Frequently Asked Questions

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Are vehicles Right Hand Drive? [-]
All vehicles are ‘right hand drive’. The Japanese drive on the left hand side of the road like we do. No steering conversions are necessary.
Are Parts a problem? [-]
No. All Japanese Land Rovers were built by Land Rover UK in Solihull, near Birmingham. We source all our new and used parts in the UK and for our service items we choose to use genuine Land Rover products. However, you can easily buy and fit excellent aftermarket products from leading independent sources.
How are UK registration plates issued for these vehicles? [-]
All vehicles receive a standard UK registration plate issued by the DVLA in the UK. The age-related plate will match the month of the vehicle’s first registration in Japan.
Are there problems with insurance on repatriated Discoveries? [-]
No. All mainstream insurance brokers should be happy to give you a quote. All Discoveries that we repatriate from Japan were originally made by Land Rover in the UK. Therefore, you should not expect to pay more for insurance for an imported Land Rover Discovery. Click here for details of insurance companies and an example quote.
What is Type Approval? [-]
Many industrial sectors are subject to some form of approval or certification system based on European (EU) and United Nations (ECE) directives. All whole vehicles, processes and systems have to be government certified in the UK.

All Car Equality Discoveries are Type Approved by Land Rover UK. This means that specification for Land Rovers from Japan meet ALL national UK vehicle performance and technical standards and regulations (including safety and design).
How can I pay? [-]
If you are choosing your Discovery before seeing it, you can Reserve your vehicle with a fully refundable deposit. Please call for details.

Once you have seen the vehicle at our showroom an agreed to buy it, we will ask for a non-refundable deposit to secure your vehicle.

We accept all major forms of payment including bankers draft, cheques and most major credit/debit cards (including Switch). Please note that a charge of 0.0165% per transaction will apply if you choose to pay your balance by credit card. If you wish to pay by cheque, we will request payment a 5 working days in advance as the cheque must clear before your car can be collected.
Why buy repatriated Discoveries from Japan? [-]
Why buy from Car Equality? [-]
1. Superb condition vehicles and excellent service including full workshop facility.

2. Personal, friendly and relaxed sales environment – open 7 days.

3. Specialist - 9 years experience importing direct from Japan.

4. 20 years combined Land Rover experience in the UK.

5. UK company with an office and directors living in Japan We know the market, procedures and the pitfalls.

6. Dedicated and experienced buying team in Japan which means we find the best available condition 300 TDi Discovery’s now in the UK. We don’t just buy any Discovery available in Japan. Take our Discovery Challenge.

We believe in customer ‘care’ and ‘quality’
Why are Car Equality vehicles in better condition? [-]
1. The Japanese do not use salt on their roads. No salt simply means no corrosion See buyers guide.

2. Our Discoveries are well-maintained and not abused. Japanese consumers buy Land Rovers more as a status vehicle rather than a utility vehicle and they are generally very caring with their cars. They don’t usually tow, go off-roading or ‘green laneing’. Furthermore, Japan doesn’t have a caravan culture. These factors help to ensure that we can find the best available Discoveries.
What’s included when you buy a Discovery from Car Equality? [-]
All cars are registered on the correct age related UK number plate and come with :
  • Full 48,000 Mile Land Rover service including timing belt change, using genuine Land Rover parts.
  • Full 12 months’ MOT
  • A 120-Point Pre Delivery Inspection full vehicle health check.
  • Full under Chassis wax oyl
  • Full UK speedo conversion to mph
  • 3 months car equality in-house warranty
  • Japanese service records (if available)
When you take delivery of your Discovery you should have full peace of mind.
What warranty is offered with the vehicles? [-]
We operate an in-house warranty scheme which works on a 3 months 3,000 miles which ever comes first. Call for full details. This is a practical warranty scheme that we have tailored to serve the needs of our national customers.

We also welcome an inspection service before the cars are sold, you can ask the AA, RAC, Green Flag, mechanic friend etc. We will put vehicles on to a ramp so that you can have a good look for your own peace of mind (Please note this service is only available during workshop opening hours)
What is ‘wax oyl’ chassis protection? [-]
We fully ‘wax oyl’ all our Discoveries before they are sold to protect them against UK weather conditions and rapid salt corrosion. Wax oyl chassis protection will definitely extend the life of your Discovery.
Why do all repatriated Discoveries come with Automatic transmission? [-]
Land Rover only exported automatic transmission Discovery’s to the demanding Japanese market. Automatic transmission is also more popular in Japan due to highly congested roads. The 4 speed automatic comes without the idiosyncrasies of the 5 speed manual counterparts.

Furthermore in the UK good condition automatic examples are increasingly harder to find and were more expensive to buy new, as there is a high demand for them.

All Japanese TDi Discoveries are 120 bhp, fitted with the ‘fly by wire’ system which provides extra efficiency offering excellent fuel economy, typically returning 27 mpg’s on long distance motorway travel.
What is ‘Fly by wire’ system or Electronic Diesel Control (EDC)? [-]
‘Fly by wire’ otherwise known as Electronic Diesel Control (EDC) control uses a modified fuel injection pump (not common rail or unit injector) to electronically regulate fuel injection to the engine to provide optimum performance. Essentially, the fuel system is efficiently enhanced. This system was not available on UK market TDi’s until 1997.
Why buy Series I Discovery 300 TDi? [-]
See 300 TDi Series.
Can you supply the Discovery Series I V8 3.9L Petrol from Japan? [-]
Yes we can. Although they are not as readily available we can buy them, but we will only source them to specific order. Please ring for details and price quotes.
Can you supply the Series II TD5’s from Japan? [-]
Unfortunately, no. The Series II TD5 was never sold in Japan. However, the Series II V8 4.0L petrol is available. Please ring for details and price quotes.
Can you supply the P38 Range Rover from Japan? [-]
We can buy the P38 Range Rover V8 4.0L and 4.6L HSE launched in 1994. We will only source them to specific order. Please ring for details and price quotes. Diesel models are not available in Japan.
Can you supply Range Rover Classics from Japan? [-]
It is possible and we do see a few rare examples. If you want a low mileage, excellent condition Classic, we are able to purchase them in Japan at a ‘premium price’. We will only source them to specific order. Please ring for details and price quotes.
Can you supply the Defender from Japan? [-]
It is possible and we do see a few rare examples mainly 1998 on. If you want a low mileage, excellent condition Defender, we are able to purchase them in Japan at a ‘premium price’. We will only source them to specific order. Please ring for details and price quotes.
What is the Camel Trophy? [-]
The Camel Trophy is one of the toughest vehicle endurance events in the world, loosely referred to as the Olympics of 4WD and covers 1,000 miles of very challenging terrain. The first one used jeeps in the Amazon in 1980. Ever since they have used Land Rover products.

Over a million applicants vie for spots on the two-man national teams. About a dozen are selected to compete in national trials. Four finalists go to international trials which further narrow down the team to two, plus two alternates, plus two team journalists.

Mundo Maya '95 was held May 17-June 8 in Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Twenty nations sent teams. Points are awarded for Special Tasks. Teams vote for the one with the best team spirit in the expedition. The overall winning team gets the trophy, which is three hands holding aloft a globe and vehicle. Women first participated in the Camel Trophy in 1994.

Camel cigarettes (RJR Nabisco) sponsored the first event. Since then it has been taken over by Worldwide Brands Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of RJR, organized in 1981, which owns the Camel Trophy trademark.

For more Infomation on the Camel Trophy: Click here



 
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