[SeCsTaC]

Hey guys, I'm trying to sell my car so I just paid it off. BMW said they can't send me the title as i'm in California, and that I'd have to wait to get my title from the DMV.

I went to the DMV and they said they don't do that and I need to go back to whoever to get my title. They mentioned something about being electronic title release.

For those of you who live in California, and have paid off your vehicle through BMW financial services, who sends you the title? The DMV or BMW?

Also how long did this whole process take? My buyer is getting antsy and I'm afraid he will walk soon

[Gen13 F36]

About 2 to 3 week.... Not BMW but a comparison, it's a Honda. Usually the financial service release the car title to DMV and DMV will issue you a new title.

[Blocke]

The title doesn’t actually exist in physical form per se’. It’s not a paper sitting in a file in some DMV somewhere. Once BMWFS processes the paperwork and files the release of liability and the transfer of title, the DMV will process it and print a physical copy of the pink slip that will be mailed to you. 3-4 weeks is how long that usually takes in my past experiences.

[skyline408]

Originally Posted by Blocke

The title doesn’t actually exist in physical form per se’. It’s not a paper sitting in a file in some DMV somewhere. Once BMWFS processes the paperwork and files the release of liability and the transfer of title, the DMV will process it and print a physical copy of the pink slip that will be mailed to you. 3-4 weeks is how long that usually takes in my past experiences.

that has been my experience as well. Paid off car during lease duration, wait 3-4 weeks, and a title shows up from CA DMV.

[328iX]

I usually get paid off car titles a lot quicker than license plates for example, usually 1-2 weeks. But like they mentioned, BMW doesn't send it, they notify the DMV that it is paid off and the DMV will send it to you.

congrats on having it paid off btw

[SeCsTaC]

Thanks for the info everybody!

Last question, is there anything I can do to sell it before receiving the title if BMW says it's paid off?

[upsidedownfunnel]

You can't really sell it until you have the title at this point.

If you hadn't paid it off and sold it to a dealer, they would just take it right away, pay off BMW, then they will send you the rest of your money once they get the title. However if you pay off your car on your own, then you have to wait for the title to sell it.

So obviously if you're doing a private sale, it's probably best to just pay it off and wait for the title, but if you're trading it in to a dealer, it's usually better just to let them pay it off for you.