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Author: Subject: How do I find out Cat D details
balidey

posted on 13/5/10 at 06:35 AM Reply With Quote
How do I find out Cat D details

I am going to look at a Cat D write off and repaired car later. I know the possible causes for write off Cat D and the car is priced accordingly.
I have a feeling that when I ask whats been done and by who, the dealer will just say 'dunno mate'.

So is there anyway using the reg number I can search to find out when it was recorded as Cat D. What the reason was. Who repaired it or when it was put back on the road etc etc?

I don't really want to pay for this info (unless I really have to), so any ideas?

There is a possibility that the dealer may have all the info I want, but when was the last time you spoke to an honest car dealer that gave you the full story?

Thanks.





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blakep82

posted on 13/5/10 at 06:41 AM Reply With Quote
isn't there one of those text thingys that give this sort of info (maybe not that in depth?) for £3 or something? can't remember the number though.





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MikeRJ

posted on 13/5/10 at 06:47 AM Reply With Quote
An HPI check will only tell you what you already know, i.e. the car has a total loss claim against it, and possibly when it was made. You will have to do your own detective work to find out the rest, e.g. contact previous owner etc.
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balidey

posted on 13/5/10 at 06:49 AM Reply With Quote
Yep, laods of services like that and are cheap, some free, but all they tend to say is 'its cat D', as I tried one last night.

I think I need VOSA information or something like it, if thats who administers this category thing.

The trouble is that as its Cat D it doesn't 'need' an engineers report, but I am hoping that its recorded somewhere whats happened. ie if it had a front end shunt then I know to look in that area well.





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Peteff

posted on 13/5/10 at 07:19 AM Reply With Quote
Most of the cat D I've looked at have been stolen recovered with minor cosmetic and lock damage. If it received significant structural damage it would not be cat D. The damage is assessed by the insurance on how much it will cost to repair against the value of the vehicle, nothing to do with VOSA.

[Edited on 13/5/10 by Peteff]

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balidey

posted on 13/5/10 at 07:28 AM Reply With Quote
ok, so its not VOSA.
But surely somewhere there must be a record of why a car is written off. As its permanently logged to the car surely there must be a database that lists it.

It being cat D doesn't bother me, but only if I know why its written off.





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jossey

posted on 13/5/10 at 08:20 AM Reply With Quote
iphone app car check! if you have one :O)





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balidey

posted on 13/5/10 at 08:25 AM Reply With Quote
No iphone (urgh, shudder at the thought) and would that app (another word I hate, like quali ) actually tell me anything useful?





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djtom

posted on 13/5/10 at 08:58 AM Reply With Quote
I was looking at a Cat D car recently and tried to find out what had been done to it - tried contacting former owners etc but had no luck.

In the end I was put off the car, not by the fact that it had been damaged in the past, but by the fact that the milage had magically gone backwards between the last two MOTs.....

It's very easy to clock most cars nowadays - and if it has been damaged then it's quite tempting for the repairer to reset the clocks to a more "sympathetic" milage to make the car more desirable to buyers. the DirectGov MOT site http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/motoring/owningavehicle/mot/dg_10020539 is essential viewing before buying any car!






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skinned knuckles

posted on 13/5/10 at 09:50 AM Reply With Quote
contact prev owner from logbook. in the past, i have found them willing to spill the beans in great detail about the history of the car.





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eznfrank

posted on 13/5/10 at 10:03 AM Reply With Quote
You'll probably find that the only people who could tell you about the damage are the insurers as they will have compiled an engineers report, although they won't neccesarily know anything about the repairs. I'm guessing the insurers won't tell you jack though.
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MikeRJ

posted on 13/5/10 at 11:17 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
If it received significant structural damage it would not be cat D.


This isn't always true; Mark gave a very good explanation of how the system works a while back but it comes down to both the value of the car and the cost to fix the damage rather than the actual damage itself. In the extremes a new Ferrari could sustain significant damage and only be a Cat D and a worthless banger could get a Cat C for a dent in the door.

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garyo

posted on 13/5/10 at 02:32 PM Reply With Quote
If you can get a sense of the year that the damage was done, then that can give you a fair indication because as others have said, a Cat-D on a two year old car would need to be fairly significant damage, whereas Cat-C on an 8 year old mondeo could just be that the electric heater wind mirror was swiped off.

The £3 check website will give you the date that the damage/loss was recorded.

I bought a cat-C mondeo for a song a few years back, simply because it had a light scrape all the way down one side. This scrape touched both body coloured bumpers, two wings, both doors, and the rear view mirror.

[Edited on 13/5/10 by garyo]

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Brook_lands

posted on 13/5/10 at 03:23 PM Reply With Quote
My current tintop is a cat D. Bought it 2 years ago for a price that was right and done 50k+ miles since no problem. As most have said, only thing I could find out was when it had happened. Last but one owner who must have bought it just after it was fixed was either a good actor or hadn't a clue. Anyway forewarned I had a good look and it became obvious that it had been a front end shunt as bumper, bonnet and both front wings had been resprayed. Very well I must say but as I was looking hard I could see it. If the price is right and you go into the deal with your eyes open a Cat D can be a good buy, especially if you plan to keep it a while / run it into the ground so you're not trying to sell it on in a short while.
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bmseven

posted on 13/5/10 at 04:16 PM Reply With Quote
Its worth checking your insurer will cover it first?





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Mark Allanson

posted on 13/5/10 at 04:24 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by bmseven
Its worth checking your insurer will cover it first?


Well said!

Even if they insure it, they may only value it at trade if you do need to make a claim. Insurers HATE paying out twice on the same car





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balidey

posted on 13/5/10 at 07:26 PM Reply With Quote
Already spoke to insurer. They are fine but did emphasise the 'reduced payout' warning.

But when I went to see the car I knew what the damage was, the front end had apparently been repaired 2 years ago. And I say apparently as it was a complete pile of bleeping steaming shit. And thats being nice to it.





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