Photos to ask a Japanese dealer for before you buy

Photos show less than you think. If you ask a dealer for "more photos", you usually get more of the same: the outside of the car, in good light, from a few steps back. The photos that tell you most are of places a listing rarely shows, and you have to ask for them by name.

This is the list we work from when we view a car, cut down to what a dealer or exporter can photograph for you without lifting the car. Use as much of it as you need. Every car is different, so put the places that matter for yours first.

Before you ask

• Ask for specific photos, not "more photos". Number your list, so the replies can be matched to it.
• Ask for a sheet of paper with today's date in the first photo, held next to the car. It shows the photos were taken for you, today, and not taken from an old listing.
• Ask for daylight in the shade, or overcast. Strong sun hides small dents in reflections.
• Ask for the photos as they came out of the camera: no filters, no brightness changes.
• Expect some answers to be no. Some dealers can't reach the underside without a lift, and some won't send anything beyond the listing. That's an answer too.

The checklist

1. Is it this car, today?

1. A sheet with today's date, held next to the car
2. The chassis number, close enough to read
3. The model code plate, in the engine bay or on a door pillar
4. The dashboard with the ignition on, then with the engine running, so you can see which warning lights stay on, and the odometer

2. The places that rust

5. Both strut tops, close up, with the bonnet (hood) open, taken from the side of the car looking down
6. The inside of each front wheel arch, with the steering turned so the arch is open
7. The rear arch lips and the bottom edge of each rear wing (quarter panel), close up
8. The sills (rocker panels) and jacking points along each side, from ground level
9. Underneath, as far as can be seen from the front and back without lifting the car. If the dealer has a lift, ask whether they'll take photos on it
10. The boot (trunk) floor with the mat lifted, and the spare wheel well

3. The body

11. Each side of the car straight on, and each panel at an angle, so the reflection runs along it
12. The gaps round the bonnet (hood), doors and boot (trunk), left and right, so you can compare them
13. The bolt heads on the front wings (fenders) and the bonnet (hood) hinges
14. Any mark the listing mentions: one photo from further back to show where it is, one close up with a coin next to it for size

4. Inside

15. The driver's seat from the side, including the bolster (the raised edge you slide over getting in)
16. The headlining, the carpets with the mats lifted, and any switch you know gives trouble on this model

5. Videos

17. A walk round the car, without stopping
18. The engine starting, filmed with the exhaust in view. Ask whether the engine had already been run that day: a video can't show whether it was cold
19. A short video of the car being driven, if the dealer is willing, even if it's only across the yard. Some dealers can't or won't, and that's an answer too

Some models have their own weak spots. For the cars we know, see our model guides.

What the photos still won't tell you

A good set of photos is still a set of photos.

• A shallow dent can disappear, depending on how the photo was taken.
• If the underside has been coated with rustproofing, rust under the coating can't be seen in photos, or in person.
• A clean photo isn't evidence either way. It shows what was in front of the camera, in that light, on that day.

More on this in What dealer photos of a Japanese car miss.

A request you can copy and send

Hello. I'm interested in the car with stock number ______. Before I decide, could you send the following photos, taken today in daylight, without filters?

1. A sheet of paper with today's date next to the car
2. The chassis number and the model code plate
3. Both strut tops, close up, with the bonnet open
4. The inside of both front wheel arches, and the rear arch lips
5. The sills and jacking points along each side
6. Underneath, front and back, as far as you can see without lifting the car
7. The boot floor with the mat lifted, and the spare wheel well
8. The dashboard with the engine running
9. A short video of the engine starting, with the exhaust in view. Had the engine already been run today?

Thank you.

Cut it down to the places that matter for your car. A shorter list is more likely to get an answer.

If a dealer in Japan won't reply to emails, or replies only in Japanese, a Remote Check is where we phone them in Japanese and ask for these photos for you.