Complete Guide to Reading Japanese Car Auction Sheets!
Avishka Chandeepa
Posted 06 March 2024
A Comprehensive Guide
A Japanese auction sheet is something that comes up regularly when you’re looking to buy a vehicle from Japan. It’s a very effective tool to see the condition of a vehicle through several different stages. Although it may seem a little daunting, with this guide, we hope you will be able to understand most of what is written.
There are a few different auction networks with branches all across Japan leading to the auction sheet, its symbols, and the quality of the grading varying slightly from auction to auction.
The auction sheet below is an example from the USS auction network.
Overall Grade
S / 6 – The vehicle is less than 12 months old from the first registration date and both the exterior and interior are in excellent condition. Usually under 10,000 km.
5 – Similar to grade S, in excellent condition but with minor imperfections needing little to no repair.
4.5 – The exterior and interior may have some minor imperfections but a very high grade overall.
4 – Above average grade with small scratches/dents and sometimes with interior imperfections.
3.5 – Average grade requiring some maintenance and minor repair.
3 – Exterior with noticeable scratches, dents, and repair marks requiring bodywork and interior often will have cigarette burn marks, stains, and interior wear.
2 – A vehicle is marked down as a grade 2 when there are large corrosion holes.
*** / 0 / 99 – The vehicle has not been inspected or the vehicle has been in a major accident and has not been repaired or the vehicle is not running.
R – Repaired vehicle with accident history
RA/R1 – Minor accident with good repairs.
Interior Grade
| A | As new |
| B | Very clean and nice |
| C | Average with some wear and tear. Might have some cigarette burn marks, dashboard bubbles/screws/cracks. |
| D | Cigarette burn marks/holes with smell, tears, rips, cracks and other damage |
| E | A large repair will be required as a whole. |
Vehicle Diagram
In addition to translating auction sheets, we take the extra step of conducting comprehensive vehicle inspections, which include detailed photos and videos. This thorough examination applies primarily to vehicles falling within Grade 4 and below. It's important to note that auction sheets don't factor in rust when determining the overall grade. While rust may be mentioned in the negative comments section, it often lacks specificity regarding its extent.
| A1 | Slight scratch - barely visible |
| A2 | Scratch of under 10 cm |
| A3 | Scratch of over 10-20 cm |
| A4 | Scratch of over 20 cm |
| B1-B4 | A dent with a scratch |
| U1 | Small dent- barely visible |
| U2 | Palm-sized dent |
| U3 | Relatively big dent |
| C1 | A small area of corrosion |
| C2/C3 | Severe corrosion |
| W1 | A panel which has been repaired slightly, is in good condition |
| W2 | A panel that has been repaired slightly, and has a slight wave |
| W3 | A panel that has been repaired and has a conspicuous wave |
| Pアセ | Paint fade |
| Pハゲ | Paint wear |
| Pワレ | Paint crack |
| X | Windscreen or panel replacement required |
| XX | Replaced |
| G | Small stone chip in the windshield |
For instance, there might be an R-grade car with minor repairs in excellent condition, while a 3.5-grade car could be plagued by extensive rust issues. Our inspection process serves as a crucial solution to this problem, providing you with a comprehensive overview of the vehicle's condition before you make your bidding decision.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or simply need help with looking for a vehicle. We are happy to take you through the process with translations and inspections and make sure you are sure of the vehicle you decide to bid on.
You can find all the necessary links below:
Thank you for choosing ZervTek Co., Ltd. We appreciate your trust in our services and look forward to serving you with excellence and integrity.
