Does anyone have any suggestions on whether we could link up with a Jap Scooby bbs so that we could try and trace the history of our imported cars. Surely Japan has a similar HPI service or their domestic dealers hold the same info that UK dealers do on history. I certainly would like to know the full history on MY93 WRX. Suggestions please?!

I thought i heard a rumour that you could do that already in the UK. Remember that tv report that said something like 50% of all imports stopped by police were stolen or something like that.

There was uproar and i seem to remember reading that Jap imports could be HPI'd. Maybe i am wrong or dreamt it.

when you buy an import you should get the de-reg doc, this has the previous owners details on.

All you need is a translator, send them a letter, hey presto.

Did the HPI but it only records back to when the car was imported (in my case Jan 2000) so I'm happy to say that it wasnt stolen between Jan 2000 and when I bought it. Iif I don't have the de-reg doc is there anyway of getting hold of it?

It would be good if I could contact "Mr or Mrs Hammimoto" or whoever owned the car before me but I was thinking more along the lines of checking the Jap service record from a dealers database? I would also contact previous owner(s) but cant without the de-reg doc.

This might sound like a strange idea but try your local cop shop, they did say at the time of the tv report that they would help prospective import buyers make sure the car they were thinking of wasnt stolen, etc.

Maybe a bit late for you as if it IS/WAS stolen, you might have to say bye bye to it.

Or you could ask them hypothetically ;)

If you want to know if its been serviced regularly before leaving Japan, just look for little stickers bunched together somewhere on the car. Mine are on the inside of the fuel filler flap. Other places to look are the drivers door frame, and the underside of the bonnet.

Any good bodyshop should be able to tell you if its had a serious crash, and to be honest now that you have the car - that and its service record all you really want to know.

Good idea but they aint gonna know if the cambelt was done at 45k etc thats why I wanted to try and find out how to check with Jap dealers?

If that is the reason you want to know I would recommend changing the cam belt anyway.

It might be expensive but if the camshaft and crankshaft start turning at mismatched speeds it gets very messy, and expensive very quickly.

You do get a very cool cloud of white smoke following you down the road though. :eek:

I believe the "50% of imports from Japan" thingy is horlicks.
They dont have anywhere near the car crime problems of this country.
Apparently it was the middle east route, some stolen cars were coming in from.(Dubai)
A car for export cannot be given de-registration docs unless the identity of the car is checked out.
If you import your own car you will get a copy of these.

Do the Japs paint the mileage onto the cambelt housing like they do over here?