How to identify an accident vehicle ?

[mithun]

TrueValue guys told me that if any car is involved in any serious accident and if any major body work is done, it can be easily identified with the help of a seal(like the warranty seal that we usually see in PC's/Home Appliances). If the seal is broken then it shows that the car was involved in an accident and major repairs work is done. And they told me that this seals are fixed in different parts of the cars like doors, bonnet, boot etc. If this is true, then where are the other major locations ?

And.....How can we identify whether the windshield is replaced since most of the OEM windshields of the vehicles are manufactured by Asahi/Saint Gobain/Temperlite etc and if the winshield is being replaced with the same brand ?

Is there any other Tricks of the Trade to easily pinpoint accident vehicles ?

[tadukuttan]

Well, I am not sure there are seals like the warranty seals, and even if they are around, don't know where they are.

But, one thing which works for me is, feel with you hands around the edges of body work, especially doors, bonnet, boot etc. Company finishes have something like a "plastic coating" on the edges, where the sheet metal folds in. If the edge feels rough, and the the "plastic coating" is missing, that definitely is a repainted piece. To learn the difference, try this out on a few cars... And of course, this would only work for panels where the edges have been repainted. And anyway, if the panel had some minor scratches removed, the easy way to detect would be to look for colour consistency. With most metallic paints, it is practically impossible to achieve a 100% colour match.

[WhiteKnight]

Originally Posted by mithun

And.....How can we identify whether the windshield is replaced since most of the OEM windshields of the vehicles are manufactured by Asahi/Saint Gobain/Temperlite etc and if the winshield is being replaced with the same brand ?

Is there any other Tricks of the Trade to easily pinpoint accident vehicles ?

Windshields on most of cars is not fitted on beadings, instead they are stickered. get in the car and look along the ends of windshield- if you see some uneven pattern of dried gum/beading lookalike, means the windshield has changed. Look at a car with factory fitted windshield, you'll see the difference.

[manikjeet]

the seals are very easy to spot open the hood and see the area where the front suspension is attached to the body of the car feel that point and u can easily make out but if the shell is changed its very difficult to find out

[sumitdongerkery]

Guys!!!!!

If the car is involved in a major frontal crash, you can detect it by checking the weldings within the engine bay... new car comes with most of the welding marks neatly sealed and incase of the paint touch up work it can be pin pointed by looking at the painted surface... pinting inconsistency will be observed..

Cheers..

[mail4ajo]

If the vehicle has water channels, the factory weld punching must be there too. Run your hands over bonnet, doors etc. Only a superior putty and paint job can hide the accident marks.

[shyamhegde]

If there were any insurance claims made (say couple of years back), would that not be possible to find out?

[nitroxx]

Apron bends,all pillars A B C take a bit of the channel off and check for welds,boot lift the carpet and check for any welds above the chassis box,they'll be thin rectangular on each side see if there are any joints or if its newly painted,lift the car up on a ramp see for welds anywhere...rest glasses and stuff its ok coz they get replaced due to various reasons

[mithun]

What is Apron ?

PS : I know only about the Apron that I use in my kitchen !!!

[nikkibike]

Look out for Car Brand print/seal on the window glasses,windscreen and rear glass. Manufacturer fitted glasses have this print/seal on the glasses which you won't see in after market glasses. This is a clear indication of whether the glasses are broken or not due to crashes. Especially the windscreen!! Nowadays used car dealers lookout for this particularly and I got a very good deal for my old car only due to this!

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by nikkibike

Look out for Car Brand print/seal on the window glasses,windscreen and rear glass. Manufacturer fitted glasses have this print/seal on the glasses which you won't see in after market glasses. This is a clear indication of whether the glasses are broken or not due to crashes. Especially the windscreen

Very True.. What they look for in the glasses is the number.
For eg:
Suppose you are planning to buy a car that was made in year 2001
every glass in the car wil have the " 01" ( this is the year of manufacture) right below the glass manufacturer logo. Now suppose the car meets with accident in year 2003 or glass was replaced for any reason in 2003 then the logo on that changed glass will be "03".
This is one surefire way to find out if any glass in the car was changed

Godfather

[indian21r]

The best way to know about it is to look at the insurance cliams and the service history of the car if it is done at authorised service centre.

[Jomz]

@ mithun.. Apron Is the chassis members of the monoque... In a major accident.. They Get bent and either they should be replaced Or repared.. which may result in loss of structural rigidity...Btw... I'm running a car with a replaced apron..Itz quite difficult to find the difference.... Because the fenders.. Suspension..and everything were replaced as a set...

[amu1983]

Chances are, the TrueValue guy is bluffing about the seal on the cars.

Apart from checking for outer body finish, and in-shape components under the bonnet, a good way of telling whether the car has been in an accident is to drive it on a straight, leveled road and let go of the steering wheel. If it automatically steers to the left or right, it has probably been in an accident. Make sure that all the tyres are inflated properly at correct pressure, otherwise you'll get a false alarm.

Also, accidented vehicle will vibrate and bounce more than normal, when driven at high speed, or on a bad road. So, test drive it thoroughly.

That said, I'd also like to say that, not all accidented cars are bad. If properly repaired, and maintained afterwards, they can even be a "great-value-buy"s than a poorly maintained vehicle with a good 'on-paper' history. Have seen many accidented vehicles live a trouble-free life for another 10 years.

[Ricky_63]

Hi amu1983,

i do not quite agree with you on the suggestion that the car will "automatically" steer to the right or left inspite of tyre pressure being correct. Also the steering vibrating & "Bouncing" more than normal is all suspension related issues. Improper wheel balancing, uneven tyre wear, improper alignment can be various causes for such behaviour by the car. I had a BOUNCY Octavia because of tyre manufacturing defects, believe me she never ever was involved in a crash......

Cheers