We have racked up over 40k miles daily driving and road tripping adventures in just shy of 3 years. That is an average of over 10k miles per year. How reliable have our JDM cars been and what broke along the way?
Reliability has been great overall, never leaving us stranded and cursing. That being said, we made sure regular maintenance was up to date and perform a quick inspection at home before any big road trips. The most major repairs needed have been an alternator replacement, and AC Compressor replacement. Outside of those bigger items, just your typical maintenance to keep things running smoothly (oil changes, injector cleaner, fluid flushes, filter and belt changes, etc.) Yea yea, I know what you are thinking, crap thats a lot of work… the thing is it’s no different than a domestic car. We have even compared our repair bills on the JDM vehicles vs. Domestic and pricing was almost identical for a timing belt change. Whether you do the work yourself or find a local shop to help in that time of repair need is up to you. The most important thing is to take care of your vehicle through regular service intervals.
Zero complaints… Many Smiles… Visiting 10 States – From Michigan to South Carolina and Canada… it has all been great. Yeah the alternator took a few days to ship stateside since we opted for a diesel engine, but the memories made and joy from the road trips far outweigh the cons of a few days shipping time.
