bernmc
29-03-2005, 11:22 AM
Following on from Polabear's unpleasant experience (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7930), I thought I'd post some info here. Might be worth linking from the buyers guide or stickying? I don't think it should go into the members area as it will probably be most useful to prospective VR4 owners.
(You may need to use Internet Explorer rather than Mozilla-based browsers to view the pages below - they don't behave properly in my version of FireFox.)
BIMTA (British Independant Motor Trade Association (http://www.bimta.co.uk)) is an organisation set up to safeguard the interests of the independent vehicle import industry. The big boys of the UK car industry have worked hard to discredit so-called grey imports, and sow as much fear and disillusionment as possible! BIMTA seeks to address this.
They represent around 150 non-franchised dealers, each of which has to adhere to a strict Code of Conduct. If you buy from a BIMTA dealer and a major problem arises, BIMTA will help resolve the matter to the satisfaction of both the motorist and the dealer. They cannot intervene if the trader involved is not a BIMTA Member.
So, Rule #1, if you're buying from an importer, make sure they're BIMTA registered. The BIMTA website maintains a directory (http://www.bimta.co.uk/Directory.asp)of registered dealers.
If you're buying privately, or from a non-BIMTA dealer, BIMTA can still help in the form of a Japanese car history & mileage check. At the time of writing, these cost £35, and check that the car is
Not stolen
Has no outstanding finance
Has the correct odometer reading (up to the time of export).
They take around 5-10 working days to complete. Note that the check is on the Japanese history of the vehicle - you'd still need check the UK history independantly.
Click here for more info on these Certificates of Authenticity (http://www.bimta.co.uk/CertificatesofAuthenticity.asp)
If you can't wait 10 working days, or money is a bit tight, for £20 (at the time of writing), BIMTA will do a mileage check (http://www.bimta.co.uk/MileageChecks.asp) on the car. These only take 24 hours to complete.
If you're buying a car that has had it's ODO adjusted (this is different from the speedo) to give an equivalent mileage reading to the original km reading, make sure that it was done by a registered dealer/SVA test centre, and that they have supplied a Certificate of Authenticity for the change. If this is not the case, whether the mileage reading was adjusted correctly or not, the car is has been 'clocked' and the police need to be involved.
Anyone who buys a UK car without checking the history is a fool. Similarly, anyone buying a Jap import at any stage of it's life, unless you're the original importer, is a fool if they don't get a BIMTA check (unless the car already has BIMTA documentation).
Do NOT be fooled by a dealer who tells you that 'all the BIMTA info was sent off to the DVLA when the car was registered' - I viewed a manual VR4 that looked considerably more tired than the odo suggested, and got this response when I asked the dealer for paperwork. I did'nt even bother to go further with my enquiry. BIMTA is entirely separate from the DVLA and the registration process. The DVLA do not require any BIMTA documentation, and as such an authentic V5 does not guarantee that the car is not stolen/clocked etc.
I'll update this info as I think of more!
(You may need to use Internet Explorer rather than Mozilla-based browsers to view the pages below - they don't behave properly in my version of FireFox.)
BIMTA (British Independant Motor Trade Association (http://www.bimta.co.uk)) is an organisation set up to safeguard the interests of the independent vehicle import industry. The big boys of the UK car industry have worked hard to discredit so-called grey imports, and sow as much fear and disillusionment as possible! BIMTA seeks to address this.
They represent around 150 non-franchised dealers, each of which has to adhere to a strict Code of Conduct. If you buy from a BIMTA dealer and a major problem arises, BIMTA will help resolve the matter to the satisfaction of both the motorist and the dealer. They cannot intervene if the trader involved is not a BIMTA Member.
So, Rule #1, if you're buying from an importer, make sure they're BIMTA registered. The BIMTA website maintains a directory (http://www.bimta.co.uk/Directory.asp)of registered dealers.
If you're buying privately, or from a non-BIMTA dealer, BIMTA can still help in the form of a Japanese car history & mileage check. At the time of writing, these cost £35, and check that the car is
Not stolen
Has no outstanding finance
Has the correct odometer reading (up to the time of export).
They take around 5-10 working days to complete. Note that the check is on the Japanese history of the vehicle - you'd still need check the UK history independantly.
Click here for more info on these Certificates of Authenticity (http://www.bimta.co.uk/CertificatesofAuthenticity.asp)
If you can't wait 10 working days, or money is a bit tight, for £20 (at the time of writing), BIMTA will do a mileage check (http://www.bimta.co.uk/MileageChecks.asp) on the car. These only take 24 hours to complete.
If you're buying a car that has had it's ODO adjusted (this is different from the speedo) to give an equivalent mileage reading to the original km reading, make sure that it was done by a registered dealer/SVA test centre, and that they have supplied a Certificate of Authenticity for the change. If this is not the case, whether the mileage reading was adjusted correctly or not, the car is has been 'clocked' and the police need to be involved.
Anyone who buys a UK car without checking the history is a fool. Similarly, anyone buying a Jap import at any stage of it's life, unless you're the original importer, is a fool if they don't get a BIMTA check (unless the car already has BIMTA documentation).
Do NOT be fooled by a dealer who tells you that 'all the BIMTA info was sent off to the DVLA when the car was registered' - I viewed a manual VR4 that looked considerably more tired than the odo suggested, and got this response when I asked the dealer for paperwork. I did'nt even bother to go further with my enquiry. BIMTA is entirely separate from the DVLA and the registration process. The DVLA do not require any BIMTA documentation, and as such an authentic V5 does not guarantee that the car is not stolen/clocked etc.
I'll update this info as I think of more!