'Transforming' old, damaged cars and selling them as accident-free cars
Many cars that were once completely wrecked after traffic accidents are now being sold with the promise of “no collision or flooding, original engine”. This trick is currently being “exposed” by many customers on social networks.
Advertise accident car but guarantee car has never been in collision
Recently, on social networks, many articles have appeared "exposing" garage owners who advertise cars falsely. Many cars have been in accidents, broken down, flooded, but after being "refurbished", they are advertised for sale with a commitment to not being in an accident or flooded.
Specifically, a white Range Rover collided with a concrete mixer truck in October 2022. After the collision, the front of the car on the driver's side was dented and the front bumper was torn off.
However, nearly a year later, in May 2023, the car was put up for sale again with many commitments. Specifically, the seller said that the car had never been in an accident, flooded, and the engine and gearbox were all original.
This person also affirmed "100% refund if wrong" to increase his own reputation.
Or a 2007 Mercedes C200 that had an accident around May 2022 in Thanh Hoa. After the accident, the car was quite badly damaged, all the car windows were broken, the front of the car was dented. The car was also flooded due to falling into the river.
However, after being restored to a shiny shine, someone posted the car for sale in April 2023 with many advertisements, promising that the car was still original.
Or a Mercedes that had an accident in December 2022 due to the driver not paying attention, crashed into another car parked on the side of the road. After the accident, the Mercedes was severely damaged, dented in the front, and the airbag deployed.
On May 11, 2023, the car was advertised for sale on social media. The car was also advertised for sale with the same advertisements as the two cars above.
Many people expressed the opinion that the car owner can completely refurbish the car and sell it to others, because "buying and selling are mutually beneficial". However, transforming accident-damaged cars into new, flawless cars and promising "no collisions, flooding, original machinery" is an act of deceiving customers and fraud in business.
"In business, reputation is important. If the car has been in an accident, you shouldn't make such a commitment. People spend hundreds of millions, billions of dong to buy a car, but get scammed" - Vu Quang account expressed.
Ba Ho account said that he had bought a used car before. At that time, the owner frankly said that the car had been in an accident and some of the machinery had been replaced. "After listening to the owner, I still decided to buy it because the frame was still guaranteed after checking and the price was much cheaper than the market. Therefore, there are many cars that have been in an accident and can still be used well after being repaired. The important thing is that the seller must be honest" - Ba Ho said.
Hard to fool skilled workers
Mr. Lai Van Dung - employee of DTS auto garage (Cau Giay district, Hanoi) said that currently, there are many dented and deformed cars that are "repaired" by garages to their original state. A normal customer will have a hard time detecting that the car has been repaired, but skilled workers can easily see the differences.
"A skilled worker will definitely detect errors that customers cannot detect, even if it is just a screw or a very small glue line," Mr. Dung affirmed.
For example, after an accident, cars may be dented. At that time, garages will have to bend or weld these areas, causing the seams to crack. At that time, the paint color between the old and new parts will be uneven, and the seams will also be inconsistent.
In addition, if the machine inside the car is replaced, even the smallest screws will "reveal everything".
For water-hammered vehicles, when entering the vehicle, you may smell strange odors, because when water seeps into the leather and felt parts of the vehicle, it is very difficult to get rid of the smell. The engine sound of a water-hammered vehicle is also very different.
"There are many cases where after buying a used car, the owner finds out that the car has many problems, and every few weeks the owner has to take it to the garage for repairs. Therefore, before buying a used car, it is necessary to check carefully to avoid long-term consequences" - Mr. Dung said.
Mr. Dung advises customers that when buying a used car, for high-end cars, they can take it to the company's service workshop for inspection. For more popular cars, a skilled mechanic should go along to inspect the car. If possible, customers should prioritize buying cars from family or acquaintances to increase reliability.