to what vehicles. Standards such as CMVSS 108 - Lighting and retroreflective devices, CMVSS 1106 Noise, CMVSS 215 Bumpers, occupant protection, controls, braking. Have a look, there is a lot of stuff applicable. Go on, read CMVSS 121 for fun, or just for the hell of it, read CMVSS 301, especially the propane section. It cracks me up every time.
Some CMVSS reference a TSD - Technical Standards Document. This document is a much more technical standard that can be amended legally quicker than the CMVSS.
RIV has nothing to do with JDM. RIV is for importation of U.S. Vehicles younger than 15 yrs of age that can me altered to comply with CDN standards. It's a program that is run by a private company (livingston) under contract from TC. It works for the US spec FZJ80 you want to import - The OEM has stated that it complies with the large majority of CMVSS and can be altered to comply with all of them. DRLs and labelling, usually. Sometimes it gets into seat belts and child seat anchorages. Minor stuff.
Transport Canada handles the rest, which is mostly enforcing the 15 year rule, which is done with the assistance of the CBSA. I have heard that Transport Canada enforcement officers are all ex CIA guys that all wear long trench coats and have lazer beam vision and they rappel from helicopters when boneheads break the law. This is pure speculation though.
JDM vehicles cannot be altered to comply with all Canadian standards so they can't be imported in this manner. Only way is over 15 years of age. Although the CMVSS aren't applicable federally to over 15 year of age vehicles, the provincial authorities may mandate compliance to federal standards through their provincial Acts.
It is impossible to bring a JDM unit into compliance with all CMVSS. It doesn't have the correct VIN (CMVSS 115) so it ends right there. Therefore, if provinces start enforcing compliance to federal CMVSS for all vehicles, you are all SOL. I doubt they will be doing this on a grand scale, probably focusing on the standards that they can monitor such as lighting, noise, etc.
Also, some of you might be interested to know that there is no federal requirement for DOT markings on lenses. However, because the manufacturer has not certified JDM vehicles to CDN standards, it would be impossible for an owner to demonstrate compliance for lights (you would have to get records of testing, or test them yourself via lab, ugh). So the best bet is just to look for DOT markings and if there are none change the lights out.
Edit:
At the levels where it actually matters, the issue isn't so much LHD vs RHD. It's that the JDM stuff doesn't meet any Canadian requirements. it's essentially an alien vehicle that was never endorsed by the OEM as a CDN vehicle. Yeah, it might have DOT taillights and glass, but what about side door intrusion? Or fuel system integrity? Or occupant protection?
