Official garage won't service Japanese import.

pizzacooper

Hi, I wonder where do people with the Japanese hybrid import like Honda Freed, Toyota Estima, Honda Jade, etc…so the one that doesn't have a version sold in EU does the servicing which include checking the hybrid part. I called up the official dealership and they all say they don't touch any imports.

I wonder if there is a hybrid specialist garage? For example, I have a Prius and usually do annually service with Toyota especially because of the hybrid health check part, and just to get the stamp on the service book for resale purpose down the road. But when the Toyota said to change this and that for example new pads, etc. I took the car then the trusty garage close to me for a cheaper price. And so I would like to do the same if I happened to have Japanese hybrid import.

Thanks.

User1998

Any independent mechanic can service them. You don’t need to continuously check the hybrid system

pizzacooper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123320307#Comment_123320307

I see. I suppose thinking that these cars usually 10+ years now, would be good to see the hybrid battery health. I know there is a way to DIY but I am not really handy.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123320449#Comment_123320449

You can check the battery condition on the older Prius through the media screen. Not sure about Honda or Estima. You can probably get a diagnostic test

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058404869/official-garage-wont-service-japanese-import

Ask around locally there are a few independent garages about that specialise in hybrids.

artanevilla

They are doing you a favour, they will rip you off.

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058404869/official-garage-wont-service-japanese-import

Couple of things - dont buy a Freed or Jade - they werent sold in the EU (parts for these two models especially are a disaster to get ) so most Honda dealers dont have the software (or the staff) that know how to use the software for diagnostics - to be completely honest the Honda software only requires you to change regions to JDM (japanese domestic market) but what I found is that main dealers (except the one I was in) wouldnt take in Jap imports.

I had a fairly big customer base of Jap import owners but that was only because my master tech knew how to diagnose the Jap stuff and we had no issues working on them. Its the same with some of the generic diagnostic machines - they cant read some Jap stuff and dont include oddball models under the respective licence for the machine.

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123320524#Comment_123320524

No way to see it on the Honda dash but honestly the batteries dont fail on the Fit,Vezel, Insight etc - The only battery that is useless on the Hondas is the Civic Hybrid (the old version) - barely last 8-10 years. And once the battery goes the car is f**cked.

Honda use the hybrid system differently than other manufacturers - its an "assist" to the petrol engine and doent give any real hybrid range and Ive found this system doesnt seem to kill batteries - my own 2014 Insight still has 92% capacity and 94% state of charge on it - only checked it at the last service in November - it could be the other way around - either way its still well up there for a 11 year old battery. The lowest Ive ever seen was a Fit with 85% state of charge and 88% capacity. Even with a dead Fit/Insight battery the car will still drive on the petrol engine unlike the civics system.

pizzacooper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123322123#Comment_123322123

Yeah that's my concern but the Freed and Jade is perfect for my family (5+ seats). I just want to use Japanese car so I know there's Prius+ but it always above my budget at the moment. Estima, etc will fall into the Jap-import category. Yeah I am just grew up with Japanese car (Toyota/Honda/Mazda, not really trust Nissan lol) so I couldn't make myself looking at C4 Grandtourer, Ford, VW Touran or 5008 (event though the new 5008 looks nice, above budget anyway).

See how a lot of Irish families have 3-4 kids, I thought a like of Toyota Sienna would be perfect. I guess the only choice left is the Corolla Verso.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123323110#Comment_123323110

Yeah the auto gearbox in Nissans can be unreliable, and extremely expensive to fix. Estima is a great car. I sold a few of them before.

pizzacooper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123323119#Comment_123323119

Yeah, Estima I can afford at the moment is quite the older one. But I think older Toyota is not the end of the world.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123323148#Comment_123323148

Just make sure its 2008+ so you get cheap tax

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123323110#Comment_123323110

Looks theres no problem buying these as long as you know what you are getting into - Service bits, filters, brakes all available locally but say you had a crash and needed a headlight - you could be waiting 12 - 16 weeks for a new one.

Some bits are Japan supply only and arent stocked in the EU warehouses and thats what causes the delays.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123323250#Comment_123323250

I wouldn’t be too concerned about body parts. They are usually the insurance company’s problem, they’ll just write the car off and you can go buy another one.

Hellrazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123323302#Comment_123323302

True - I had one customer who had a Stream written off because the headlamp was 9 months away!!!

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123323327#Comment_123323327

Sure the Aquas and Vitz get written off all the time because of the ignition barrels. I used to buy loads of stolen recovered Jap cars that were in perfect condition apart from the ignition. All I done was replace the busted ignition with a push start button for €150 and it was all sorted. But thats not good enough for an insurance company. They rather write the car off and pay out €6000 to the customer 🤷🏻‍♂️

goochy

saw a jap import ' micra ' the other day with a VERY BIG sticker on one of the rear door window saying ' alarm and immobiliser ' fitted