Japanese auction sheet guides
Everything you need to read and trust a Japanese auction sheet — written by the SheetJP team.
Verify a Japanese auction sheet by chassis number
How to verify a Japanese auction sheet by chassis number: find the frame number, look up the original sheet, and confirm grade, mileage and damage before you buy.
Read guide Guide · 6 minWhat is a Japanese auction sheet?
A Japanese auction sheet is the independent condition report written when a used car is listed at auction in Japan. It records grade, letter marks, mileage, equipment, inspector notes and a damage map against the chassis number.
Read guide Guide · 9 minWhat is a specialist auction sheet search?
SheetJP’s specialist archive search is a $75 human lookup when the instant Japanese auction-sheet API cannot sell a report. It is not a guaranteed find. Typical email in 24–48 hours. Partial records count as a find. 95% refund if nothing is located.
Read guide Guide · 9 minWhy an auction sheet lookup finds nothing
An instant Japanese auction-sheet lookup can miss because the car was never auctioned, the record is old or regional, the serial is incomplete, or the match is too weak to sell. That is not the same as a dealer refusing to show a sheet, and it is not proof of fraud.
Read guide Guide · 8 minHow to request a specialist auction sheet search
Step-by-step: run SheetJP’s instant chassis lookup, confirm an eligible miss, pay $75 for a specialist archive search, and wait 24–48 hours for an email of whatever was found — or a 95% refund if nothing. You cannot skip the instant lookup.
Read guide Guide · 6 minWhat Japanese auction grades mean
What auction grade 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 6, R and RA mean on a Japanese sheet — plus when to buy and when to walk. Plain-English grade guide.
Read guide Guide · 8 minHow to read a Japanese auction sheet
A step-by-step guide to reading a Japanese car auction sheet: the overall grade, interior and exterior letter grades, the damage map symbols, mileage and equipment — and how to spot a faked sheet.
Read guide Guide · 7 minInterior and exterior letter grades (A–E)
What 外 and 内 letter grades A–E mean on a Japanese auction sheet, how they sit next to Grade 4 / 4.5 / R, and why a D interior is not a “clean Grade 4.” Educational only.
Read guide Guide · 7 minAuction sheet equipment codes explained
What SR, NAVI, ETC, PW, AW and スマートキー mean on a Japanese auction sheet — and why circled marks are treated as fitted more often than a printed list.
Read guide Guide · 6 minShaken (車検) on a Japanese auction sheet
Shaken (車検) on an auction sheet is Japan’s roadworthiness-inspection expiry, written as an era date such as R8/2. It is not an auction grade and does not replace WoF, IVA, JEVIC or entry certification.
Read guide Guide · 7 minHow to read auction-sheet inspector comments
Inspector comments (検査員記入欄) on a Japanese auction sheet are handwritten notes — oil leaks, odour, pillar distortion, warning lights. English glosses here are informal, not a certified translation.
Read guide Guide · 8 minAuction sheet symbols and damage map
A complete reference to Japanese auction sheet damage-map symbols — A, U, W, E, B, S, C, X and XX — and what the 1–4 severity numbers mean.
Read guide Guide · 7 minWhat is a chassis number and where to find it
A chassis number identifies your Japanese car and unlocks its auction sheet. Learn what it looks like (e.g. ZRE142-1234567), how to read it, and the five places to find it.
Read guide Guide · 7 minWhat does R and RA grade mean?
R and RA on a Japanese auction sheet mean repair or accident history. Learn the difference, how to read the damage map, when an R-grade car is worth buying, and how to verify the grade is real.
Read guide Guide · 7 minJapanese import odometer fraud — how to spot rolled-back mileage
Odometer rollback is the most profitable scam on Japanese used-car imports. Learn the warning signs and how the original auction sheet mileage exposes fraud before you buy.
Read guide Guide · 9 minThe real risks of importing a Japanese car
Odometer fraud, hidden accident repairs, flood damage and faked auction sheets — the four biggest risks when buying an imported Japanese car, and how auction-sheet verification protects you.
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