Hi folks,

I got a bit of an odd bird over here in the UK and having difficulty with local dealer etc.

OK the car is (allegedly) a 1995 Honda Accord US Wagon, that is according to the J import certificate but... It seems to have the 1997 styling which says to me that someone messed up somewhere lol



Built in the US, exported to Japan and then imported here and it seems that this is where dealer gets sniffy as he can't work out whether its a Japanese or US car and it doesn't exist on the dealer databases Honda UK told me to contact Honda of America, who in turn told me to talk to my local dealer or Honda UK

Over here we have the Honda Aerodeck which looks very similar except the frontworks are slightly different and other slight differences e.g. the interior, does this mean I can use parts from the British models or as I have found with older Honda's, have they put a slight design difference in for different markets?

This model is a 2.2litre VTeC and has only done 90,000 kilometres, it has different brakes to the British Aero's I noticed and interior is a bit different as well, I can't find any specs whatsoever on this model and would welcome any hints to getting some.

Also I changed the stock radio cassette for a JVC head unit and since then the Panasonic R600 disc changer stopped working and I am trying to work out whether the white or blue wires that I didn't use in the head installation were used to power the changer, I got the pdf from that radio site and it says those two wires aren't used but the changer powers up but doesn't communicate with the head unit any longer (its a radio broadcast changer) The remote pod also remains unlit and I can't make head or tail of the wiring and Panasonic haven't the changer wiring schematics on their support sites either.

Cheers

 

check all VIN numbers to see that they are all the same, then run the VIN number. hubcaps are the same ones my mom has on her US accord. US accords this year didnt have sidemarkers, and cant tell if the car is RHD or not, US is LHD. US accords use miles not km. also 1995 accords should only have one o2 sensor, where the 1997 should have 2 o2 sensors.

 

If I recall the JDM wagons were originally built in the US then shipped over, which is why it may show up as that. The easiest way to determine 94/95 or 96/97 is to show the front bumper/hood. Assuming it hasn't been replaced or swapped, the 95 has a shorter turn signal in the bumper, and the corner lights blink with it. The grille does not have a H emblem on it but the hood does.

The 96/97 has a chrome trim around the grille and an H emblem, the hood is plain. It has a larger turn signal and the corners do not flash.

I'm unaware if the JDM wagons have a VIN checking system as the US counterpart does so you may not be able to check through that. I believe Accordingly Done website has the wiring diagrams for the radio installs.

 

Cheers guys, the Honda dealer in Castle Combe went all over it and every time he put the VIN in it just threw it back out lol, seemed to think it my fault and got quite... er irate as it happens lol

Couple more pics:





It is an interesting car all the same, has the build code ViX and a F22B engine in there, the front running lights were converted to remain off and flash but the rear running lights still work, the little gold badge on the rear door pillar is the "Honda of America" badge and it also has full matching Honda of America floor mats.

Note it also has its original US licence plate carriers which I assume are used in Japan.

The reason for my inquiry is that over here we have an abundance of Rover 6 series in scrap yards as well as a few Aerodecks, I would like to change the instrument over to MPH and tossing up between a simple overlaying dial card or putting in a dedicated MPH pod. I would also like to source a nice leather interior hence worries if the Aero is essentially the same as the American as don't want to buy a set and find it don't fit I tried that with the rear interior plastic panel I sourced from a 95 Aerodeck and it was incompatible as the popper locations were in a different place altogether and slightly different length.

I have a Chilton Manual on order as I live virtually next door to Haynes the manual people.

As for the car itself, the only fault it has, is a bit of lacquer peeling on the bonnet and A pillar, it is completely rust and leak free and the Japanese owner it seems threw a lot of money at it service wise (had to get all the service stuff translated)

I do want to lose that "parking pole" so there will be one up for sale soon

 

hi, if the car came from japan and im sure muffinman is correct about wagons being built in the US and sent to japan, than the model year could be a 95 in japan but more similar to our US 96accord instead. the reason for this is that in japan, the cars came out a year earlier. so for instance, if im correct, the 5th gen in japan went from 93-96 and the US models were 94-97. so if ur car came from japan and it was a 95, than most likely it's more related to the US 96-97 model. from the front bumper picture, it looks like it may be the US 96-97 front bumper. please correct me if im wrong. hope this helps.