We Never Get The Cool Japanese Cars In The US. Or Do We? Should You Get One? 

Hi AMD, I am very excited to see that you finally did a video on these dinosaurs. You don't even see many LS400s on the roads these days. I have a 93 UCF11 Celsior that took me almost 2 years to do the restoration and I look forward to bringing the car to your shop in the future to talk about it. This video provides a ton of information and I agree with what you mentioned on parts availability and the difference between JDM and USDM models. Parts are very hard to find on these models, I am still working on the HVAC control and audio system on my Celsior and they have completely different designs versus the USDM model. I will share more details down the road. You were right, no local shops were willing to touch this car as they didn't know too much about this. Even the local Toyota master tech didn't want to touch this. They only repair vehicles pretty much less than 20 years old. 1. The secondary windshield washer fluid tank is meant to be used to remove the oil film on the glass. “油膜” pretty much means oil film. I put some soapy water there as a detergent to use if I need to. However, these tiny pumps are very fragile. My pumps failed and lines get clogged up so I would not recommend using this tank at all. 2. The ECM is a pain to get repaired, and you have to use very refined Japanese capacitors to get it done right. Otherwise, they will fail again. I had TRAC lights on before the repair, but now the issues are gone. The repair is not cheap, I asked a very legit guy that I found on forums to repair and I think that I paid almost 500. Also, the gauge cluster would fail. The needles would become very "sticky" until they no longer show tach and speed info. 3. Once you started pulling things apart and you would find the starter became a bit corroded, especially on its terminals. Most aftermarket LS400 starters that I bought would not fit, very weird. Very difficult to find the OEM one brand new. I finally asked the local starter shop to rebuild the entire Denso thing and it took about 2 days. 4. Celsior tends to have way fewer emission control systems versus the USDM cars. They did not come with an EGR system at all, and the exhaust pipe design is a bit different. You did a great job of mentioning the EGT sensor, they do not exist on USDM models. JDM models only have two catalytic converters and they don't do much work in regards to purifying the exhaust gas. You can smell the exhaust fume on cold starts :) 5. The Hydro fan was used on SC models as well. I found this when I took the radiator out for the first time and to those of you who would like to get the drive belt, please refer to the SC parts catalog as they fit perfectly. USDM models have two electric fans on the front to cool the condenser and one mechanic fan in the back which is connected to the pulley itself. I think that they changed to a dual electric fan design on UCF30. I guess that the climate varies a lot in the US compared to the Japanese weather. 6. The power steering pump tends to fail very often, and it will drip the oil onto the alternator and cause the alternator to fail. I had my power steering pump and alternator rebuilt to eliminate this issue. The rack and pinion unit is a real pain. I am still working on tie rods and the rack itself as they are completely different parts from the USDM models. The good thing is that Celsior runs shorter lines because the pump itself sits closer on the US passenger side. 7. The distributor ignition system plus the spark plug wires would add at least 1-2 hours to your timing belt job depending on your skill level. There are a total of 10 wires that need to be plumbed correctly plus two igniters near the timing covers. 8. Celsior has different gearings in the diff IIRC. They feel a bit faster but you lose some fuel economy driving it on US highways. The cruise control would never work with US speed limits. I did a mod on the computer and I can finally set my speed above the JDM speed limits. Owning JDM cars is fun as it would require a ton of patience waiting on parts and time researching based on what you need. I have a ton of pictures during the restoration process and I would love to share them with you. I also bought many literatures and brochures both written in Japanese and English that could be very helpful when researching these models. The 1uz and LS community is fun, there are also a ton of aftermarket options on these cars. Great video!

I live in Japan, and there are so many more models, and much nicer and cooler Hondas, and Toyotas here than the USA.

for the last thirty five years New Zealand was a home for Second hand Japanese car imports. We drive on the same side of the road as Japan . New Zealand mechanics were really good at fixing them. We had a lot of luxury Japanese cars driving around. No one wanted European cars because they cost to much to buy and devalued overnight. Now we have every brand of car driving around the country and its generally not a good thing. I had 1988 Toyota 2.8 straight 6 cylinder Toyota Crissedia years ago, Leather seats, fuel injection, cruise control, so advance for the year, Completely trouble free motoring. Great days, love your video.

6:29 That's the traffic film remover liquid tank. When I was a young mechanic in Japan, used to put the windscreen washer liquid without diluting it and diluted one on the other tank. The idea behind it was, when the traffic film starts to build up and wipers smear, the liquid from this tank, usually a concentrated washer liquid or designated traffic film remover is jetted out to clear it. To do this, the wiper stalk has 2 ways to operate the jets, if you pull towards as you normally do the it squirts from the ordinary washer tank but if you flick the stalk away, it squirts from this traffic film remover tank. Cars in the late 80s up to around 2000s not only Toyotas but also other manufacturers did this sort. 15:00 As for the catalytic convertor temp sensor or the temp warning light switch, this was required by law in Japan until circa mid 90s. The history behind this is, the catalytic convertor became compulsory in Japan in 1978, at that time most cars were carburettor fed and having to fit catalytic convertors on those engines, did pose problems as you can imagine. But come 90s, with the technological advances and adaptation of fuel injection systems as opposed to carburettors this catalytic convertor temp warning system became more or less irrelevant. Sorry to ramble on, but last but not least, I really enjoy all your videos it's fun and very educational. Thank you.

My first car was my dads 1995 Lexus LS400 . Mine was white and had the phone in the center console. This car design is still beautiful today .

What a beauty! I have a 2006 Scion XA (made in Japan) that I bought a long time ago for almost nothing. I later learned that this car was sold in Japan as a Toyota Ist, and in the Middle East as a Toyota XA. They seem to be everywhere in the Congo for some reason, where they are commonly used as taxis. This car was only around $12,000 brand new. And amazingly, it has been super reliable... at 230,000 miles all original suspension (except sway bar links, where the bushings went bad), no leaks anywhere, no check engine light, engine runs like new. The oil is so clear on the dipstick that I sometimes have to look at it 2 or 3 times to find the oil level. Man, I sure wish they still made affordable cars like this today that are so reliable, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

Greetings from Puerto Rico love your channel! Toyota for Life ❤🇵🇷

As a former owner of a UZZ31 Soarer I can add a few bits of info. It is wash and rinse for the 2 washer bottles. The air purifier is a real purifier and lives under the rear parcel shelf and is accessed from the boot (Trunk) it has a replaceable filter. For parts for the RHD cars try the Toyota databases in Australia and the UK as those will give out the right part numbers for things like that valve that have a specific orientation. Should be a switch in the boot to turn the suspension computer off for maintenance as well, left side on a Soarer so assume it is the same spot on a Celsior.

Immaculate Celsior for its year. JDM always has the best cars.

At the very beginning of Lexus they had the LS 400 and a fancy Camry that they called the ES250 with a V6, leather interior and lots more sound deadening.

I adore my 1999 LS400, it even has some Celsior parts on it! I swapped for the hydraulic radiator fan from a Japanese model to improve my AC performance in the hot dessert summer. It took me a few months of scouring Japanese parts house websites to find all the parts I needed for conversion. I can now modulate my fan speed with PWM signal to the hydraulic solenoid and I get much better airflow at idle speed as compared to the mechanical viscous clutch fan. Just FYI, the American SC400's also had hydraulic fans!

AMD, If I found myself in Homer Glen, Illinois with a Toyota Celsior that needed repairs, your shop would be at the top of my list. 😉😉Of course, the 'cool' JDM car I want is a version of the Corolla wagon. I will happily take a Touring or Fielder. If I could have a JDM SUV, it would be the 2 door Prado 🤩

Toyota Celsior, Windom, Harrier, Aristo - all popular Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) cars similar in design and appearance to their Lexus export brand counterparts. As Ahmed pointed out, the Japanese usually reserve the "best model features" for their market. Many JDM vehicles can be found in the Caribbean, African continent and Russia where there's a thriving auto business for new and used aftermarket auto parts.

I’ve got a ‘92 Toyota LiteAce pickup which I personally imported from Japan 3 years ago. It’s 4WD with a 1.8 2Y 4-cylinder engine and has just over 40K miles. Yeah, parts availability is a concern, but I have been able to get what I need from both parts suppliers in Japan and also the Middle East. Fortunately, it’s a Toyota and seems to be very, very reliable.

Thanks bro. In Iraq we have many of them here including me , we have mechanics they change it to left side steering and we have no problem getting their parts , actually it's very cheap here compared to other models. Your Big fan from Iraq

That bumper guide pole is so cool . I have one on my camry

I am from New Zealand. I remember seeing quite a few of those Celsiors. I remember in the late 90s you could buy one as a Japanese import for 1/3 the price of a NZ new Ls400. I do remember these Japanese market cars were a complete nightmare to work on. Many circuits and systems of the cars were completely different from the NZ models. One had to reverse engineer the design of the component before one could fault find. Things were made even harder (at least on my Nissan) by wiring connectors in the loom that would change all the colors of the wires. When it came to repairs components had to be rebuilt instead of just swapping them out. For example, on my Nissan Bluebird, the rear caliper was leaking. We could not even match up the caliper by pictures. Finally, I took it apart and I could match up the seals by dimension and visual appearance. The steering rack started to leak and I had to disassemble that. I found most of the seals except the main shaft seals, I finally found a shop that cut down seals from something else to fit. All worked perfectly and I sold the car a year later. Fortunately, the engine that had 2 plugs per cylinder was faultless...

I was lucky enough to see this car parked outside at the shop one afternoon. It is a deep green, almost blue-green color that I’ve never seen before. Fun car to view! Maybe not so fun to search parts for :)

Altezza too! There were so many cool cars in Japan when I lived there.

Your minor mention of leaking capacitors needs to be a bigger announcement! Those are going to be the ultimate killer for older 90s cars. My Camry had a severe stalling issue and would not start at all until I had the ECU Rebuilt. A costly repair, but it is worth it in the end and its back up and running.

TY to you and the owner for showcasing this gem, as you went over the car I thought now that is why I LOVE Toyota, the detail they put into their cars is always a joy and this showed it off very well. Was glad you were prepared to put the time and effort into sourcing parts to keep this beauty on the road as it is almost perfect in every way. Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘💖💖💖💖

More of these JDM imports ! Cool to see the differences compared to the us spec models

That car looks amazingly maintained.

Very nice car I have the same vehicle. I imported from United States like maybe 18 years ago and I still have it and i still loving it . It's a really really nice car ,its now 390 K miles , & still run like new lexus mabye much smother,, i will keep it for ever .

Epic video as usual! Congrats!!

That's a pretty interesting fact about the parking stick indicator. The US car models were slowly transitioning away from being boxy 80s (and earlier) cars to rounded where the driver couldn't see the front or rear edges of the car anymore. The Japanese cars, which were still actually imported from Japan at the time, had a slightly faster transition over to rounded edges, whereas the US manufactures took more or less another 5 years starting with taking the boxed edges and simply making them rounded. Ford LTD to Crown Vic and the Mercury Grand Marquis are probably the best examples before they switched to the 1992ish body style, which would be rounded out. We never really got those stick indicators here because of the slow transition.

Can’t wait to see what you do with the high mile LS430.

This is so interesting! Thank you for sharing AMD and crew.

Good to see you working on a car with the controls on the correct side of the car. (I live in Scotland). Great videos.

I had a 90 Toyota Celsior had most factory options such as the TV on the back roof, cushion massaging and electronic position back chairs with cassette player and controls in back arm rest, memory front seat/seatbelts/steering wheel position which all moved and retracted when key was out. Electronic tinting rear view mirror, folding and heated side mirrors with entry lights. Remote central locking on key. Front passenger seat folds away for the back person to stretch their legs out fully extended and when front passenger door opens it goes back into it's original position. The only difference was that my CD stacker was in the boot and common problems were mostly electrical such as the fuel pump and costly repairs was the air suspension. I went to my local Toyota dealer to source parts and they couldn't help and also went to a Lexus dealer and all the Lexus didn't come with any air suspension which was around 2004. I also had a Toyota Soarer 1JZ twin turbo which I loved but now I own another Grey Import currently which is the 2009 Toyota Crown Hybrid GWS204 with the same 2GR-FSE 3.5L V6 engine and second generation 2 stage hybrid system from the Lexus GS450H so parts aren't hard to get if I need them. I was considering either the Hybrid or the Athlete version which has the factory option of the Modellista Supercharger but chose the Hybrid instead. The Crown is very close to what my Celsior could do in gadget wise and has soft close doors so if you don't close the doors fully it will close themselves. By far my best car yet also cheap on fuel consumes fuel like my previous 2008 1.8L Corolla Accent and for a 1.8 Ton Hybrid car it will do 0-100km/h since I'm from Australia in 5.4 Seconds which is impressive for what it is. And I can confirm that I've been to Japan and seen cars that you never see elsewhere. Japan really do keep the cream of the crop for themselves 😂 Love my Toyota's ❤ Fun fact Toyota did sell the 1UZ-FE Celsior engines during it's production years for other purposes such as marine application yes I've seen them powering boats and believe it or not even used in specific propeller airplanes since they were that good. Also don't press that button that's in the boot of the Celsior on the wall trim with the Japanese writing learnt the hard way it disables the air suspension 😂

Again, this shows you that The Japanese always reserve there best for there homelands. Just like electronic in Japan that design and use and sold in Japan only is very different than there export models.

Thank you AMD for showing casing the Japan made model and the challenges in servicing them.

Hi AMD, hope you are doing well! It's been a while since we've talked... that second windshield fluid cap says "oil residue remover" so I think it's meant for a stronger, non-diluted washer for heavy duty cleaning. Perhaps there are switches inside the car for both the "regular windshield wash" and "heavy duty wash". Hope this helps!

After 28 years it remains as beautiful as it did in its first year. Looking forward to your take on the new Crown.

Apparently, the second wiper fluid has more (or different) detergent to dissolve stuff like insects that regular washer fluid can't do. Not sure, though, just a guess. Bugs on the windshield aren't a huge problem here in the US, where we can't go fast enough. In Germany, on the other hand, after a long summertime drive on the Autobahn the windshield gets so encrusted with bugs that you almost can't see through it, and everyone has special sponges to remove them at the next rest stop.

This car is just stunning! I love the two tone paint and it's rarity of being a Celsior is just awesome. I know you mentioned that you work on JDM cars at the shop but i wanted to ask specifically about the Toyota Century??? You previewed one on this channel before and i'm really excited to buy one. But you're the only mechanic in the whole country that i would trust to work on it. Thanks.

As usual a very good video, I enjoyed watching it habibi

I drove a left hand drive VW Beetle in Scotland for 3 years. Quite an experience especially when trying to see around trucks before passing.

Love your informative videos, l own a JDM Toyota Soarer, so essentially a much more up spec version of the Lexus SC400. Two things l can help clarify on your video. The "first aid box" on the passenger side is actually called a "clean box", used for storing drinks and rubbish. Secondly, the two washer bottles, one is for detergent wash and the other is plain water for rinsing after using the detergent wash. Operation is via the stalk, one is push and the other is pull, to select the individual bottle. Keep up the fantastic videos

AMD, Very nice and thank you for sharing the Celsior! The plastic bin in the floorboard is a small trash can. It's just missing the black plastic bin insert. :)

You are 100000% correct about the difficulty in acquiring parts for JDM cars. I've seen plenty of people re-selling their JDM cars, most likely due to this fact.

Great video the imported cars has some challenges when it’s getting old.

Very beautiful and dependable cars my first was ES250 😂Like a Seiko another great Japan 🇯🇵 brand. The movement of that watch is bulletproof. The you sir great video. 🤙🏾

Thank you for the interesting video, AMD. Cheers my friend.🇨🇦🇺🇸

Liking the ls400 content. Keep it coming.

Excellent presentation by a fantastic MDT

Great car. Thank you for video.

Ha, another green LS400 with the same problems as mine, but it sure looks better. I can relate to the parts being hard to find, no parts supplier has anything in stock over here, and mine is a normal LHD LS400. Great video AMD!

I'm betting the second bottle is for the headlamp washers, just a guess. I have a friend in Japan that I've never met, but we exchange videos, he has a squarebody lhd Suburban. he also flips American cars, that were sold new in Japan, I believe they're left hand drive, and he Chrome's parts, and he flips American cars. He even bought a couple of brand-new, I think a square K5 Blazer, he's got a few Fords, a Buick RoadBlaster etc. I'll send him this video. It will be very interesting because he's in the car business

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge about JDM imports. In Vancouver, I was about to purchase a JDM 2007 LS460 which was in very good condition. But I was tipped off by a mechanic, where I took the car for pre-purchase used car inspection, about sourcing JDM parts to be very expensive. I didn't want to give up on that car as it was in such good condition so I did my own research online and I found that although 90% parts between JDM and local cars are the same for a particular model. BUT there can be unexpected differences which are discovered at the last moment during fitting. As a result I backed off.

Interesting video. Thanks

I've had Two Celsior's from Japan a 93 and 97, you can get an almost new LS400 from Japan, which is great! the satnav system, while it works, is kind of useless in north america, the Celsior came with a fluid hydraulic pump cooling fan which failed on mine, replaced with clutch, steering rack failed on one, couldn't rebuild it, had to import one from Japan used parts, not the worst. Mostly its great to get an almost new car, in Canada we can get the 08's now, but truthfully, its not that engaging a car to drive, its nice, and the value is good if you import one yourself, but I probably wouldn't do it again.

These 1990's Lexus LS 400's are excellent, but they are a little too old.

Thank you for this very interesting video sir. I used to have 1991 Toyota Crown here in Brooklyn, NY. Never had a problem to find parts. Amayama have virtually everything. And when I've been taken this 1991 Toyota Crown to local repair shop I've already had a right parts and repair manual pages printed out. Because you can't and you should not expect local mechanic do your homework with your imported car he's know nothing about. And you absolutely right about this cars can't be your only ride. You defenitly need one more car.

❤ always very interesting. Be nice to have something that nice.

That Celsior I have never seen in Australia. But I will say the steering wheel is on the RIGHT side of the car 🙃! Cars in Japan are replaced far more frequently than in just about any other country on earth. Hence its low mileage and sparkling condition. As most Japanese cars are rarely driven at freeway speeds. And inspection standards there are much higher than anywhere else. I am sure the burnt plastic on the exhaust can be removed by a brass wire brush on the end of a drill without damaging the exhaust. What a lovely car in such mint condition for its age. And the glass headlights that will never yellow and crack. No monstrous video screen that takes driver's eyes off the road and I suspect is the cause of many of the accidents I see on dashcam videos.

To remove the plastic from the exhaust, use “scrubbing bubbles” or “soft scrub”.

Love the Crown Athlete models... so nice looking.

The passenger side compartment is not a first aid kit. Its a small bin!

Non-US spec vehicles may not pass any local emissions testing that may be required to register them. Also some insurance companies will not cover them. Any prospective buyer should look into both of these potential roadblocks before buying a non-US vehicle. I have a JDM Land Cruiser.

Very nice! 👍

On Australian roads the front control rods only lasted about 20,000 miles or LESS...the Lexus LS400 had some great engineering , but the 2nd Gen suspension was revised for the next model....it became "knocky" far too early. My LS400 looks exactly like this one; same paint colours !!! Thanks for the video!!!

That black cover isn't just a cover over the radiator you removed. It's the air intake housing leading to the air filter. It's also missing the rear side mounted power radio antenna that all 95-97 LS 400's had.

Looking forward to a video about the blue SC behind this car, on the lift!

Second one washer is for headlight washer, same story with BMW E31 850i

Good work

Great video

Hey AMD - don't forget that the New Zealand and Australian domestic market Lexuses are RHD - so there's an English-language pool of older cars in wreckers and repair shops and parts still available ex Lexus/Toyota NZ/Australia.- all in the right configuration. There is, for example, several LS400s being wrecked here in NZ - any one of which will have a RHD steering rack & heater controls etc. Cheers

Sweet ride I love 90’s JDM cars

I wonder if they used the Hydro fans in Japan to get it past some of the Noise regulations they have there. The Hydro fans are definitely quieter and flow more air. Jeep Used them on the 4.7 liter V8... but they are a nightmare.. very expensive to replace, and they fail too often. Pretty sure it throws a check engine light too.. so you can't just toss an electric fan on it.

Ahmed. Is your shop always so clean and tidy?? Amazing 😊

Hello from England. Really enjoy your channel. Love Toyota and lexus cars. Great to see you reviewing a car with the steering wheel on the correct side!

I like these imported Toyotas. The options and tech is so cool.

Please do a SC300/400 tour!!! It's the same time period as the LS.

IMMACULATE!!! WOW! U take such pride in Toyotas, AMD. ❤ Can u EVER get recognition of "CHIEF TECHNICIAN"? Or do u have to be employed by Toyota? What was that box on THAT passenger side on side of front consol?🤔 Owner should be proud. Great video/info.👍

great video

@6:06 You buy this primarily for the condition otherwise you could opt for a USDM LS400.

All of the Lexus fanatics loving this Celsior. Almost like a mirror image of the U.S. version on the inside.

I've wanted to own an LS400 since they came out. I love every generation.

The best car we didn't get is the UZS143, this chassis code is very special for being a 1st generation aristo in not just a v8 from the celsior, but also being awd, airlift suspension, all wheel steer, etc

BMW also uses 2 reservoirs for washers - one is for standard washer fluid and the other is for a concentrated cleaner - (high intensity cleaner), for example to clean the glass from flies. When washing the glass, the driver selects which liquid to use on the lever. Maybe toyota uses something similar.

I think the US gets cooler Toyota models than the UK, such as the 4Runner, Tacoma, IS500, ES350, Camry V6 and Sienna.

I seen this same car a month ago her in Va and I thought it was a Lex at 1st glance. Then I saw there was nobody on the drivers side 😂😂😂

I'm one of those people who dream to import, in my case my dad's 1987 Toyota Corolla KE72 wagon which is in perfect condition after quarter million on ODO. 1.3L 4speed manual RWD carbureted. My dad's getting old and we don't want it to go out from the family. Parts and mechanics is what keeping me not importing it. It would be one of the sadest days of my life if it has to be sold to someone when my dad can't drive it and maintain it. I have many childhood memories with it starting from driving it on my dads lap. Another reason I wish AMD was near where I live.

Here in New Zealand thousands of used vehicles get imported from japan every year, when I need parts I usually buy direct from japan.

The 2nd washer bottle is for the headlight washers. Also a common feature in JDM Landcruiser Prados of the 90"s

The cap says "Please pour washer fluid in this reservoir. Thank you so much for your cooperation. It is greatly appreciated."

I have friends who own Toyota Aristo cars. (We have them as the Lexus GS.) Great video. I understand the pain finding parts. i have a '93 as well as a '99 SC400.

The 2 washer bottles are for differing mixtures, maybe you want one purely water and the other heavy detergent. This is the same on the Aristo from the era

Of the cross platform cars, the Aristo is one of the coolest. It was the only other car to get the 2JZGTE, something the GS never had 😎

Saw a couple Kei Cars in Hawaii, one was a tiny tiny Honda van. Cute and weird.

18:35 That's the law that allows people to import 軽トラ (keitora, "kei trucks" o light trucks) from Japan. People say it takes like an hour or so for your head to click and get used to drive them.

Hi AMD, thanks for all your great info, may I ask can you please show how to install the tow hitch to 2021 sienna and to install the paid of roof cross bars? :)

Thank s.

Beautiful looking car

Nice Celsior, there are a few of them here in Vancouver BC, we are allowed to import them here at 15 years old so a few more of them here. I have a 1991 LS400 with the UCF20 big brakes like on this car, I had to go to the same wheels this car has as the UCF10 wheels will will not fit anymore. My biggest headache with my LS was the power steering pump. I think you mentioned that. You have to start the car regularly so the seal does not get dry. If it does it will tear and leak into the alternator which will then turn on every light on the dash, meaning a pump rebuild and a Alternator diode? Maybe it's a triode, replacement. I love my LS400 and it is still buttery smooth on the highway even though I have added Eibach 1" lowering springs. Handles the twisty bits very well now. Next thing it needs is the driveshaft center support bearing. The mid 90's Denso CPU's all seem to have capacitor issues, a friend of mine had his go on his MR2 2nd Gen I believe it was, and I had mine go on my '97 XK8. It has all Denso electrics. I watch your show regularly, I also have a 1991 Starlet GT Turbo and a '17 Corolla.

Would love to see you work on an altezza rs200

Just one suggestion for future references on plastic attached to a exhaust. A regular aluminium foil from kitchen or sandwich (clean) wrinkle up to a snowball and heat it up exhaust to a working temperature. Then using that aluminium snowball scrub off plastic.

You can rebuild the rack companion is just a couple of seals that's all.😊

While I loved the Celsior we had, I much prefer the Crown. I've had 2 JZS155 Crown Royal Saloon Gs, they're the perfect size.