Cheap Japanese Import Conversion in Ireland: English Menus and Irish FM Radio, Real Prices Compared
The cheapest fix for Irish FM on a Japanese import is an FM expander at €8.63 to €45, but it loses station names and leaves menus and maps in Japanese. Conversions inside the unit start from €50 to €60 in Dublin, and English Android radios from €220 unit only. Prices checked 9 October 2026.
The cheapest fix is an FM expander at €8.63 to €45 (Amazon.co.uk, eBay, Planet Auto at €25 or CarRadio.ie at €45, prices seen on 9 October 2026). It brings in Irish FM, but RDS does not work, so there are no station names, and the menus and maps stay Japanese. Conversions inside the unit start from €50 at Radio Masters, and BMW Coding Ireland lists a full Japan-to-EU conversion at €250 to €280 with CarPlay. At Radio King FM firmware conversion starts from €60 for VW, Skoda and SEAT, €200 for a Toyota radio, exact price from your registration. An English Android radio is the third route.
“What is the cheapest way to get English menus and Irish FM radio on a Japanese import?” has two answers, because they are two problems. For the radio, the cheapest fix is an FM expander at €8.63 to €45, but it brings in no station names and changes nothing on the screen. A conversion inside the unit starts from €50 at one Dublin installer and from €60 at Radio King, and BMW Coding Ireland lists a full Japan-to-EU conversion for €250 to €280 with CarPlay. Replacing the radio with an English Android unit starts at €220 unit only, or from €270 supplied and fitted.
Prices checked on 9 October 2026. Every figure comes from the seller’s own website or listing on that date, with a link, and we compare like with like: what is converted, what stays Japanese and whether fitting is included. Prices change, so check before you book; our method is in the guide to cheap car electronics fitting.
The cheapest ways to convert a Japanese import in Ireland
A Japanese import radio tunes the Japanese FM band, and the menus, warnings and maps are in Japanese. As our Honda conversion article explains, these are separate systems, and fixing one does not fix the other.
1. An FM expander, radio band only. A small band expander in the aerial lead lets the Japanese radio receive Irish FM. Amazon.co.uk lists them at €8.63 to €23.56 and eBay.ie at €13.88 to €42.31 plus postage. Irish sellers: Planet Auto at “€25.00 Tax included” and CarRadio.ie at “€45.00 including 23% VAT & Free Shipping”.
2. A conversion inside the unit. Radio Masters’ DoneDeal ad says “Conversion prices start from 50 eur depending on the car make and model”. Its shop lists an instrument cluster conversion at €150, Honda Fit, Vezel, Grace and Shuttle at €200, VW and Audi MIB1/MIB2 to English at €320 including installation, Mercedes NTG and MBUX at €250 to €350, and BMW iDrive ID4 to ID8 at €450 to €750. BMW Coding Ireland lists Japan to EU at “€250 on NBT Evo and €280 on MGU with CarPlay activation included”, covering region, radio bands, language, navigation and EU maps, with €20 for a Dublin call-out. At Radio King, FM conversion by firmware is €60 for VW, Skoda and SEAT MIB1/MIB2, €80 for BMW 2014 to 2024, €150 for Mercedes 2014 to 2019 and €200 for a 10th-generation Toyota radio.
3. An English Android radio. Private sellers on DoneDeal offer Android units for Japanese cars at €220 and €249, unit only. A mobile fitter on DoneDeal lists a unit for Japanese-import Toyotas at €270 supplied and fitted. At Radio King a fitted English Android unit starts from €390; every price is compared in cheap Android car radio fitting.
What the cheap price usually leaves out
- Station names and following a station. With an expander, RDS and AF do not work: no station names, and the radio will not follow a station as you drive across the country.
- Doubled stations. A band expander can make stations come out twice on the dial.
- Everything else on the screen. Menus, warnings and the sat nav stay Japanese, and a Japanese factory sat nav is “Japan-only and effectively useless” here.
- What a conversion leaves in Japanese, ours included. Our Toyota firmware conversion keeps the factory unit and adds wired CarPlay and Android Auto on supported systems. RDS is not available, and voice control, the original maps and some settings stay in Japanese; your phone does the maps through CarPlay. Ask any converter for the same list before you pay.
- What the price covers. Our €80 BMW job is the FM band only. BMW Coding Ireland’s €250 to €280 includes language, EU maps and CarPlay activation, and Radio Masters’ €320 VW price includes installation. Compare the job, not the headline.
- Import charges on the cheapest expanders. From the UK, VAT applies, €3 duty per item applies unless the goods are UK-made, a €2 handling fee starts on 1 November 2026, and An Post charges €6.95 where applicable. On an €8.63 expander the fixed charges can come to more than the part. The Irish sellers above include VAT, and an Irish business gives you full rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2022: a full refund within 30 days for a fault, and claims for up to six years.
Buy cheap, buy twice: the real cost
The old line that you are not rich enough to buy cheap things fits a Japanese import well: the cheapest fix solves one of its two problems, and the second fix can make the first one pointless.
| Example: Japanese-import Toyota | Route A: cheapest first | Route B: one job |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | FM expander, €8.63 to €45: Irish FM, no station names, menus still Japanese | English Android unit supplied and fitted: €270 (DoneDeal ad) or from €390 (Radio King) |
| Step 2 | Still want English and CarPlay: Android unit, €220 to €249, unit only; the expander comes out with the old radio | Not needed |
| Fitting | Customer-supplied unit, €100 to €310 at published rates | Included |
| Total | about €329 to €604 | €270 to €390 |
This is an example. If Irish FM is all you want and the menus do not bother you, the expander is the whole job and Route A stops at step 1.
When the cheap option is perfectly fine
- You listen to one or two local stations and do not mind the missing station names.
- You can live with the menus in Japanese and already know the buttons you use.
- You stream from your phone anyway and the radio is a backup.
- The car is a short-term run-around.
If you go this way, buy the expander from an Irish seller with VAT included, so a fault is a refund rather than a parcel abroad.
Price comparison
| Route | Price as published | Includes | Warranty | Source, checked 9 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM expander, online | €8.63 to €23.56 (Amazon.co.uk); €13.88 to €42.31 plus postage (eBay.ie) | Expander only; import charges may apply | Seller’s terms | Marketplace listings |
| FM expander, Irish seller | €25.00 tax included; €45.00 incl. VAT and free shipping | Expander only | Irish consumer law applies | Planet Auto, CarRadio.ie |
| Conversion, Dublin installer | from €50; cluster €150; Honda €200; VW/Audi MIB €320; Mercedes €250 to €350; BMW €450 to €750 | Conversion by car; VW price includes installation | 1-year warranty on installations | Radio Masters, DoneDeal |
| BMW Japan to EU | €250 NBT Evo, €280 MGU; €20 Dublin call-out | Region, radio bands, language, navigation, EU maps, CarPlay | Not stated | BMW Coding Ireland |
| English Android unit, private seller | €220, €249 | Unit only | Not stated | DoneDeal ads |
| English Android unit, mobile fitter | €270 (Japanese-import Toyota) | Unit and fitting | Not stated | DoneDeal |
| Radio King | FM firmware from €60; BMW €80; Mercedes €150; Toyota radio €200; Toyota Fielder dashboard €200; range €60 to €350 | Conversion at the workshop | One year | Japanese FM conversion |
What you get at Radio King
We have been fitting car electronics at our Dublin workshop since 2016, on more than 32,000 cars so far. FM conversion by firmware starts from €60 for VW, Skoda and SEAT MIB1 and MIB2 units, €80 for BMW 2014 to 2024 EU FM coding, €150 for Mercedes 2014 to 2019 and €200 for a 10th-generation Toyota radio (Japanese to English FM conversion). A Toyota Fielder dashboard to English is €200 (dashboard conversion), and conversions run from €60 to €350 depending on the car. The Toyota radio conversion keeps the factory unit and adds wired CarPlay and Android Auto on supported systems, and we tell you before you book what stays Japanese (radio conversion). If you would rather replace the radio, an English Android unit fitted starts from €390. The work carries a one-year warranty, at our workshop in Dublin 11, with customers from across Ireland.
Send your registration and a photo of the screen on WhatsApp and we confirm the exact price. What we can and cannot convert on an import is on the Japanese domestic market conversion page.
Honda owners will find the cluster and menu conversion in our Honda Japanese to English article. If you are replacing the radio, read cheap Android car radio fitting, and the rest of the series is in the cheap car electronics fitting guide.
Published 9 October 2026
