# Dealer titled/registered car in wrong state



## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

About a month ago, I purchased a 2016 service loaner from a CA dealership. The title/registration fees were paid for Oregon, and I had notorized documents authorizing a 3rd party company to handle the out of state title/registration. I had the car shipped to OR. I had a VIN check done at OR DMV (required for title/reg in OR) and sent that document back to the dealer. 

Last week, I received my registration documents valid through 2017... except they're for CA! After talking with the title/DMV person from the dealership today, it turns out someone mistakenly titled/registered the car in CA.

The title person apologized and said they would need to talk to BMW (car is financed through BMWFS) to determine the next steps. I haven't found any reports of similar situations, so I'm hoping someone could shed some light on what I should expect, and anything i should ask for. 

In some states (like CA), you can register a car titled in a different state. This is not the case in OR - all vehicles registered in OR must be titled in OR. The car was not previously titled in CA, so I'm wondering how this will affect the OR registration as new (never-titled) vehicles are registered for 4 years, and used are registered for 2, among other things. 

I'm also curious about the legality of driving the car in OR at this point -- I have technically valid CA (but erroneous) registration, but no externally visible proof of such. No plates, no temp sticker in the window. Considering how efficient our parking enforcement employees are in Portland, this means I can't park the car downtown without getting a ticket or even getting towed...


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## MJBrown62 (Jun 15, 2016)

This one I'd take control of. You can't depend on having the dealer person have this as priority 1. Especially as the month just ended and s/he has a ton of deals to process.

I would start by calling Salem DMV and see what they say. It's _possible_ you might be able to walk in with the Cali registration docs and get them switched to OR. Have the Cali dealer reimburse you for any difference in the registration cost they charged you in the deal (if any.)

Call BMW and see how they will handle getting the title switched from CA to OR. They will get or have already the CA title in hand.

Michael


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

MJBrown62 said:


> This one I'd take control of. You can't depend on having the dealer person have this as priority 1. Especially as the month just ended and s/he has a ton of deals to process.
> 
> I would start by calling Salem DMV and see what they say. It's _possible_ you might be able to walk in with the Cali registration docs and get them switched to OR. Have the Cali dealer reimburse you for any difference in the registration cost they charged you in the deal (if any.)
> 
> ...


Thanks, Michael. I will call the dealer's title/DMV person for an update tomorrow. Unfortunately, based on OR DMV info, I cannot personally do anything -- the security interest holder is the one who has to file all of the paperwork. There's even a form letter OR DMV provides to explain to the title holder about the limited timeframe and required documentation. I am unfortunately not eligible to submit any registration docs personally, since I don't have the title.

Tomorrow: call the dealer, then call BMW. Hooray for work from home days!


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## MJBrown62 (Jun 15, 2016)

ortoLANparty said:


> Thanks, Michael. I will call the dealer's title/DMV person for an update tomorrow.
> 
> Tomorrow: call the dealer, then call BMW. Hooray for work from home days!


:thumbup:


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## ZoomVT (May 30, 2008)

Wow. Please do share the dealer name - will likely avoid for non-CA purchases. 

Best of luck getting this sorted... I think that most of us pay a premium to not have to deal with this.


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

ZoomVT said:


> Wow. Please do share the dealer name - will likely avoid for non-CA purchases.
> 
> Best of luck getting this sorted... I think that most of us pay a premium to not have to deal with this.


Sure -- Long Beach BMW. Thing is, all other parts of the transaction were great. My salesperson was super helpful and responsive, all of the paperwork was straightforward, and I really have no complaints about the process prior to the registration mistake. I know mistakes happen; I'll give them a chance to make things right.

I'm guessing the Sonic dealers don't do a lot of out of state sales... another Sonic dealer I called (BMW of Monrovia) told me that there was no way to avoid paying CA sales tax on an out of state purchase, for example. Both Sonic dealers I contacted weren't responsive to my initial email inquiries - just an auto-reply with the same info as their website, no answers to my questions, no response from the Internet Sales manager I emailed directly. (Mind you, I knew exactly what vehicle and options I wanted, my financing was pre approved, and all I needed was someone willing to sell me the car!)

For local purchases, Long Beach BMW would be great. For out of state purchases, a bit more hassle. They don't hold cars; I had to have a local relative sign to purchase the car, and when I flew down a couple days later, they reversed her deal and set it up for me. Their price was good, they got me 0% APR, they didn't try to upsell me on anything, and most importantly, they had the exact car I wanted -- no other dealer in the nation did.


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## Kar Don (Aug 4, 2004)

Long beach BMW is awful... Another member here had an issue with them with an AZ registration. Worst dealer in socal.


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

Kar Don said:


> Long beach BMW is awful... Another member here had an issue with them with an AZ registration. Worst dealer in socal.


Hmm, going to search for that person's post...


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## need4speed (May 26, 2006)

This may be a first for the 'Fest. Hope it works out, let us know. N4S


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## Kar Don (Aug 4, 2004)

ortoLANparty said:


> Hmm, going to search for that person's post...


No need, I got it 

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=900869&highlight=


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

Kar Don said:


> No need, I got it
> 
> http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=900869&highlight=


Thanks. I don't specifically see LB BMW mentioned in that thread; I may be having a slow brain day...

I found another CA to AZ thread with a similar Sonic dealer issue: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=922783&highlight=

The AZ people are lucky, though -- once they finally received the docs, they can handle the rest. In OR, the security interest holder has to mail the title and all other docs together...


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

need4speed said:


> This may be a first for the 'Fest. Hope it works out, let us know. N4S


Happy to bring new tales to the 'Fest. : popcorn: This is not my strangest purchasing experience, yet --
- bought a cheap Miata but didn't have the correct forms for title transfer from the deceased owner; my guy friend charmed the pants of the grouchy DMV lady and she pretended everything was in order.
- bought the '87 Audi out of a Seattle airport hangar, where it was blocked in by a monster van and a boat. It hadn't run in over a year; my boyfriend and I jumped it, fueled it, and drove it back to PDX with no issues.

No updates yet; called the dealer's DMV person this afternoon and got her voicemail. Didn't have time during the workday to call BMW. Hmm, I have the GM's cell number, so that's another point of contact...

My main concern at this point is that CA will chase me for unpaid taxes/fees. After I moved from CA and titled/registered my car in OR, I got several strongly worded letters over a period of 2 years from CA DMV demanding I pay my late registration fees or they'd send me to collections. Each time, I sent them proof of OR registration. Took 3 tries, but they finally got it.

But I digress...


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## Kar Don (Aug 4, 2004)

ortoLANparty said:


> Thanks. I don't specifically see LB BMW mentioned in that thread; I may be having a slow brain day...
> 
> I found another CA to AZ thread with a similar Sonic dealer issue: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=922783&highlight=
> 
> The AZ people are lucky, though -- once they finally received the docs, they can handle the rest. In OR, the security interest holder has to mail the title and all other docs together...


You are right! I asked the poster directly and he said it was LB BMW.


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

Arrgh, no updates yet. I've left two VMs for the dealer's title person, with no response. I've also called BMWFS directly, and they're supposed to send me docs so I can register the car in OR. I expect that I will go to the DMV and they will require (as stated on their website) all paperwork to be submitted by the security interest holder. Eh, the downtown DMV is close to my office, so I suppose I can waste a lunchtime there...


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## ard (Jul 1, 2009)

Id want to get them a certified letter laying out the claims you would make in a lawsuit should they continue to fail and perform. Voicemails don't cut it. Any lawyer friends?


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

Alas, no lawyer friends. Talked to the dealer's DMV person again yesterday, and she says they are going to straighten it out... But I now need to send them the OR registration forms (I thought that was why I gave them a notarized document so the 3rd party title service could do this? Alas, that's the only document I didn't scan a copy of, so I can't verify). 

To make things even more interesting, they lost my VIN verification from OR DMV. I fedexed it to my salesperson, he received it and left it for the DMV person... But she can't find it. I made another trip to the DMV, but this time I got two VIN verification forms. Just in case the dealer loses this one, too.


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## ard (Jul 1, 2009)

Edit: Good luck


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## [email protected] (Jan 27, 2014)

Wild story...I had two other people just this week stop by with out-of-state stories/issues. No paperwork, no trip permits, not title, etc. I guess once that money hits the account they ship it and forget about it.


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## AksNasZasNas (May 30, 2013)

[email protected] said:


> Wild story...I had two other people just this week stop by with out-of-state stories/issues. No paperwork, no trip permits, not title, etc. I guess once that money hits the account they ship it and forget about it.


What's the appropriate paperwork for such deals?


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

Update on this fun issue: after receiving contradictory and/or wrong info from the dealer, I opted to work with BMWFS. They sent me almost complete registration paperwork, and I sent them completed paperwork + VIN inspection + $ this week. They are supposed to send the title and paperwork to OR DMV. We shall see. Long Beach BMW sent me a check (unexpected!) for more than I paid in title/reg fees, citing "excess DMV payment." So, as long as BMWFS submits the docs correctly, I think all is resolved. Fingers crossed.


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

Conclusion (I hope!):

After receiving contradictory and ultimately incorrect info from the dealer, I opted to work with BMWFS to resolve the title/registration issue. I now have valid OR registration and plates for my car. 

For anyone unfortunate enough to encounter a similar titling issue, this was the process: 

- contact BMWFS, and they will mail you a partially completed registration form for your state, as well as instructions for the rest of the process.
- for Oregon, you will need to get a VIN check at your DMV, complete the registration form, and write a check for title/reg fees. (In OR, calculate your fees based on 2-year registration - since the dealer titled/registered in CA with the MOC, you're not eligible for the 4-year new vehicle registration.)
- send your documents and check to BMWFS. They will retrieve the title and send it with your docs/check to your state's DMV. BMWFS was very prompt with this, and it reached OR DMV about 4 days after BMWFS received my docs. 
- wait patiently. It took 20 calendar days to receive my registration/plates after OR DMV received all of the docs. 

My mistake in this process was trying to work with the dealer and have them correct their mistake. If the dealer isn't capable enough to register your car correctly in the first place, don't trust them to correct their mistake. Deal with BMWFS (or your lender) directly.


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## jjrandorin (May 8, 2013)

ortoLANparty said:


> Conclusion (I hope!):
> 
> After receiving contradictory and ultimately incorrect info from the dealer, I opted to work with BMWFS to resolve the title/registration issue. I now have valid OR registration and plates for my car.
> 
> ...


Wow... at least the dealer sent you the money back without having to fight for it. Did you get a ticket or anything while driving?

I am reading your "4 year new car registration" thing with envy, even though you couldnt get it. We (california) have to register the car every year, no exceptions. Its also pretty expensive for these cars... for reference it was something like $548 for my wifes new X5 and that is for 1 year.


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## need4speed (May 26, 2006)

jjrandorin said:


> Wow... at least the dealer sent you the money back without having to fight for it. Did you get a ticket or anything while driving?
> 
> I am reading your "4 year new car registration" thing with envy, even though you couldnt get it. We (california) have to register the car every year, no exceptions. Its also pretty expensive for these cars... for reference it was something like *$548 for my wifes new X5 and that is for 1 year.*


*
*

On top of your huge sales tax? Ouch!


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## jjrandorin (May 8, 2013)

need4speed said:


> [/B]
> 
> On top of your huge sales tax? Ouch!


Yep, on top of our huge sales tax.


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## Kar Don (Aug 4, 2004)

jjrandorin said:


> Wow... at least the dealer sent you the money back without having to fight for it. Did you get a ticket or anything while driving?
> 
> I am reading your "4 year new car registration" thing with envy, even though you couldnt get it. We (california) have to register the car every year, no exceptions. Its also pretty expensive for these cars... for reference it was something like $548 for my wifes new X5 and that is for 1 year.


Ha I'd be super happy with $548... cost over $800 to reg a $50k X3 in AZ... the i8 was $2400!:rofl:

i3 BEV - $23


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## ortoLANparty (Jun 22, 2016)

jjrandorin said:


> Wow... at least the dealer sent you the money back without having to fight for it. Did you get a ticket or anything while driving?
> 
> I am reading your "4 year new car registration" thing with envy, even though you couldnt get it. We (california) have to register the car every year, no exceptions. Its also pretty expensive for these cars... for reference it was something like $548 for my wifes new X5 and that is for 1 year.


Yeah, OR registration is really cheap. Fees are the same whether your car is $500 or $50k. ($225 including title/plates/county fee, for 2yr)And much more convenient than CA, with their silly authorized smog test centers for older cars. No tickets, but I made sure not to park anywhere with metered parking, since the parking enforcement people will definitely ticket for expired/no reg.

When I first contacted the dealer, they offered to refund my title/reg fees initially. I just wanted them to fix their mistake without wasting any more of my time. I contacted BMWFS once I realized that the dealer wasn't knowledgeable or responsive enough. I wonder if the dealer eventually contacted BMWFS to get the title and found out I'd already talked to them to start the process? "Ok, she doesn't need us to do anything now; cut her a check and be done with her."


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## F32Fleet (Jul 14, 2010)

It'll get situated. When I bought my 335d (Roswell GA) the car was titled as a 335i w/fuel type of "Gas". I didn't realize it until I received an emissions inspection notice 4 years later. The selling dealer straightened it out fairly quickly.


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## tturedraider (Nov 11, 2005)

F32Fleet said:


> It'll get situated. When I bought my 335d (Roswell GA) the car was titled as a 335i w/fuel type of "Gas". I didn't realize it until I received an emissions inspection notice 4 years later. The selling dealer straightened it out fairly quickly.


Only read the first post, huh?


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## ard (Jul 1, 2009)

Lol


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## F32Fleet (Jul 14, 2010)

tturedraider said:


> Only read the first post, huh?


No I read all of it


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