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It's not that bad, every year you must take all cars through the Shaken ( 車検 ) process. It's exhaustive but they also help you resolve some issues at the Shaken

by ehnto 5y ago

It's not that bad, every year you must take all cars through the Shaken ( 車検 ) process. It's exhaustive but they also help you resolve some issues at the Shaken workshop so it's not like they are antagonists unlike in some other country's roadworthiness processes. The rules aren't outrageous, and modified cars can make it through. It's certainly less strict than where I live in Australia. There is also no requirement to junk your car, if you can't be bothered with getting a particular car through Shaken anymore, you can still sell it to someone who will.

kragen 5y ago
Thank you! Is there some carveout that makes sha-ken less rigorous or expensive the first couple of years, or was I just totally wrong about that? How much does it cost later on?
- ehnto 5y ago
  A new car only needs shaken after the first three years, which gives you a brief respite from cost and time it takes to go through the process, last I checked it was close to $500USD (which includes vehicle weight tax/insurance). In practice it also get's more expensive the longer a vehicle is on the road, because mechanic work is expensive in Japan and to continue meeting the requirements you'd end up spending money on maintenance. I think those are the two key factors that encourage people to keep buying new vehicles, but I might be missing something!
- CapricornNoble 5y ago
  Shaken costs about ~$300-$500 for most cars, if the car is well-maintained and you take the car through the inspection line yourself. I daily drive a 15-year old sports sedan and will never pay a shop to get this car inspected ever again. If you pay a mechanic to do the inspection, it could be $600-$800. If the car is poorly maintained, of course expect to get gouged on parts & labor. If you drive a car with terrible resale value AND it has major deficiencies shortly before a new shaken inspection is due, it might be more cost-effective to junk the car rather than return it to passable condition.
  - kragen 5y ago
    I see, thanks! Though still much costlier than other countries, that's not nearly as extreme as I had inferred from other reports.

by ehnto 5y ago

kragen 5y ago

Thank you! Is there some carveout that makes sha-ken less rigorous or expensive the first couple of years, or was I just totally wrong about that? How much does it cost later on?

ehnto 5y ago
A new car only needs shaken after the first three years, which gives you a brief respite from cost and time it takes to go through the process, last I checked it was close to $500USD (which includes vehicle weight tax/insurance). In practice it also get's more expensive the longer a vehicle is on the road, because mechanic work is expensive in Japan and to continue meeting the requirements you'd end up spending money on maintenance. I think those are the two key factors that encourage people to keep buying new vehicles, but I might be missing something!
CapricornNoble 5y ago
Shaken costs about ~$300-$500 for most cars, if the car is well-maintained and you take the car through the inspection line yourself. I daily drive a 15-year old sports sedan and will never pay a shop to get this car inspected ever again. If you pay a mechanic to do the inspection, it could be $600-$800. If the car is poorly maintained, of course expect to get gouged on parts & labor. If you drive a car with terrible resale value AND it has major deficiencies shortly before a new shaken inspection is due, it might be more cost-effective to junk the car rather than return it to passable condition.
- kragen 5y ago
  I see, thanks! Though still much costlier than other countries, that's not nearly as extreme as I had inferred from other reports.