does a main dealer have to declare to a buyer if car has been in an accident?

evosy1978

hello

just wondered if you bought a car thats within warranty from the main dealer, would they have to tell you by law if it had been in an accident even a minor one?

thanks

rev_henry

I don't think so, but if you asked and they lied and told you it hadn't then that would be illegal. Should always do an HPi check before you buy anyway.

Hintza

How would the necessarily know?

colino

Any dealer worth his salt will have HPi'd their stock and know its history. Unless you ask a direct question though, why would they introduce a negative into their description of the car? The reality is though that most cars have had paint at some point in their life and not all of that will have been declared so assume the worst and make your own judgement!

vansboy

As mentioned, lots vehicles will have a bump at some time.

BUT... do you mean an insurance claim, or suffered serioes accident damage & extensive repair? If you do, then you can ask the dealer to show you the HPI report & declare on your invoiuce that it has not been registered as such. You would then have some come back, if the information was wrong.

However, there is still chance that a car had damage that wasn't recorded on the HPI database.

VB

Kilty_2

vansboy wrote: »

However, there is still chance that a car had damage that wasn't recorded on the HPI database.

Yes, and a big chance at that!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-REG-VAUXHALL-ASTRA-DESIGN-UNRECORDED-SALVAGE-/260598871049?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3cace73409

One of many unrecorded damaged cars on eBay :rotfl:. Coming to a main dealer near you as "pristine low mileage example" in a year's time?

Or how about this lovely example of a 2.0 TDI Golf GT? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UNRECORDED-DAMAGED-SALVAGE-VW-GOLF-GT-SPORT-TDi-140-/120567088090?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1c125bc3da

Mankysteve

An HPI Check is not infallible. Do a bit of research and learn how to look for damage to vehicles, Basic stuff is pretty easy, never buy a car of rainy day. Miss matched coloured panels, uneven panel gaps, wrinkles in body part and chassis that are not uniform.

jd82

An HPI only checks if its been written off at any point. If a car has been involved in an accident most the time it will never show on the HPI check. My dads Fiesta has clearly been involved at some point in its live but its all HPI clear.

JQ.

Brand new cars regularly get damaged in transit / during storage and have had a quick coat of paint prior to delivery - the dealer has no obligation to tell you. As said above, HPi checks only relate to cars written off and provide no indication of accident damage other than that.

Whether you are taking delivery of a brand new car or buying a second hand car you need to check the paint carefully. Ultimately if you can't notice it, what difference does it make.