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How to determine if a car has been in an accident or not
18.08.2024 03:10
Buying a used car always involves a lot of risk.
The buyer will be very lucky if the car needs minor repairs.
But often things are much worse - under the guise of a relatively good car, the owner can sell a wrecked car. So how to recognize it? You will find out about this now.
The main factors that indicate that the car was in an accident.
Tires
Inspect the tires. If they show uneven wear, this is a reason to think. Most likely, the cause of uneven wear was a violation of the body geometry, which could have occurred after a major accident.
To find out the reason, you need to do a wheel alignment. If it is installed correctly and there are no discrepancies, then you can be sure that the car was in an accident.
Glass and headlights
The glass and headlights are marked, where the last digits are the year of their manufacture. The markings on the headlights and glass must be the same and match the year of manufacture of the car.
Important: if the car was produced at the end of the year, then there may be discrepancies of +/- 1 year on the glass and headlights.
Paint color
It is best to inspect the car during the day in sunny weather. This way you will be able to notice not only small dents, but even differences in shades if the paint was poorly matched.
If there are any doubts, check the body using a thickness gauge.
If it shows different values, and the difference is quite noticeable, then this indicates that this area of the body was painted over.
Important: when inspecting the body, pay attention to the gas tank door - it should not be twisted. After all, it is often removed to select the right paint tone.
Seals
Inspect the seals under the doors, in the trunk and under the hood. If there is paint spray on the seals, this indicates that the car was painted, and it was done poorly.
It is also necessary to inspect the mounting bolts. They should be painted with the "original" factory paint. Accordingly, there should be no scratches or other signs of twisting on them.
Please note: some unscrupulous sellers paint over the bolts themselves during repairs. But such painting is easy to spot - the paint layer is quite thick, uneven and with sagging.
Airbags
When you start the engine, the airbag indicator should come on and then go out.
If the indicator does not go out, this indicates that they worked. And they can only work in an accident. If the indicator does not light up, this indicates that the bulb was unscrewed. Any of these cases should be alarming, since this indicates that there are no airbags.
Trunk
Carefully inspect the floor of the luggage compartment. It should be smooth and without traces of paint. If the rear part of the car is damaged, then, as a rule, it is straightened, and unevenness will be visible.
Panel
Inspect the panel, there should be no signs of removal. Pay special attention to the steering wheel.
The color of the steering wheel and the airbag panel should be the same. If there is even a slight difference, then there is a high probability that the airbag has been replaced.
We hope that our recommendations will help you find a good car and avoid being deceived by unscrupulous sellers.
