Japanese Car Auction Sheet Symbols and Marks

In short

A letter on the diagram says what the inspector found, and the number after it usually says how big: A2 is a medium scratch.
A is a scratch, U a dent, B a dent with a scratch, E a dimple, W a repaired and painted panel, S surface rust, C corrosion, X a panel that needs replacing and XX one already replaced.
W and XX on a door, wing or bumper are not repair history. Only an R or RA grade means the body frame was repaired.
C is worse than S: corrosion has already eaten into the metal, surface rust has not.
The letters mean much the same at every major auction house; each prints its own legend on the sheet.

How the diagram works

A Japanese auction sheet carries a line drawing of the car seen from above, with a letter written wherever the inspector found something. The letter says what kind of damage it is and the number after it usually says how big. So A2 on the left front door means a medium scratch on the left front door, and nothing more than that.

The letters mean much the same at every major auction house. Each house prints its own legend on the sheet, and where they differ it is usually in which marks they use and in the exact sizes behind the numbers, rather than in what a letter means.

The marks add up to one overall grade. What 4.5, 4, R and RA mean, and the A to E letters for the exterior and interior, are explained in Japanese Car Auction Grades.

Damage marks

Japanese car auction sheet damage marks and what each means
Mark	Meaning	What it tells you
`A`	Scratch	A line scratch. The number after it is its length, not its depth.
`B`	Dent with scratch	A dent that also broke the surface.
`E`	Dimple	A very small dent, often only visible in reflected light. The number says how many: E1 a few, E3 many.
`U`	Dent	A dent with the paint intact.
`W`	Repair mark	The panel has been repaired and painted. The number says how easy the repair is to see: W1 is hard to spot, W3 is obvious and may need doing again.
`S`	Rust	Surface rust. S2 is heavy rust.
`C`	Corrosion	Corrosion that has eaten into the metal. More serious than S. C2 is heavy corrosion.
`P`	Paint damage	A paint blemish, peeling or a touch-up.
`H`	Paint fade	Discolouration of the original paint.
`X`	Needs replacing	A panel, or a cracked piece of glass, the inspector judged beyond repair.
`XX`	Already replaced	The panel has been replaced. On a bolt-on panel — a door, wing, bonnet, boot lid or bumper — this is not repair history: only an R or RA grade means that.
`Y`	Hole, crack or tear	The material is broken through.
`G`	Stone chip	Chipping from road debris, usually on the front.
`R`	Repaired crack	A repaired crack in the glass.
`RX`	Repaired, still needs replacing	A crack in the glass that was repaired and should still be replaced.
`BP`	Panel beaten and painted	Sheet-metal repair followed by paint.

The number after the letter

For most marks the digit is the size of the damage, not its depth or its cost to fix. For dimples (E) it says how many there are, for rust and corrosion (S, C) how bad it is, and for a repair mark (W) how easy the repair is to see.

What the number after a mark means
Number	What it means
`1`	Small — about the size of a thumb, or a short scratch.
`2`	Medium — about the size of a palm.
`3`	Large — bigger than a palm and easy to see.
`4`	Very large — used by some houses for damage across most of a panel.

The two marks that matter most

W means a panel has been repaired and painted, and its number says how easy the repair is to see: W1 is hard to spot, W3 is obvious and may need doing again. XX means the panel has been replaced. A car with several W or XX marks along one side has usually been hit on that side.

Neither mark is repair history in itself. A replaced door, wing or bumper does not make a car R; only an R or RA grade means the body frame was repaired.

C is corrosion and is worse than S, which is surface rust. Surface rust is cosmetic; corrosion has already eaten into the metal and will keep going.

Questions people ask

What does W mean on a Japanese auction sheet?

W means the panel has been repaired and painted. The number after it says how easy the repair is to see: W1 is hard to spot, W3 is obvious and may need doing again. A W mark is not repair history in itself; only an R or RA grade means the body frame was repaired.

What does XX mean on an auction sheet?

XX means the panel has been replaced. On a bolt-on panel, such as a door, wing, bonnet, boot lid or bumper, this is not repair history: only an R or RA grade means the body frame was repaired.

What is the difference between X and XX?

X marks a panel, or a cracked piece of glass, that the inspector judged beyond repair: it needs replacing. XX means the panel has already been replaced.

What does A1, A2 or A3 mean on an auction sheet?

A is a line scratch, and the number after it is its size: A1 is small, A2 medium and A3 large. So A2 on the left front door means a medium scratch on the left front door, and nothing more than that.

What is the difference between U and B?

U is a dent with the paint intact. B is a dent that also broke the surface, so it is a dent with a scratch.

What is the difference between S and C on an auction sheet?

S is surface rust and is cosmetic. C is corrosion, which has already eaten into the metal and will continue to spread.

What does the number after the letter mean?

For most marks the number is the size of the damage: 1 is small, about the size of a thumb; 2 is medium, about the size of a palm; 3 is large; some houses use 4 for very large. It describes size, not depth or repair cost. For dimples (E) it says how many there are, for rust and corrosion (S, C) how bad it is, and for a repair mark (W) how easy the repair is to see.

Do the marks mean the same at every auction house?