Buying wheels from Japanese auctions – documenting the blindsided journey.
On the next side-chapter of my automotive misery, I’ve taken the plunge to source of a set of wheels I want from a foreign country and try to import it in for my use. How hard could it be..?
Honestly, this is fully irresponsible, don’t get me wrong. But it’ll be fully going through the process to find out about the full cost of doing so and whether or not its even remotely a good idea at all.. anyways, one question you will probably pose:
Why should you get wheels from overseas?
Generally, you shouldn’t unless you are looking specifically for a very exact spec or design of wheel. If there are locally available stock suitable for you, its better to skip the hassle. Self-sourcing is an option ideally for enthusiasts seeking a very exact spec and model of wheel.
Additionally, some websites officially support ordering brand new wheels imported from Japan, so self-importing is the option with the most hassle..
However, going this route of self-sourcing might be cheaper than buying locally or from a local e-commerce platform, and may have your desired wheels especially for discontinued models.
Wait, how are you assuming the process will be?
I am going completely blind into this process, so I probably have a combination of correct assumptions, unidentified fees and generally no idea what I am doing:
- Find the wheels on auction or individual sales
- Purchase the set via proxy service and wait for it to ship from the seller to proxy warehouse
- Pay roughly S$300-400 in international shipping (by sea), plus additional cost of ~S$100 for domestic shipping to the proxy warehouse
- Pay extra custom duties for declared item value
- Shipped over to me, where due to the wheel condition (for my budget), I will need to bring it to a shop for further repairs, possibly S$100-300 for the whole set
- Done and call it a day
This might align with how you assume the process will be; it is mine and how I am going into this blind. I am no stranger to importing items from Japan so I roughly understand the logistics and pricing of shipping items in. An entire set of wheels though? That’s the blind part.
As for what I picked up and what is in the thumbnail of this article, these are MUGEN CF-48 wheels, specs being 14″, 4×100, 6J +38. They’re not the extremely expensive and desirable variants of this design from MUGEN..
What do these specs mean?
“14” / 14 inch” refers to the size of the wheel, most sizes ranging from 12-22 inch combining old and modern wheel sizes.
“4×100” is one specification of bolt pattern. “4” in this case is denoting the number of lug holes to mount the wheel up to the hub of the vehicle, and “100” is the diameter of the bolt circle, measured by millimeter. Many makes and model vary in bolt pattern, some using 5 or 6 lug patterns, and some vehicles using x114.3 or x120 as an example.
“6J” refers to the width of the wheel. The number denotes how wide the wheel is in inches and the letter is the bead profile standard. The bead profile is the contour seen at the edge of a wheel.
“+38” is the wheel’s offset, how far the wheel’s mounting point sits inwards or outwards relative to the wheel hub on the vehicle. The offset is measured based on the center of the wheel, and where the mounting point / lug nuts rest in relation to the center.
If the mounting point is more outwards to the outside-facing side, there is positive offset. (Ex. “flat-faced” wheels, AMG “Monoblock” wheels). If the mounting point is inwards and beyond the center of the wheel, there is negative offset. (Ex: extremely deep dished wheels)
MUGEN CF-48s are popular given it is, well, a MUGEN wheel. MUGEN parts are a treasure trove for Honda enthusiasts, closely associated with Honda with aftermarket parts like body and engine parts. They are a rough equivalent to Mercedes’ AMG, but not as official.
CF-48s are available used in three diameters: 13″, 14″ and 15″. The largest diameter are the most sought after and most expensive as 15-inch wheels are globally the minimum size for readily-available sports tyres. These desirable sets may cost up to 2.0k USD, excluding the recent limited reproduction of the CF-48s in “Glory Labs Edition” form, also in 15-inch only and costing about 2.2k USD to order.
After picking up this set, I was on the lookout for sporty tyres for 14-inch wheels. Out of several in Malaysia and Singapore, I found only one that was marketed as a performance tyre. Only one.
MUGEN CF-48s are available with center caps and aerodiscs. The inclusion of these items can inflate the price and improve the value of each set. Mine came available with only one center cap, out of four.
I purchased this set at a discounted amount, at amongst the lowest prices available for 14-inch CF-48s on auction sites.
Prices of these wheels vary, this list below are a compilation of prices I am aware of that were listed / transacted for:
- S$1,000 (located in US, good cond, 13″, no center caps and aerodisc)
- S$890 (located in US, good cond, 13″, no center caps and aerodisc)
- S$1,200 (located in UK, good cond, 14″, no center caps and aerodisc)
- S$1,400 (located in PH, good cond, 14″, with full set reproduction center caps)
- S$1,600 (located in US, good cond, 14″, with full set reproduction center caps)
- S$1,900 (located in PH, good cond, 14″, with full set original center caps and aerodiscs)
- S$2,100 (located in PH, good cond, 14″, with full set original center caps and aerodiscs)
- S$1,900 (located in ID, good cond, 14″, with full set original center caps and aerodiscs)
- S$1,500 (located in MY, good cond, 14″, with full set original center caps)
- S$2,500 (located in MY, good cond, 14″, with full set original center caps)
With my set coming at S$460 in weathered condition, one original center cap and inner dish damage on one piece, I have much to do to get it ready before passing it off for sale or installation. These wheels are likely bent in other ways and need bigger budgets to refresh. The price I paid excludes domestic and international shipping – the latter I have not done.
The service used to purchase is Doorzo, which apart from wheels does support some other car parts and other merchendise. Compared to Buyee, it supports lesser automotive parts. They quoted me roughly ¥13,800 (S$112.8) for sea shipping, and up to ¥40,856 (S$334) for air. I am recommended by friends to choose sea shipping to cut costs (wheels are quite heavy), though corrosion is one concern.
The quoted shipping adjustment of ¥3,000 is domestic shipping, which is lower than I expected.
This is where the story ends, as I have yet to opt to ship the wheels. In the next entry about this tryout, I’ll quote shipping times, duty tax, condition of the wheels then and now, and work to be done to get the wheels up to snuff.
In any case, I am definitely excited to see these wheels in the near future. MUGEN CF-48s were somewhat on my wishlist, and apart from the “swirls” hudcaps for Feriko, this is a wheel set I have been keen on.
~Efini
Read more: Archival: Honda Civic Ferio Honda Access Accessories Catalogue (1993) (Japan)
