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Beware L400 Frame & Structure Rust / Corrosion

Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 11:38 am
by MardyDelica
hi,
Did recieved one L400 that has badly worn sub frame & structure rust & corrosion. this unit has a good auction grade 3.5 not a R grade. i ask my partner in japan to request for inspection in the auction & so they did inspector inspect it. i pay the inspector in japan.never mention about this bad rust frame.
the car arrived 4 months ago & recieved it. found out this sub frame when i inspect it that has this bad rust.
so i decided rightaway to scrap this L400 & used it for parts car, its big loss for me. i dont repair sub frame & put it in the road. its very unsafe to anybody.
this is the risk of any buyer or a dealer you might encounter when purchasing unseen car.
now to those poeple buying this type of car pls try to check them first before you buy any car. for your safety of your family.
so grading system in japan is just a partial to me whether its grade 4.5, 4 , 3.5 & or R without any sub frame damage or heavy front end damage, i do inspect all of them first before i ask my vehicle inspector to inspect my car.if i see no good i dont sell it. i used it for parts car, i am very peaky when it comes to safety as we all want safety to ourself & our family.
Safety is my No 1 priority . car condition is just the second one.
hope this help my fellow delica lovers or owner to do inspect & research before buying this type of car unseen.
hope by doing this help our delica community educate themself:
Thank you,
Mardy

Re: Beware L400 Frame & Structure Rust / Corrosion

Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 11:44 am
by loki
wow, that inspector should be giving you your money back, hard to miss that amount of rust damage.

Re: Beware L400 Frame & Structure Rust / Corrosion

Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 11:58 am
by MardyDelica
hi,
in japan i think they dont go under the car . only way you can see it when you lift that in the hoist.
in the auction site you cannot see it. very sad to have like this:
cheer: :-(

Re: Beware L400 Frame & Structure Rust / Corrosion

Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 2:39 pm
by DelicaFreaka
MardyDelica wrote:hi,
in japan i think they dont go under the car . only way you can see it when you lift that in the hoist.
in the auction site you cannot see it. very sad to have like this:
cheer: :-(
With the height of the Delica it is as simple as lying on your back and sliding under to have a look. Someone in Japan is getting paid and not doing their job properly. If I paid an inspector to look at a vehicle they had better get their skinny, or fat, little a$$ under there or I would be pissed.
There is no way Marty that you should have been sent a vehicle in that condition.
I would never use that person or company again and I would hire someone and let them know right up front what they are required to do for you.
Sorry to here that you had to "eat" that vehicle.

Cheers......................Kirk out.

Re: Beware L400 Frame & Structure Rust / Corrosion

Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 2:55 pm
by William
Any credible auction house would have mentioned " corrosion " on the auction report. If they did not and you found this after purchased, should have been able to return it to them.

I had one vehicle bought with a dead cylinder that we found after the purchase at the yard in Japan and were able to send it back with no problems.

If your inspector could not see that upon an inspection, he better get some glasses. Tell him to get down in the mud and have a look. Good thing there are not too many of these rusty examples in Japan. On the bright side, lots of parts for you on hand. Hope you gain some of your money back anyhow.

Re: Beware L400 Frame & Structure Rust / Corrosion

Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 2:58 pm
by Green1
If they did not and you found this after purchased, should have been able to return it to them.
by the time you find the problem in Canada, it's a bit late to return it as it will cost more to send it back then you'll get back...

Re: Beware L400 Frame & Structure Rust / Corrosion

Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 3:01 pm
by William
Of course yes. But I was refering to a inspection in Japan after it's bought, but before it goes to port. never a bad idea to have someone check it out further before it gets shipped.
Green1 wrote:
If they did not and you found this after purchased, should have been able to return it to them.
by the time you find the problem in Canada, it's a bit late to return it as it will cost more to send it back then you'll get back...

Re: Beware L400 Frame & Structure Rust / Corrosion

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 6:18 pm
by delicabits
Mardy do you still use that inspector? that vehicle is rusted in the most common place for these vehicles to rust. would like to see a photo of where the front bar is fixed to the chassis. any decent inspector/buyer would have spotted that. all you need too do is hold a digital camera underneath and flash away. then check the photos. i doubt very much if the buyer in japan looked underneath at all.

Re: Beware L400 Frame & Structure Rust / Corrosion

Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:01 am
by MardyDelica
no i dont. its just a auction inspector:
very hard nto all inspector know about the problem of this L400 frame chassis:
its just i go theu every single car that i got from japan. put it in th ehoist before sedning it to my provincial inspector for final approval. if only i approved first. i dont let my mechanic just check it. i check it by myself.
like i say very hard. this is out of tokyo thats why.
i just want to forgot it:
thank you guys for the input:
Cheers;