Previously Crashed Car

melbme

Looking for a bit of advice on this. I bought a car about 10 months ago from a main dealer. Transferred my insurance from my old car over to it and all was fine. Just had to get new insurance this month and have been told by an insurance company that there was a claim for serious damage on my car by the previous owner. I can get insurance no problem but they just needed to do an extra check. I wasn't told this by the dealer when I bought the car and I certainly would not have bought it if I knew.

I've been back in contact with the dealer and they said they didn't know but will try to get more information for me. I've been waiting two weeks for them to get back to me. I contacted Insurance Federation and they confirmed that were two claims for damage to my car, one minor and one substantial. I am not comfortable driving the car now as I do long mileage to work and bought it as it was a big safe car. The car is still covered by dealer warranty if this makes any difference?

Any advice on what I can do? Help would be greatly appreciated.

Veloce

When you were buying the car mate did you ask the dealer if the car had been crashed- if so what was his response?

melbme

Yes asked if it had been in any accidents and the salesman said no.

the_syco

melbme wrote: »

there was a claim for serious damage on my car by the previous owner

I would find out what the damage was, how it was fixed and go from there. A part that was replaced may be different than just being bent back into shape, for example?

cadaliac

melbme wrote: »

Yes asked if it had been in any accidents and the salesman said no.

If you can prove that, then find out what damage was done. If you are not happy with the car, hand it back.

If you are OK with the repair and satisfied that the repair was carried out professionally - I don't see the problem.
Chances are that the garage didn't know the car was involved in an accident.
Insurance federation might say substantial claim but that could be for personal injury and the car might only have had minor damage.

melbme

Been back in contact with the garage and they have gotten the info on the crash. The front bumper, headlights and radiator were replaced. The bonnet and front wings were repaired. They have offered to pay for an independent engineer and give me another full year warranty. They have also offered to swap it for a same model, same year with similar mileage with another year warranty. The only thing is the swap car is scratched and generally not in as good condition as mine. So I think i will go for the engineer report.

Just hope this doesn't come back to bite me when I try to sell it in a few years.

Thanks for your help by the way.

Absurdum

melbme wrote: »

Been back in contact with the garage and they have gotten the info on the crash. The front bumper, headlights and radiator were replaced. The bonnet and front wings were repaired. They have offered to pay for an independent engineer and give me another full year warranty. They have also offered to swap it for a same model, same year with similar mileage with another year warranty. The only thing is the swap car is scratched and generally not in as good condition as mine. So I think i will go for the engineer report.

Just hope this doesn't come back to bite me when I try to sell it in a few years.

Thanks for your help by the way.

Sounds like the garage are being fair and honest, I'd probably accept their offer to get an independent report and warranty if everything turns out ok.

STForSale

Push for a refund or take the offer of the replacment car with the stipulation that the garage repairs the minor scratches you mentioned.

Even if the repair was done profesionally, when you go to sell you will have to declare the damage. this will put of most buyers.

The fact the damage is recorded, it will show up on any cartell or motorcheck so there's no hiding it.

It will always be a damaged / repaired car and will be viewed accordingly, long after the 1 year warranty has expired.

L-M

STForSale wrote: »

Push for a refund or take the offer of the replacment car with the stipulation that the garage repairs the minor scratches you mentioned.

Even if the repair was done profesionally, when you go to sell you will have to declare the damage. this will put of most buyers.

The fact the damage is recorded, it will show up on any cartell or motorcheck so there's no hiding it.

It will always be a damaged / repaired car and will be viewed accordingly, long after the 1 year warranty has expired.

Do you not realise how many panel beaters we have in this country that even in this climate are still operating away? I think people in this country live in a Lala land, there's a massive percentage of cars that are crashed/repaired at some point, some worse than others.

STForSale

Limerick man wrote: »

Do you not realise how many panel beaters we have in this country that even in this climate are still operating away? I think people in this country live in a Lala land, there's a massive percentage of cars that are crashed/repaired at some point, some worse than others.

I have a fair idea but we are not talking about panel damage here.
No even saying I would'nt buy a damage / repaired car but it would have to be reflected in the price, which in this instance, it isn't.

L-M

STForSale wrote: »

I have a fair idea but we are not talking about panel damage here.
No even saying I would'nt buy a damage / repaired car but it would have to be reflected in the price, which in this instance, it isn't.

Lots of cars are crashed and never recorded, so to say it should be relfected on the price isn't true imo. If the OP hadn't rang that one insurance company, they, nor anyone else would have ever known. What's the difference?

Avns1s

If the bonnet and wings were able to be repaired as opposed to replaced, then the damage to the car was not substantial. Get the report and take the extra warranty if you're happy with the car besides.

Probably was involved in a slight rear ending, which might explain the "substantial" mean a whiplash claim. The damage to the car would seem to have been relatively slight.

Nonoperational

Personally if I was happy with the car I'd bite his hand off for the engineers report and years warranty. Sounds a descent dealer to be fair and the damage doesn't sound like it was too bad.

STForSale

To many assumptions being made here.
The fact that the car was crashed twice and this was not declared I'd already be walking away.

If you're determined to keep the car:
Independent inspection by qualified motor engineer.
Cartel Check.
Insurance link will have the breakdown of the two claims, damage / injury.

Make you decision based on the facts.

L-M

STForSale wrote: »

To many assumptions being made here.
The fact that the car was crashed twice and this was not declared I'd already be walking away.

If you're determined to keep the car:
Independent inspection by qualified motor engineer.
Cartel Check.
Insurance link will have the breakdown of the two claims, damage / injury.

Make you decision based on the facts.

You're making assumptions now. It could of been someone bopping off the door of the car and putting a scratch and having to be painted, I wouldn't call that a crash.

This is a crash.

STForSale

Limerick man wrote: »

You're making assumptions now. It could of been someone bopping off the door of the car and putting a scratch and having to be painted, I wouldn't call that a crash.

This is a crash.

The front bumper, headlights and radiator were replaced. The bonnet and front wings were repaired

Do you have an alternative explanation?

L-M

They're bolt on bolt off jobbies, what difference does that make? They were bolted on once upon a time and they were painted once upon a time?

Ricardo G

The fact that a salesman told him the car was never crashed means they did'nt appraise the car properly when taking it as a p/x. I personally would not be happy to find out the car had been crashed at some stage regardless of how good the repair job is.
People on here saying its fine so long as it was fixed properly is plain silly imo. A lot of people lose faith in a car after finding out something like this. Maybe more acceptable if the car in question was a cheap runaround. Why dealers don't do a full motor check on a car is beyond me

melbme

Is there a way to get a full engineer report on a car? All I have is verbal confirmation from the Irish Insurance Federation on the dates and classification of the claims (substantial, etc). The insurance company in question won't give the details because of the data protection act. The dealer has told me he got the details on the crash over the phone too. So nothing on paper.

It seems very difficult to get info on my car. Some of you mentioned "cartel".... what's this?

end a eknny

STForSale wrote: »

To many assumptions being made here.
The fact that the car was crashed twice and this was not declared I'd already be walking away.

If you're determined to keep the car:
Independent inspection by qualified motor engineer.
Cartel Check.
Insurance link will have the breakdown of the two claims, damage / injury.

Make you decision based on the facts.

too many people think they know too much about cars. simple fact is if a car looks alright and works alright it probably is alright

Brian?

melbme wrote: »

Been back in contact with the garage and they have gotten the info on the crash. The front bumper, headlights and radiator were replaced. The bonnet and front wings were repaired. They have offered to pay for an independent engineer and give me another full year warranty. They have also offered to swap it for a same model, same year with similar mileage with another year warranty. The only thing is the swap car is scratched and generally not in as good condition as mine. So I think i will go for the engineer report.

Just hope this doesn't come back to bite me when I try to sell it in a few years.

Thanks for your help by the way.

That's a sound dealer right there.

STForSale

end a eknny wrote: »

too many people think they know too much about cars. simple fact is if a car looks alright and works alright it probably is alright

I've never claimed here on anywhere to know anything about cars, just trying to advise the OP how to proceed and have piece of mind.

The idea that sure it's probably grand and ignorance is bliss nonsense that other posters are dispensing are not the basis for a good decision.


http://www.assessireland.com/
http://www.cartell.ie/

MrDerp

melbme wrote: »

Been back in contact with the garage and they have gotten the info on the crash. The front bumper, headlights and radiator were replaced. The bonnet and front wings were repaired. They have offered to pay for an independent engineer and give me another full year warranty. They have also offered to swap it for a same model, same year with similar mileage with another year warranty. The only thing is the swap car is scratched and generally not in as good condition as mine. So I think i will go for the engineer report.

Just hope this doesn't come back to bite me when I try to sell it in a few years.

Thanks for your help by the way.

That sounds fair to me.

The damage doesn't sound like much to me, to be honest. The bits that should crumple, crumpled. I'm no design expert, but I assume that cars are designed to take the impact around the vital bits to prevent you being impaled on the engine block

I got hit from behind once (while stationary) at about (I'm guessing) 5-10mph in evening traffic. Bit of a bang and a shock, but nothing major. Pulled in, checked the girl driving the other car was alright, and then we inspected the damage.

I ended up needing a new rear bumper, but her 206 had a fold in the bonnet, smashed grill, one wing panel bent over the arch, and a broken front light casing. I couldn't believe what I saw, I was shocked at the damage to her car, but it was all peripheral.

I can understand why you'd be upset though, but the dealer may simply have not checked the car. Last time I changed my car I was asked to sign a declaration on any structural/bodywork damage to the car while in my possession. I don't know how long this in place, but its more likely an unscrupulous previous owner of the car than dealer IMO.

knipex

STForSale wrote: »

I have a fair idea but we are not talking about panel damage here.
No even saying I would'nt buy a damage / repaired car but it would have to be reflected in the price, which in this instance, it isn't.

Hang on Bumper, Rad, headlights awing and bonnet are panel damage.

The bonnet and wing were repaired rather than replace so the damage to them would have been minor (and serious repair work would be more expensive than replacing them especially as Insurance were paying), there was no mention of the inner wings being repaired or any front chassis leg being damaged...

Get the engineers report, make sure the headlamps were replaced instead of having plastic tabs welded back on, find out if the airbag went off (and if so were they replaced) and if not why not. Also check the seat belt pre tensioners (but engineer should do this anyway) and enjoy your car....

Last January in the ice and snow my car slid into a steel bollard. I was in first gear, slowing down for a junction doing no more than 5 or 6 miles an hour and I had to replace 2 headlamps, bumper, bumper bar, all three rads and repair the wing (it got a very slight pull when the bumper went) and bonnet (very slight dent when the bumper grill was pushed up)

It was a minor tip and in an 80's car wouldn’t have left a scratch, modern cars are designed to fold on impact, (the impact was too slow to set off airbags or pre tensioners) the bumper just went and expanded in every direction taking the head lamps with it and causing the damage to the wing and bonnet, the bollard was short and just grazed the bottom of the aluminium bumper bar (bending the fold) and clipped the bottom of the rads..

The car was perfect, as good as new when I got it back..

166man

end a eknny wrote: »

too many people think they know too much about cars. simple fact is if a car looks alright and works alright it probably is alright

I'm sorry that just is not a simple fact! Did you see the prime time investigates into the Taxi Industry?Did you see the Honda Civic that looked 'ok' and drove 'ok' but beneath all that the battery was held in with a piece of wood?

A car can look alright and drive alright until you have to slam on the brakes and find that the ABS is faulty.

What a stupid thing to say really far too many examples show otherwise.

cadaliac

166man wrote: »

I'm sorry that just is not a simple fact! Did you see the prime time investigates into the Taxi Industry?Did you see the Honda Civic that looked 'ok' and drove 'ok' but beneath all that the battery was held in with a piece of wood?

A car can look alright and drive alright until you have to slam on the brakes and find that the ABS is faulty.

What a stupid thing to say really far too many examples show otherwise.

That's why the OP should wait for the report.

I have to agree with Knipex and MrDerp. I also had a "crash" in my car - I was the guy at fault and rear ended the person in front at engine idle speed and you wouldn't believe the damage done.
As said before too, bonnet and wing repaired - would indicate to me that there is SFA wrong with the car.

ofcork

The same happened to me a few years ago,rear ended a micra with an avensis and got a bill of nearly 3 grand went to the garage and they had a list,bumper boot floor folded etc.