JDM's and Rust
Discussion
Heres something that's puzzled me for a long time...
JDM Imports are superbly rust free, apparently all due to Japan not using salt on their roads in the winter.
Here in the UK we all know how much damage the road salt can do, but it's not only road salt that kills cars, as anyone who lives near the UK coast will tell you the salty sea air absolutely destroys cars as well.
But here's the thing... Japan is a long thin island with a very mountainous interior and as a result well over 80% of the Japanese population live close to the coast, so how come they don't suffer with same problem of salty sea air destroying their cars that live by the coast like we do in the UK?
JDM Imports are superbly rust free, apparently all due to Japan not using salt on their roads in the winter.
Here in the UK we all know how much damage the road salt can do, but it's not only road salt that kills cars, as anyone who lives near the UK coast will tell you the salty sea air absolutely destroys cars as well.
But here's the thing... Japan is a long thin island with a very mountainous interior and as a result well over 80% of the Japanese population live close to the coast, so how come they don't suffer with same problem of salty sea air destroying their cars that live by the coast like we do in the UK?
Good question - I wonder if it could also be the fact that it’s just so wet/damp here too; the moisture in the air is just laden with salt?
(On a related note I bought a quite late Alfa 159 SW from a bloke in Whitby - 12 years old and holes appearing in the sills. Seaside car: never again).
We do have a “temperate” climate, but in general I just find it a damp, depressing place.
(On a related note I bought a quite late Alfa 159 SW from a bloke in Whitby - 12 years old and holes appearing in the sills. Seaside car: never again).
We do have a “temperate” climate, but in general I just find it a damp, depressing place.
cars from hokkaido (north island) do suffer from rust as they have longer periods and more extreme cold weather than the southern islands. But as another poster mentioned the Japanese do tend to look after things, probably down to the considerate nature of the people and in the case of the cars the strict MOT (shaken) tests they have to pass.
they look after their cars more, the tests are much more strict and on top of it many parts of japan do not use salt, road splinklers etc to keep ice of roads. The salty air of course makes a difference but I think in uk that is a combination of both that makes it even worse. Salt on roads is imo the main killer of cars, not just japanese, everything old is rotten unless maintainted above norm.
my s2000 for example goes into garage november time, comes out april. Only way I've been able to preserve it.
my s2000 for example goes into garage november time, comes out april. Only way I've been able to preserve it.
Dog Star said:
Good question - I wonder if it could also be the fact that it s just so wet/damp here too; the moisture in the air is just laden with salt?
(On a related note I bought a quite late Alfa 159 SW from a bloke in Whitby - 12 years old and holes appearing in the sills. Seaside car: never again).
We do have a temperate climate, but in general I just find it a damp, depressing place.
We do, indeed. To cheer yourself up ,read John Betjeman’s poem The Costa Blanca about ex pats beginning to regret their decision to escape the damp. The novelty wears off; you will know folk who have tried it, but returned to Blighty.(On a related note I bought a quite late Alfa 159 SW from a bloke in Whitby - 12 years old and holes appearing in the sills. Seaside car: never again).
We do have a temperate climate, but in general I just find it a damp, depressing place.
Geo900 said:
Heres something that's puzzled me for a long time...
JDM Imports are superbly rust free, apparently all due to Japan not using salt on their roads in the winter.
Here in the UK we all know how much damage the road salt can do, but it's not only road salt that kills cars, as anyone who lives near the UK coast will tell you the salty sea air absolutely destroys cars as well.
But here's the thing... Japan is a long thin island with a very mountainous interior and as a result well over 80% of the Japanese population live close to the coast, so how come they don't suffer with same problem of salty sea air destroying their cars that live by the coast like we do in the UK?
Some of them are rusty, the climate varies quite a bit from top to bottom and some probably do suffer if they live on the coast. JDM Imports are superbly rust free, apparently all due to Japan not using salt on their roads in the winter.
Here in the UK we all know how much damage the road salt can do, but it's not only road salt that kills cars, as anyone who lives near the UK coast will tell you the salty sea air absolutely destroys cars as well.
But here's the thing... Japan is a long thin island with a very mountainous interior and as a result well over 80% of the Japanese population live close to the coast, so how come they don't suffer with same problem of salty sea air destroying their cars that live by the coast like we do in the UK?
It's clearly road salt that's the major issue.
_Rodders_ said:
CraigyMc said:
ARH said:
Plus only the well looked after, clean low mileage cars are worth importing.
Ironically I think the opposite. Only those that cannot pass the Japanese equivalent of the MOT are sensible to export._Rodders_ said:
It's clearly road salt that's the major issue.
I previously spent 20 years living and driving in rural Derbyshire, lots of cold weather, frosts and regular gritting throughout winter... never had an issue with cars rusting excessively.
I've now spent a further 14 years living 2 miles from the Welsh coast, the effect of the gulf stream means we rarely have any frosts and our roads hardly ever need gritting at all... mine, my families and my friend's and neighbour's cars all rust spectacularly.
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