mirrors

G Luxel

Seen lots of these on Japanese imports. What is their purpose? I dont ever see them on anything else. Does it look tacky??

colm_mcm

they're to help parking, it's a convex mirror, and they DO work!
you'll sometimes see Previas with a mirror on the back window too. Japanese domestic models frequently have marker poles (sometimes illuminated) fitted to the nearside front bumper to help jusge where the front corner of the car is.

zilog_jones

colm_mcm wrote: »

Japanese domestic models frequently have marker poles (sometimes illuminated) fitted to the nearside front bumper to help jusge where the front corner of the car is.

Oh yeah those things! I always wondered what they were for - I assume they were something to do with parking. They seemed to be more common back in the '80s/'90s, but I guess imports of normal cars where more common then anyway.

Now, what about those small lights that were on top of the wings on some older imports? For example:

DublinDilbert

colm_mcm wrote: »

they're to help parking, it's a convex mirror, and they DO work!
you'll sometimes see Previas with a mirror on the back window too. Japanese domestic models frequently have marker poles (sometimes illuminated) fitted to the nearside front bumper to help jusge where the front corner of the car is.

I thought they became law in Japan for all 4x4's after some politician almost ran over his child in his 4x4.

Spit62500

zilog_jones wrote: »

Now, what about those small lights that were on top of the wings on some older imports? For example:

On my uncle's Laurel (circa 1980) they were bulb failure indicators...

colm_mcm

they mark the corner of the wing for parking as far as I know.

Masada

I had one of those parking stalk thingys that was telescopic on my 91 civic special edition., it had a little button for making it go up and down, was kinda crap looking and took from the look of the car.,lol, japanese people must be really bad parkers or have trouble seeing over the steering wheel or something,.,

ballooba

vtec wrote: »

I had one of those parking stalk thingys that was telescopic on my 91 civic special edition., it had a little button for making it go up and down, was kinda crap looking and took from the look of the car.,lol, japanese people must be really bad parkers or have trouble seeing over the steering wheel or something,.,

Or it could be that space is at a premium in Japan.;)

Hence cars are taxed on size.

dcGT

ballooba wrote: »

Or it could be that space is at a premium in Japan.;)

Hence cars are taxed on size.

Slightly OT, but isn't there a rule in Japan (or certain areas in Japan) that you cannot purchase a car unless you can prove that you have a space to park it. Something that wouldn't be a bad idea over here now that there are so many apartment complexes with shared parking and houses with no driveways, so cars are parked all over ther road :rolleyes:

DC.

L1011

I thought you were allowed a really really small "Kei car" category car even if you had no dedicated space?

dcGT

MYOB wrote: »

I thought you were allowed a really really small "Kei car" category car even if you had no dedicated space?

Not sure....


"The two basic things you have to do when you a buy a car are:

* Register the vehicle and transfer ownership
* Verify a parking space

These two steps involve a great deal of paperwork and complicated Japanese forms. Taking a Japanese-speaker with you is practically a necessity if you cannot read or speak Japanese. If you do not use a dealer, you will need the below (you may not need everything for a Yellow-Plate, but you will need most of it):
Documents you need to buy a car:

1. Alien Registration Card (gaikokujin torokushomeisho) or Alien Registration Completion Certificate if your card has not been issued yet.
2. Personal Seal (inkan or hanko)
3. Personal Seal Certificate (inkan shomeisho) from your local public office.
4. Parking Space Certificate (shako shomeisho) from the police station in the municipality where you applied for alien registration. (This may not be needed in a rural area. See below on how to get one.)
5. Valid Driver's License (unten menkyo) "

http://www.supermelf.com/japan/ajetdrivingbook/chap1.html

It doesn't say anything about Kei's/yellow plates being exempt from parking space certs...

DC.

zilog_jones

AFAIK you don't need your own parking space for a kei/yellow plate car. The Wikipedia says this (I've heard it from elsewhere before too) and cites this place which says it's only needed for "white plate" cars (i.e. any larger private 4-wheel vehicles).

Current yellow plate restrictions are 3.4m long, 1.48m wide, 660cc and a max. power of 64 PS. The Daihatsu Copen and the current Charade would be examples, except they stick much larger engines in the European versions (1.2 and 1.0).

mcguiver

Earlier poster is correct re. politician.
A few years a go one of the Japanese ministers had an incident and brought in a law regarding these mirrors.
Great Japanese methods.... see a problem, fix it, unlike our moan about it methods