How do you find out about insurance claims?

Post by **PSL184** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:32 pm

I've been to look at a Range Rover which has Cat D recorded damage / repair back in 2003. The vehicle is very nice and also quite cheap (due to the VIC status) but I want to find out what the damage was and where it was repaired. Is there a website or database held anywhere that gives those kind of details. The current owner doesn't know so other than contacting any previous owners is there a way?

Post by **MarkyB** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 8:48 pm

Put cat D into Google.
Take whatever the owner says with a major pinch of salt.
An HPI check might give you an idea about it's history.

Post by **rayofleamington** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 11:32 pm

vehicle is very nice and also quite cheap (due to the VIC status) but I want to find out what the damage was and where it was repaired.

If it still looks ok, then chances are it was not a bad job. Repairs tend to rust quicker than if the original metal had been undamaged. Aftermarket paint has a tendency to peel away unless it's been done very well.
One option is to pay for an independant vehicle inspection.
Even if you find out where the repairs were done, I doubt it will make much difference - the garage is unlikely to say 'we only did half a job, then fillered it up'

Post by **PSL184** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:49 am

As Marky suggested I googled for info and found pictures of cars with Cat D damage. They seem to range from a total mess requiring a reshell to a broken door lock from an attempted theft! It is really the extent of the damage I need to see before I would be happy to part with any cash. True, if you can't see the repairs now (after 3 years) there is a good chance that either a good job was done or the damage was light - but it is the not knowing that bothers me most....

Post by **kennatt** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 8:29 am

dvla might,MIGHT, give you details of previous owners if you can convince them of the good reason for wanting them,then a phone call might give you the answers.Just a chance maybe.

Post by **d_harris** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 11:48 am

Isn't cat D. Not economic to repair (and not requiring a retest) rather than structural problems?

Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:31 pm

Best way is to take someone along who knows what they're looking at - ideally a good mechanic who understand what it can take to repair cat D's. Some are not economical just due to expensive parts (e.g bumpers/light units), but some because theres a lot of labour involved.

Look underneath the car, check for replacement chassis members/suspension parts, welding etc. Measure the distances between the wheels, and the compare the gap between the wheel arches and the wheels all around the car.

I'm only saying this from experience. We bought a cat D clio which looked perfect, but it had problems with the side we understood had been repaired. The tracking was always going out, and after the coilspring broke, we took it in to a garage for repair. The garage asked if it had been in a crash, then preceded to point out all of the problems with the car as a result. Turns out, whoever made the cat repairs hadnt done a great job, and one of the front wheels was out by about 10cm, the welding looked poor, and they hadnt painted over the bare metal of the repair.

We part/exd the car a week later.