車検
Shaken
A full national inspection: first at 3 years, then every 2 years. A car that fails must be repaired before it's legal to drive.
Book your own checkup twice a year, and fix things while they're small.
A plain-English guide for everyday drivers
Keep your car running to 300,000 miles, without paying for work it doesn't need.
A schedule that tells you what's due, a 10-minute monthly check, and pocket cards for the service desk. Built on three habits from Japan's car system, written for people who are not car people.
Get the book and toolkit · $27
Instant PDF download · 30-day refund
Not ready to buy? The Due vs. Upsell card from the toolkit is at the bottom of this page. It's free. Save it to your phone before your next oil change.
$27
Book +
toolkit
toolkit
The service desk problem
Came in for an oil change$40
+ Power steering flush, coolant flush, fuel induction service+$471
The quote at the counter$511
One oil change. Three extras nobody needed.
The owner of a 2016 Honda Odyssey with 59,000 miles went in for an oil change. The quote came back with a power steering flush, a coolant flush and a fuel induction service. Honda's own service statement calls work like that unnecessary under normal conditions.
Most of us can't tell what's due from what's extra. So we pay for things we don't need, and we skip things that really are due, until a small problem becomes a big bill.
Source: The Charlotte Ledger, 28 Feb 2022. Honda's position statement as reported there.
Why Japan
Japan doesn't leave car care to memory. It built a system.
In Japan, small problems can't hide for long. The law makes owners inspect, check and record. You don't need the law. You can copy the three habits it creates.
日常点検
Nichijō tenken
The owner's routine check. Japanese drivers are expected to look over their own car: tires, lights, fluids, brakes.
A 10-minute walk around your car, once a month, in your own driveway.
整備記録簿
Seibi kiroku-bo
The maintenance record book that stays with the car. Since 2014, the inspection certificate notes whether it shows inspections.
A notebook in the glovebox. It keeps you on schedule and helps when you sell.
A straight answer about Japan
Japanese owners don't keep cars forever. Inspections cost money and taxes rise after 13 years, so many cars are sold young. The book doesn't claim the system makes cars last longer. It takes the habits, which work on any car, in any country.
What the book does for you
Four things you'll be able to do after one evening of reading.
Master ScheduleSample rows
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Every 5,000 mi | Oil and filter. Rotate tires. |
| Every 15,000 mi | Cabin air filter. |
| Every 30,000 mi | Engine air filter. |
| 60,000 mi | Transmission fluid. First drive belt check. |
| 100,000 mi | First coolant change. Spark plugs (check your manual). |
| Every 2 years | Brake fluid, whatever the miles. |
From the careful (severe-use) column. The book adds the rows that fit your car, up to 300,000 miles. Your owner's manual always wins.
Chapters 4–8
Know exactly what's due, and when.
- One schedule, by miles and by time, from the first mile to 300,000.
- Answer four simple questions about your car, and the book shows which rows apply to you.
- Learn which "lifetime" fluids still need changing, and how often your oil really needs it.
Monthly Check10 minutes · engine cold
- TiresPressure in all four. Tread and sidewalls.
- Front lightsHeadlights, high beams, turn signals.
- Engine oilBetween the two marks on the dipstick.
- CoolantBetween the marks on the see-through tank.
- Brake fluidBetween MIN and MAX.
- Washer fluidTopped up. Both jets hit the glass.
- BatteryCables tight. No crust on the terminals.
- Wipers and glassNo streaks, no cracked rubber, no chips.
- Rear lightsTail lights, brake lights, reverse lights.
- The groundNo fresh spots where you park.
All normal? Write the date and "OK" in your record book.
Chapter 3
Catch problems in 10 minutes a month.
- One walk around the car: tires, lights, fluid levels, wipers and leaks.
- No tools beyond a tire gauge, which costs about $12.
- Know which lights, sounds and smells mean "stop now" and which mean "book it soon." (Chapter 13.)
What to sayToolkit pocket card
- When they suggest extra work
- "Thanks. I follow the schedule in my owner's manual. Can you show me where this is listed for my mileage?"
- When you only want what you came for
- "Please just do what I came in for today. Write down anything else with a price, and I'll look it up."
- When they push
- "I'll think about it."
- When they call mid-service
- "Please text or email the price. I'll decide later."
Chapters 9–10
Say no at the counter, without an argument.
- The Due vs. Upsell card shows which common add-ons are really due, and when.
- Fair US price ranges for the services you'll actually need.
- A 5-minute check before you drive away, so you know the work was done.
Chapters 2 and 11
Prove your car's history when you sell.
- Set up a record book in 10 minutes, the way Japanese cars carry theirs.
- Bought used, or lost track? The Catch-Up Plan shows what to do first and what can wait.
- Hand the next owner a clean, dated history. A car with a clear record is easier to trust and easier to sell.
Don't take our word for it
Take the carmakers' word.
The Due vs. Upsell card isn't opinion. It follows what the car companies tell their own dealers.
"These services are unnecessary and create unneeded expenses for your customers."
Service Alert SA-011/24, June 2024, on services outside the factory schedule
"No reason to perform engine oil system flushing."
Position statement on maintenance procedures
GM "does not endorse, support or acknowledge the need for fuel injector cleaning as a preventative maintenance procedure."
Service bulletin 04-06-04-051D, 2016
Your next service visit
Picture the same oil change, a few months from now.
You walk in with the mileage written down. You know what's due because you looked it up at home. The advisor suggests a throttle body cleaning. You ask where it's listed for your mileage, and the conversation is over. You pay for what you came in for.
At home, you add one line to your record book. Years from now, the buyer of your car reads every line of it.
My record book整備記録簿
| Date | Miles | Work | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2027 | 84,210 | Oil and filter. Tires rotated (marks checked). Declined: fuel induction service. | $89 |
| Apr 2027 | 85,030 | Monthly check. Front left tire 4 psi low, filled. | $0 |
| Sep 2027 | 89,600 | Brake fluid exchange (due by time). Engine air filter, done myself. | $158 |
Example entries, to show the format.
Inside the book
14 short chapters in five parts.
Every chapter opens with the short answer, so you can read it in a minute and come back for the detail. Start Here tells you which chapters to read first for your car.
Part 1The Japanese System
- 01Shaken: the inspection mindset
- 02Seibi kiroku-bo: your car's record book
- 03Nichijō tenken: the 10-minute monthly check
Part 2Know Your Car
- 04Find your car's type
Part 3The 300,000-Mile Schedule
- 05Oil: the interval that protects the engine
- 06Transmission fluid: ending the "lifetime" myth
- 07Coolant, brakes and the time-based items
- 08The Master Schedule
Part 4Protecting Your Car at the Shop
- 09Due vs. upsell
- 10Check the work in 5 minutes
Part 5Keeping It Going
- 11The Catch-Up Plan: "Is it too late?"
- 12Light DIY jobs that pay for themselves
- 13Warning signs: lights, sounds and smells
- 14Buy once, skip these
This book is for you if
- You drive a 5 to 15-year-old car and want it to keep going.
- You're not a car person, and you don't want to become one.
- You've walked out of a shop unsure what you just paid for.
- You'd rather spend 10 minutes a month than face one big surprise bill.
It's not for you if
- You want a step-by-step repair manual. Apart from a few light jobs, the book leaves repairs to a mechanic.
- You're looking for performance mods or tuning.
- You already keep a full service log and know your manual by heart.
Meet Makoto, your presenter.
Makoto is an AI, and the book says so on page one. He has no shop stories, so the book doesn't invent any.
What you get instead is sources. The facts come from owner's manuals, the carmakers' own service statements, and official Japanese sources such as the Road Transport Vehicle Act and Japan's transport ministry. Every source and image is listed in the Credits, so you can check any number yourself.
Questions
Before you buy
I'm not a car person. Will I understand it?
Yes. It's written for people who aren't. Plain English, short chapters, and the short answer first in every chapter. The only tool you need is a tire gauge.
My car already has 150,000 miles. Is it too late?
No. Chapter 11 is a catch-up plan for high-mileage cars and cars with an unknown past. It puts the work in the right order: safety first, then the cheap basics, then the time-based fluids and the big-ticket items. It also covers when to walk away from a used car.
I don't drive a Japanese car. Does it still work?
Yes. The habits come from Japan, but they work on any car. The schedule is set by your car's type (how it's built), not its badge, so it covers an F-150 as well as a Camry or a CR-V.
Does it tell me to ignore my owner's manual?
Never. The schedule sits at the careful end of your manual, and when the two differ, your manual wins.
Can't I find all this on YouTube?
Some of it, in pieces. The book puts it in one order, with one schedule for your car type and printable cards for the glovebox. You won't be searching videos at the service desk.
What do I actually get?
Two PDFs, delivered by Gumroad right after you pay: the full book, which reads well on a phone, and the printable toolkit. Print the cards once and keep them in the car.
What if it isn't for me?
Ask for a refund within 30 days and you'll get your money back.
Everything you get
The book, the schedule and the cards. One price.
The Japanese Car Care Method PDF
- 14 chapters in five parts, plus Start Here and a 12-month plan
- Diagrams and photos for the checks and the light DIY jobs
The printable toolkit PDF
- My Car page and the Master Schedule
- Monthly Check sheet and Record Book log
- Four pocket cards: Due vs. Upsell, What to Say, Check the Work, Fair Prices
- Catch-Up Worksheet for used or neglected cars
$27
One payment. Instant download.
Get it on GumroadIn the Odyssey story above, the extras added $471 to one oil change. Turning down a single one of them pays for this book several times over.
The 30-day refund. Read it. Take the cards to your next service. If the book doesn't earn its place in your glovebox, ask for a refund within 30 days. You'll get your money back, and you can keep the free card.
Free, as promised
The Due vs. Upsell card
Screenshot it and keep it on your phone. It's one of the four pocket cards in the toolkit.
Due vs. UpsellToolkit card 1 of 4
| Pushed at the counter | Really due? |
|---|---|
| Fuel induction / injector cleaning | Only for a diagnosed problem |
| Throttle body cleaning | Only for a real symptom |
| Engine flush | Never as maintenance |
| Power steering flush | Rarely; many cars have no fluid |
| Coolant flush | Drain-and-fill at manual interval |
| Transmission flush | Drain-and-fill only |
| Brake fluid exchange | Yes, on its time schedule |
| Nitrogen tire fill | No; air is about 80% nitrogen |
| Air filters at high prices | Do it yourself in minutes |
| "Your fluid looks dirty" | Due by time or miles, not color |
What to say"Thanks. I follow the schedule in my owner's manual. Can you show me where this is listed for my mileage?"
General guidance. Check your owner's manual; your manual wins.
Find small problems early. Fix them while they're cheap.
The full schedule, all four cards and the catch-up plan.
Get the book and toolkit · $27 Instant PDF download · 30-day refund