Motor Industry News

mycarcheck.com take this very seriously and believe that all data on any particular vehicle should be passed onto any prospective purchaser and not withheld from the buyer, possibly because it protects the salvage value and/or makes these vehicle easier to sell.

Consumers and motor dealers should consider the following issues when considering purchasing a stolen/recovered vehicle that has up until now not been made available to general viewing:

Was it damaged: How badly was it damaged? Perhaps it was not a total loss but nevertheless the consumer has the right to know what they are about to put their family into.

Keys: 85% of vehicles are stolen with keys. Keys are sophisticated items and the vehicle's principle security feature. Full sets of keys seldom accompany stolen and recovered vehicles and we would suggest the integrity of the vehicle's security is compromised.

Purchasers of a stolen and recovered car need to address the security if only for peace of mind. Who has got the keys? Surely the integrity of the vehicles security has been compromised.

Identity: Stolen vehicles often have their identity changed and become 'ringers' or more usual now, 'clones'. Unless a purchaser knows that the vehicle has been stolen they will not know to look at the identity.

Is the visible VIN or stamped in VIN present? Has it been tampered with? Could this cause suspicion to a police officer if stopped and cause the vehicle to be seized for examination, wasting the police time and possible the innocent purchaser who could be detained until the irregularities are addressed?

Where an identity has been changed, it must be reinstated accurately and professionally; if possibly using the correct stamps, by the manufacturer.

When buying a stolen vehicle the ID is often changed and the customer cannot be certain that its ID is correct or has been re-instated correctly and professionally.

Vehicle Contents: People who steal cars are criminals. Criminals steal cars for all manner of reasons. What was the car stolen for and what type of people stole it? Was the car used for conveying narcotics, firearms or was it later abandoned and used as a 'shelter' by drug addicts? What has been left in the stolen vehicle?

A consumer needs to know a vehicle was stolen and recovered to enable them to consider the merits of having the car professionally valeted.

What was in the vehicle when it was recovered? Anything from drugs to firearms have been found under seats and ammunition concealed.

What if something is found in the vehicle by a police officer or customs and excise how do they account for the presence of the contraband if they do not know the vehicle had been stolen and recovered?

Now imagine this happening abroad, for instance, if a class 'A' drug was found!

Vehicle usage: Consumers wish to make an informed decision when undertaking an enquiry. They wish to know how many keepers – why? Because they wish to know how many hands a car has passed through; just 'one careful lady owner?'!

So why not tell them that the car has been in the hands of thieves and let them consider whether the thief would have driven the car with respect or has been badly treated and thrashed, as is usually these case.

Fair Play: Is it right to withhold the data from the consumer/ the information is available and could be provided so why not supply the information.

If I offer you two cars for the same price, identical in every way, but one has been stolen previously, would you show a preference for the one with the 'clean' history? Of course you would; you would take the one which had not been stolen. Why? Because the stolen and recovered car has an adverse history - albeit a different advisees history to having been involved in a "write off" accident. If you accept this argument, why would you wish to keep the consumer or motor dealers from the information and let them 'buy blind'?

If the argument is that the data is withheld so as not to place an adverse mark against the car and reduce the value, who are we protecting and why? Is it right to protect the vendor’s profits above the consumer’s ability to receive information and make an informed decision?

Consumers who undertake searches are looking for protection. They need help when making an enquiry. They do not expect to have data withheld.

Expectation: Many consumers and motor dealers already believe they receive this data; they are ignorant of the fact that a stolen record is not readily available.

HPI and Experian do not reveal if a vehicle has been stolen and recovered, they simply take if off their registers, mycarcheck.com do this and have always done so.