Owning a JDM vehicle is an exciting journey into a different corner of the automotive scene. Whether you have wanted one for years and are getting ready to pull the trigger, or you saw one on Instagram last night and you are headed to the dealer tomorrow… there are a couple small things to consider now so you don’t have to scramble once you drive that thing back home.
The first is probably the most obvious because you will find out fast (maybe even on your test drive) that the speedometer is typically only in KPH (Kilometers) not MPH (Miles). We have seen people do all sorts of silly things to make their car usable as a daily driver, but our advice is to get a GPS speedometer and put that somewhere on the dash. If you are picking up a car last minute you can use Google Maps or even get a dedicated speedometer app for your phone for free.
Check out our solution for a KPH Only Speedo here.
Once you have the title in hand, it’ll be time to solve the next problem. How to mount the US license plate on the JDM license plate holes. You thought they were the same size huh? Well, so did we at first, don’t worry. They are very close in size but the Japanese plate is larger, so the holes are too far apart to just slap your plate on. We went to local auto parts stores and could not find a bracket that would work for this application. I won’t say who, but we saw several people with their JDM ride that simply used one screw to hold it on since the holes didn’t quite line up on their US plate.
Check out our solution to the license place size difference here.
Eventually something will break, and you will need to fine some replacement parts. Have no fear, our handy list of parts people can help. Depending on the manufacturer, you may be surprised to find you can order OEM parts direct online and have them shipped to a dealer for free.
Happy Driving!
