You always take on a certain risk when buying a used car. However, if you know how to check car accident history before you buy a used car, you could have far fewer problems in the future. Even if you must pay a few dollars for a vehicle history report, it could save you thousands of dollars later. In this blog, we’ll let you know how to check car accident history to save yourself from future chaos.
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What is a Vehicle Accident History?
A vehicle accident history report is tied to your car or truck’s Vehicle Identification Number and shows the car’s entire history from when it was new. This will list sales, vehicle registrations, and accidents. The vehicle history report will also show if the vehicle has been stolen has had flood, fire, or hail damage, and has had salvage or other brand titles.
While not all accidents are reported to insurance or authorities, a vehicle’s accident history can be useful as it will show previous owners, vehicle accidents, repairs, and even any outstanding recalls on the vehicle. Always check the accident history report of any car you want to buy before you buy a car, talk money, or make an offer. If the seller refuses to give you the VIN to do this, it should be a warning to you.
There are some things the seller doesn’t want to tell you. A VIN check will not only save you money, but it could also cause you a lot of problems down the line.
What you’ll find when you check a car’s accident history
With a comprehensive vehicle history report, you can find out a lot of information about your used car by simply entering the chassis number or license plate number into our handy search engine.
- It will show you the car’s make, model, year, make, trim level and more.
- All previous owners and ownership periods.
- Warranty details.
- Serious accidents involving vehicles.
- repairs.
- When a vehicle’s speedometer reading is reset.
- Title burn-in.
- Total loss or salvage title.
- Damage caused by flood, fire, hail, etc.
- If an airbag has been deployed inside the car.
- Structural damage to the car.
- The maintenance history of the vehicle (how it has been maintained).
- Last reported mileage from the most recent title.
- It failed an emissions test.
- There are recalls for the same vehicle.
- Whether the car has ever been leased or used for police purposes.
- Vehicle History Reports also contain other information.
- Having a VIN collision report can save you thousands of dollars if you don’t buy a junk car or a defective car sold as used.
How to Check Car Accident History
To find out if a car has been in an accident, perform a VIN search, check the vehicle history report, and have a good, trusted mechanic thoroughly inspect the vehicle. He or she will be able to look for obvious signs that the vehicle has been involved in an accident.
He or she may be able to spot things that you as a buyer would not notice. Aside from physically checking the car, you can also use online sources to run the vehicle registration and get a vehicle history report that shows the entire history.
Signs that a car has been in an accident
Telltale signs that a used car has been in an accident include
Signs of repairs
Talk to a mechanic about misaligned body panels, broken or repaired seams, and gaps in the metal. A trained eye will tell you where repairs have been made, even if done correctly. Gaps are a telltale sign that the car was damaged at some point.
Inspect the paint
Look for signs of mismatched paint, faded spots, discolouration, or anything that doesn’t look original. This means that they’ve tried to adjust the paint colour after the repair but failed. Pay particular attention to areas where body parts gather, such as around windows and mirrors.
Unusual Noises
Look for unusual signs when opening doors, starting the engine, or closing the trunk. If you hear creaks, bangs, or other unnatural sounds, they could be signs of a previous accident.
Cheap Parts
Look for cheap replacement parts that seem to have been installed recently to fix something. Replacement parts from manufacturers often don’t match the original parts. This should be a warning sign that something is wrong.
Even if the vehicle history doesn’t show any warning signs, a test drive may reveal some of these issues.
There are a few ways to check a vehicle history report online. The first way to check a used car’s accident history for free is to use a tool from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) called VIN Check. The company is interested in insurance data, so they drop all insurance claims due to accidents, floods, fires, etc. with the vehicle.
You should also know if the used car was reported stolen or totalled or in an accident. You might want to stay away from these. Many other third-party websites comb through public data and compile vehicle history reports to help you identify cars and trucks you should stay away from.
A VIN check is free and easy, but some places will charge a small fee to provide you with the details. Either way, this information is invaluable when buying a used car. You can purchase a single report or a package that lets you create multiple reports. Review the company’s sample reports to see if they include the information you need.
Whether you’re buying from a dealer or a private seller, a vehicle history report can help you rule out problems and find the right car for you. You can also contact the car manufacturer to run a free VIN check. Some companies have VIN lookup tools on their websites. Knowing the make, model, and year is helpful, but once you have the VIN, you should be able to find the correct vehicle specifications.
You can also contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for information about your car or truck. Vehicle records are kept there as well, and they may be able to determine if the car has passed inspection or when it was last registered to whom.
Another way to get a free vehicle history report is to contact your insurance company. You may also have access to a search feature, and by calling your insurance company, they may be able to generate an automated inspection report for your car before you buy it. If you plan on getting auto insurance on this car, you should have it inspected anyway.
Do car dealers have to disclose accidents?
While it’s important to know how to tell if a car has been in an accident, it’s not unreasonable to expect a dealer to tell potential car buyers upfront if their car or truck has been in an accident. Not all car dealers are reputable, and some will outright lie to get you to buy.
But are car dealers legally obligated to tell you if a car has been in an accident? The answer is, “It depends.” In the United States, each state has laws that dictate whether this information must be disclosed to buyers. In most cases, however, minor damage that has been repaired does not have to be passed on.
However, some states require disclosure of serious accidents and trademarks to buyers so that they can make an informed purchasing decision. Check the laws in your state. If the dealer sold you a vehicle that was involved in a serious accident and failed to notify you, you may have legal recourse. You may want to consult with an attorney who specializes in these types of cases.
You should be able to receive a full refund or a replacement car without too much hassle. You should keep all notes, documents, and other items that prove the dealer failed to notify you of any accidents the car may have been involved in before the sale. Be aware that some criminals will try to move the vehicle from one state to another to “clean” the title so that it doesn’t show up as a salvage, junk, or other branded title.
You can avoid this problem if you do as much research as possible. Thieves will also roll back the odometer and pass it off as a new car with low mileage. These are just a few examples of used car scams to watch out for.
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