what ARE JAPANESE AUCTION SHEETS?
Every vehicle that is up for auction in Japan comes with an Auction Sheet. This sheet is based on an on-site inspection by qualified vehicle assessors to provide potential buyers with an overview of the vehicles specification, exterior condition, interior condition and any obvious issues to be aware of.
Below is a breakup of commonly used terms on these auction sheets.
what will the auction sheet tell me?
- Vehicle specifications (such as KM, model name, basic equipment etc)
- The overall grading of the interior and exterior condition. More on this later.
- Seller’s sales points.
- Auction inspector’s written comments.
- The “car map” showing exterior damage
HOW TO READ AN VEHICLE AUCTION SHEET
The first thing you may notice is that the auction sheet is written in Japanese. But don’t worry, our service includes auction sheet English translations. Once the auction sheet is translated into English, the below abbreviations and terms will provide you with a clear picture on the vehicles condition. Yet, to give you a quick overview of the detailed information you can expect recorded on an auction sheet, take a brief look at the below car diagrams.
Vehicle condition grades and details
As previously mentioned, the Japanese car auction sheet includes an overall condition grade and interior grade.
Overall condition grade
| Grade | Explanation of grade |
|---|---|
| S | The vehicle is less than 12 months old from the first registration and has done less than 10,000kms. As new condition, interior and exterior are immaculate. |
| 6 | The vehicle is less than 36 months old from the first registration and under 30,000kms. Interior and exterior are in excellent condition. |
| 5 | The vehicle has done less than 50,000kms, minor interior and exterior marks, no damage |
| 4.5 | The vehicle has done less than 100,000kms, generally excellent condition. Some minor marks and signs of wear. |
| 4 | Above average condition, some sign of scratches, dents, wear. |
| 3.5 | Average condition for the age and mileage. Expect exterior scratches, dents, marks, paint blemishes and interior wear and tear. |
| 3 | Exterior will have multiple noticeable scratches, marks, dents, paint blemishes and interior will be in below average condition. |
| 2 | Generally grade 2 cars will be in very poor condition or have some major faults. |
| 1 | Can have serious issues such as flood or fire damage or may be heavily modified. |
| RA | Minor repair – the car has had repair work done and its been repaired to a satisfactory standard. |
| R | Repair car – the car has had repair work done to it, more substantial than an RA grade. |
| *** | A non-running or non-graded car |
Interior condition grade
| Grade | Explanation of Grade |
|---|---|
| A | New or near new condition – no problems |
| B | Very clean and tidy, maybe minor steering wheel and seat wear |
| C | Could have cigarette burn, repaired areas, stains, cuts or tears, dashboard cracks or just be untidy and in need of cleaning. Interior trim may be faded or have parts missing or broken |
| D | Repair and or cleaning is generally necessary. Loose headlining usually automatically gets a D grade also |
| E | Poor condition, needs repair, cleaning. Bad smell also possible |
Abbreviations
| CODE | Explanation of code |
|---|---|
| AC / AAC | Air conditioner |
| C | Cooler |
| FA / AT / IAT | Automatic transmission |
| F4 / F5 / F6 | Manual transmission |
| PS | Power steering |
| PW | Power windows |
| 3 | Exterior will have multiple noticeable scratches, marks, dents, paint blemishes and interior will be in below average condition. |
| SR | Sunroof |
| AW / 純 AW | Factory alloy wheels |
| ナビ | Navigation |
| TV | Television |
| エア | Airbag |
| ABS | ABS |
| カワ 革 | Leather seats |
Exterior markings
| CODE | Explanation of code |
|---|---|
| A | Minor scratch |
| A1 | 2-3 cm scratch |
| A2 | Up to 10cm scratch |
| U | Minor dent |
| U1 | 2-3 cm dent |
| U2 | Up to 10cm dent |
| U3 | Over 10 cm dent |
| Y | Minor crack |
| Y1 | 2-3 cm crack |
| Y2 | Up to 10cm crack |
| Y3 | Over 10 cm crack |
| W | Minor paint work |
| W1 | Repainted, as new |
| W2 | Repair, repaint in good condition |
| W3 | Repair and repaint but quite noticeable – paint wave, colour irregularity, panel dimples etc |
| X | Item needs to be replaced |
| XX | Item has been replaced |
| S | Surface rust |
| C | Corrosion |
| E | Dimple |
| - | Markings on the windscreen indicate a stone chip, crack or sign of repair work. |
| - | The numbers on the tyres indicate the amount of tyre tread that is left. 8 means the tyres have 80% of the tread left. 1 means only 10% of the tread is left. |