Best Place to Buy JDM Engines

When your daily –driver vehicle needs an engine you have an important decision to make. In order to ensure good value on your investment a thorough research is quintessential. This requires great deal of effort and understanding of how used engines are sourced in United States and in Japan.

The Facts versus Myth

Over 99% of used engines in United States originate from Salvage yards who acquire salvage cars from auctions and vehicle owners who want to get rid of their vehicle. Here is an important math- over 90% of salvage yards sell these motors on as-is basis without making any effort on testing these engines.

Here are the facts about purchasing an engine from Salvage yards:

• Mileage information provided by salvage yards is not true.
• Motors are not tested.
• It is almost impossible to return the engine in case it turns out to be defective.

Here the myths about purchasing an engine from Salvage yards:

• Engines are cheap – They are definitely cheap but risk of failure is over 75%. High failure rate make it an expensive investment.
• Engine is good if it starts fine – This is only partially correct because an engine with low compression will also start. There is no way to test oil pressure and no way of finding out if the motor is overheated if it is not leak-down tested.

This means purchasing a used engine from Salvage yards is considered as risky. Since labor to install an engine is expensive, it doesn’t sound feasible to pay for installation and pulling the motor all over again if it does not work.

JDM Engines

Engines imported from Japan have become very popular over the years.

Reasons why JDM Engines are famous:

• They are considered to be low mileage in the range of 40,000-50,000 miles.
• JDM importers test each engine extensively.
• JDM engines are generally sold with a longer warranty compared to engines from Salvage yards.

Mileage Myth: There is no law in Japan that restricts vehicles over a certain mileage ( most believe it is 40,000-50,000 miles max) but Shaken law is what deters Japanese drivers from driving older cars. Shaken law ensures trouble free vehicles on road by enforcing stringent and comprehensive inspection and exorbitant taxes on vehicles that are older than three years that are considered to be unsafe. In brief all vehicles in Japan go through Shaken inspection every three years. Inspection fee is generally expensive which makes it illogical to continue driving older cars.

Best place to buy JDM Engines

Here are the precautions everyone shopping for a JDM engine must take before buying a JDM engine:

• Is the engine actually from Japan ?  

Many local vendors, resellers and even repair shops realize that most of their customers are looking for JDM engines. In order to make sure you are buying a JDM import engine it is important to ask for US customs document or some kind of proof to verify if the engine was actually imported from Japan.

• Is the vendor a register importer?

It is important to verify on US customs and boarder protection website if the vendor is a registered importer.

• It is important to verify the engine is tested.

Ask questions before buying. Ask if engine was compression, leak down & oil pressure tested. You must ask for compression test results in writing.

•  The safest warranty on a JDM engine is 6 months unlimited miles warranty. Stay away from importers who offer mere 30 days, 60 days or even 90 days warranty.

• Find out how long have they been in business. If possible find out how many engines or how many containers they import from Japan each month. A small fly-by-night company may just be a reseller with a handful of engines in their inventory.

A reputable JDM importer will ensure smooth performance of the engine by testing every mechanical aspect of the engine and in most cases will offer six months unlimited miles warranty.