First Beat - Inbound from Japan.

[wild-foamy]

Hi everyone.

Wanted to introduce myself, I'm in the process of importing my very own Honda Beat from Japland (because nothing says I'm comfortable with my sexuality than a slightly tubby guy in a tiny red convertible listening to the NOW CDs) .

Most of my other cars have been imports, Skylines, Stageas etc. Have owned a couple of Pajero Mini kei cars before (with tiny little turbos) so will be interested to see how the beat feels in comparison.

Can anyone point out any common pitfalls or things I'd want to address ASAP? Also has anyone come up with a reliable way of adding a 3.5mm jack to the stock stereo? (or even replacing it)

Car isn't due for a couple of months so I'm in no rush, would be nice to have some trick bits ready to install on it by the time it gets here.

2769

[Beatproducts]

Hi everyone.

Wanted to introduce myself, I'm in the process of importing my very own Honda Beat from Japland (because nothing says I'm comfortable with my sexuality than a slightly tubby guy in a tiny red convertible listening to the NOW CDs) .

Most of my other cars have been imports, Skylines, Stageas etc. Have owned a couple of Pajero Mini kei cars before (with tiny little turbos) so will be interested to see how the beat feels in comparison.

Can anyone point out any common pitfalls or things I'd want to address ASAP? Also has anyone come up with a reliable way of adding a 3.5mm jack to the stock stereo? (or even replacing it)

Car isn't due for a couple of months so I'm in no rush, would be nice to have some trick bits ready to install on it by the time it gets here.

2769

Look at the Cambelt and maybe a precuationary change, there were some distributor problems in the early days, but most of them should have been changed by now. Finally an ECU inspection to check none of the capacitors are failing leaking. Generally they are solid little beasts as most Honda’s are 

Enjoy they are good fun even for us tubby old men 

[wild-foamy]

Thanks for the reply, slight hiccup as I received an email saying they went to load it on the ship only to find oil is leaking into the cylinders through the valve seals...

After much negotiation I now have a poorly Beat on its way over, followed closely by an array of spare parts from UAE and Japan... Should be an interesting job.

My long suffering Pajero Mini is still sat in storage with a similar problem... So might be a race to see which one gets finished first.

Never actually seen a Beat in the flesh... Is the head accessible in the car or is it a drop subframe and engine out job?

[wild-foamy]

It's here!!.

Started and ran perfect, no smoke... No rattles... Not sure why they thought it needed valve stem seals in Japan but I'm not complaining...

So... Where do I go from here? Are there any common beat issues I should address?2772

[Andrew Fisher]

That looks lovely main issue to address is that you fit it okay and that it revs over 7250 rpm.

The biggest issue I've come across is wheel alignment. If it feels uncertain get it checked.

Take it for a drive. If you do not return home with a silly grin on your face something serious has happened.

[wild-foamy]

It'll Rev all the way up to the redline so it looks like ECU-wise it's all good, I'm 5'8 and about 70kg so size isn't an issue, it doesn't feel much smaller than my Pajero Mini tbf.

Next step is get it registered and out on the road for summer!