adminI bought a car from Musina and it broke the timing belt before it got to Bulawayo. Was I conned?
That is unfortunate but it’s not very uncommon for ex-Japanese cars to break down before they reach their destination. While the majority of the cars come in great shape and good condition, we should never treat them as though they are new cars because they are not.
The majority of the cars that we import from Japan are 10, 15 to 20-years-old. They are old cars. As new as they may look, the fact remains that they are old cars and should be given enough attention should one plan to keep theirs for long. The most common fraud to ever come out of Japan is mileage fraud. Their cars are clean and so well taken care of that even if they reduced mileage to zero you’d believe them.
Mileage fraud or odometer fraud is when people roll back their odometers to make it seem like their cars have less mileage than they actually do. Sometimes it’s referred to as clocking or mileage correction. Used car business in Japan is big business as it is now in Zimbabwe and it’s affected by competition like any other business. Sellers will do what they need to do to sell their cars, even if it means rolling back the odometer.
A lot of us check mileage when we buy used cars, the lower the mileage the better the buy, that’s our thinking. But, how real is this mileage that’s being advertised on these cars? The odds now are that you can get an overall better car with 180 000km on it and a worse car with 60 000km on it. With morden cars it’s even easier to “correct” mileage, just plug in a machine and punch in new digits. Those are some of the off-sides technology is bringing with it.
On some sites in Japan they do note if mileage has been “corrected” and some well, they don’t. The problem with mileage is that, if you do not have history of the car and no service history it will be hard to know where to start.
At about 100 000km you’d need to change the crucial components like timing belt and do a major service. Without proper history the best you can do for yourself is to start your own service record before even thinking of driving the car.
First of all, its not advisable to drive long distances with a car that’s fresh out of Japan. A lot of people like driving their “new” cars from as far as Tanzania. That is more than 2 000km with a car that we assume hasn’t been serviced and hasn’t been prepped for long journeys like that. Some of the cars will be coming straight from Japan Auctions. Things like tyres are essential for such long journeys. Some of these cars come with bad tyres that are not safe, some are winter tyres and still no good.
The best way to go about it is to put your car on a carrier, have it delivered safely, do a service on it and enjoy your car till death do you apart.
If you are like me and you don’t usually take chances when it comes to your car, do a major service, change oils, both engine and transmission, change your timing belt or have it checked. Some reputable people do put stickers to show when the belt was changed but the funny thing about it all is, I have seen stickers written timing belt changed at 101 000km then the mileage on the car reads
67 000km . . . that’s some voodoo stuff but I guess by now you know what would have happened . . . low mileage sells cars, that’s the long and short of it so be well aware of these things.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some of these cars are auction cars and dealers buy them from auctions. Some would have been condemned for one reason or the other and the dealers will not really disclose than to you. So, it is worth your while to have a car checked and serviced before you drive it so that you can fully enjoy your new purchase. The last thing that you want is your “new” car breaking down.
Some dealers are friendly in Japan so much that they do avail history of the car you intend to buy. Some background checks and inquiries on the car you want to buy can save you the headaches. Some people however, have had the short end of the stick served to them by some bogus dealers who show images of one car and then deliver another.
To avoid all that it’s wise to use reputable dealers with good references. So whether you were conned or not is a debate you can now conclude for yourself but the things I have mentioned are worth noting when getting a Japanese car.
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Happy Motoring Mates!
Online Reporter