How to prepare a Japanese car for Polish roads? Tips and tricks
Bringing cars from Japan is a popular recipe for becoming the owner of a unique, richly equipped car. Although in most cases customers decide to buy a car with left-hand drive, it will still require adaptation to Polish regulations. What is the process of converting a car from Japan? What should be done after bringing such a car to register it?
Table of contents
- Converting a car from Japan — regulations
- What needs to be changed in a car from Japan?
- What to do after importing a car from Japan?
- Unusual equipment of cars from Japan
- FAQS
Thinking about bringing a car from the country of cherry blossoms, most people decide to buy a left-hand drive car. Such cars are very popular in Japan because they are a status symbol. When a wealthy Japanese man buys a luxury left-hand drive car, it shows not only that he has a rich wallet, but also versatile driving skills. However, even such cars have to be adapted to right-hand traffic. After being brought cars from Japan Sakura Motors He helps his clients carry out this process.
After importing a car from Japan, you need to adapt the vehicle in question to move on European roads. Before starting work, it is worth knowing Provisions to be followed.
They are important two acts. Prime this Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of 31 December 2002 on the technical conditions of vehicles and the extent of their necessary equipment. The last amendment to this act took place on April 4, 2024.
The second important piece of legislation is Directive 76/761/EEC of 27 July 1976, which concerns the lighting of vehicles moving on the roads of the European Union, together with directives adapting it to technical progress.
In Japan, left-hand traffic applies and symmetrical headlights are used there. Before registering a car in Europe, it is necessary to convert to asymmetric lamps. The easiest way to do this is by replacing the entire lights.
The second issue is rear fog light. There is no requirement for fog lights in Japan, but they are often mounted in vehicles. If they are already equipped, then you should pay attention to which side they are located on. If the rear fog light is on the left, you need to move it to the right. If it is not there at all, it must be installed.
In the case of cars imported from the USA, you need to change the red turn signals to orange. In Japan, the law requires the use of orange turn signals, so modern cars will not require rework in this matter. In Poland, turn signals must be car orange or yellow. A transparent lampshade is allowed provided that the bulb is of the right color.
Polish regulations require that the speedometer be scaled in kilometers per hour or have a double scale. For modern cars, the conversion is easy and is done by changing the units in the menu or software. For older cars, it may be necessary to replace the unit. An interesting fact is that regulations do not specify units for the odometer, so this one can show the value in miles. When entering the mileage during the technical examination, the diagnostician has the opportunity to select units.
The Japanese use other ranges of radio waves. In Europe, the FM wave range used is between 87.5 and 108 MHz, while in Japan it is more limited and ranges from 76 to 95 MHz. Adaptation of the radio is usually done by tuning it in accordance with European radio waves. However, it may happen that replacement will be necessary.
Japanese cars in Poland will certainly require navigation changes. You need to change the language of the menu and upload the European navigation database. If the car in question was sold in European markets, there is a better chance that this will be enough. Otherwise, you will have to buy a new navigation module or use external navigation. This may apply in particular to cars manufactured at a time when these types of systems were only in their infancy.
Importing a car from Japan may involve the replacement of tires. Tires sold in the country of cherry blossom must meet different certification conditions than European. They are regulated by the local government. Tires sold in Europe are certified on the basis of legal acts of the European Economic Commission. Differences can make tires behave differently on European roads, so for your own peace of mind and safety it is better to invest in new ones, with European homologation.
It may happen that a car brought from Japan will have unusual equipment elements that are in vain to look for in Europe. Among them, the most frequently mentioned are side mirrors placed on the fenders. Such a solution is found in the classics. The idea was to be able to look in the mirrors through the glass, which has wipers, so in a guess — the windshield. Modern models no longer have such mirrors.
On older cars of the 80s and 90s, you can often meet something in the form of antennas, which are placed in the front and rear bumpers. it primitive form of parking assistance system. Antennas are always located on the left side of the vehicle.
It is worth knowing that In Japan, there is no requirement to have a warning triangle. Instead, the Japanese use flares or... pink cock. In Poland, you need to have a triangle, so it is worth remembering to stock up on it, preparing the car for registration and use on our roads.
Do you need to reposition the steering wheel on cars from Japan?
In countries like Japan, left-hand traffic means that most cars have right-hand drive. Polish law does not require turning the steering wheel to the left side. Thanks to this, you can also import cars that have never been offered in the European version.
What do you need to replace in a car from Japan before registering in Poland?
When adapting the car to Polish regulations, it is necessary to replace the headlights. If the speedometer is only calibrated in miles per hour and it is not possible, for example, to change the units programmatically because the clocks are analog, then it will also need to be replaced.
How to adapt radio and navigation to European conditions
The question of adapting the radio and navigation for use in Europe is worth entrusting to a professional company. This is usually done by replacing the software. In extreme cases, it will be necessary to replace the fittings with the European version. At Sakura Motors, we help our customers carry out this process.
