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Fresh From the Factory Might Mean Frozen During Transport, Right?

Just looking at these poor cars sitting on top of the cargo freighter that transported them from Japan to Russia makes us think if they have any coolant inside their engines or if their lubricants lost their flowing properties.
frozen cars on ship 7 photos
Photo: theyachtmogul/Instagram
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Carmakers are facing multiple problems these days. Apart from the pandemic that drained us, the chip shortage doesn't ease their situation either. Due to these two main factors, production was low, and delivery times increased. Moreover, dealers started to take advantage of this and bumped the cars' prices above the MSRP in the U.S. But the carmakers' problems don't end there. Shipping a vehicle is not only expensive but also comes with risks.

The Japanese carmakers ship the cars in Russia through colder areas. So while some vehicles might get inside the belly of the massive ships, other has to stay outside. When it is summer, that's not that much of a problem. In winter, on the other hand, it's a different story.

As you can see in the attached pictures, these poor Hondas had to go through some seriously cold weather, harsh winds, and snowstorms. Thus, all of them are covered in a thick layer of ice and snow.

Most of the time, these vehicles are rolled out from the ship with their engines running. This time the freight company had to take a different approach: by using a forklift. As far as we can see from these images, the driver who picked that Honda CR-V lifted it from the correct points. Also, the fork doesn't cross the car's floor from side to side, so there might be some scratches underneath.

I know, this is what happened in Russia. But, if you live in Alaska or Canada, you should take a good look under the car. If you see some scratches or even bent areas, you should ask yourself how was the car transported and stored on its way from the factory to you. Remember, folks, not all cars are locally made. Some are imported and transported from overseas during snowstorms.

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About the author: Tudor Serban
Tudor Serban profile photo

Tudor started his automotive career in 1996, writing for a magazine while working on his journalism degree. From Pikes Peaks to the Moroccan desert to the Laguna Seca, he's seen and done it all.
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