after reading the ademola thread and learning about the codes written on windscreen i want to open this thread so more people will learn and at least have an idea of the condition of a car even without the VIN
Donated & Normal are not what they stand for.

R might mean Rebuilt title
S might mean Salvage title (Not the same as rebuilt).



Damage Codes

Damage Codes are used to indicate known damage to the lot. Damage codes are listed as Primary Damage (1st) and Secondary Damage (2nd). Both Damage Codes indicate significant information about the lot and any one code should not be interpreted to carry more significance than the other.

•AO - ALL OVER
•BC - BIOHAZARDOUS/CHEMICAL
•BE - BURN - ENGINE
•BI - BURN - INTERIOR
•BN - BURN
•CC - CASH FOR CLUNKERS
•DH - DAMAGE HISTORY
•FD - FRAME DAMAGE REPORTED
•FR - FRONT END
•HL - HAIL
•MC - MECHANICAL
•MN - MINOR DENTS/SCRATCHES
•NW - NORMAL WEAR
•PR - PARTIAL/INCOMPLETE REPAIR
•RJ - REJECTED REPAIR
•RO - ROLLOVER
•RR - REAR END
•SD - SIDE
•ST - STRIPPED
•TP - TOP/ROOF
•UK - UNKNOWN
•UN - UNDERCARRIAGE
•VI - MISSING/ALTERED VIN
•VN - VANDALISM
•VP - REPLACED VIN
•WA - WATER/FLOOD

These codes indicate known or reported damage only and are limited by their nature. Copart expressly disclaims the accuracy of Damage Codes, as information may not accurately reflect the type or extent of damage to any vehicle. Damage Codes may not be used or relied upon for bidding purposes or for any other reason. Copart strongly recommends that Members thoroughly inspect lots before purchase.


Drive

Manufacturer's designation of the vehicle's power train.


Engine

Engine is the motor specification denoted by the VIN of the vehicle. Members are encouraged to inspect vehicles thoroughly before bidding to verify whether original equipment is present at time of sale.


Expected Future Date

These vehicles are NOT assigned to an auction yet. All Title processing required to sell these vehicles has been completed and submitted to the proper titling authority. Copart is waiting for DMV processing to be completed. When DMV processing is completed, these vehicles will be assigned to an actual sale. Any Members bidding on these vehicles will be notified by email when the vehicle is assigned to a sale.


Facility

Facility designates the Copart location that is processing the sale of the item(s). For a complete list of Copart facilities, please check out the Facilities tab on the menu bar.


Fuel

Designates the fuel type used by the engine as designated by the VIN.


Image

Copart takes ten (10) digital images of each vehicle processed for sale. Images are stored in jpeg format.


Item

Item numbers represent the order in which the lots will be sold during the Virtual Sale portion of VB2. Sales with a large number of items are broken down into lanes.


Item Numbers

Description

Lane

1-500 Run & Drive Lots A
501-600 Rental Cars A
601-700 Motor Cycles A
701-800 Boats/Jet Skis/Marine A
801-900 Heavy Equipment A
901-1000 Recreational Vehicles A
1001-1100 Homeowners A
1101-2000 Salvage Lots A
2001-2200 Run & Drive Lots B
2201-3000 Salvage Lots B
3001-4000 Salvage Lots C
4001-5000 Salvage Lots D
5001-6000 Salvage Lots E

so now if your car comes and you see R on one side of the windscreen and D on the other side it means the car is on a rebuilt title bought from salvage lot D you can mix and match the title codes and damage codes to get an idea why it was auctioned.

N.B this is for copart auctions don't know if other auction sites use same

for japanese auctions

If a car has a * (star) beside the mileage it means the auction house is saying the mileage is unverified or has been tampered with. It's usually a good idea to avoid a car like this.

One key indicator regarding the mileage is the interior condition. We've seen cars with supposedly low mileage that have worn seats and steering wheels. We don't see how this is possible even after 15 years if the car has such low mileage.

There are several different auctions besides USS in Japan and they all have slightly different ways of evaluating, inspecting and grading cars. For example it's commonly known that a car that receives a grade 4 from USS may receive a grade 3.5 from JU or CAA etc. This is all the more reason to ensure there is a thorough pre and post inspection of any car at auction you might be interested in.

You will probably hear this from other Import/Export companies that the inspectors at the auction houses "don't care if the car gets sold". It does raise the question of this, someone must care that the vehicle is sold and who might that be? The obvious answer is the auction house, so whether or not some auction house's are more or less honest or have incentive to misrepresent some issues with some cars is up to you decide. We've seen serious issues of rust and other mechanical and superficial issues left out of the auction sheets. Fortunately any good Importer or Exporter will be able to have the car immediately returned to the auction house at no penalty to you for misrepresenting the vehicle. This also assumes the company you deal with is honest as some companies may send you pictures that make your vehicle look as if it's in good condition but leave out pictures of the trunk being rusted out etc.

Don't let the things we just mentioned scare you too much, it doesn't always happen and some people have had no issues with any of their auction cars (although some have).

In the end we must say the Japanese Used Car auctions in general are an extremely reliable and trustworthy way of purchasing vehicles compared to buying locally in Canada or a North American car auction. Try taking a car back to a Canadian auction after they stated there were no mechanical problems and you find them.
Understanding The Auction Sheet Is The Key

Each car which goes through the auction is given a grade pertaining to the overall condition of the car.
Some sources say this only includes the cosmetic details and not the mechanical aspect which makes it hard to decide which car is actually in good or poor condition.

Grades

Each car is given one of the following grades:

First we will discuss the exterior grades.

Exterior Grade Definition Comments
5 Excellent condition. Obviously this is the best you can get This is basically a new car in showroom condition.

We've never seen a 15-Year old car with this grade.
4.5 Very good condition This kind of car is a rarity for a 15-Year old car, assuming the car really deserved such a high grade.

We've seen cars bounce between different auction houses with some giving it a 4.0 and some a 4.5
4 Good condition This is usually the highest grade a 15-Year old car will get in the Japanese auctions.
3.5
Average condition with noticeable but not severe repairs, scratches or dents. This grade is a bit of a gray area. Some cars we've seen should have fallen in the grade 3 area, some should have received a grade 4.

Generally this is a good car but remember not to go by grade only.

In fact sometimes a car that would normally receive a Grade 4 receives grade 3.5 just for being over 100,000km
3 Average condition with conspicuous scratches, dents, repairs and maybe some faded/peeling paint or blemishes. Unless you work at a bodyshop and are experienced in repainting and repairing panels you probably want to avoid any of the cars here.

Why go for a Grade 3 when you could have higher for the same price in most cases?

There are some exceptions and it appears some decent cars can be found here but we feel it is the exception rather than the rule.
0/R/RA/-1/1 Repaired vehicle or high modified. A car which has had minor or major accident damage (we find most cars in this category have had major head on collisions) and has been repaired. The grade may appear differently at different auctions and sometimes the car may not have been repaired but is given this grade because it is highly modified. If you see a car that says "A" for the grade it doesn't mean grade A goodness, it means accident.

We don't recommend these cars unless the car was physically inspected and is determined to be in good mechanical condition and that any modifications don't make it unsuitable or illegal for general road use.

Also make sure the repair was good, however there are often cars that look good on the outside that have poor or shoddy repairs.

Usually cars in this category tend to have more problems, just like you wouldn't want to buy a Canadian writeoff we don't advise you purchase one of these unless you verify the condition in and out.
Interior Grades
Interior Grade Description Comments
A Like new, brand new showroom condition This is what you're looking for but it's a rare find in a 15-Year old car.
B Good condition This is easy to find and is still quite excellent and like new in our opinion.
C Average condition There is often nothing wrong with a C grade interior and we would still consider many C's like new or in excellent condition.

Note that there is often little difference in reality to a Grade B and C interior.
Sometimes a car will receive a lower grade simply for not being perfectly clean (sometimes we feel a speck of dust may change a Grade B to C according to the inspectors).
D Poor condition and most likely showing signs of wear and damage Stay away, even if the mileage is real it means the previous owners likely did not take good care of the car.

Or it could be a sign of odometer tampering.



In either case you need to take the Interior & Exterior grade seriously but don't assume a high grade such as 4 (out of a maximum of 5) means the car is in perfect condition.

To have a better idea of the true condition you need to have the auction sheet notes translated from Japanese to English (or whatever your native language is). Never depend on the grade alone.

Even a grade 3.5 or grade 4 car may have had multiple panels repaired but our assumption is that the repair was done like new, thus differentiating them form a Grade RA car, however it's still best to find a car without serious panel repairs or replacement.

When it comes to interior grades and condition we've seen cars with 48-80K on the odometer with a Grade B where the auction sheet states "Steering wheel worn" or "Seats worn". This to us means the car was treated roughly or that the odometer was rolled. We feel such a car shouldn't get a grade B and should receive an automatic D.

Understanding the body/car diagram markings.

Most seasoned importers have probably memorized what all of these mean after pouring through hundreds of auction sheets to find the car they want.

Damage Definition Comments
A Scratch Usually this is not an issue unless the car has a very large number of scratches and if some are more severe.
U Dent Dents are fairly normal but make sure there aren't too many and that they are not too big.
Most dents can be self-repaired
B Bend This can be a sign of accident damage but usually it's just a dent and scratch. It's hard to say for sure what it was a result of.
W Wave This is also something we do not favor. A Wave means the panel is not perfectly smooth or even, in most cases this means the panel has been repaired due to an accident.
S Rust Self-explanatory, most cars from Japan don't have rust so we would stay away from this one unless you have a way to verify how much rust there is and how bad it really is
C Corrosion Self-explanatory.
XX Replaced Usually this indicates a replaced panel due to an accident.
X Needs to be replaced Self-explanatory
G Chip or crack in windshield Sometimes the auction sheet marking is not marked as G but you will see some Japanese writing on the windshield part of the diagram. If you see any writing on the windshield diagram it usually means a chipped or cracked windshield.

Usually to pass compliance you would have to replace the windshield as far as we know and this can be difficult and expensive to do especially if your car has no North American equivalent.
E Pin Pent A tiny dent, usually not a big deal unless there are a lot of them.
Y Crack We tend to see this on lowered cars with body kits. Typically the front lip gets cracked due to a speed bump or going too far and hitting the curb when parking etc.

Extent Of Damage

Each kind of damage shown on the car is usually given a severity rating as shown below:

1 - Minor
2 - Small
3 - Noticeable
4 - Major

We hope that gives you a good starting point to understanding exactly what all those lines, squiggles and marks on the auction sheet mean. As long as you keep these points in mind and bid carefully and understand the auction sheet fully you should be just fine.

source jdmvip forums

My recommendation for my clients is to avoid buying cars from auction houses in totality and instead search for and purchase directly from private owners. You can find easily find one owner cars with no accidents.

With auction houses, like Forest Gump said, "it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get".

It wasn't until very recent that auction houses were allowing non dealers to come in and bid.

Additionally most dealerships who value their reputation will send cars that do not meet there stringent requirements to the auction where the unsavy person will buy them. And then the blame game will start. Oh so so and so makes crappy cars - well do you know the history of your car, do you know how it was maintained?

Just because your car comes from "America" doesn't mean it's a good one.

Greetings sir, pls i need ur contact... i plan getting auction car frm japan and i need a legit source/direction
Thanks

Kwesigodspower:
Greetings sir, pls i need ur contact... i plan getting auction car frm japan and i need a legit source/direction
Thanks

Ever heard of TAU ? They also have LHD vehicles on TAU ...

aaidel , no pictures?

It's hard understanding what you wrote without seeing what you mean

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