These days, it seems everyone is relying on a Carfax Vehicle History Report for a used vehicle they intend to buy to see if it\u2019s been in a wreck or not. While a Carfax report is a good place to start, it shouldn\u2019t be the final word as to whether the vehicle you\u2019ve got your eye on has been in an accident.<\/p>\n
The simple fact is \u2013 there are a number of ways that less-than-honest sellers of vehicles can \u201cfly under the radar\u201d and pull a fast one on you \u2013 regardless of what\u2019s in the Carfax report. It could be the vehicle sustained substantial body or frame damage in a wreck that wasn\u2019t reported to the DMV or auto insurance<\/a> carrier. Therefore, there would be no record of the crash and, unless you know what to look for, you could be taken for a ride.<\/p>\n Never assume anything. Just because the seller boasts of the vehicle having a clean Carfax<\/a>, doesn\u2019t necessarily make it so. Imagine slamming down five grand on a used car or truck<\/a>, only to discover later that your ride suffered unreported water damage, a tweaked frame, or had previously deployed airbags, which were hastily repaired or were left inoperative.<\/p>\n Before you test drive the vehicle, check for the following:<\/p>\n Examine the paint throughout the car. Look for obvious shinier places than others along with discoloration in door panels, fenders, and hood and trunk lid. Keep an eye out for fresh paint that doesn\u2019t match the rest of the vehicle. Take a peek at the door jams, fender wells, and chrome for overspray.<\/p>\n No matter what the seller tells you, unless it\u2019s to admit the car was in a previous wreck, inspect the alignment of the doors, fenders, bumpers, and hood and trunk lid. The gaps should be consistent all the way around. Open and close all components for proper fit and ease of closing. If they don\u2019t close easily, it could be a red flag.<\/p>\n A telltale sign of body work is the use of Bondo, a compound used to fill dents or to cover rust damage in a vehicle\u2019s quarter panels or kick panels under the doors.<\/p>\n Rule of thumb: If the Bondo is spread to hide heavy rust damage, which is then painted over \u2013 beware! The frame and suspension parts could also be weakened by rust, making your potential new ride unsafe.<\/p>\n Look along the length of the vehicle for waves in door panels and fenders, as well as sanding marks beneath the paint.<\/p>\n While visually inspecting the vehicle\u2019s frame yourself is close to impossible, taking it to a trusted mechanic shouldn\u2019t be. Ask the seller if he wouldn\u2019t mind you having the vehicle inspected by a pro. If he refuses, your suspicions should be on high alert.<\/p>\n A tweaked frame or one that has been partially welded together can lead to a myriad of issues, such as uneven tire, shock and strut wear, difficulty steering around corners, affecting the stability of the vehicle, and the inability to withstand a minor to moderate impact with an object or other vehicle. The result \u2013 you or your passengers could sustain severe injuries in a crash.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, many potential buyers of used cars don\u2019t think loose, missing or rusty screws are any big deal. But, they are. As is often the case, body shops, especially those that work in a hurry, have a tendency to misplace some of the screws, nuts and bolts, and plastic fasteners that were originally part of the vehicle. Worse yet, they figure you won\u2019t notice.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s up to you to notice such things as rusty screws as they can tell you a lot about the vehicle and the guy desperately trying to pawn it off on you.<\/p>\n Some sellers may be offended by your thoroughness, but it\u2019s your money. If everything checks out, take the vehicle for a test drive \u2013 and then make your decision. If you decide to purchase it, be sure to get insurance coverage right away. You can get a free car insurance quote<\/a> from Freeway Insurance that can help you stay protected at a low price.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" These days, it seems everyone is relying on a Carfax Vehicle History Report for a used vehicle they intend to buy to see if it\u2019s been in a wreck or not. While a Carfax report is a good place to start, it shouldn\u2019t be the final word as to whether the vehicle you\u2019ve got your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1002628,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[86],"importance":[],"type-content":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1002628"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9428,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304\/revisions\/9428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304"},{"taxonomy":"importance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/importance?post=304"},{"taxonomy":"type-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-content?post=304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Never assume anything<\/h2>\n
1. Paint in places it shouldn\u2019t be<\/h3>\n
2. Misaligned doors, bumpers, and fenders<\/h3>\n
3. Bondo is a dead giveaway<\/h3>\n
4. Compromised frame<\/h3>\n
5. Loose, missing or rusty screws<\/h3>\n