R36_
RMS Regular
Hi all,
Been a while since I posted on here, think my last post was back in 2015 with my FN2 Civic! I sold my FN2 and changed to the later, 2015 FK2, brilliant machine which brought me 18 months, and many miles of great driving. Since selling the FK2 2 years ago, my car history admittedly hasn’t been great.
Around December 2019, I started following BHP Imports on Facebook, always keen to import an FD2 or something similar. Around that same time, I saw a White R36, I didn’t even know these things existed. I’d heard of the R32 Golf etc, but had no idea what an R36 was. Done some research and it turns out there’s around 150ish on the UK’s roads.
Fast forward a few months to May 2020, I struck a deal with BHP Imports for my 2008 R36 which was situated in Kobe, Japan.
Dealing with BHP was super easy, laid back, no pressure to buy. Below are a few of the very first photos I got of the car. This was before I paid a single penny to BHP.
After corresponding back and forth with BHP, they then got their man in Japan to check the car out, take it out for a test drive, make sure everything was hunky dory, parked up, and took 70+ Hi-Res HD Photos from every single angle of the car. Showing every mark (thankfully very few ), all 4 alloys and tyres, interior shots, everything you could want before slapping a deposit down on a car you’ve never laid eyes or hands on! Here are a few of the HD Photos they sent me.
Upon viewing the pics, countless phonecalls with Andy & Baz at BHP, a deal was struck, a deposit was sent to secure the car and so the long wait began. Obviously Covid-19 didn’t help things and delayed the process a fair bit. From the day I left a deposit on the car, to the day I picked the car up in Parker Car Transports yard in Ballycastle, the whole process took 5 months to the very day.
Collection day at the Port of Tyne in Newcastle! (Aug 2020)
Andy and Baz at BHP kept me updated through every step of the process. From giving me the details of the boat that the R36 was on, to alerting me on when it was coming into port.
Below, you’ll see the huge Hoegh Jacksonville Autoliner ship in the background, a huge vehicles carrier. And below you’ll see the very first photo of my R36 on UK soil.
Obviously being an import, the car needs to go through the first registration process. This process took nearly as long as it did to get the car to the bloody UK from Japan!
Service & Detailing
Upon landing in the UK, the car received a full service, all important oils & fluids changed, a full detail from DCM Auto Detailing in North Shields, Newcastle, and a full 12 months MOT & 6 months tax. This was all included in the price and this is standard service of BHP Imports.
Transport to NI (Oct 2020)
Fast forward another short while and all relevant paperwork and registration came through and the car was ready for collection. Originally, I had planned on flying over to Newcastle to collect the car myself and drive it back as I could at least see the car for myself, see any imperfections and bring them up with Andy & Baz. I decided against this as it was at the height of the pandemic and to be honest, both Andy & Baz had been truthful and straight with me, so I trusted them that the car was what I wanted and expected.
I then arranged for Parker Car Transport, Ballycastle, to collect my car in North Shields, Newcastle, and bring it back to NI. Not a bad word to say about these folks. From placing the phone call to collecting my car in their yard in Ballycastle was about 3 days if I remember right, it certainly wasn’t long!
Here she is loaded onto Parker’s lorry.
First pic on NI tarmac
Collected the car in Parker’s yard and it was everything I’d expected and more. The lads at BHP Imports & DCM Auto detailing had totally blown it out of the water. Hard to actually believe it’s a 12 year old car! BHP carried out a full Jap>UK clock conversation prior to collection.
I’ve had the car around 3 months now, loving every minute I’m in the drivers seat. I’ve made a few modifications since taking ownership of the car which I’ll probably write up at a later date as this post has went on longer than I’d expected lol, I won’t bore you all any longer, just enjoy a few more pictures of it and feel free to ask me any questions about the whole process and I’ll try my best to answer.
Thanks for reading!
Spec List:
3.6L V6
DSG, 4WD.
Difference between UK & Jap Cars:
There are a few differences between the UK R36 and the Jap R36. One of the biggest differences in spec is that the Jap models come with DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control) as standard. A great addition to the car and totally changes the handling and dynamics of the car once put into the sports setting. Obviously the R36 is a heavy big bus. Once put into sports, it feels like a rocket sled on rails and can hold her own through the tight twistys when given the opportunity.
Tax
UK models are £565 for 12 months tax. As this is an import, tax is reduced to £270 for the 12 months even though it’s the exact same car. Makes sense, right?
Any cons?
Of course! It wouldn’t be a car thread without cons! Thankfully, only a few. Firstly, the interior headlining sagged. This is due to high heat in Japland. I was given 2 options to sort this. Get it fully replaced and pay for a brand new headliner or try get it pinned in place as a temporary measure. Me being the tight bugger that I am opted for the 2nd offering and just got it pinned in place. I may replace it in due course, but in the mean time it’s a minor issue.
Secondly, the radio only has 2 radio stations. This is due to the happy Jappy chappies running their frequency differently than we do. It’s either BBC Radio 2 or some other station. And the nav doesn’t work as it’s programmed for Japan, not NI. Personally speaking, none of this has bothered me and I don’t think it will. The car has an AUX/USB port which I use to stream my music, and if I need NAV, I just use apple/google maps on my phone. I may replace the headunit at a later date to a newer model, but for now, I’m happy with what I’ve got.
Third and final con (that I can think of), roof bars/chrome has tarnished quite badly. I think this is the only thing that upsets the cars look, I’ve spoke to a few detailers and all have said that it can be brought back a bit, but not fully. It doesn’t bother me too much, and honestly, I haven’t had time to leave the car in with someone over here to work their magic, it might happen soon though. I can include some images of my roof bars and chrome if any detailer would like to have a look and advise!
Been a while since I posted on here, think my last post was back in 2015 with my FN2 Civic! I sold my FN2 and changed to the later, 2015 FK2, brilliant machine which brought me 18 months, and many miles of great driving. Since selling the FK2 2 years ago, my car history admittedly hasn’t been great.
Around December 2019, I started following BHP Imports on Facebook, always keen to import an FD2 or something similar. Around that same time, I saw a White R36, I didn’t even know these things existed. I’d heard of the R32 Golf etc, but had no idea what an R36 was. Done some research and it turns out there’s around 150ish on the UK’s roads.
Fast forward a few months to May 2020, I struck a deal with BHP Imports for my 2008 R36 which was situated in Kobe, Japan.
Dealing with BHP was super easy, laid back, no pressure to buy. Below are a few of the very first photos I got of the car. This was before I paid a single penny to BHP.
Collection day at the Port of Tyne in Newcastle! (Aug 2020)
Andy and Baz at BHP kept me updated through every step of the process. From giving me the details of the boat that the R36 was on, to alerting me on when it was coming into port.
Below, you’ll see the huge Hoegh Jacksonville Autoliner ship in the background, a huge vehicles carrier. And below you’ll see the very first photo of my R36 on UK soil.
Service & Detailing
Upon landing in the UK, the car received a full service, all important oils & fluids changed, a full detail from DCM Auto Detailing in North Shields, Newcastle, and a full 12 months MOT & 6 months tax. This was all included in the price and this is standard service of BHP Imports.
Transport to NI (Oct 2020)
Fast forward another short while and all relevant paperwork and registration came through and the car was ready for collection. Originally, I had planned on flying over to Newcastle to collect the car myself and drive it back as I could at least see the car for myself, see any imperfections and bring them up with Andy & Baz. I decided against this as it was at the height of the pandemic and to be honest, both Andy & Baz had been truthful and straight with me, so I trusted them that the car was what I wanted and expected.
I then arranged for Parker Car Transport, Ballycastle, to collect my car in North Shields, Newcastle, and bring it back to NI. Not a bad word to say about these folks. From placing the phone call to collecting my car in their yard in Ballycastle was about 3 days if I remember right, it certainly wasn’t long!
Here she is loaded onto Parker’s lorry.
I’ve had the car around 3 months now, loving every minute I’m in the drivers seat. I’ve made a few modifications since taking ownership of the car which I’ll probably write up at a later date as this post has went on longer than I’d expected lol, I won’t bore you all any longer, just enjoy a few more pictures of it and feel free to ask me any questions about the whole process and I’ll try my best to answer.
Thanks for reading!
Spec List:
3.6L V6
DSG, 4WD.
Difference between UK & Jap Cars:
There are a few differences between the UK R36 and the Jap R36. One of the biggest differences in spec is that the Jap models come with DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control) as standard. A great addition to the car and totally changes the handling and dynamics of the car once put into the sports setting. Obviously the R36 is a heavy big bus. Once put into sports, it feels like a rocket sled on rails and can hold her own through the tight twistys when given the opportunity.
Tax
UK models are £565 for 12 months tax. As this is an import, tax is reduced to £270 for the 12 months even though it’s the exact same car. Makes sense, right?
Any cons?
Of course! It wouldn’t be a car thread without cons! Thankfully, only a few. Firstly, the interior headlining sagged. This is due to high heat in Japland. I was given 2 options to sort this. Get it fully replaced and pay for a brand new headliner or try get it pinned in place as a temporary measure. Me being the tight bugger that I am opted for the 2nd offering and just got it pinned in place. I may replace it in due course, but in the mean time it’s a minor issue.
Secondly, the radio only has 2 radio stations. This is due to the happy Jappy chappies running their frequency differently than we do. It’s either BBC Radio 2 or some other station. And the nav doesn’t work as it’s programmed for Japan, not NI. Personally speaking, none of this has bothered me and I don’t think it will. The car has an AUX/USB port which I use to stream my music, and if I need NAV, I just use apple/google maps on my phone. I may replace the headunit at a later date to a newer model, but for now, I’m happy with what I’ve got.
Third and final con (that I can think of), roof bars/chrome has tarnished quite badly. I think this is the only thing that upsets the cars look, I’ve spoke to a few detailers and all have said that it can be brought back a bit, but not fully. It doesn’t bother me too much, and honestly, I haven’t had time to leave the car in with someone over here to work their magic, it might happen soon though. I can include some images of my roof bars and chrome if any detailer would like to have a look and advise!
Attachments
Last edited: