Car Life in Documents

Due to the nature of my work, I sometimes open the vehicle inspection certificate holders of other people's cars.

Inside the inspection certificate holder, records from the vehicle inspection, records from 12-month or 6-month inspections, and in the case of commercial vehicles, 3-month inspection records are often filed together with the inspection certificate.

Since these contain personal information, I am the one who disposes of them, but when I look at those records before putting them into the shredder, I can feel how that car has been treated.

For those who cherish their beloved cars, the records are kept securely, and the contents show not only oil changes but also parts that seem to have been replaced for preventive maintenance; even though they are just documents, I can feel the love for the car.
On the other hand, for cars that end up being scrapped early relative to their model year, I feel that it is more common for the records to be missing, or even if they remain, the content is more like they were "just doing" the inspections.

The inspection certificate holders of people who treat their cars with care often contain not only periodic inspection records but also notes on the parts and oils replaced, their types, and the dates maintenance was performed, as well as mementos like charms or family photos.I find myself wanting to send such items back to the former owner.

It is a glimpse into a moment where I feel that the car's existence was not just an industrial product used as a means of transportation, but was treated almost on par with a family member.

It is a strange thing that such cars, no matter how old they are, often have no major breakdowns, but the moment they leave the owner's hands, they suddenly fall apart and become difficult to even move a little.

Every time that happens, I am reminded of the light truck my late grandfather used to drive.

It was a light truck that had been in our house since I was a child, and it was old even back then, with rust and dents all over its exterior.It was not only my grandfather's daily transportation, but it was also loaded with cargo far exceeding its maximum payload for farm work, and when picking wild vegetables or hunting, it was driven deep into the mountains, traversing paths that were not really paths.
My grandfather loved that light truck.No matter how much he overworked it, he would note down the next mileage for oil changes, perform them diligently at the appropriate times, and never missed a periodic inspection.
Even though it looked increasingly battered, the light truck my grandfather drove would always start on the first try whenever he turned the key, even after being treated in ways that far exceeded its original capacity.

Even though it looked battered, the light truck maintained such good condition that the people at the auto repair shop were left scratching their heads.

That light truck started having trouble at the same time my grandfather fell ill.The engine became hard to start, and strange noises and oil leaks began to appear from under the vehicle body. As a result, the time the grandfather's light truck spent moving decreased, and we ended up adding another new light truck.

However, when my grandfather returned from his hospital stay, the engine seemed to wait for his return, breathing life back into it with a 'vroom,' and the light truck returned to its daily routine of being used for everything from daily errands to hard labor.

Every time I encounter an event where a car that has always existed as someone's partner, or has been treated carefully like a family member, like my grandfather's light truck, suddenly starts having problems everywhere the moment it leaves their hands, I can't help but think that cars might also possess a soul.

Indeed, in Japan, there have been terms since ancient times like "Tsukumogami" or "Yaoyorozu no Kami" (eight million gods), so perhaps it is not an impossible story.

If there is a material to measure the love for a "beloved" car, what would it be?

Is it the number of times it's been washed? Is it the mileage? Or how about the number of customized parts?

Having been in this industry for a long time, I think this:

"Records are love."