Claims on auction vehicles:
In a nutshell, there are none. However in saying that there are some rules the auction has in regards to some claims for 5 days after purchase. For that to happen first I need to have the vehicle delivered to me in my city in time, then I need to be able to drive it and that is not always possible and even then it needs to fit within their “Claim Rules” if the car is older and/or higher mileage there is generally no claims.
Now that does not mean there is anything wrong with auction cars and 99% of the time they don’t have any problems. The 1% is the reason why you are purchasing cars well below their market value in your country to allow for any items that the auction staff do not pick up on when they grade them.
Checking cars yourself at auctions:
Yes you can and this is exactly what I do but there are rules for checking cars yourself that we must abide by as we run the risk of losing our membership by breaking them, Japan is very disciplined on its rules not only in auction but daily life. So we are not allowed to drive them, we can start and run them only. We’re very limited on what we are allowed to remove for inspection such as interior panels etc. Lifting of carpets is only allowed on vehicles that are not held down.
Underbody inspections are only what we can do on the ground on the day, with 4x4’s this is more easy as they are higher off the ground but low cars we cannot get under them nor any way of doing so. Keep that in mind when pricing cars.
So in a nutshell you need to understand I (or anyone else checking cars here) do not have x-ray vision so again this is why you are buying cars at dealer cost.
Dealers from no matter what country are limited by the same rules and take the same risks although now only small.
What happens after purchase:
I buy cars from all over Japan so once something has been purchased they all get transported the port in my city of Nagoya. It is there I am able to take better pictures of the cars and I have more control over anything needed on its pre shipment inspection.
Each country has different rules for this but the NZ market for example every vehicle must go through a check for any inner cargo that needs to be removed, a basic inspection for any structural issues along with an MPI inspection.
Between the 1st September until the 1st April ALL vehicles much be heat treated in Japan prior to departure.
Inner Cargo as mentioned above is seldom allowed now with shipping lines so things like extra wheels inside a vehicle must be removed. Only things like service books and extra keys are allowed to stay inside vehicles.
There are the odd exceptions if any smaller parts are directly related to the vehicle.
All of the paperwork and customs on the Japan end is carried out by my export agent who I have been doing business with since 1998 and is included in the export fees you get charged.
Depending on your country most customs clearance at the port of destination is carried out by the shipping company and is covered in the ocean freight. Taxes and/or duties need to be paid in most countries which the shipping company will most likely pay on your behalf and you pay them a total figure.
Paperwork from me will be posted to you via courier about 1 week after the ship sails as we do not get the B/L (Bill of Laden) until then.
Odometer tampering.
This is now a thing of the past with some understandable exceptions.
We are all aware of the stories from days gone by but in 2005 there was a major change in the registration system that allowed for transparency. Adding to that the auctions Japan wide made a no exception policy on anyone found to be altering odometers has the membership to all auctions Japan wide cancelled.
Part of the auction inspection is for a history search on the vehicle as they now have full access to a nationwide database and if there is any discrepancy it is documented in writing on the auction sheet along with an * next to the mileage on the auction sheet to bring our attention to it.
The exception to this rule is on older classics that only have 5 digit odometers and particularly if the car was originally imported to Japan from another country there is simply no way of knowing if its correct or not so a high percentage of these vehicles get marked with the * explaining the reason why.
Occasionally however I do find these old cars that are listed as genuine mileage.
Export Fees:
All vehicles that are purchased in Japan for export will have some kind of export fees involved with the vehicle no matter what country you are from.
These export fees include:
Auction fees.
This can also vary depending on which section of cars it was bought from also if it was bought via negotiation.
Transport cost to the nearest shipping port.
But in my case there may be extra transport fees to get it to my city of choice, this can potentially cost you less in the long run with no outside work needed if it needs something for its pre shipment inspection.
Port charges
De-registration Fees
Customs fees
Courier Fees for International Paperwork delivery
And a small profit for the export agent for them doing the running around and doing all the paperwork.
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