Japanese Imports have been imported in the UK since 1965, since then you might have seen a few on the road which you could tell certain models were not made or sold here in the UK for example the Nissan Elgrand or even the new 2025 Suzuki Jimnys Passenger Models, when we have taken a Japanese import into stock and put them on our workshop ramps you could tell the imports have been treated completely differently to the UK kept cars.
Reasons to buy a Japanese Import
Exceptionally Low Mileage Cars
With the way that Japanese Drivers are, a lot of people live in dense cities where there is excellent public transport available and walkable distances to all the necessities which leads them to not use their car as much. This leads to the facts that the national average mileage for Japan Drivers is 3,000-5,000 miles per year compared to the UK where the average is 10,000-12,000 Miles per year!
Japanese Car Maintenance
In Japan the Cultural normality’s is to look after and take care of your car and take huge pride in it, this is why cars in Japan are washed, serviced more frequently and stored under cover with even more people preferring to trade their cars in for newer cars just on age alone! So, you can see more cars coming in the trade that have seriously low mileage and taken care off.
You also have the fact that they have one of the strictest Inspection and Certification systems in the world called the “Shaken”.
Much Like our version of MOT but the Shaken pretty much checks every nut and bolt on the car and is done every 2 years!
Why Japanese Cars have Low or even No Rust!
This is where you can visually see the difference. When you look under a UK car compared to a Japanese Import you can visually see that there is a huge difference, We looked under a 2014 Nissan Elgrand the underneath still looked like brand new compared if we looked under a UK 2014 car you see so much dirt, rusted bolts etc, There is a reason when you do repairs on older UK cars mechanics do not like working on them, because when doing repairs bolts always are at a risk of snapping or the bolts being threaded taking more time up.
This follows on from earlier with the explanation off the Shaken where every nut and bolt is tested and because the Japanese roads do not use Salt, compared to UK roads where in the winter the roads are heavily salted causing a lot more chance of rust. So, you have not only a Culture Difference but a weather difference as well.
Rare Models and Different Trims
This brings us along to being able to have a resource to be able to get reliable and impeccable options for models and cars that were sold in the UK and that were not, to be able to have that option of sourcing and finding cars that are really sought after, for example 7 seaters or even hatchback automatics in models and makes where that option wasn’t available when being sold in the UK.
This allows us to be able to offer a wider range of cars to the market and a lot of the time at a better price and example then the comparative.
Motor4u Import Preparation.
When we buy vehicle from Japan we first must identify if the car is under or over 10 years old because there is 2 different ways of being able to get a Japan car road legal & registered to be able to use it on UK roads.
Under 10 Years Old
If a car is under 10 years old, 1st we have to pass it through customs and delivered to us, when we receive it, we then have to send off a NOVA to HMRC to let them know the car is the country. After this we have to get it through its IVA test, The IVA test is a UK government inspection that checks imported vehicles to make sure they meet UK safety and environmental standards before being registered for the road.
Before going to its IVA test we do have to do some modifications that Japanese cars don’t come with standard in Japan as they do in the UK market such as Fitting a rear fog light, changing the speedomoter from KM/H to MP/H and sometimes having to take off extra indicators or modifications, after this the IVA is done you can put them back on.
One the IVA is done we can have the car back to do a few more changes this includes sometimes having to change the headunit if it is a Japanese aftermarket headunit and having a fixed rear Fog light instead of just a converted add on. But we do this all for you anyways.
We then do an MOT in house at our site then send off for the Log Book with a V55/5 form, receive registered Number plates and the car is ready to go!
Over 10 Years Old
Simple put is that if the car is Over 10 years old we do not have to do as much as if they were under 10 years old but still plenty to do!
After all this is done we will then do our own PDI Inspection & Service ready for sale and the road ahead to go to a new customer who would be owning a car as if it had already been kept in great condition and looked after before for them!
Browse our In Stock and Due in to see what Japanese Imports are available from us right now! Or what has been bought and are on the way!
