Japanese Car Auction Inspection Reports Demystified

Car auctions in Japan are a great way for car importers from around the world to get good quality, low mileage cars and other used vehicles at great prices.

However, to make the most of the opportunities these Japanese car auctions provide you as a car dealer, you need to make sure you understand car inspection reports. As a well-informed buyer, you can make sure you select your gold and avoid costly mistakes.

In this article, we’ll take a look at who does these auction inspection reports and what you can find in them.

If you are serious about buying cars at car auctions in Japan, you need to read on.

Quick introduction: What are these Japanese car auctions?

There are around 86 different auction places in Japan. On a typical day, anywhere from 7,000 to more than 40,000 used cars and other vehicles will be sold at these auctions across the country.

A good Japanese car exporter will give their customers access to all of these auctions through an online system. You may be a continent or two away from Japan, yet sit down at your computer and jump right into this huge selection of right-hand drive and left-hand drive cars right away.

Enter an offer with a click of the mouse and let the car exporter in Japan take care of the rest. A few weeks later, the car will arrive at the port for you to pick it up.

Used Car Inspections at Japanese Car Auctions

Car auctions in Japan employ experienced mechanics to inspect every vehicle they sell. These inspectors work on-site in the case of most auctions, or off-site at car dealerships in the rare case of Aucnet.

The auction inspection covers all aspects of the car, from the mechanical areas and chassis to the exterior and interior condition. Auto auction inspectors are thorough in their approach, with the only caveat being that they don’t drive the car faster than parking lot speed and obviously can’t dismantle the vehicle to check really hard-to-reach places.

The auction inspector’s report

The car auction inspector writes his notes on the o-kushon hyo (auction sheet). He will use a combination of scoring systems, written descriptions, and an exterior diagram to give readers a good idea of ​​the used car’s condition.

Overall Auction Rating

Car auctions in Japan assign an overall rating to each of the cars entered into the weekly auction.

I do not recommend that you rely solely on this rating when considering whether or not to bid. You will also need to check the other detailed information that the inspector has written on the auction slip.

(A good Japanese car exporter will be able to provide you with a professional translation of these details.)

That said, the overall auction rating has a role to play in helping you narrow down the field of potential bid candidates. Here is a brief summary of the different grades:

Grades 7, 8, 9 or S – They refer to new cars with delivery mileage only.

Grade 6 – This grade can sometimes be equivalent to the grades above, but cars with this auction grade will usually have a little more than just delivery mileage.

grade 5 – These are vehicles in excellent condition, very close to new standard, but with several thousand kilometers on the odometer.

Grade 4.5 – A car in excellent condition, but with up to a few tens of thousands of kilometers on the clock.

grade 4 – A good, solid car that normally has less than 100,000 km on the clock.

Grade 3.5 – A vehicle with higher mileage or one that will need some work to clean.

3rd grade – Either a car with a very high mileage or one that is generally rough.

Grade 2 – Very rough vehicles, usually with corrosion holes, being the reason for this low rating.

Grade 1 – Usually a heavily modified car that has had a different engine or transmission installed, or has an aftermarket turbocharger. Other possibilities are used cars with flood or fire extinguisher damage.

Grade R, RA, A and 0 (zero) – They are cars that have had some kind of repair by accident. At one end of the scale, the repairs will be the replacement of a single panel due to a minor parking lot dent, while at the other end are vehicles that must have rolled in an accident that had nearly all of their panels replaced.

unclassified vehicles – These are being sold as is at auction with little or no information on their condition. As such, they are very risky and can lead to increasing additional costs if they are unable to drive or move.

Some of these grades are more common than others. For example, Grade 3.5 and 4 used cars will make up roughly 50% of a given day’s auction, while there will only be a handful of Grade 1 cars on the same day.

Indoor and outdoor grades

Japanese car auction inspectors assign letters to indicate the interior and (sometimes) exterior condition of the car. Again, these are very broad designations, just like the overall auction grade, and it’s really important to read the details of the inspectors’ comments to get a full picture of the condition.

Essentially, “B” is considered “average condition, considering the age and mileage of the car.” So an interior rating of “A” means the interior is above average, and if it’s “C” then it’s below average.

The “car map”

This is a diagram of the exterior of the car and is usually located in the lower right hand corner of the auction sheet.

The auction inspector will mark this with a combination of letters and numbers to indicate damage to the exterior of the vehicle.

Here are some basic designations:

A = zero

U = tooth

S = rust (from the Japanese word sabi)

C = corrosion

W = irregularity in the panel (usually caused by hitting the panel)

These letters are also often followed by a number to indicate severity. So “1” is the least serious and “4” is the most serious. In practice, the Japanese are so tedious with these things that something like “A1”, meaning the smallest scratch, is barely visible to the naked eye.

Japanese Auto Auction Inspectors Feedback

In addition to the above, the inspector will also write comments on the used car while checking it out. Obviously, the higher the grade of the car, the less likely it is to have additional information written on it. So a grade 3 car will have a lot more feedback than a grade 5 car.

The exception to this may be cars that have a large number of modifications and aftermarket parts installed which the inspector then lists on the auction sheet.

While the overall rating, interior and exterior ratings, and car map may appear to provide enough information to bid, I strongly encourage buyers to ensure they get these comments professionally translated before making a final bidding decision. .

A grade 5 or higher because you may not have any surprises, but at anything below that the inspector may have written something that could influence your decision to go ahead with an offer or not. That is why it is very important to look for a Japanese car exporter that offers professional quality translations of auction sheets.

Final remarks

Car auctions in Japan offer a large selection of used cars at good prices, and the auction’s inspection regime means you can get a good, detailed picture of any vehicle’s condition before you bid.

While it may seem daunting to buy used cars from the other side of the world, these Japanese auto auction inspection reports make the process of finding good vehicles easier and more reliable.