P
P means the paint itself is damaged.
塗装
tosō
paint
Chips, peeling, lacquer lifting or a patch of discolouration. The metal underneath is sound, and the finish on top of it is not.
Peeling clear coat is the common version on Japanese cars from the 1990s, especially on roofs, bonnets and boot lids that faced the sun for two decades. Once it lifts, it spreads.
There is no partial repair for lifting clear coat. The panel gets sanded back and refinished, so price whole panels rather than patches.
What it should do to your bid
Cheap to fix on one panel, expensive on four. Count the panels on the diagram before you decide it is cosmetic.
Where sources disagree
The single letter P for damaged paint is well attested. One guide extends it to a P1 to P4 severity scale, which no other source confirms.
We tell you this rather than picking the reading that sounds most confident. The legend printed on your own sheet is the authority for your own car.
Night Line
Reading a sheet with P on it?
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