identifying if a new car's been crash repaired

roundturn

Apart from a very close inspection, how could I spot if £6K's worth of damage had been repaired by a dealership?

First they told me the car had ben damaged in transit, and wanted to refund my deposit and cancel the contract. Then they told me there'd been no damage, it was rogue salesman, and the car would be ready shortly.....

No longer know who to believe....

loskie

don't you have the chassis number?

roundturn

Just checked the paperwork and I have a VIN.

Not sure how that helps though.

arcon5

You cant really. A good bodywork guy will make it very difficult to spot even if yoh know what your looking for.

Discuss it with them again as it may be a case of the salesman tried to get a better price on it behind your back if the manager is saying the saleman was rogue

waamo

If it is repaired so well nobody can tell does it matter?

facade

Easiest is to try and trade it in/sell to a main dealer or WBAC- they will find the tiniest tell-tales and reduce the price they offer, (and tell you why).

roundturn

waamo wrote: »

If it is repaired so well nobody can tell does it matter?

Maybe not - it's psychological really: you buy a brand new car you don't want to imagine it's already been smashed up & repaired....

Joe_Horner

roundturn wrote: »

Maybe not - it's psychological really: you buy a brand new car you don't want to imagine it's already been smashed up & repaired....

That's far more common than you'd imagine, though probably not as common as it used to be. Cars get shipped, driven on and off ferries, on and off transporters, and accidents happen.

Bear in mind that £6k of damage to a brand new car, repaired to factory standards (at dealer accounting prices) so it can still be called new, doesn't need to be much. Replacing one bolt-on wing and a full body respray to ensure a perfect match would probably cover it.

eta: Having said that, it'd be nice if they got their story straight.

RichardD1970

Joe_Horner wrote: »

That's far more common than you'd imagine, though probably not as common as it used to be. Cars get shipped, driven on and off ferries, on and off transporters, and accidents happen.

Bear in mind that £6k of damage to a brand new car, repaired to factory standards (at dealer accounting prices) so it can still be called new, doesn't need to be much. Replacing one bolt-on wing and a full body respray to ensure a perfect match would probably cover it.

eta: Having said that, it'd be nice if they got their story straight.

Very true, worked in car factories for 30 years.

The last figures I had for one of my former (smallish) employers was £5m a year in re-work costs (and that's on-site labour costs, not dealer). :eek:

forgotmyname

If it worries you that much, pay for a full inspection, not unknown for brand new cars to have quite substantial repairs.