Thousands of automobiles totaled in horrific accidents are being illegally rebuilt and resold as used cars to customers who are unaware they may be driving in a “death trap.”
An investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches revealed that over 40,000 undisclosed write-offs worth £800 million – including some without airbags – are sold to unknowing drivers each year.
Experts warned that thieves were purchasing salvage auction write-offs at inexpensive rates and repairing vehicles using sometimes stolen components.
Those automobiles were subsequently sold on the secondary market.
The disturbing criminal trend is being fueled by the persistent scarcity of new automobiles, which has caused the price of old cars to skyrocket.
In one instance, a dealer in the West Midlands sold a Mini Countryman for £17,495 without disclosing that the vehicle had been totaled in an accident, with the front wheel torn off and the airbags activated.
David said that he purchased the vehicle after being informed that it had not been totaled and after doing a normal search that yielded negative results.
When he attempted to part-exchange the automobile for a smaller model eight months later, he was appalled to learn its history.
The dealer repaid him, but he quickly discovered that the identical automobile was available online for £16,995 less.
It is prohibited to willfully sell a totaled vehicle without disclosing the loss.
Experts recommend utilizing an upgraded checking service – such as Vcheck or MotorCheck – instead than relying simply on a dealer to prevent purchasing an unreported total loss.
Why Is My Automobile So Expensive? airs on Channel 4 at 8pm tomorrow.