Japanese imports, Prius

yakoub

I want to buy a Toyota Prius and most of the cars I found on DoneDeal/Cars Of Ireland/Car Zone are Japanese import. At least the cars that have less mileage and good price. My question is: Is there any issue with buying a Japanese import car? will the spare parts be an issue? is there any well known problem with them, especially the Prius.

corks finest

yakoub wrote:

I want to buy a Toyota Prius and most of the cars I found on DoneDeal/Cars Of Ireland/Car Zone are Japanese import. At least the cars that have less mileage and good price. My question is: Is there any issue with buying a Japanese import car? will the spare parts be an issue? is there any well known problem with them, especially the Prius.

No issue on my 3rd , liberty insurance, fantastic automatic cars all Jap hybrids , ref Prius don't know as I've a honda insight,reliable,low mileage,clean dependable,Jap import way to go, honest John will give you a good review( non import) AFAIK Prius is bulletproof

yakoub

What about the spare parts? The Japanese cars may be using different part numbers, did you find any issue finding the needed parts?

zilog_jones

As there is only one engine configuration, no difference in bodywork, and they're all built in Japan, I can't imagine you'd have much trouble getting parts for a Japanese Prius.

What you won't get is the hybrid system warranty up to 15 years (if you bring it in to a dealer for annual checks) - Toyota Ireland only cover cars originally sold in the EU.

sumo12

You'll struggle to get diagnostic work / wiring work done on it. Toyota dealer diagnostic plug in won't work and you will not be able to get wiring diagrams etc. That said, 3rd party diagnostic machines may read it ok, and not much goes wrong with them anyways. Parts are no issue either.

corks finest

yakoub wrote:

What about the spare parts? The Japanese cars may be using different part numbers, did you find any issue finding the needed parts?

Euro parts/ Mick's garage/Mr auto.ie etc etc no problems

corks finest

sumo12 wrote:

You'll struggle to get diagnostic work / wiring work done on it. Toyota dealer diagnostic plug in won't work and you will not be able to get wiring diagrams etc. That said, 3rd party diagnostic machines may read it ok, and not much goes wrong with them anyways. Parts are no issue either.

Regards HONDA and I suggest the same applies to Toyota same computer in all main garages whether in Japan or Ireland

Hector Island

I just bought an import Prius and the language on the screen is Japanese. Any ideas on how to get it changed to English? I love the car, by the way...

FionnK86

Hector Island wrote: »

I just bought an import Prius and the language on the screen is Japanese. Any ideas on how to get it changed to English? I love the car, by the way...

Remember coming home G-eyed from Diceys looking at taxi with Japanese writing and the visualisation of the wheels moving while the battery charges. Thought it was the devils water messing with my brain.

zilog_jones

Hector Island wrote: »

I just bought an import Prius and the language on the screen is Japanese. Any ideas on how to get it changed to English? I love the car, by the way...

There are people who will do conversions: https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/prius-japanese-to-english-mobile-service-sale/18430508

Just an example, I don't have personal experience with this service. Around €150 seems to be the going rate though.

There's no way to change the language from Japanese without re-flashing the firmware, and a Toyota dealer will not help you. It's probably intended to discourage grey imports.

yakoub

Thanks guys for your replies, I am more confident now to buy a Japanese import.

Do you know how can I check its history in Japan? what should I do to make sure the car is in a good shape, do I need to take a mechanic with me or shall I take it to Toyota?

zilog_jones

Cartell.ie use this crowd for Japanese imports: https://carvx.jp

Green90

I bought a Japanese import (Hybrid Toyota Prius) in April 2019. Had no problem moving my existing insurance over for a small fee. Now that I need to renew the insurance I've been blankly declined by 3 insurers (FBD, Allianz and Cornmarket). With the explanation of "We decline to insure any vehicles imported from Japan".

Hector Island

Green90 wrote: »

I bought a Japanese import (Hybrid Toyota Prius) in April 2019. Had no problem moving my existing insurance over for a small fee. Now that I need to renew the insurance I've been blankly declined by 3 insurers (FBD, Allianz and Cornmarket). With the explanation of "We decline to insure any vehicles imported from Japan".

Wow! They didn't elaborate?

Did you get insurance elsewhere?

MicksGarage.com

yakoub wrote: »

I want to buy a Toyota Prius and most of the cars I found on DoneDeal/Cars Of Ireland/Car Zone are Japanese import. At least the cars that have less mileage and good price. My question is: Is there any issue with buying a Japanese import car? will the spare parts be an issue? is there any well known problem with them, especially the Prius.

There shouldn't be any issue at all. You can check out all our Prius parts here.

2011abc

One word : Insurance ! Potential nightmare ( if you can even get it )

yakoub

Does anybody know how can I run a health check on the Japanese Import? I called multiple Toyota Dealers and they all said they can't do it because of the different software. One said they will try, but it may not work.

zilog_jones

For a hybrid? You could do it yourself. Get a OBD2 scanner and Dr. Prius app.

yakoub

but how can I test the battery? the mechanical system in general? I thought this will be done in the Health Check

zilog_jones

You can do a battery health check with that app. Whether or not it's the same as Toyota's health check, I don't know, but it's better than nothing. The main thing to watch out for is significant voltage deviation between the blocks.

Mechanically, it's just normal car stuff, except for the transmission - Toyota say the transmission fluid is lifetime, but some people do change it. There doesn't seem to be a consensus there.

For the Gen 3 Prius (and anything else that shares the engine) it's recommended to clean out the EGR valve, cooler and pipework every 160k km.

Spook_ie

Had a Japanese import Toyota Camry 96 plate a couple of taxis ago, pretty much bullet proof but stop/tail bulbs were always a problem, big capless buggers. Rented an imported Prius for a week and found it very off putting that it kept talking to me in Japanes and I had no idea if it was telling me something serious about to go wrong or just a polite message to drive safely.

Oh and when the guy maintaining the car changed a h/l bulb for it flickering was the weirdest bulb I'd ever seen but maybe they're all like that now.

zilog_jones

Spook_ie wrote: »

Rented an imported Prius for a week and found it very off putting that it kept talking to me in Japanes and I had no idea if it was telling me something serious about to go wrong or just a polite message to drive safely.

Talking with a voice? Maybe the ETC card reader (for toll roads) wasn't removed or something?

If there's a serious problem, the master warning light would appear (yellow triangle) and it will beep at you incessantly. If it's just text appearing on the MFD, it's probably on the settings screen and telling you that you can't enter the settings until you stop driving.

Spook_ie

zilog_jones wrote: »

Talking with a voice? Maybe the ETC card reader (for toll roads) wasn't removed or something?

If there's a serious problem, the master warning light would appear (yellow triangle) and it will beep at you incessantly. If it's just text appearing on the MFD, it's probably on the settings screen and telling you that you can't enter the settings until you stop driving.

Absolutely no idea what it was telling me, was most disconcerting, but it was a vocal cue not writing on the MFD

zilog_jones

Probably either the satnav or some aftermarket accessory (like ETC reader, I know they talk), the car itself doesn't talk.

corks finest

Hector Island wrote: »

I just bought an import Prius and the language on the screen is Japanese. Any ideas on how to get it changed to English? I love the car, by the way...

Guy on ( was) adverts in city West dies the Prius, couldn't do my HONDA,you might have totraw a bit( I might have it saved on my insight central forum)

corks finest

Green90 wrote: »

I bought a Japanese import (Hybrid Toyota Prius) in April 2019. Had no problem moving my existing insurance over for a small fee. Now that I need to renew the insurance I've been blankly declined by 3 insurers (FBD, Allianz and Cornmarket). With the explanation of "We decline to insure any vehicles imported from Japan".

Liberty

corks finest

2011abc wrote: »

One word : Insurance ! Potential nightmare ( if you can even get it )

Liberty

Hector Island

2011abc wrote: »

One word : Insurance ! Potential nightmare ( if you can even get it )

I've spoken now to several owners of Japanese imports and they say that insurance wasn't a problem at all. One of them had Liberty, and another has 123.ie...

john_doe.

Hector Island wrote: »

I've spoken now to several owners of Japanese imports and they say that insurance wasn't a problem at all. One of them had Liberty, and another has 123.ie...

Also Interested in this .

Was looking to get the PHEV model .
Where u thinking of getting car from ?

john_doe.

john_doe. wrote: »

Also Interested in this .

Was looking to get the PHEV model .
Where u thinking of getting car from ?

Scratch that abandoned idea of PHEV for regular Prius . Looking at some auctions to get an idea.

corner of hells

Anyone have any experience or knowledge around Japanese imports ?
My wife has set her eye on a Prius Import Hybrid with less than 60k on the clock.
It looks good but I just don't know.
Anyone any opinions suggestions on what I should be looking at ?

Pops_20

Is it a recent import, or has it had a previous owner in Ireland?

In general, Japanese imports are in better condition and have better spec than equivalent cars that are sold here, but you still have to be careful to ensure that mileage is genuine and that there is no serious accident history.

If you can get the chassis number (VIN number) of the car you are looking at, you can get an auction history report from carvx.jp. This will give you the records of any times the car was through an auction in japan, and the mileage/condition at the time. You will also get the auctions pictures of the car. It is €29 if I recall correctly.

Duke O Smiley

I sell a few of them, and have very little trouble doing so and so far none have been back with issues or any sort of trouble. Just check that your insurance company will cover Japanese imports, or find a company that will. There are a lot of dealers selling them these days, including a lot of cowboys. How well the cars are “assimilated” varies wildly, and obviously it’s important you get a good one. For example, a rectangular rear plate rather than a square one when the car is registered looks a lot better, the instrument cluster and infotainment screen should be converted to English, and check that the tyres are E marked. Japanese cars don’t come with E marked tyres (to say they are up to EU standard) and you wouldn’t struggle to come across outfits that would put a set of wheels with E marked tyres to get it through a test, and put back on the old wheels and tyres when done...and rinse and repeat many times. By the time the next test comes around you’re stung then for a new set of tyres.

I’d be a bit of skeptical of 60k miles on one to be honest. What year is it?

corner of hells

Duke O Smiley wrote: »

I sell a few of them, and have very little trouble doing so and so far none have been back with issues or any sort of trouble. Just check that your insurance company will cover Japanese imports, or find a company that will. There are a lot of dealers selling them these days, including a lot of cowboys. How well the cars are “assimilated” varies wildly, and obviously it’s important you get a good one. For example, a rectangular rear plate rather than a square one when the car is registered looks a lot better, the instrument cluster and infotainment screen should be converted to English, and check that the tyres are E marked. Japanese cars don’t come with E marked tyres (to say they are up to EU standard) and you wouldn’t struggle to come across outfits that would put a set of wheels with E marked tyres to get it through a test, and put back on the old wheels and tyres when done...and rinse and repeat many times. By the time the next test comes around you’re stung then for a new set of tyres.

I’d be a bit of skeptical of 60k miles on one to be honest. What year is it?

There's a few of them, Prius 2012-2014.

corner of hells

Thanks for the replies.

corks finest

corner of hells wrote: »

Anyone have any experience or knowledge around Japanese imports ?
My wife has set her eye on a Prius Import Hybrid with less than 60k on the clock.
It looks good but I just don't know.
Anyone any opinions suggestions on what I should be looking at ?

I'm on my 3rd no issues whatsoever,( just me looking to change every 2 years) liberty insure me no problems,flew the NCT in blarney last week( Honda insight) auto - great spec what's not to like? And I reckon the Prius is better

Cee-Jay-Cee

corks finest wrote: »

I'm on my 3rd no issues whatsoever,( just me looking to change every 2 years) liberty insure me no problems,flew the NCT in blarney last week( Honda insight) auto - great spec what's not to like? And I reckon the Prius is better

Is the insurance loaded when it’s an import?

scamalert

i dont get this MOB rip off culture from insurance companies- grand if its some evo9, but prius or some low end model, even most of them ask now if its UK import - like wtf is there some double standards, as buying here most times you get bare bones shell, and metal hubs for wheels if not forking out few thousand over extras, which seem norm in most countries and arent taxed trough the roof to make profit.


Since in theory every car in Ireland is import be it by dealer or independent and standards are kept proper doesnt matter if its for UK, Germany or Japan - so extra insurance seems like rip off Ireland.

NBar

scamalert wrote: »

i dont get this MOB rip off culture from insurance companies- grand if its some evo9, but prius or some low end model, even most of them ask now if its UK import - like wtf is there some double standards, as buying here most times you get bare bones shell, and metal hubs for wheels if not forking out few thousand over extras, which seem norm in most countries and arent taxed trough the roof to make profit.


Since in theory every car in Ireland is import be it by dealer or independent and standards are kept proper doesnt matter if its for UK, Germany or Japan - so extra insurance seems like rip off Ireland.

Japanese cars imported don't come with immobilizers fitted as standard and also they look at the parts for repair etc

projectgtr

NBar wrote: »

Japanese cars imported don't come with immobilizers fitted as standard and also they look at the parts for repair etc

Regarding immobilizers i dont think its been like that since the 90s or early 00s, any modern import ive brought in or seen has had one fitted, though i did have to fit one to my 95 Civic SiR which ironically didnt bring down insurance but gave me piece of mind as the are ridiculously easy to steal with a simple screwdriver.

How come there were gazillions of Jap imports in the early 90s in Ireland like white civics and Nissan Marches? Was it exchange rate related or something?

punisher5112

[Deleted User] wrote: »

How come there were gazillions of Jap imports in the early 90s in Ireland like white civics and Nissan Marches? Was it exchange rate related or something?

Cheaper as Japan needs rid for emissions.

Del2005

projectgtr wrote: »

Regarding immobilizers i dont think its been like that since the 90s or early 00s, any modern import ive brought in or seen has had one fitted, though i did have to fit one to my 95 Civic SiR which ironically didnt bring down insurance but gave me piece of mind as the are ridiculously easy to steal with a simple screwdriver.

It doesn't matter if the car has a immobilizer or not, the scumbags will try to steal it as they think they don't. I'd JDM Primera attempted to be robbed from outside my apartment, they didn't get it started because it had an aftermarket immobiliser fitted but they made a mess of the steering wheel plastics.

Deleted User wrote: »

How come there were gazillions of Jap imports in the early 90s in Ireland like white civics and Nissan Marches? Was it exchange rate related or something?

They were good value but then we got "rich" during the boom and only bought new cars. Brexit made us go back to buying 2nd hand cars again as they are cheap.

corks finest

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Is the insurance loaded when it’s an import?

Mine didn't change an iota

tuxy

Should you ask for a copy of the original auction sheet?

corks finest

NBar wrote: »

Japanese cars imported don't come with immobilizers fitted as standard and also they look at the parts for repair etc

AFAIK that's wrong,all mine had them

tuxy

NBar wrote: »

Japanese cars imported don't come with immobilizers fitted as standard and also they look at the parts for repair etc

That may have been the case years ago.

corks finest

tuxy wrote: »

That may have been the case years ago.

Correct,just checked my insight,yes definitely has an immobilizer

tuxy

yeah it was a thing up until the early 2000's as car theft is very low in Japan but now I think all of them have Immobilisers as standard.

enricoh

A mate had an older Prius n had a tip in it. The bumper was different than the EU ones iirc and it was going to take forever to get one from Japan so insurance just wrote it off, much to his disappointment.

corks finest

enricoh wrote: »

A mate had an older Prius n had a tip in it. The bumper was different than the EU ones iirc and it was going to take forever to get one from Japan so insurance just wrote it off, much to his disappointment.

Yep,but reckon most if not all modern Prius etc are same size/