Rust vs. corrosion
An imported car buyers’ worst nightmare is finding out that your imported vehicle is a complete rust bucket. To avoid this happening, it’s important to understand how ‘rust’ is described by auction house inspectors.
sabi vs. fushoku
Generally, ‘rust’ falls into one of two categories on an auction sheet: 4
(1) さび Sabi = Rust, or
(2) 腐食 Fushoku = Corrosion.
SABI
‘Sabi’ refers to surface discolouration typically found on the vehicle’s underbody, suspension components or exhaust pipe. This is normal on most used cars and is relatively inconsequential.
FUSHOKU
On the other hand, ‘Fushoku’ refers to corrosion which is more severe than ‘Sabi’. This usually denotes metal flaking, pitting, holes etc. in the bodywork and other areas. This type of corrosion is likely to cause issues with the compliancing process once the vehicle has landed in Australia, and thus should be avoided.
To that end, we usually avoid purchasing from auction houses in regions such as Hokkaido and Sapporo where there is heavy snowfall and use of salt on the roads. We also avoid vehicles that are graded R or 3 and below. Finally, all vehicles are inspected thoroughly prior to bidding to validate the auction sheet report.
TIP: On the vehicle diagram located on the bottom right corner of the auction sheet, look out for key annotations. Rust is designated with the letter “S” (which comes from the Japanese word for rust – sabi), and corrosion is designated with the letter “C” (from the English “corrosion”).
How AFA Imports can help
It can be stressful and overwhelming to ensure the vehicle you want to import is not a ‘rust bucket’. This is where we come in.
We usually avoid purchasing from auction houses in regions such as Hokkaido and Sapporo where there is heavy snowfall and use of salt on the roads. We also avoid vehicles that are graded R or 3 and below.
Finally, all vehicles are inspected thoroughly prior to bidding to validate the auction sheet report. To understand what the Japanese car auction sheet is and how to interpret it, check out our simple and clear guide found here.