R and RA mean the auction inspector found evidence of repair: a replaced panel, a welded section, or structural work. Buyers often hear "repaired" and walk away. Sometimes that is right. Often it is a negotiation.
What gets a car an R
Replacing a bolt-on panel such as a bonnet or a wing can earn an R even when the accident was minor. Structural repair to the chassis rails, floor or pillars is a different matter and should show as heavier marks on the map.
The questions to ask
- Which panels carry W or XX marks on the diagram?
- Is the damage on one corner, or spread across the car?
- Does the repair touch a structural member, or only bolt-on panels?
- Does the final auction price look like a repaired-car price, or a clean-car price?
What it does to the value
In the Bangladeshi market an R grade typically moves a car well below a comparable clean example. If the seller is charging clean-car money for an R-grade car, the sheet has just paid for itself many times over.
When to walk away
Flood damage, a bent chassis, or an airbag deployment recorded on the sheet are not worth negotiating over. So is a seller who insists the car is clean while the sheet says otherwise — if they are wrong about this, assume they are wrong about the rest.