Japanese car imports

[Yann]

I would like to take this opprtunity to thank Tony, Terence et al and of course Kerrie at Barratt Shipping for helping me become the happiest chappy on the forum today
Have to show her off

[img]http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/857/tubbyfront8lp.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7261/tubyass8oj.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8166/tubbyint6ig.jpg[/img]

And my fave photo so far......looking mean and low (front splitter almost scrapes the ground going into the garage....... have to go sloooooooow)

[img]http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1593/tubbyright2nj.jpg[/img]

[MidNite-D]

Nice one Yann, glad to hear that it is now yours. When did actually get to you, I mean you had to take photos and post them, so maybe 9.53pm, . The FTO arrived in Liverpool yesterday so we will be picking it up sometime next week. You'll have to let us know how she drives, but for the moment I bet you keep looking at it and saying to yourself," That's my car"!!!

MidNite

[Yann]

[quote="MidNite-D"]Nice one Yann, glad to hear that it is now yours. When did actually get to you, I mean you had to take photos and post them, so maybe 9.53pm, .

MidNite [/quote]

You cheeky so and so
She was actually delivered on Tuesday but been putting some bits and bobs on (boost controller, sidelights etc) aswell as trying to clean her in between rain and hail showers lol. Just waiting for new tyres to be delivered and fitted then it's off for MOT. Although we may have a problem there........the alloys have locking nuts and I can't find a key for them
Looks like she had been used for drifting aswell, Tein coilovers and extremely bald rear tyres, front ones are fine.
Yes I do keep looking at her thinking THAT'S MY CAR!! only one I've ever had that's given me a huge ear to ear grin from just looking at her

[Al-Stracyznski]

Well done mate... Glad it's arrived safely...

[sutats.com]

I love it! It's a great example. What auction grade was it and how much did you pay for her? How have you converted the rear fog lights? Also what goodies came with the car? Cheers!

[Yann]

The auction grade I couldn't tell you as it was an advanpartners dealership purchase but I would have said a 3.5 or 4, interior is pretty much spotless but paintwork has one tiny little ding and really needs a blowover to get rid of a multitude of light scratches and tiny bits of peeling lacquer (it is an 11 yr old car after all!) but still polishes up nicely :D and engine has obvioulsy been well looked after too, no oil anywhere, no leaks, and none of the dreaded mayo deposits anywhere and I managed to spot a nice shiny,clean and very new looking Momo oilfilter (not much I know but I'm easily impressed lol )

After a good polish: (ignore my ugly fizzog in the reflection lol)
[img]http://img348.imageshack.us/img348/2043/shiny5qk.jpg[/img]

Mods that I know of so far from looking are:

Apexi Induction,
Fujitsubo Legalis R exhaust,
Momo steering wheel,
TRD gearknob,
Apexi EL Boost gauge (which means there's a controller there somewhere for more gauges),
Tein coilovers, (doesn't look that low in the photos but believe me speed bumps are a definite no go area! was a bit hairy getting her off the trailer)
Volk TE16 alloys,
was told it has a turbo timer fitted but can't see one and haven't had the opportunity to run the turbo hard enough to find out if it has the rarer factory fitted one,
Tints (obviously)
and I have the distinct impression that the clutch/flywheel has been uprated aswell, going by the feel of it, may just be normal though.

Then of course you have the standard factory options:
factory fitted 6 speaker CD/Tape/Radio(only radio2 of course lol)
Electric Folding mirrors (nice :) I love them )
one touch windows, passenger window lock, pushbutton central locking etc etc
Full climate control Air Con
Half leather int and shagpile carpets lol
(did come with the Dandism?(sp?) MR2 floormats which I believe are quite hard to find? but took them out as they need a REALLY good clean)

Mods done after I got her:
Blitz dumpvalve,
Clear side repeaters (which were unexpectedly more difficult than anticipated)
changed the gaiter for a nice shiny new leather one,
Border front bumper, Rev 5 spoiler, Toms skirts and Border rear spats on order but not sure if I'll fit them now, quite like the way she looks at the moment and would probably mean having to raise the ride height a bit.
Apexi AVCR EBC gets plumbed in and setup properly in a couple of weeks (I had a few problems when doing it myself )
Got some nice Razo carbonfibre pedals to put on aswell.

Rear lights were rewired so all four are on and all work as brakelights unless the foglight switch is on and then the inside two become foglights only.Got the wiring diagram from a very helpful guy in the owners club.

diagram is posted in "my garage" for anyone that needs it.
Bit of a long post, sorry but as you can probably tell, I'm really happy with my import, just hope she passes her MOT on Thursday
and to answer your other question Sutats, she cost around ?4500 in total (incl shipping, tax, fees etc)

Midnite: Looking forward to seeing some proper pics when you collect your FTO,I'll bet she's still a stunner despite the scratch.

[MidNite-D]

[quote] Yes I do keep looking at her thinking THAT'S MY CAR!! only one I've ever had that's given me a huge ear to ear grin from just looking at her Cool Very Happy[/quote]

Hi mate, I know the feeling you are talking and it stays with you for a while, makes you feel good inside as well. Well it all sounds llike its taking shape for you, you'll have to post some pics when you've got everything on that you want and she's capable of being driven on the open roads. Let us know how she drives as well.

MidNite

[Yann]

well, drove her properly for the first time today (MOT) and loved it.................but........and it's a big but.

Failed MOT

Bloody miserable at the moment now.....gone from sheer elation to really p'd off.
Everything was fine except for suspension, both rear coilovers are leaking like a very leaky thing with a leak..so now I have to get hold of Tein UK and see if they can repair them, hopefully they can and very, very, very quickly.

[glanma]

Looks a real sweetie Yann, you must be chuffed! Shame about the MOT fail but if it was just shocks then it shouldn't hold you back too much. And as for that 'feeling' that MidNite mentioned - I've still got it almost a year down the line!!! I still come home from work after driving our boring old Fiesta and want to jump in the Estima just for the hell of it!
With all your mods it sounds the the MR will be no slouch either! Good luck with the re-test when it happens too.

[sutats.com]

Hi Yann! Wow you got your car at a great price and condition looks great and good specs too. How many sets of keys were you given and what kind of security system did it come with?

About your MOT, have you considered replacing your coilovers instead of repairing them? Is it MOT fee cheaper when you have to do a re-test?

I have saved the rear fog wiring diagram for when my car arrives. Cheers! What parts did you have to get to do the install? Did you need extra bulb holders? How long did it take you to do it? Thanks a lot!

[Yann]

Hi Sutats,

Didn't realise you'd got a 2 aswell...good choice

sent the shocks off to Tein and they quoted @ ?350 for repair and would take 6 weeks!! so purchased a new set instead, also got hold of a 2nd hand set of Tein Type HA (older equivalent of the new Type HT racing shocks, fully adjustable ride height, damper settings and camber settings) which I'm going to use to get through MOT until the brand spanking new ones arrive (the TYPE HA will be up for sale next week if anyones interested?! probably around ?400 (cost ?600 when I bought them about 2 days ago and were over ?2000 when new!!!)

As for the fogs, you'll need to get the dual bulb holders from a scrappy (where I got mine, apparently there are quite a few other Toyotas that use the same bulb holder so you don't necessarily have to hunt for an MR2) or MRT (read expensive....?45 for a timing belt...made me laugh out loud on the phone) in order to have the dual setup,two relays from Maplins(part number should be on the diagram) and some 5A+ wire wiring was a bit of a pain in the proverbials tbh but actuallly running the wires to the dash was fairly easy as most of the car can be taken apart with a phillips screwdriver!! lol I'm no electrician and got it working after a whole day working on it, also had a jobsworth MOT tester who wasn't happy with them but he let it go.......eventually......
If I had taken the car away after it's MOT I would have been charged full whack again for a retest but it's free if I leave the car with the garage and they do the work needed to pass.Also took the opportunity to get the cambelt changed while the car was on the ramps with the shocks off, so hopefully be on the road by the weekend.

As far as I can tell there was absolutely no alarm system fitted at all and only got one set of keys which weren't original so going to speak to MR T and get hold of a full set from them (should come with three keys I believe?).
Have had to install an alarm system which I was going to do anyway tbh as the insurance requires a CAT1. The original Toyota ones are pretty poor and I never got one on my car anyway.
hth

[sutats.com]

Yeah, it's on the big rusty boat at the moment. The funny thing is everyone on here seem to have received updated pics of their purchase except for me. Did you get additional pics to the auction listing on your puchase?

Yeah, new shocks are the way to go to get your car on the road and zooming about ASAP. Glad to hear that you've sorted it out. How much will the garage charge to install the shocks? By the way, I take it you've driven it about without plates unless you've got trade ones. Aren't you worried that the car might get knicked being there are no plates or alarm on it?

I thought the rear fog wiring only required messing about in the rear light cluster area of the car. Didn't know that it involved having to line wire through to the dash. Crikey! It's going to be fun for me doing it by the road. Any suggestions?

[Yann]

Hi mate,
nope I never got any additional pics either but I have noticed quite a few others got more pics once their car was at the docks ready for boarding.

The car is always locked up VERY securely in my garage when it's at home also it's insured on the chassis number if anything DOES happen.
As for driving it about the only journey I've made is from my house to the garage, I had the car picked up and trailered from Newcastle to Aberdeen (really nice guy, excellent service and reasonable price) as for the foglight, it needs to be wired up to a switch on the dashboard so yep running wires is a must I'm afraid, If you're doing it at the docks then the best option would be to get a temporary bolt on one from Halfords to get through your MOT then rewire properly later. Fits on without any drilling onto the grill in front of the exhaust, and can easily be removed.

Tips on wiring...hmm. ok if you look underneath the airfilter on the left of the engine you should be able to see the wiring.You can use that as a guide to run your wires without drilling as there's a premade hole in the firewall behind the seats then either run it through the centrepanel (use the trusty phillips again lol) or under the doorsills (again..phillips lol).

What ya get then??! tubby? n/a? any goodies? any pics? details man details
I've got to say it really is a bit of a posers car in some respects, I never noticed but my dad who was following in the other car said there were quite a few admiring looks from folk going down the road, apparently there were a group of three ladies who just stopped and gawped at the car I like it, a lot sounds great too, rumble from the exhaust, roar from induction, whine from the turbo, hiss from the dump valve and the crack of your neck breaking when you floor it

[sutats.com]

Hi Yann! I don't believe it, you actually mentioned wiring it at the docks. It was my original plan since I don't have a workable area at home but I think the Halfords fog lamp is the way to go until I get my rego provided there isn't wiring involved. I take it those instructions are for wiring the Halfords bolt on lamp? Thanks a lot!

Nice to know you have applied all the measures to protect your vehicle and you've got birds swooning. Does your mrs know? :)

I got the one with the metallic snail inside the engine bay. I never saw it as a poseur car, it's definitely a great value performance car. Besides I can't remember labelling any car as such, maybe very high-end exotics a long time ago but there will be a time when we own one and I don't need that label. hehe. Rest assured, I'll definitely post pics once everything is in its right place. A word for the wise, it's a huge juggling act when you're importing a car and don't have a carport or garage so being organised does help but still a major challenge.

[Yann]

I agree, I never bought the car with the intention of "pulling", just seems to be an added bonus lol (although the ladies in question were about 65, closer to my dads age) . They are just beautifully styled cars, handling is amazing and performance is fantastic in both turbo and n/a guises.

Even with a carport or garage it's still a major juggling act, gave myself several heart attacks during the process of importing, and it's still not over yet , hopefully this weekend there will be no more stress and hairpulling.Despite all the different problems I've had I would still do it again tomorrow if I could, it's an excellent experience if nothing else.

The wiring I mentioned will suit both foglight plans, you'll still have to run wires though, there's no avoiding it I'm afraid, just the bolt on one is a lot easier and quicker.
Good luck and look forward to seeing some pics of your 2.

(try here if you haven't already:> [url]www.mr2oc.co.uk[/url] )

[sutats.com]

Hi Yann, yeah one big juggling act indeed. By the way, how soon did you receive the bunch of registration documents from Advanauctions before your tubby arrived? I haven't been getting any updates from them so am a little concerned.

I've purchased the foglights just have to figure out how to wire it, I hope I can do it in record time during collection and then drive it straight to MOT station. I need to book MOT once I find out the exact arrival date of the shipping vessel.

So have you cleared your MOT yet? You looking forward to zooming about on a race track?

[gavinjacques]

dont quote me on this but i think if you literally throw it in ie no hidden wiring etc it will still pass to save you time

[glanma]

[quote="sutats.com"]I've purchased the foglights just have to figure out how to wire it, I hope I can do it in record time during collection and then drive it straight to MOT station. I need to book MOT once I find out the exact arrival date of the shipping vessel.

[/quote]

If you've got a few worries about fitting the foglight, why not get your chosen MOT station to fit one before they test the car? I know it might cost a little more but at least its done and dusted in one hit, then you'll be on the road asap and you can change it if you want to at a later date.

[Yann]

[quote="glanma"][quote="sutats.com"]I've purchased the foglights just have to figure out how to wire it, I hope I can do it in record time during collection and then drive it straight to MOT station. I need to book MOT once I find out the exact arrival date of the shipping vessel.

[/quote]

If you've got a few worries about fitting the foglight, why not get your chosen MOT station to fit one before they test the car? I know it might cost a little more but at least its done and dusted in one hit, then you'll be on the road asap and you can change it if you want to at a later date.[/quote]

I agree with Glanma, I was just going by the assumption you wanted to do it yourself,sorry, take it to the MOT station, show them where you want it, and they'll easily wire it up (specify you don't want any holes drilled though!! it will bolt onto the rear grill no problem and is legal height).Won't cost anywhere near a fortune either.

Yup MOT passed wth flying colours this morning local DVLA are going to phone me on Monday so I can collect Tax and Reg, needless to say I've booked Monday nad Tuesday as my days off work this week
Excellent little garage I've found, they've done the MOT,sorted the suspension,fitted a new cambelt (didn't even bat an eyelid when I explained they'd have to either tilt or drop the engine out!), fitted two new tyres, broken off the old locking nuts and provided new ones, can refurb my alloys and make up license plates, the proverbial all in one service lol.and at very decent rates aswell! Although it was fairly obvious they'd never dealt with a fresh import before, weren't sure how to MOT the car without a registration number as no plates is a failable item, got it sorted though.....obviously.


All my documents arrived the same day as the car arrived at my house which was approx two to three working days after landing, Customs certificate arrived the day after.

One last thing.... since your getting an MR2 aswell I can help you a little bit here, on your registration form it asks for engine number aswell as chassis number.....you will never, ever find the engine number!!It's extremely well hidden on the block and pretty much impossible to read without a degree in gymnastics/contortionism and a few mirrors or by taking the engine out. I explained to the girl at the DVLA that neither I nor the mechanics could read the engine number and that I would have to take the engine out in order to find it so I'd just put the model number instead, she just laughed and said it didn't matter, so if you can't find it, don't panic (unlike me lol)