Copart and IAA damage labels: 10 terms and specific checks

10 labels: turn a listing term into an inspection question

Copart gives neither damage field automatic priority. They describe known or reported damage, rather than a complete inspection; the stated type and extent are not guaranteed accurate. Check both.

Copart: Common Terms: Damage Codes

The names and meanings below follow US Copart terminology. Views, components and checks are our inspection framework, not mandatory replacements for every model.

Front End · FR · Front of the vehicle

In the photographs: Compare the hood, lamp and bumper in front and oblique views.
What to inspect: Ask for inspection of lamp mounts, the bumper reinforcement, heat-exchanger supports and accessible connections.
What determines the repair: A split cover, broken lamp tab and leaking radiator require different work. A bent cooling pack warrants a leak check; it does not establish engine failure.

Rear End · RR · Rear of the vehicle

In the photographs: Look at the trunk lid, lamps, gaps and photographs inside the luggage compartment.
What to inspect: Inspect the back of the bumper, its reinforcement, the rear panel and floor where accessible.
What determines the repair: An intact bumper exterior does not measure the floor. Confirmed metal folds move the question beyond refinishing to measurement and the applicable body procedure.

Side · SD · Side of the vehicle

In the photographs: Distinguish a door dent from a fold in the rocker or pillar; compare wheel position.
What to inspect: Inspect the affected rocker, pillars, door opening and suspension; use model-specific measuring data.
What determines the repair: Replacing a door does not establish that its opening is correct. An unusual wheel position does not identify a particular bent arm or body point.

Undercarriage · UN · Underside

In the photographs: Obtain underside views showing contact marks, fluid, a deformed pipe or protective panel.
What to inspect: Have the technician distinguish a damaged guard from a component housing, line or subframe mounting.
What determines the repair: A scraped guard and a leaking oil pan are different findings. An underside that was never shown cannot be recorded as inspected and sound.

Mechanical · MC · Mechanical problem

In the photographs: Get the actual symptom: does the starter fail to turn, or does it turn without the engine starting?
What to inspect: Diagnose power supply, starting and the reported fault; retain codes and test results.
What determines the repair: This is not the name of a failed assembly. A trouble code or no-start alone does not establish a need for a new engine or transmission.

Water/Flood · WA · Water exposure

In the photographs: Look for visible traces on carpet, underlay, accessible connectors and metal surfaces.
What to inspect: Record accessible exposure marks, contact condition and the moisture source; investigate electrical complaints.
What determines the repair: Wet carpet does not establish the condition of every module. Damage to a particular connector needs its own recorded finding.

Hail · HL · Hail damage

In the photographs: Separate panel dents, cracked glass and damaged paint.
What to inspect: Inspect each affected panel, access to its reverse side and the glass condition.
What determines the repair: A dent with intact paint and cracked glass are different repairs. The label does not promise that all damage can be repaired without painting.

Rollover · RO · Rollover

In the photographs: Inspect the roof, pillars, door openings and glass, beyond the scratched side.
What to inspect: Use body measurements and model-specific restraint-system inspections.
What determines the repair: One straight-looking panel does not establish pillar condition. An airbag missing from a photograph is not an SRS inspection.

Burn · BN · Thermal damage

In the photographs: Record the visible limits of melting, burned wiring, plastics and adjacent surfaces.
What to inspect: Describe heat traces, accessible connections and the examination of particular components separately.
What determines the repair: The most heavily burned part is not automatically the ignition source. One overview photograph cannot establish the cause.

Minor Dents/Scratches · MN · Small dents or scratches

In the photographs: Enlarge the defects: a surface scratch, cracked housing and torn mounting point are different.
What to inspect: Check the reverse of accessible parts and equipment behind them when the evidence calls for it.
What determines the repair: The name does not establish that every defect is cosmetic. An actual broken mount or housing changes the work, regardless of the adjective in the listing.

A gap in a photograph is not a body measurement

I-CAR describes comparative measuring and checking against vehicle-specific data. Some points can be asymmetric; one tolerance cannot be applied to every vehicle. A displaced wheel, folded rocker or distorted opening therefore needs a measurement result, beyond comparison of two pictures.

I-CAR: Back-To-Basics: Comparative Measuring I-CAR: Back-To-Basics: Repair Tolerances

Start codes: keep Copart and IAA definitions separate

Copart · Run and Drive: On arrival: started, engaged a gear and moved forward under its own power.
Copart: Copart Terminology: Run and Drive, Engine Start, Enhanced
Copart · Engine Start Program: On arrival: the engine started and idled.
Copart: Copart Terminology: Run and Drive, Engine Start, Enhanced
Copart · Enhanced Vehicle: Preparation services are contemplated; even their completion is not guaranteed.
Copart: Copart Terminology: Run and Drive, Engine Start, Enhanced
IAA · Run & Drive: The vehicle was able to start and move under its own power.
IAA: Vehicle Start Codes
IAA · Starts: On arrival, the engine started, with or without a jump, and idled.
IAA: Vehicle Start Codes
IAA · Stationary: Will not start, has engine damage, or was not tested on arrival.
IAA: Vehicle Start Codes

Copart does not guarantee roadworthiness or another start at collection. Enhanced does not mean repaired. IAA Stationary does not select one of its three possible explanations: actual diagnosis is still needed.

Copart: Copart Terminology: Run and Drive, Engine Start, Enhanced IAA: Vehicle Start Codes

Why starting does not close the front-damage inspection

Starting is an observation about an action at a particular time. Heat-exchanger integrity, an intact lamp mount and a body measuring point are different results. One cannot replace the others. If video exists, record whether it shows starting, idling or movement; do not add a load test that was never filmed.

Two public examples with different evidence limits

Golf GTI 2023: a visible cooling pack

The public anonymized demo describes a deformed hood and heat-exchanger pack.

VINwind: Volkswagen Golf GTI 2023 — public anonymized demo

That creates specific questions about supports, the fan and leak testing. Engine damage is not established by the description. The example's start designation is unverified; it must not be assigned Run and Drive.

Rogue 2014–2016: water and one named connection

For specified US-market MY2014–2016 Rogue T32 vehicles, Nissan identifies M74/B42: corrosion calls for both connectors to be replaced; without corrosion, a different treatment branch applies. Campaign eligibility must be checked for the individual vehicle.

Nissan, hosted by NHTSA: NTB22-076 / R21B9: 2014–2016 Rogue connector corrosion

The word water is therefore not a list of failed electronic modules. An individual vehicle needs an examination of the connection. This is a model-specific repair scenario, not a VIN report confirming a flood history.

Open the Nissan bulletin

What this reading should produce

Record both damage areas, the separate start code, the platform and the observation date.
For each area, identify the visible component, the relevant view and anything hidden from inspection.
Write specific inspection questions: which connector, mount, housing or measuring point needs examination?
Connect the repair to a finding: a cracked housing, leak, corrosion or confirmed dimensional deviation.
Do not add unseen engine damage, geometry or a risk percentage to confirmed findings solely from a label.

Quick answers

Does Run and Drive mean a healthy engine?

No. The recorded action is not a complete diagnosis or a guarantee of the assembly's condition today.

Is the second damage field less important?

Field order does not rank the repairs. Inspect both areas and connect each finding to its evidence.

Can replacement parts already be named?

An inspection shortlist can be made. Replacement requires a confirmed defect and verified part applicability.