Read a Japanese auction sheet by checking identity, grades, inspector comments and the damage map together. Grade definitions are not universal.
A Japanese auction or condition sheet can help explain a vehicle's recorded condition, but its grades, symbols and wording must be read in the context of the issuing source. The fixed-price WI Car Export catalogue does not offer auction bidding, and an original sheet is not available for every listed vehicle.
Last updated: 13 September 2026. Universal grading and auction-access claims were removed and the limits of source documents clarified.
How do you confirm the sheet belongs to the car?
Match the stock reference, chassis information, model details and photographs before you interpret a single grade. Ask whether the image is the original source document and whether any page or reverse-side note is missing. A translated summary without the source image is harder to verify.
Which parts of the sheet should you read together?
Read vehicle identity, the overall and interior grades, the inspector comments, the damage map and the repair-history field as one document. Never assess a vehicle from the overall grade alone: the written notes and the diagram can qualify or explain what the headline grade suggests.
| Field | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Vehicle identity | Chassis or model code, registration information, recorded mileage |
| Overall and interior grades | Screening signals whose definitions differ by source |
| Inspector comments | Written notes that may qualify the headline grade |
| Damage map | Symbols mark areas; symbol sets and severity vary |
| Repair-history field | Rely on an explicit entry, never on a blank |
A high grade is not a mechanical warranty, while a lower or repair-history grade does not explain the nature, quality or current condition of a repair by itself. Do not infer a clean history from a blank, cropped or unreadable area: an absent entry tells you the field was not recorded or not legible, which is a question rather than an answer.
How should damage symbols be interpreted?
Use the issuing source's legend, because the exact letters, numbers and thresholds are not universal. Common sheets use short marks for scratches, dents, repairs, corrosion, replacement panels or other observations. Ask for clarification of any mark that affects your decision before you commit to the vehicle.
Avoid translating a symbol into a repair cost without a vehicle-specific assessment. A mark records that an inspector saw something in a location; it does not price the work, describe the quality of a previous repair, or predict what a body shop at your destination will quote.
What can Scan & Translate do?
When a suitable source image is available, Scan & Translate can produce an AI-assisted English description of selected fields. It helps surface text for review, but it may miss handwriting, stamps, diagrams or low-quality detail. The original document and photographs remain authoritative throughout.
The output does not authenticate the sheet and does not replace physical inspection. See how Scan & Translate should be used, and send anything the summary leaves unclear to the export desk with the exact line or symbol named.
Which questions should you ask before paying?
Ask whether the document belongs to the exact chassis, which legend applies, and whether the key fields are legible. Then check that the photographs support the marked condition, and confirm whether a destination-appointed inspection is required before the vehicle can be imported at all.
- Is this source document for the exact chassis being quoted?
- Which grade definitions and damage legend apply?
- Are the comments, repair-history area and mileage field fully legible?
- Do the photographs support the marked condition?
- Is a destination-appointed inspection required for import?
If no sheet is available, assess the other supplier evidence and decide whether the unresolved information is acceptable. Do not treat missing evidence as positive evidence.
Browse fixed-price Japan stock, then send the stock reference and your questions through the export desk.
