Paintwork Colors and Color Codes
The Japanese car auction inspection sheets tell you a lot, not just about the color of the vehicle, but also the color code.
In addition to seeing it in the photos of the car, the color of the car is also mentioned on the auction sheet. In addition to that, you can also see it in the auction data in our online system, and even search for cars of that particular color. For example, you can search for pink cars by entering the word, "pink" in the text search box in the auction search screen.
Of course, the color code gives an even more specific description. The color code is an alphanumeric code for original manufacturer (OEM) paint colors. For example, the Mercedes color code "197" is for a paint color called "Obsidian Black". The Nissan paint color code "KAD" refers to "Gun Metallic".
Repaints and Color Changes
Not all cars have their original paintwork. Sometimes owners will repaint them a new color, or sometimes they will be repainted in the original paint color just to refresh the exterior.
If the auction inspection report has any information about this, it will be translated for you. You can see some examples in the image above. These are screenshots from actual auction inspection reports showing some of the different kinds of comments you can expect to see. The top two are for cars that have had their color changed. The bottom comment is for a car that has been fully repainted with matching paint color for the purpose of repairing it.
Damage to the exterior paintwork
Of course, you will find a lot of information about damage to the exterior paintwork and the body itself by reading the alphanumeric annotations on the exterior condition "map" at the bottom right corner of most auction sheets. Remember that we do not translate those annotations, as they are already in a form you can read for yourself.
However, the inspectors will also write comments in Japanese about the paintwork on the auction sheet and you will find these in the translation.
Here are some more common ones:
- Paintwork faded
- Paintwork dull
- Paintwork has no sheen
- Paintwork worn
- Paintwork peeling
- Clear coat scratches
The team Integrity offer an outstanding service and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who is considering purchasing cars from Japanese auctions.
- Dean Dusk of Canterbury Car Center (UK)
All of these are pretty self explanatory, and will often be accompanied by information about a location. For example, you may see a comment such as "right front panel has worn paintwork".
Here is a more extreme example of paintwork damage shown on an exterior condition "map":
As you can see, there are the usual U1, A2 and other alphanumeric annotations that you can decode for yourself, but you can also see there are comments in Japanese. These comments would appear in the translation you receive prior to finalizing your auction bid. In this case, the translation would be as follows:
"Exterior paintwork worn on left front panel and on bonnet and on right front panel and just above right front headlight and on rear hatch, major exterior paintwork wear on roof, exterior paintwork faded on left front and right front wheel arch flares"
Obviously, I have chosen a fairly extreme example here and you will find that most cars at auction in Japan are in much better equivalent than their peers in other countries around the world.
We find that the most successful importers really understand how it all works - from the auction to the ship and beyond. Don't get left behind!
