Import Mileage Conversion Process - Can anyone advise?

[Starbuck]

Hi all,

 

I'm new to the forums and looking to make my first Supra Purchase. However I'm in need of a little advice.

 

I'm looking at a specific car however the private owner doesn't have any documentation to prove the KM on the clock when the car was imported from Japan, nor was it available when he purchased it from someone else, only the no. in the box on the first UK MOT which state mileage.

 

Is it standard procedure when converting a Jap model from KM to miles to leave the original no. of KM on the clock once its been converted to miles, or can the process vary depending on who's doing the job?

 

Personally I'd like to see real miles on the clock post conversion with the appropriate back up documentation, however I don't know if this is something that is normally done.

 

Is there any risk here that the no. on the clock is real miles and not a mix of KM and miles? It makes a 27% increase to the advertised mileage if this is the reality.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers

[Keefred]

I don't think you will ever know unless you have the date and the bill for the converter when it was fitted. I have the Bimta certificate for mine which states how many Km it had on if when it left Japan, but I have no idea when the converter was fitted so no real idea of how many miles it has really done. I would be inclined to think it had been done soon after it got here, but no way of really knowing.

 

I believe, though I am not certain, that some speedo converters change the Mph but leave the Odo counting up in Km, if it has one of them on all the mileage it has done will be in Kilometers if you see what I mean.

[Westy]

I went though this same thought process when I imported my Sup. I wanted it to read real miles and not a combo of km/miles, so upon arrival the km figure was converted into the equivalent miles and it was changed to tick over in miles too!

 

Jurgen - JM Imports carried out the job, so might be worth a quick call.

[sideexitsupra]

Mine still clocks up in km though the speedo in now mph.

 

I think with cars the age of these you either get proof major items such as cambelt and fluids have been recently changed, otherwise change when you purchase.

 

A car that has done 60 k miles could be in worse condition mechanically that one that has done 100 k miles. Buy on condition.

[David P]

Buying an import is more often than not buying a clocked motor, it is all part of the game.

 

Evidence of good maintenance is more important.

[Jurgen-Jm-Imports]

what we do depending on customer requirements..

 

is first mot reads in KM say =90,000km..

 

we then fit converter to read miles and customer gets invoice..

 

so what ever it has on after will be in miles so for example the mot say 3 years later as an example says 140,000 km ..

 

from 90,000km it has been doing and reading miles up until 140,000km so the car has done 90km and 50k miles.

[Homer]

If the sale went through a Japanese auction house all the details will be recorded (they are incredibly efficient in Japan, it's a far more organised affair than in Europe). There is a company many of us have used which do a lookup on the chassis number for £10, it will list the KM when it was sold through the auction, I think they give the money back if it's not found. Will look up their details if it's of any use to you.

 

As Jurgen explained, it's normal practice not to correct the entire odo reading to miles after import. Most reputable dealers will just leave a sticker on the back of the odo or in the docs stating the reading before it was converted to miles.

[garethr]

If the sale went through a Japanese auction house all the details will be recorded (they are incredibly efficient in Japan, it's a far more organised affair than in Europe). There is a company many of us have used which do a lookup on the chassis number for £10, it will list the KM when it was sold through the auction, I think they give the money back if it's not found...

BIMTA?

[Swampy442]

One thing to bear in mind is, despite whats on the clocks, the car may well have been clocked in Japan pre auction. On any import car Ive owned I just ignore the odo reading.

[Starbuck]

Thanks for all the good feedback guys, some very interesting points, and very helpful.

 

So there are a few things I can check:

Meter is running up in Miles now rather than KM - Should be known by the current owner!

Background check on the car to confirm mileage when it was exported from Japan. (Thanks for the link, looks like £26 for a check)

 

Without confirmation of the import mileage the car could have either 100k, 127k or if it was clocked in Japan 162k miles.

 

Surely this would effect the value of the car, and without this info could I have a problem reselling if I upgrade in a few years time? I don't want to get into that position, but sounds like it might not be too unusual not to have this info. I also need to pay the right prices now so I don't lose money if I resell.

 

Point taken about maintanance being more important than mileage.

I'm no mechanical expert, I just like driving. So to cover this I will confirm the full service history he has on the car (seems like its been well looked after in his ownership, however I'll ask about the 10 years prior to that) I'm also looking into getting an RAC inspection done, although at £305 I need to determine its going to tell me the important stuff. If anyone knows better people to use that the RAC, and active in the Glasgow area, please should. I'm going to look through the traders section to see if anyone does something like this.