Buying a second-hand vehicle can be an exciting purchase and a good economic decision, provided there are no unexpected surprises.
Typically, the reliability of a second-hand vehicle is at the forefront of most buyers’ minds, particularly now that finances are so tight, but how can you be sure you are buying a reliable vehicle and know if it has not been involved in a serious accident?
Vehicles that have been severely damaged and should have been written off as scrap as they are beyond repair, often end up being repaired and put back on the road.
To the untrained eye these vehicles may look acceptable, but hoist them up and take a closer look and you will be shocked at the quality of the repair job and the severity of the previous damage incurred.
Richard Green, National Director of the South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association (SAMBRA), an association of the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), said the problem in South Africa is that there is no way of checking if that vehicle has been written off previously in an accident. This makes it difficult for consumers to assess if the apparently showroom-condition vehicle they buy, is exactly what it claims to be.
“We have repeatedly appealed to the South African Insurance Association (SAIA) to make this information available for consumers, and accredited and reputable dealers alike,” said Green.
“If SAIA would just agree to making write-off information available on a public register where the VIN number of the vehicle can be checked and the buyer can then be properly informed prior to deciding to buy a used vehicle, these types of problems and the massive consequential damages they cause, could be avoided. The information is routinely forwarded to SAIA by all insurance companies. SAIA then creates a Vehicle Salvage Data (VSD) system.
SAIA’s argument is that if the database is made public, this would be unlawful and allow criminals to have access to the entire non-life insurance industry database of scrapped vehicle VINs, leading to a dramatic increase in false financing and insurance of cloned vehicles.
“We appreciate that much of the information contained in the VSD system such as the owner’s ID/ company registration number is confidential and should be kept confidential. We have no argument at all with the purpose and integrity of the VSD system, and we agree with SAIA about the dangers of releasing the full register of confidential information. Our argument is that if the primary reason for creating the VSD system database was to combat crime, how come this is still such a big problem?”
Green added the entire system, including the registration process, needs a shakeup so that consumers are not landed with poorly repaired and structurally unsafe second-hand vehicles with Code 2 Registration licences.
Green provided buyers with the following advice:
• If you are buying a second-hand vehicle online, ensure you get an accredited repairer or dealer to provide you with an independent assessment. A full list of accredited SAMBRA and National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) members can be found on the RMI website. If possible never buy a used car without seeing it and physically inspecting it.
• SAMBRA and NADA accredited members comply with strict standards and criteria to protect consumers.
• If you are buying a vehicle privately, ensure you also get an independent assessor to check out the vehicle.
• Another useful tip is to review comments on the company’s website and see how people rate their service and quality of product.
“Until a solution can be found and this register is made available from SAIA, we strongly suggest you get your second-hand vehicle checked out first by an accredited SAMBRA repair shop to avoid any future problems. Any reputable dealer would have no problem to allow this,” concluded Green.
