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Mileage correction, all legit honest!
zetec - 9/9/16 at 03:18 PM

I've just bought a Merc 190e which is from Japan. Nice lo miles, or so the speedo says, but it is in KPH. I've got a MPH one on its way from a breakers but with something like 3 times the mileage showing.

I did hear that he are companies which will correct the displayed mileage to the correct value for the car, old school display with numbered wheels, and supply a letter confirming why it was done etc. Now I know anyone could print a letter saying blah blah blah but I was wondering if there was such a process?

I don't want to try and do it myself as there is a good chance it will bugger up the clock.

HowardB - 9/9/16 at 03:22 PM

connect the speedo drive to a drill,...wind it round all the way and then back to where you want it to be?

zetec - 9/9/16 at 03:49 PM

With a 6 digit reading I suspect it might take a while. I did speak to an importer who said they have a company swap the speedo over and register the fact, but he did not mention who they were...probably his mate next door!

I do remember a mate, who was a part time dealer, telling me he opened up a Capri speedo once to find a note saying
" F8ck me not again"!

gremlin1234 - 9/9/16 at 04:24 PM

its quite legitimate to swap a speedo, unless you are trying to deceive people that its a lower mileage.
mechanical ones are usually quite easy to change, and its not unreasonable to set it to zero. or calc the mileage from the km one (ie divide the km reading by 1.6, and use that.)

however for jap imports it common to change the printed backplate to show miles, but leave the odometer in km.

edit take a couple of photos as you change them over, preferably with a date on them, and keep those with the v5.

[Edited on 9/9/16 by gremlin1234]

Toprivetguns - 9/9/16 at 05:23 PM

I've seen several mercs from Japan, but never had the guts to buy one.

Did you use a trusted dealer?

morcus - 9/9/16 at 05:57 PM

If you keep a record of the old one you take out and the mileage on the new one when you put it in you can see what the true mileage by taking off the difference (Remembering to convert the KM to miles before working out the difference).

Selling will be the only time it would be looked at and unless you were trying to pass it off as a UK car t shouldn't be an issue.

zetec - 9/9/16 at 07:50 PM

I did spend sometime researching buying direct but it is not for the faint hearted! There are plenty of agents who will arrange all the shipping and paper work and suggest different cars but from what I can tell the auction description does not always tell the full story. Some lower grade cars can be better bets, it might be they have just a minor issue that means they drop from a condition 4 to a 3.5...You really need a very trusted contact to rely on.

I ended up buying from a chap who worked in Japan for a while and ended up buying the car from a work contact and shipped it back himself. From what I can tell imported cars cost a lot out there, most have to be garaged and their MOT is a real stinker. So if they have a car they tend to really and I mean really look after them.

I bought a Merc 190E 2.6 auto, loads of kit that they hardly ever have on a UK car. It is like a 1 year old UK car, zero rust and not a aftermarket part on it. Seems like prices of good cars is following the Cosworth ones up (they are now £15K for a reasonable one)....few years ago they were peanuts! So I went for a 2.6 with just 20 BHP less than the 2.3 Cossie, nice smooth 6 cylinder auto for the price of a 7 year old Ford Focus.


[Edited on 9/9/16 by zetec]

[Edited on 9/9/16 by zetec]

Toprivetguns - 9/9/16 at 08:36 PM

Fantastic - look forward to the pictures.

zetec - 9/9/16 at 10:15 PM

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computid - 9/9/16 at 10:46 PM

quote:
Originally posted by zetec
most have to be garaged and their MOT is a real stinker. So if they have a car they tend to really and I mean really look after them.


Sorry, but I have to say that some of this just isn't true!

The garage situation completely depends upon what part of Japan you're in, but a lot of cars are stored in outside parking lots once you get outside of the centre of major cities. This is generally fine in places around Tokyo and Nagoya (although the Japanese Climate is quite humid a lot of the time), but around areas like Kobe I'd be more careful due to being on the coast.

Yes, the Shaken is a PITA, but mainly due to cost (around £1100!) and it's due every 2 years after the vehicle is 3 years old for cars. It's for the most part very similar to our MOT, except a bit stricter with regards to Body kits, exhaust emissions, exhaust noise and they test the speedometer accuracy.

From what I've been told, vehicles are only usually exported once they become too expensive to keep on the road in Japan, but this obviously isn't always the case!

I've seen some cars in interesting states in Japan, you can get a dodgy Shaken much like you can get a dodgy MOT, but it's not too common. Some of the bikes I've seen on the other hand have been in a right state!

The car you've got looks very clean, and this absolutely isn't a knock on it at all, but Japanese imports aren't always the land of Milk and Honey people think they are. They can be, but it's very much Buyer beware, so make sure you trust your agent!

Congrats on the purchase!

Toprivetguns - 11/9/16 at 06:02 PM

Not that you would, however please let me buy that! Hehe

Love the 190 shape to bits.