How to identify an accident vehicle ?

airfoil · 14th March 2007, 21:00

A windshield that has been changed does not serve as a sure indication of an accident.

Heck, a little pebble thrown up from a vehicle ahead of you can hit the car's windshield and put a crack on it, leading to a change. That alone, in my book, does not disqualify the car in question.

If I were buying and I knew the windshield's been changed, then I'd look for other related damage (Pillars for example) before shying away from the purchase.

I'd look for signs of a repainted body, feel for imperfections on the surface and pay special attention to edges/creases in the bodywork for signs of a patch-up.

amu1983 · 14th March 2007, 21:30

Quote:

can hit the car's windshield and put a crack on it, leading to a change. That alone, in my book, does not disqualify the car in question.

Right. A friend of mine had to change the windscreen after the worn out wiper blades damaged it, and it had a very poor visibility.

Rudra Sen · 14th March 2007, 22:16

mithun, may I ask you as what kind of accident through cars you're talking about? Because there's going to be difference depending on accidents.

I'm not really clear about your thread's point.

nitroxx · 14th March 2007, 22:21

the car swerving to one direction is true,however most cars in our country steer to one end due to misalignment dude the apron is the four corner area in which the engine lies.oh windshield replacement has nothing to do with car damage i had mine changed due to scratches coz it was a 98 honda and i needed a clearer one.

theMAG · 14th March 2007, 23:08

The best place to check is the underbody of the car. This is where you can trace out repaints, anomalous suspension components etc.

mithun · 15th March 2007, 07:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

mithun, may I ask you as what kind of accident through cars you're talking about? Because there's going to be difference depending on accidents.

I'm not really clear about your thread's point.

The main intention of this thread is to identify the vehicles which were involved in a crash when purchasing used vehicles.

Hope I've made my point across.

rangaraj · 28th December 2007, 20:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Is there a way of legally searching through multiple insurance companies databases on any claims based on the chassis and engine number of a vehicle? When an individual switches insurance companies, does the record of previous claims get attached/noted? If you make a claim and dont renew the insurance and go with another vendor, i guess there is no obligation for the new insurance company to check with the previous insurance company (if you dont want a no claim bonus)..

amit_mechengg · 28th December 2007, 22:54

guys...just looking at the body no one can make out the intensity of accidents. nowdays technology and expertise has advanced so much that the denting painting work is perfect and a layman cannot identify the accidents with the car.
here are some tips to find out the history of accidents:
1. put the car on ramp and check the front and rear portions starting from bumpers. any bends or irregularity in cross beams or underbody suggests accidents.

2. remove the front bumper and see the frames.check the welding pattern. company assembly involves spot welding perfectly done with equal spacing between two weld spots. Workshop people use gas welding widely. This indicates the car has met with accident.

3. the same above things can be done by taking the car to the workshop and removing the side pannels, rear side pannels etc and observing the car.

4. difference in the paint quality. This can be observed when the original paint has got old and then the car has met with an accident. but if the car is new its hard to ind out.

5. Get the history of vehicle from the dealer or from the service station. Generally service station people keep the job cards in the system. They can easily tell u whether any accident work has been carried on.

mithun · 2nd January 2008, 06:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangaraj

Is there a way of legally searching through multiple insurance companies databases on any claims based on the chassis and engine number of a vehicle? When an individual switches insurance companies, does the record of previous claims get attached/noted? If you make a claim and dont renew the insurance and go with another vendor, i guess there is no obligation for the new insurance company to check with the previous insurance company (if you dont want a no claim bonus)..

I don't think that there is such option available in INDIA !

Samurai · 2nd January 2008, 07:37

Replaced windshield glass is no indication of accident. I had to change front windshield glass on the Baleno when it cracked due to heat. Our driver wiped it with a wet cloth in the afternoon sun when the black car was boiling hot in the coastal summer sun. Even my Santro rear windshield had to be changed when somebody dropped a cement debris from the 3rd floor of a building under construction. I had unfortunately parked next to it.

It is really unfortunate that in our country, there is no way to track the real accident history of the vehicle like carfax, etc. Instead, shady used car salesmen use questionable tactics to hide/makeup accident history.

When I was trying to sell my 1997 Maruti 800 in 1998, it had only 6K on odo and was only 8 months old. I was selling because I was moving abroad. I had one fender-bender (my only accident with cars till today) with it at 5Kmph, which resulted in a small bend, got it tinkered back for 2K at the dealership. The used car broker declared it was an accident vehicle and put a much lower value on it. I lost almost 20-25K because I couldn't prove otherwise. After that I decided to sell my cars directly (not via shady dealers) to people who are willing to trust me.

14th March 2007, 21:00	#16
airfoil BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 318 Thanked: 81 Times	A windshield that has been changed does not serve as a sure indication of an accident. Heck, a little pebble thrown up from a vehicle ahead of you can hit the car's windshield and put a crack on it, leading to a change. That alone, in my book, does not disqualify the car in question. If I were buying and I knew the windshield's been changed, then I'd look for other related damage (Pillars for example) before shying away from the purchase. I'd look for signs of a repainted body, feel for imperfections on the surface and pay special attention to edges/creases in the bodywork for signs of a patch-up.
	() Thanks

14th March 2007, 22:16	#18
Rudra Sen Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11,752 Thanked: 6,871 Times View My Garage	mithun, may I ask you as what kind of accident through cars you're talking about? Because there's going to be difference depending on accidents. I'm not really clear about your thread's point.
	() Thanks

14th March 2007, 22:21	#19
nitroxx Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: DXB Posts: 815 Thanked: 31 Times View My Garage	the car swerving to one direction is true,however most cars in our country steer to one end due to misalignment dude the apron is the four corner area in which the engine lies.oh windshield replacement has nothing to do with car damage i had mine changed due to scratches coz it was a 98 honda and i needed a clearer one. Last edited by nitroxx : 14th March 2007 at 22:23.
	() Thanks

14th March 2007, 23:08	#20
theMAG Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Avon, CT Posts: 7,196 Thanked: 1,821 Times View My Garage	The best place to check is the underbody of the car. This is where you can trace out repaints, anomalous suspension components etc.
	() Thanks

28th December 2007, 22:54	#23
amit_mechengg Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 2,488 Thanked: 2,263 Times View My Garage	some tips to find accident car guys...just looking at the body no one can make out the intensity of accidents. nowdays technology and expertise has advanced so much that the denting painting work is perfect and a layman cannot identify the accidents with the car. here are some tips to find out the history of accidents: 1. put the car on ramp and check the front and rear portions starting from bumpers. any bends or irregularity in cross beams or underbody suggests accidents. 2. remove the front bumper and see the frames.check the welding pattern. company assembly involves spot welding perfectly done with equal spacing between two weld spots. Workshop people use gas welding widely. This indicates the car has met with accident. 3. the same above things can be done by taking the car to the workshop and removing the side pannels, rear side pannels etc and observing the car. 4. difference in the paint quality. This can be observed when the original paint has got old and then the car has met with an accident. but if the car is new its hard to ind out. 5. Get the history of vehicle from the dealer or from the service station. Generally service station people keep the job cards in the system. They can easily tell u whether any accident work has been carried on.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2008, 07:37	#25
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 26,005 Thanked: 49,750 Times View My Garage	Replaced windshield glass is no indication of accident. I had to change front windshield glass on the Baleno when it cracked due to heat. Our driver wiped it with a wet cloth in the afternoon sun when the black car was boiling hot in the coastal summer sun. Even my Santro rear windshield had to be changed when somebody dropped a cement debris from the 3rd floor of a building under construction. I had unfortunately parked next to it. It is really unfortunate that in our country, there is no way to track the real accident history of the vehicle like carfax, etc. Instead, shady used car salesmen use questionable tactics to hide/makeup accident history. When I was trying to sell my 1997 Maruti 800 in 1998, it had only 6K on odo and was only 8 months old. I was selling because I was moving abroad. I had one fender-bender (my only accident with cars till today) with it at 5Kmph, which resulted in a small bend, got it tinkered back for 2K at the dealership. The used car broker declared it was an accident vehicle and put a much lower value on it. I lost almost 20-25K because I couldn't prove otherwise. After that I decided to sell my cars directly (not via shady dealers) to people who are willing to trust me.
	() Thanks