Auction Condition Grade/Score
Exterior Grade/Rating
Interior Grade/Rating
Important Information - Please Read
Auction Inspection Sheets - Different Auction Houses
Auction Condition Grade/Score
All vehicles entered into the auctions around Japan are inspected by auction inspectors and a grade/score number is issued based on the vehicles whole general condition.
6 or S |
New Vehicle. |
5.0 |
Almost New Condition with Low Km's. |
4.5 |
Very Clean Condition with maybe a couple of very minor blemishes. |
4.0 |
Clean Condition with some scratches & minor dents. |
3.5 |
Average Condition with maybe scratches, scuffs, dents and a degree of paint damage. |
3.0 |
Below Average Condition with maybe many scratches, scuffs or paint damage & maybe poor interior. |
2.0 |
Very Poor Condition Vehicle. |
1.0 |
Modified Vehicle. |
RA or A |
Accident Repaired. |
R or B |
Heavy Accident Repaired - normally internal panels like inner guard, chassis rail/s replaced & many panel beat work. |
X, XXX or Blank |
Un-inspected Vehicle - Accident Vehicle or Problem Vehicle (broken engine, water or fire damaged) |
Exterior Grade/Rating
On the auction inspection sheet you will notice a sketched drawing as shown below.

On the sketched drawing the auction inspector will mark down where blemishes are around the outer body panels (does not include underbody).
Below are what these markings refer to,
Paint Scratches & Scuffs
Rating
|
Fault
|
Description
|
A1
|
Scratch
|
If on body work or bumpers, generally only small scratch 1cm to 5cm long.
|
A2
|
Scratch or Scuff
|
If on body work, generally a scratch 5cm to 10cm long. If on bumpers, generally either a scratch 5cm to 10cm long or a light paint scuff.
|
A3
|
Scratch or Scuff
|
If on body work, generally 10cm and longer. If on bumpers, generally large paint scuff.
|
Dents
Rating
|
Fault
|
Description
|
U1 or B1
|
Dent - Small
|
Car park door dent 1cm to 3cm.
|
U2 or B2
|
Dent - Medium
|
Light dent from 3cm to 7cm.
|
U3 or B3
|
Dent - Large
|
Large dent from 8cm and bigger - generally repairable (not replace panel).
|
Crack or Tear
Rating
|
Fault
|
Description
|
Y1
|
Crack or Tear - Small
|
Normally effects bumpers, body kits or Light Lenses.
|
Y2
|
Crack or Tear - Medium
|
Normally effects bumpers, body kits or Light Lenses.
|
Y3
|
Crack or Tear - Large
|
Normally effects bumpers, body kits or Light Lenses.
|
Paint Fade / Clear Coat Peel
Rating
|
Fault
|
Description
|
P1
|
Paint Fade or Clear Coat Peel -Minor
|
Normally minor paint fade, 95% chance of removing with polish. Can also be light clear coat peel.
|
P2
|
Paint Fade or Clear Coat Peel -Medium
|
Normally light paint fade, 70% chance of removing with polish. Can also be light clear coat peel.
|
P3
|
Paint Fade or Clear Coat Peel -Large
|
Normally heavy fading or clear coat peel - 90% chance will need repaint.
|
Repainted Panel
Rating
|
Fault
|
Description
|
W1
|
Panel Repainted to High Standard.
|
Depending on colour of vehicle, may slightly notice a different colour shade based on light.
|
W2
|
Panel Repainted to Average Standard
|
Paint will have either light wave effect, dust in paint or panel different shade of colour.
|
W3
|
Panel Repainted to Poor Standard
|
Painted by a blind man - panel will need repainting as paint very poor.
|
Rust
Rating
|
Fault
|
Description
|
S1
|
Rust - Light
|
Depends where on the vehicle, if on doors it generally is rust bubble 1cm to 2cm at the bottom. If on bonnet, it tends to be stone chip rust spots.
|
S2
|
Rust - Medium
|
As above but larger, 2cm to 5cm rust bubble.
|
S3
|
Rust - Large
|
As above but very large, 5cm and bigger.
|
Note: Our advice is to avoid vehicles with S2 and higher rust.
Corrosion
Rating
|
Fault
|
Description
|
C1
|
Corrosion - Light
|
Flaking rust or rust hole small area - 1cm to 3cm in size.
|
C2
|
Corrosion - Medium
|
Flaking rust or rust hole - approximately 3cm to 6cm.
|
C3
|
Corrosion - Large
|
Will look like Swiss Cheese, many rust/large holes.
|
Note: our advice is to avoid vehicles with any C1, C2, C3
Panel & Windscreen
X
|
Panel needs replacing or Windscreen Cracked.
|
XX
|
Panel replaced
|
Interior Grade/Rating
Depending on the auction, the interior condition also receives a separate general grade/score and this grade/score is
A-E and can be found in a box below the main auction grade/score.
A |
Presents like new condition. |
B |
Clean Condition but may have one or a couple of the following - cig burn, minor seat or door panel tear, minor screw hole to dash or cracked/broken trim piece. |
C |
Interior needs detailing plus the above or saggy roof lining. |
D |
Very Dirty Condition or Large Amount of Damage. |
E |
Very Dirty Condition and Very Large Amount of Damage. |
Interior Example: Grade/Score: C - in the inspectors notes he/she may say "Interior Floor Mats Need Cleaning" or "Roof Linning Saggy" or "Seat has 5cm Tear & Cig Burn.
Important Information
The auction condition grade/score number is strictly only a quick reference guide for buyers when searching through auction listings. This is a very important point as not all condition grade 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 vehicles are the same due to the following points.
The grade/score number is a general number used by all auction houses around Japan. With all the auction houses, there are good auction houses and not so good auction houses. At one auction house a vehicle can be graded/score of 4.0 but at another auction house the same vehicle can receive a grade/score of 3.5
The key here and only comes with years of experience is knowing the auction houses and how to interpret their grading compared to other auction houses.
If you look on the auction inspection sheet to the LH side of the sketched diagram, this is a section where the auction inspector will list other faults the vehicle may have and this section is highly important and one of the keys to avoiding problem vehicles. Also, in this section the inspector will highlight why he/she has given the interior condition the grade they have.
Inspector Note Examples: Chassis Rust, Engine Noise, Major Water Leak, Blue Smoke, Dash Warning Light On, ABS or SRS Light On etc.
Below are some examples,
Example One
Vehicle One:
Grade/Score: 4.0
Sketch Diagram Shows: A2 (Scuff) to Bumper Corner, U1 (Dent) to LHR Door.
Inspectors Notes: Interior Door Trim Has 2cm Tear, LH Headlight Lens Has Minor Crack.
Vehicle Two:
Grade/Score: 4.0
Sketch Diagram Shows: A1 (Scratch) to LHF Door.
Inspectors Notes: Engine Noise.
Vehicle "Two" can be very costly to repair and you would not buy this vehicle unless it was very cheap due to the risk.
Example Two
Vehicle One:
Grade/Score: 3.5
Sketch Diagram Shows: A2 (Scuff) to LH & RH Bumper Corners, A3 (Scuff) to LH Rear Bumper Corner.
Inspectors Notes: Interior Floor Mats Need Cleaning.
Vehicle Two:
Grade/Score: 3.5
Sketch Diagram Shows: A2 (Scratch) to Bonnet, A2 (Scratch) to LH Front & Rear Doors, A3 (Scratch) to RH Rear Guard.
Inspectors Notes: Interior Floor Mats Need Cleaning.
Vehicle "Two" is not the best buy, why, vehicle one has blemishes on three bumper corners where vehicle two has smaller blemishes but spread out more around the vehicle. Bumper/s are fairly easy to paint where body panels can be costly if they need painting. To correctly paint a door and obtain a perfect colour match, the painter will blend onto the opersate panels to the panel that is being painted. In the case of vehicle two, to be painted correctly you would have the bonnet painted including blending onto the top of the front guards, LH front & rear doors painted including blending onto the LH front & rear guard, RH rear guard painted including blending onto the RH rear door. Paint shops generally charge by the panel and normally the bend panels are charged at half price. If your vehicle is a "pearl metallic" colour, can be very costly to paint due to the fact that if you want to paint one door you will need to paint the whole side of the vehicle as pearl paint does not "blend" well.
Auction Inspection Sheets -Different Auction Houses
Below are some examples of auction inspection sheets that are used by different auction houses around Japan. We have translated the basic information for you and is only to be used as a guide.
ARAI

AUCNET

BCN

CAA

GNN

HAA

HANATEN OSAKA

HERO

JU

KCAA

LAA KANASAI

LAA SHIKOKU

SAA

USS

ZIP OSAKA

More to come soon....