Hi Folks, I brought my car to the local NRMA shop to get my pink slip – only to be called and told that: • The radiator is leaking (news to me...) • The seat belt doesn't retract (...) :-(( I've also been told that they can't source the parts. Supposedly they called Daihatsu/ Toyota who told them that they don't have these parts. I don't know how far they went with their efforts... I want to make sure that my beloved red Copen stays in rude health. So: Could anyone recommend a place in Sydney that: a) can either source those parts or b) fix them? I hate to see the little Copen out of order... Any help would be really appreciated!!
The seat belt guides ,under the plastic covers ,behind the seats need sanding down .(there is a step by step guide on here somewhere) I did mine and it worked a treat.
Found it check page 2 on this thread,it works a treat https://www.copenworld.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=2170&highlight=seat+belts&page=2
well, first stop ought to be just a visit to a local radiator repair shop for their opinion - is the leak visible ? They might be able to repair/recore but given how obscure COPENs are here they might not be interested. second try would be some wreckers - these guys in Sydney list COPENs all the time on EBAY - this link for a COPEN door glass ought to get you in touch with them - keep in mind a radiator in a wrecked COPEN might not be much better, and if sitting around emptied for a while can dry out and the crud scales and clogs the vanes, so might need a good flush or two... http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2003-200...=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4619e26ba4 Finally - Japan from Yahoo Japan or Rakuten - this first link shows a few options - prices aren't too bad for new - but the freight might cost more than the radiator. I pay $50-$100 delivery for most items - but $180 recently for some mufflers which might be a similar weight. http://buyee.jp/item/search?query=l880K&category=2084199199 http://global.rakuten.com/en/search/?p=2&k=L880K&l-id=search_regular
Thanks folks, that's some great info right there. That guide is going to come in handy! I came across New Model Wreckers and was planning on giving them a call on Monday. What's your experience with Yahoo Japan? I understand that Buyee does the work for you?
There's buyee and a few others that allow non-Japanese customers to purchase off Yahoo Japan. Most sellers on Yahoo Japan won't deliver out of the country - and will only accept local Japanese bank transfers - so you need to use one of these services in order to bid/pay and have a local Japanese delivery destination. You just bid via Buyee/etc - if you win you end up paying them a % fee, plus the local delivery fee to them - then the fee from Japan to Australia. you can get a decent idea of the overall cost using their calculator if you have a rough idea of the weight of the goods. It's not always fast - it often takes a week for the goods to arrive in Buyee's warehouse and there's not much you can do about that. Once Buyee have it they generally repack and/or readdress to you in a couple of days - then EMS post to Australia is about 3-4 days. In total it's about 2-2.5 weeks from winning the auction to arriving on your doorstep - so might not suit for really urgent items.
I use Yahoo Auctions Japan all the time, with Jesse Streeter (http://jessestreeter.com/) as the "agent". If you know exactly what you want, he'll bid for you and ship stuff out. Usually gets to be 3-4 days after he sends the items. You're talking about 2 weeks, if you use YA's version of ebays "Buy it now" (Chrome's translate calls it "Prompt decision price"). I prefer Jesse over Buyee as he gives a more personal approach. You pay him via paypal or bank transfer if you're based in Oz. Different shipping options are available, but I use EMS as it's the most reasonable in terms of time and price.
Jens, there is also Suzi Auto Care and Exclusive Jap in Holden Hill, SA (suburb of Adelaide) who have a few wrecked copens and also advertise on ebay. I've been there and got a few bits. But also who knows if a used radiator will be more trouble than it is worth? I reckon any decent radiator shop should be able to re-core it.
My mechanic Nick at Maxi Service Centre seems to be able to source parts ok. He's in Hillsdale, you'll find him on Google.
Hi folks, just wanted to say thank you once again for all your help. I was able to source a radiator from Sydney based New Model Wreckers and it's getting installed as we speak. The weekend will be spent sanding down seat belt guides
