Checking for Previous Body Repairs Before Buying A Car

evolutionqy7

How can you detect previous repairs carried out for the Panel, Chassis, Inner Structures and paint work?

Otherwise to that how can you find out what legalities have to be carried out by the owner after crashing the car to get it back on the road?

Thanks

colm_mcm

YOu have to have an eye for spotting these things.

Body panels should line up correctly, panel gaps should be consistent, check for things like stickers under the bonnet, wings etc. check that painted bolts holding wings etc on haven't been removed by checking for marks/chips left on the nuts/bolts

Sometimes you'll get telltale signs like different logo stamps on wings, a headlight that is shinier than the other one, a little overspray.

check the finish on the paint, to check for previous damage on doors, check just underneath the plastic strip that runs along the bottom of the glass, this is a difficult area to get right and you'll frequently find specks of dirt under the paint or an uneven finish in this area. again check hinge bolts for signs that they have been off.

As for chassis damage, you'd have to get it up on a ramp and know what to look for.

af_thefragile

I once saw on a tv program about checking old car's for body repairs, a good thing to do is to pull out the rubber sealing strip thing around the doors (where the door meets the body, if you get where I mean) and you can check to see the body panels underneath are even and don't have any bend's or welds where they shouldn't be.

Also good to pull out the carpets and look for any dodgy welds on the floor of the car.
If you find bends or dodgy welds, you know the car's body has been repaired.

evolutionqy7

yeah well panels and paintwork is a thing im fond of myself that leaves inner structures, chassis and legalities

Darsad

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

How can you detect previous repairs carried out for the Panel, Chassis, Inner Structures and paint work?

Experience

evolutionqy7

could you describe your experience?

Captain Slow IRL

af_thefragile wrote: »

I once saw on a tv program about checking old car's for body repairs, a good thing to do is to pull out the rubber sealing strip thing around the doors (where the door meets the body, if you get where I mean) and you can check to see the body panels underneath are even and don't have any bend's or welds where they shouldn't be.

Also good to pull out the carpets and look for any dodgy welds on the floor of the car.
If you find bends or dodgy welds, you know the car's body has been repaired.

Some of the door rubbers can be hard to put back into place - don't go doing this to someones car without their permission or you might get a black eye! Carpets can also be hard to lift up without removing a lot of trim - something that shouldn't be tackled without care for the car.

@OP - it really does take an eye to spot repair work - I was looking at a car recently and had to show the salesman the sh*t repair job done after the car had been in a tip, he was f*cking clueless!
If you were spending a lot of money, it might be worthwile investing in an AA inspection on the car. Otherwise, try to befriend a mechanic or panel beater to come look at the car with you. A bodged job would be spotted a mile away. It's also possible to have extensive work done to a car and not be able to tell - this would be indicative of high quality repair work (it does exist!)

evolutionqy7

yeah i know but i need to know lol...

gofaster_s13

If it was done properly you won't be able to tell.

Sitec

af_thefragile wrote: »

I once saw on a tv program about checking old car's for body repairs, a good thing to do is to pull out the rubber sealing strip thing around the doors (where the door meets the body, if you get where I mean) and you can check to see the body panels underneath are even and don't have any bend's or welds where they shouldn't be.

Also good to pull out the carpets and look for any dodgy welds on the floor of the car.
If you find bends or dodgy welds, you know the car's body has been repaired.

"Wheeler dealers", it was a Rover 45 looked mint but was a cut n shut job. Fairly good advice for someone buying a car, meself included.

robtri

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

yeah i know but i need to know lol...

need to know what exactly....
you have just ben told about looking for

YOu have to have an eye for spotting these things.

Body panels should line up correctly, panel gaps should be consistent, check for things like stickers under the bonnet, wings etc. check that painted bolts holding wings etc on haven't been removed by checking for marks/chips left on the nuts/bolts

Sometimes you'll get telltale signs like different logo stamps on wings, a headlight that is shinier than the other one, a little overspray.

check the finish on the paint, to check for previous damage on doors, check just underneath the plastic strip that runs along the bottom of the glass, this is a difficult area to get right and you'll frequently find specks of dirt under the paint or an uneven finish in this area. again check hinge bolts for signs that they have been off.

As for chassis damage, you'd have to get it up on a ramp and know what to look for.

Considering some of your other threads around here, i would liek to know why?