accident damage

[TOONARMY]

Evening all.

As some of you maye know, im picking up my GTI on saturday, hopefully. Now in a previous post i mention about the n/s of the tailgate being slightly out of line with the wing, by 2mm or son. When i go and pick the car up i am going to give it a good look over in that area, all i want to know is, what am i looking for? How can i tell if the car has been in an accident. The car is HPI clear. Im hopeing that it just requires a small adjustment as another member on here said that their edition 30 required an adjustment from new.

Many thanks
toon

[Nasir]

Check for panel alignment all around the car, don't be afraid to feel along the car. Check for paint depth, re-spray may not mean accident damage but it can do. Oh and check that the glass is the same all around (i.e. VW marked with the same manufacturer).

[TOONARMY]

Check for panel alignment all around the car, don't be afraid to feel along the car. Check for paint depth, re-spray may not mean accident damage but it can do. Oh and check that the glass is the same all around (i.e. VW marked with the same manufacturer).

.

Thanks for the info . Ive also been told to check the paint work for the orange peal effect, check the boot floor pan to make sure it is sealed the same way as when produced. Anyone else got any more tips?

cheers
toon

[Nick S]

They can paint up to a certain % of a car and still sell it as new, I've seen new cars with orange peel paint, orange peel can be sorted by a good detailer anyway.  Look for heavy thicknesses of paint on the edges and corners of panels, obviously odd gaps.  Look for overspray around the seals inside the doors under the car, sanding marks in the paint.
I wouldnt let a bit of a bump put you off or get paranoid about looking for it.  If its been repaired properly I dont see it as a problem, if its been repaired badly you will notice if you give it a good looking at.  One of the things that would concern me the most on a 2nd hand car is if it looks "too good", you want a car that looks "right" for its age and mileage IMO. 

[john_o]

is it from a dealer? then you need to specifically ask
'has it been accident damaged?'
'has it had any remedial paint or bodywork after leaving the factory'

be very specific about what your asking and why, stating that you will reject the car if you subsequently find out it has had work.
if you have a previous owner + plate start digging on the internet and maybe try to call prev owner.

be careful with HPI checks they are not all the same (even from HPI themselves!), some show all history, some dont and can hide hidden markers that as a buyer you wanted to know.
(dealers,private sellers etc are aware of this and tend to work around it...)

you could also try and get hold of a paint depth gauge from somewhere  (but remember some cars even get painted again in the factory!)

just be cautious and as others have said dont be blinded by shiney paintwork and blacked out tyres...

good luck

[VC]

if its dealer supplied then find out who the vw approved bodyshop is for that area, give them a call, quote the reg number and ask if theyve had the car for any pre sale work