What would you do?

[Rupes]

Found out today that my car had been in an accident. It was repaired with bondo. I'm paranoid about these things and am considering selling it now.

Couple questions. The Carfax was clean when I bought it. An Autocheck report showed otherwise. Can someone run a Carfax for me to see if it has changed since I bought it? I signed up for their 12 month buy back guarantee, has anyone had luck disputing these things to get a refund?

What a mess...

[IzzyGray]

How long have you had the car for?

[Rupes]

Originally Posted by IzzyGray

How long have you had the car for?

6 months. I'm going to take a huge hit if I sell it, but I know my neuroticism will drive me crazy. Just saw that Carfax only covers fire flood or salvage titles so that route isn't an option for just an unreported accident.

[IzzyGray]

I guess it depends. Is the "huge hit" an actual huge hit on your personal finances? If not, do what makes you happy. If it is, I wouldn't sweat it. If you really must do something, see if you can get the repairs redone to a level you find acceptable.

To be honest, I would not sell it, but do the latter(replace the panels). Obviously it's only possible to a certain point. I would only sell it if it's an actual drivetrain issue(like finding out the transmission was swapped for a used one at a non-competent facility, etc.). Aesthetic wise, I tend to mod my car anyways :P

[LarThaL]

Originally Posted by Rupes

Found out today that my car had been in an accident. It was repaired with bondo. I'm paranoid about these things and am considering selling it now.

Couple questions. The Carfax was clean when I bought it. An Autocheck report showed otherwise. Can someone run a Carfax for me to see if it has changed since I bought it? I signed up for their 12 month buy back guarantee, has anyone had luck disputing these things to get a refund?

What a mess...

If you hadn't known about the accident, would you be able to tell? Would it drive differently? If you have had the car for 6 months and all is well, there shouldn't be a problem.

A few years back, my Porsche Cayenne was hit while parked. There was a decent amount of damage. When it was fixed, one could never tell and I got a whole new rear bumper, two new wheels, two brand new tires, and a 4-wheel alignment out of it. Drove perfectly.

The point is that if there is really something different about how the car looks or drives, that is one thing, if not, then it is all in your head. You may have paid a little more than you should have, but that is water under the bridge.

[Beemdog]

You said it... paranoia. Body work doesn't necessarily have any effect on the way the car drives, it's level of safety, or even it's visual appeal. Almost every car gets a little body filler sooner or later. If the damage to the vehicle was just cosmetic and nothing deeper that is still not corrected, I would keep the car. As the car depreciates naturally with age, the value "hit" resulting from an accident declines too.

[s85e90]

Seriously if you never knew you would've never made this post. FYI all repairs contain bindo. Not all accidents are reported and you have the car 6 months. Deal with it.

[crypticc]

Better the devil you know. Your next one could have mechanical issues 6 months later.

P.s. remember that a competent repairer is often no worse and can be better than original. Aside from electrics a car is nuts and bolts and some chap or lady with only slightly more equipment conceived of the car you are now driving.

[Rupes]

I used a magnet and it sticks, though all points (paint bending, etc) suggest bondo was used. Could a small refrigerator magnet (the size of your pinky nail) still stick if bondo was used?

I think the repair shop did a pretty good job, as others have said, I never would have noticed if I didn't get my car appraised at Carmax. I was told though that over time the bondo could shrink / expand and eventually fall or rust out. Was this fear mongering, or is this a real concern? I now know the repair was done almost 12 months ago, and from my novice eyes, looks ok.

[Ezio]

Originally Posted by LarThaL

If you hadn't known about the accident, would you be able to tell? Would it drive differently? If you have had the car for 6 months and all is well, there shouldn't be a problem.

A few years back, my Porsche Cayenne was hit while parked. There was a decent amount of damage. When it was fixed, one could never tell and I got a whole new rear bumper, two new wheels, two brand new tires, and a 4-wheel alignment out of it. Drove perfectly.

The point is that if there is really something different about how the car looks or drives, that is one thing, if not, then it is all in your head. You may have paid a little more than you should have, but that is water under the bridge.

but if he bought the car with the accident, and it was the only M3 he drove. how would be know better?

[Rupes]

Originally Posted by Ezio

but if he bought the car with the accident, and it was the only M3 he drove. how would be know better?

It drives straight as an arrow for what its worth. It didn't look like the frame was touched (from what I was told today). Who knows, sometimes when I get on it really hard in first gear it feels like one wheel is pulling harder than the other. Maybe thats the LSD, at this point everything is making me paranoid. Anyone have access to Carfax to see if it shows up now? Just interested to see if it would show up in one report and not another.

[Ezio]

Originally Posted by Rupes

It drives straight as an arrow for what its worth. It didn't look like the frame was touched (from what I was told today). Who knows, sometimes when I get on it really hard in first gear it feels like one wheel is pulling harder than the other. Maybe thats the LSD, at this point everything is making me paranoid. Anyone have access to Carfax to see if it shows up now? Just interested to see if it would show up in one report and not another.

Ya i feel ya. I had a friend who bought a car and didnt even check the history on the car. It drove fine, but later he found out the car was in a accident. The car didn't look 100% right, and it drove him crazy.

So i can understand why you would get frustrated.

[TrevorM3]

you will be fine. relax and go drive the car.

[sello]

Most used cars have been repaired at some point! My neighbor owns a body shop u would be surprised how many brand new cars has to touch up!

[Rupes]

An update: The supposed bondo repair took place just behind the rear wheel well area. There's no doubt it's been painted, but when I took all the carpeting out from the trunk to have a look, the metal looked totally normal from that side of the trunk. This made me feel a bit better. I'm assuming if bondo was used, that it wasn't used to fill in a "hole" but rather to smooth things out, if thats even possible. This also supports why my magnet still works on the car. Maybe i'll just chill out and keep the car afterall...

[Beemdog]

Bondo plastic filler can be used to fill imperfections thinner than 1/32-inch, so it doesn't necessarily indicate any major damage. Brand new panels can have wavy flaws that are filled at the vehicle factory with plastic fillers. It rarely cracks or falls out unless the surface is improperly prepared or the filler is too thick (like greater than 1/4-inch). I would not be concerned with a little Bondo as long as the final paint work is done to factory quality-- or better (BMWs, like most brands, have some "orange peel" in their paint finish).

[Rupes]

This situation is literally driving me crazy and I think I must sell the car now. I'll take a $10k hit for selling to Carmax. Does anyone know if I can sell it on my own despite the fact I don't have the title in hand? At this point, I'm willing I let her go for cheap, but would rather not lose my shirt on the deal.

[ihtfp06]

Step 1: Take a deep breath.
Step 2: Get back on your anxiety medication.

[m3ray]

The saying is buyer beware...you need to physically inspect these cars..(dont know if you bought sight unseen) when looking to buy a used car you can spot accident damage. It’s not hard if you know what to look for.

Check the frame..look at their condition and also that the passenger side has the factory VIN plaque riveted in it.

Look at the fitment of all the body panels and check for unusual gaps. Look at the condition of the paint and how well it all matches. Check for any paint imperfections

Using a paint meter go around each panel and measure and log the thickness of each panel..if any stand out as being thicker than the rest..the panel has been painted.

Run your figures down the hood seams, fender seam, trunk seams, the door jams etc.. and feel for tape lines..make sure to look for any over-spray..

Service records and documentation need to be in order..examine them carefully and ask questions.

Spend the $150 and have a BMW dealership do a PPI inspection is also a good idea

Take your time when inspecting the car..don’t be in a rush

[Rupes]

Went to trade in my M3 today for a 2 series. Couldn't bring myself to do it, that car simply isn't as good. The accident report stated the accident happened in parking lot, so I'll just have to live with the minor damage. It didn't touch the frame, no airbags deployed, etc. I'll just always know it was damaged which sucks.

[MRV99]

First off it could be a good thing that BONDO was used. That could indicated a light accident or damage. It can be easier to use BONDO to smith it out instead of cutting off the panel and re welding it back on.

Second, did you buy the gaurentee from Carfax or Autocheck. If you bought it from carfax and there is no record in carfax but it is reported in Autocheck, you have a chance. If you bought it from Autocheck and it showed up in the original report then you cannot be made whole. The buyback or lose of value (from Autocheck perspective). Only works if the report is ran as clean, you purchased the car after the clean report and Autocheck insurance then the report shows up after the fact. It does not work if the report shows damage before you purchased the car.

As for why the carfax conflicts Autocheck, they purchase their info from different data sources.

I have some knowledge on this considering I was the lead architect and wrote most of all the the Autocheck application for Experian.

[IbanezGod]

Originally Posted by LarThaL

If you hadn't known about the accident, would you be able to tell? Would it drive differently? If you have had the car for 6 months and all is well, there shouldn't be a problem.

A few years back, my Porsche Cayenne was hit while parked. There was a decent amount of damage. When it was fixed, one could never tell and I got a whole new rear bumper, two new wheels, two brand new tires, and a 4-wheel alignment out of it. Drove perfectly.

The point is that if there is really something different about how the car looks or drives, that is one thing, if not, then it is all in your head. You may have paid a little more than you should have, but that is water under the bridge.

have to agree with this. If it didn't show up on carfax it was one of two things.

1. he didn't report the accident to insurance and just got it repaired
2. it was reported through insurance but wasn't significant enough to warrant flagging as major damage.

Fact is that most cars have damage repaired at some point, serious frame damage is an issue, but something minor that can be fixed isn't a big deal and if the car looks and rides great than let it be.

My buddy was on the highway in his M3 and hit a big tire piece from a semi. Smashed his front bumper and did some other damage. Had to get a new bumper, few other parts, etc and went through insurance. All fixed now with a eurobumper. So ask yourself would you care about that accident, no frame damage, replaced parts and looks good as new. Personally that wouldn't bother me and I don't think that is worthy of showing up on a carfax

If you're that anxious about the car get a PPI, but it sounds like it's fine and you're overreacting. You also bought a used car so things happen, they get repaired but if everything looks and runs great, you should try to get over it. If you want perfection buy a car new.