You open your car door one day and notice something odd. Bright yellow handwritten text appears on the end of the door, normally hidden against the vehicle’s sill. No, it is not part of some forgotten scavenger hunt. According to mechanics on Reddit, it likely means your vehicle no longer has its original door. The door with the yellow writing was labeled at a junkyard.

A Redditor took to the “AskAMechanic” forum with a photo of a red door marked with bright yellow writing hidden inside. Their question was simple: “I own a 2016 Chevy sonic and ever since I got it there has been this yellow writing on the door and I was always curious what it means.”

That curiosity paid off. Most drivers with yellow writing hidden inside a door never notice it. One of the most thorough responses laid out two possibilities. “There is a chance that it’s a quality check marking from an issue as the vehicle was being assembled. However, those are usually cleaned off before shipping or at the dealer. Most likely it’s a junkyard mark.”

So was this red Chevy Sonic once abandoned in a junkyard? Probably not. A second commenter clarified, “Means the door was likely replaced from a junk yard.”

Why a replacement door might not appear on Carfax

The original poster remained confused about why their Chevy had a replacement door. “Weird part is the car fax has nothing on it except minor damage to the front bumper.”

Another commenter explained why that happens. “Someone figured it’s better to just settle it in cash and find a decent used door to replace a damaged one rather than have insurance spend more for a brand new one which also takes more time.” Because Carfax primarily tracks insurance claims, repairs paid out of pocket often never appear on a report.

Is a junkyard door a problem? Probably not. As one mechanic noted, “It isn’t that big a deal as long as there’s no damage to the A or B pillars.” Those pillars are the structural uprights between the windshield and front doors, and between the front and rear doors.

And if the marker writing bothers you? There is a simple fix. “You can use some acetone or alcohol on a towel to remove the marks.” You can see the original post embedded below:

What does the yellow words on my door mean
byu/Vikingtrashpanda inAskAMechanic