When can you buy a car after an accident?
Cars with minor damage are definitely suitable for purchase. If the fenders, doors, hood, bumper, trunk lid and the like are dented, then it’s not a big deal. Sellers do not always correct such defects. If the car has been repaired, then it is easy to identify it by external signs: gaps, painted surfaces, “broken” fasteners, etc.
Types of damage
– Lungs. This includes violations of the integrity of external elements (usually body parts) that are not load-bearing parts.
– Average. The strength parts of the frame are damaged. Sometimes this group is divided into two subgroups: medium, with deformation of 1-2 elements, and severe, if there are 3 or more of them.
– Permanent damage or structural failure. The body is torn or crushed, the frame is destroyed. Theoretically, such equipment cannot be restored.
What cars should you not buy after an accident?
There are various cases when cars are undesirable to purchase. The first is damage to power elements. This is sometimes difficult to figure out. Because such parts (pillars, side members, sills, roof, spare tire niche and others) fold during an impact and absorb its energy. Then they are pulled out on a slipway and reinforced with plates and corners. The decision depends on the force of the impact and which part was damaged. For example, a dented radiator panel just requires checking the associated parts. It is better not to take equipment with deformed central pillars.
If the car’s body geometry is broken, then it is not recommended to buy it. It will have uneven or increased wear on the tread, cracks appear on the glass, the interior will leak, and so on. The body, restored after a strong impact, is not as strong as before. In the next collision, it will most likely simply collapse.
How to check a used car?
As mentioned above, during the inspection of the equipment, it is important to determine whether it has been in an accident. There are several ways to do this. The simplest is a visual inspection. There are signs that clearly indicate that the car has been restored:
– some body elements are painted in a different shade compared to the rest;
– the gap between parts is greater or less than standard;
– welds are applied inaccurately;
– headlights and glass were made in different years;
– unadjusted wheel alignment;
– the fasteners show that the body element was removed.
Recently, a device for measuring the thickness of paint and varnish coating has gained great popularity. If it is larger than the factory one, it means the surface has been repainted. Sometimes a weak magnet is applied in different places. Where it sticks weaker, a thick layer of putty was placed under the paint.