Purchasing a second hand vehicle is a good financial decision but it also has its risks particularly on the side of latent damage. Flood is one of the most injurious and crippling form of covert damage. Vehicles which were exposed to water during floods might appear flawless in looks but the inside is usually troubled by chronic mechanical and electrical defects. This is why a vehicle checker is a brilliant and necessary measure to take before any buying.
What Is a Vehicle Checker?
A Vehicle checker on the vehicle is an online device or application that allows you to search the history of any car registered in the UK depending on its number plate. It takes information in reputable databases such as the DVLA, insurance providers, MOT stations, and even the police reports to come up with a complete report on the car.
Free car inspection does not give detailed information but only basic information may include MOT status, road tax expiry, and overall specifications. With more sophisticated checkers, which usually come at a small cost, you get detailed details such as accident history, anomalies in mileage, pending finance, theft status, write-offs and especially signs of flood damage.
The Danger of the Flood Damage
Flooded cars are dangerous due to a number of reasons. Although the outside can be washed and even the engine fixed, the internal parts of the vehicle such as the wires, sensors, airbags and braking systems usually become water damaged and this can never be repaired.
The flood damage problems are one of the most frequent ones, some of them are:
- Seconds, minutes, days, weeks or months later electrical faults may be observed
- Engine, transmission or underbody corrosion
- Breaking down of safety/air bag systems
- Molds or bacteria inside the ventilation system
- Secret rust in construction components
They might not be noticed in the course of a brief test drive but cause costly repairs or even render the car undrivable.
How Flood-Damaged Cars Re-Enter the Market
In the case of flooding of the vehicle, the insurance companies can declare it as a total loss. In the UK they fall within the categories such as:
- Category B: Vehicle is not allowed to get back to the road.
- Category S: Structural damage which can be repaired.
- Category N: Non structured destruction (Includes an electronic and flooding).
Although a part of these vehicles are duly fixed and issued to be safe, the others are sold with few repairs or no information at all.
These cars are sold cheaply at auctions by unregulated traders or even ordinary individuals and are sold to their unsuspecting buyers at the normal prices. That is why it is vital to do personal due diligence by conducting a vehicle checker.
The way a Vehicle Checker can Secure You
With the help of a trusty vehicle checker you can:
- Find out whether the car might have been written off after it had been damaged by floods in the past
- View history accident and insurance claims
- Look out for MOT or ownership gaps that could be a sign of secret damage
- Scam on mileage or cloning a platecheck
- Make sure that the car corresponds to its description (model, color, engine size, and so on).
Vehicles checker tools in UK
These are some of the most reliable services:
- HPI Check: This is the go to service to conduct a complete vehicle history check
- CarVertical: Utilises blockchain verified reports
- TotalCarCheck: Cheap checks and cheap plans
- RAC Vehicle History Check: Supported by a leading vehicle motoring company
- AutoTrader Check: No fuss when using listings
These applications enable you to get a complete report in real time without any efforts other than typing the registration number of a car.
Final Tips Before Buying
- It is always advisable that one runs a vehicle checker prior to exchanging any money.
- A low price that is not worth its salt is most likely not to be.
- Require complete service records and all repair paperwork.
- Nevertheless, follow your intuition and make the data support your choice.
Conclusion
A vehicle checker is more than just a convenience, it’s a vital protection tool. In an age of extreme weather and online vehicle sales, flood-damaged cars are slipping back onto the market more than ever. Don’t rely on the seller’s word or the car’s appearance. Take five minutes, check the vehicle’s history, and make sure you’re not buying a future disaster.
