Step (4) RIV “Registrar of Imported Vehicles” Inspection:
This is the inspection required upon importing a vehicle into Canada from the US. This inspection must be done within 45 days, to confirm that the vehicle meets Canadian vehicle manufacturing standards, or else face deportation.
The RIV Inspection is to address any outstanding manufacturing differences between US and Canadian vehicles (example daytime running lights). This inspection is the inspection regarding “modifications”.
The “Out Of Province Inspection” is basically to deem the car roadworthy, and once those potential problems are out of the way, then comes the RIV Inspection. The RIV inspection is done by a representative from a “Canadian Tire” store - similar to an employee that you’d find in WalMart’s oil change bay.
My general understanding of this inspection is that this person comes out to the parking lot and:
(a) checks the VIN on the car versus the VIN on the RIV import paperwork, and
(b) checks for a pass on the Out Of Province Inspection paperwork, and
© checks for a US SOC sticker on the vehicle, aka “US Statement Of Compliance” sticker on the vehicle, which is a standard manufacturer sticker on the frame of car, probably visible inside the driver’s door.
They are supposed to check other things, like if the spedometer shows metric, and if the vehicle has proper baby seat anchors, and if the vehicle has daytime running lights, and other Canadian specific manufacturing standards, but if any of these items were delinquent at the time of manufacturing, then they would be noted on the RIV import paperwork when the border was crossed. Besides what’s noted above, the only things Canadian Tire is likely to scrutinize are any additional details on the RIV import paperwork noted by customs when the border was crossed. So if you have resonators on your exhaust instead of catalytic converters, then no one will notice or care, since it’s not something noted for inspection.
The paperwork from Audi basically tells the border what needs to be addressed (or “modified”), as far as specific manufacturing deficiencies. Like, if Audi said in the Audi Recall Clearance Letter that the US model has no daytime running lights, then that would be noted on the RIV import paperwork as a deficiency “requiring modification” before being certified in Canada.
From there, the RIV is a pass, and the car probably already has a license plate, since you can get registration/plates as soon as the car passes the Out Of Province Inspection. All is good.
