Andy Wrote:
Japan Domestic Market engines are required by law to be replaced at low milage
like 35,000. There are thousands of cars that get a motor transplant at 35,000
miles and the old motors find their way to America.
This is absolutely NOT true, and is likely a story invented by Japanese engine
importers in the late 70s or early 80s to help sell their imported engines.
There are NO laws in Japan that dictate that an engine needs to be removed from
the vehicle by a certain mileage.
Japan does have an artificial means to support their automobile industry, but
that is dictated by age, not mileage.
Japanese car regulations require a vehicle to have an inspection
called Shaken once a vehicle reaches 10-years of age. Shaken is a rigorous
inspection of the entire automobile which inspects all major sections of an
automobile including wheels, tires, brakes, suspension, exhaust, body, engine,
etc. If any of these items need repair, or are found not road worthy, the
vehicle fails.
A Shaken inspection costs about $1000, which is a lot of money to put into a
10-yearold car. Even if your car passes its Shaken inspection, it then needs
to be registered, which depending on the size and output of the vehicle, can
cost an additional $1000. The registration lasts between 1-2 years depending on
what kind of vehicle you own, and then it is time to do it all again
This is why Japan is one of the few countries in the world where a car can
appreciate to zero. If someone handed you a 10-yearold Nissan Silvia, which in
all respects is a perfectly good, 10-yearold car, they have handed you a bill
for $2000 if you want to drive the car on the road again.
This is where the Japanese auto wrecking industry started exporting engines,
which were outliving the cars. Competition for older used cars (say 8-10 years
old) is getting more intense in Japan as many of the finer examples are being
exported to SE Asia, Australia, and especially New Zealand where the used car
market has been completely diluted with 10-yearold used Japanese cars.
A used car in Japan with any sort of body damage is scrapped, and this is where
our beloved imported engines come from
Photos from a recent engine buying trip to Japan can be seen here:
http://datsun510.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=3013&ppuser=8&thumb=1
Michael Spreadbury
Spriso Motorsports
Various SR20DE/T roadsters and 510s
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