How to find if a car has been in an accident ?

[youdontwannaknow]

Is there any way to find if a car has ever been in an accident, OR if it ever has any body work done ?
I bought my MDX used (it was a cpo from an Acura dealer) but there's always been a doubt in my mind about something funny with the driver side door. Never really thought too much about it. Well after 7 years it probably got worse enough that the door stopped opening suddenly. There is nothing during my ownership that can point to this but I have a hunch something happened before that. Yeah I did the carfax and all that but you know carfax doesn't report those "unofficial" body changes.

So is there a way I can find out ? Not that I am going to be able to do anything about it after such a long time but if there is something I need to know I would like to know.
Your advice would be highly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[sasilverbullet]

The dealer could have damaged it and had it fixed at their shop and they don't have to report that if it happened before the car was sold.

Good luck, don't think you'll find your answer.

 

[TallPaul]

I thought that they always got a slavage title if it has been in an accident, but if there is a loophole, the dealers would have it no doubt. I had a dealer was going to sell me a salvage vehicle from the hurricane. I found it was salvage title by a carfax record search, but the dealer was going to process the title transfer for me--not doubt hiding the fact. I did think they were required to disclose the salvage title, but it's to their advantage to do it at the last minute. Yeah, if the dealer damages it themselves it may never get a salvage title.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: TallPaul
I thought that they always got a slavage title if it has been in an accident, but if there is a loophole, the dealers would have it no doubt. I had a dealer was going to sell me a salvage vehicle from the hurricane. I found it was salvage title by a carfax record search, but the dealer was going to process the title transfer for me--not doubt hiding the fact. I did think they were required to disclose the salvage title, but it's to their advantage to do it at the last minute. Yeah, if the dealer damages it themselves it may never get a salvage title.



Salvage title is issued if it's a totaled vehicle that was rebuilt. If you get in a minor fender bender and it costs $1000 to repair (while the vehicle is worth $30k), it won't get a salvage title.

With that said, some states do require dealers to let people know if they are looking at a salvage title vehicle.

I'm not entirely sure on my Cherokee, buy it had significant frame damage at 11,000 miles due to a head on colission. The airbags deployed too. One of the agencies listed it as a total loss, the other just reports accident and frame damage. The seller told me about it either way. I can see where it was repaired.

But if someone wrecked the Acura and brought it to a body shop to have them fix it on their own dime and didn't go through insurance to fix it, it will not show up on carfax.

 

[KrisZ]

How you can tell if the car had an accident? You either can see that for yourself because you know what to look for, or you pay a guy that knows what to look for to do that for you. Paper trails can always be erased or tempered with and I never rely just on the paper trail.

Regarding the door, just fix it. You drove the car for 7 years, what difference will it make knowing that the door was damaged at one point and you never cought it during purchase?

 

[Donald]

You can try CarFax. If it says it had an accident then most likely it did have one. If it says nothing, then who knows, maybe yes, maybe no.

 

[Gabe]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
You either can see that for yourself because you know what to look for, or you pay a guy that knows what to look for to do that for you.


Keep an eye out for orange peel, consistent gap around panels, and make sure a magnet sticks to everything metal.

My first 'new' car was a dealer from with 2400 miles. Five years later, the body putty - over an inch thick - cracked along the side. Car dealers are not much help after the sale either.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
How you can tell if the car had an accident? You either can see that for yourself because you know what to look for, or you pay a guy that knows what to look for to do that for you. Paper trails can always be erased or tempered with and I never rely just on the paper trail.

Regarding the door, just fix it. You drove the car for 7 years, what difference will it make knowing that the door was damaged at one point and you never cought it during purchase?

I agree. After 7 years, just fix it and move on. That car will probably run like a top for another 7 years and then you can worry about spotting it on the next one.

Minor damage that doesn't warrant an insurance claim won't show up on a Carfax.

 

[dparm]

A good PPI should be able to tell. Or, find a paint depth meter.

Cars get into accidents. If it was repaired well, it should be as good as new (or better).

 

[GreeCguy]

I always look at the bolts that hold things together, (hood, fenders, doors). Chances are if they've been removed, replaced, the bolts will be a bit rusty where the impact wrench pulled them out and reinstalled them. Not 100 percent, but if you see it it's a good indication something has been changed/swapped.

 

[TFB1]

Accidents are not always reported... My mom's Grand Marquis was in a minor fender bender when it was two years old that dealer fixed and ins paid, Car Fax is totally clean...

I'm sure it's the same for a similar fix on one of mine, of course I had a independent shop do the repair, but ins still paid...

 

[eljefino]

Look for date codes inside the door on parts like the window regulators/ motors. See if the "goo" they adhere the plastic rain barrier with is the same goo as the other doors. See if the "Christmas tree" fasteners show signs of reversal or are a different color. See if the window regulators are bolted in instead of riveted. Check the folds on the bottom of the door skin for differences. Etc etc.

This means you'll have to also take apart a "good" door to compare, and you'd invariably cause a rattle that wasn't there previously.

As for titles, most states make the dealer process the title for the buyer so the buyer never sees it until it comes in the mail a month later. You can demand to see the title before you buy the car; it may not be on the dealer's property for various reasons/excuses. I bought a couple dealer cars the next state over. Being out-of-state sales I got the old title for myself to process. Both were repos.

Incidentally a repo turns into a clean title.

 

[KitaCam]

Kitacam's Carfax report indicated an accident on the left side...wrong...it was the right side and the front passenger door...
2 clues:
The door shut with a hollow aluminum ping rather than a steel thud
The outer skin was welded to the shell and you can see the difference when comparing welds to the driver's door...tell-tale rust under the rubber could be seen, though that's not a sure sign of an accident..

The paint matches the rest of the car perfectly...and once I had a sound-absorbing foam pad attached to the inside of the skin that reassuring thud has returned...and all is well...

 

[LeakySeals]

My cousin went looking for new cars last week. Planned to use her 06 Mitsubishi SUV as a trade. She was shocked when the dealer claimed the carfax for her SUV had 2 accidents on it. Its true, there were 2 "accidents". She backed into a light post at her work parking lot when it was brand new. A few years later she backed into her shopping cart after unloading groceries at the supermarket.

Both were minor scrapes. I told her to just leave them but she got them fixed. Same body shop. The scrapes were approx $200 to sand and paint the bumper skin each time. There was never any police. She didn't file a claim. But somehow both are on there.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: TallPaul
I thought that they always got a slavage title if it has been in an accident, but if there is a loophole, the dealers would have it no doubt. I had a dealer was going to sell me a salvage vehicle from the hurricane. I found it was salvage title by a carfax record search, but the dealer was going to process the title transfer for me--not doubt hiding the fact. I did think they were required to disclose the salvage title, but it's to their advantage to do it at the last minute. Yeah, if the dealer damages it themselves it may never get a salvage title.


Salvage titles come about when a vehicle gets totaled by an insurance company or sold to a junkyard. If a vehicle gets damaged, but doesn't go through those channels, it can still have a totally clean title.

My truck was wrecked bad enough to total it, but I only had liability because I was a cheap [censored]. I repaired the truck myself, with no insurance claim. Its title is still as clean as a truck that has never had a scratch. Even transferring it to another state, nothing came up about the wreck. If you did enough digging, you might find the police report, but I don't think that's tied to any sort of DMV record for the truck.

If something happened to the car on private property, like a dealer's lot, there won't even be a police report. If there is no paper trail, all you can do is look for signs of repair work...paint fading differently, uneven gaps, something that doesn't fit quite right, etc. If just the door was damaged and not the surrounding structure, and they replaced with a whole new door, you may not be able to tell at all. Maybe check for socket marks on the bolts for the door hinges.

 

[rjundi]

Look at car at dusk. See if panels match. It is very obvious.

I always thought a panel was mismatched on my 2004 WRX. Come to find out before it was sold as brand new I found out in a dealer print out of all work done it had a body repair before before sold to that fender.

 

[youdontwannaknow]

So there isn't a global network or system where a vin can be searched to find out where and when the car has been for repair ?