#caraccidentreport

Buying a used car from a private seller or dealership in America can be exhilarating, but it can also be stressful. You might find the exact make and model you've been looking for and maybe the right color and at the right price, but before you shake hands with the seller, you need to consider one last thing. Has the vehicle ever been in an accident? Now is probably a good time to do a vehicle accident history check. A car may look perfect from the outside and it might even drive great, but it may have problems that are lurking somewhere below the paint caused by previous accident damage. Knowing the history will give you a chance to make an informed decision, avoid unexpected costs for repairs and ensure your safety.

Why Accident History Matters

Having a car that has been in an accident is not always a deal breaker. As long as the vehicle is repaired properly, it can be put back in its original condition and provide the owner with a worry-free ownership experience. The real problem is when the vehicle, especially one that has been in a serious collision, was not repaired properly with the aim of making it look good cosmetically without addressing any of the important damaged components that lie beneath the vehicle’s outer panels. Further complicating the situation is the fact that lack of disclosure by the seller makes this shoddy repair invisible to the untrained eye.

Vehicles with hidden accident-related damage may have serious unresolved issues such as:

Frame or structural damage. This can compromise the vehicle’s safety and drivability and involve additional costly repairs to bring the vehicle back to roadworthy condition.

Electrical or sensor problems. A vehicle’s airbags, modules and sensors may not work after improper repair, causing a slew of electrical faults, problems and safety risks.

Reduced resale value. Even if the car runs perfectly, when you attempt to sell it the fact that it has been in a prior accident is not something buyers want to hear or see, making a car with accident history less desirable on the open market.

Insurance surprises. Your insurance premiums could be higher with a vehicle with extensive accident and total loss history.

Having as much information as possible about the vehicle’s history, including past accident events and insurance claims, can make a massive difference and help guide you in the car buying decision process.

Where do vehicle history records come from?

In the US, accident data is extrapolated extrapolates from various private, insurance and government reporting agencies. Records are not kept by a single agency.

Most reporting agencies fall under one of the following 6 source categories:

Local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

National Motor Vehicle Title Information System

Insurance companies (if claims were submitted)

Vehicle Inspection Facilities

Local legal reporting agencies

Repair shops and service facilities.

By utilizing CarValid.com, a reliable VIN check service, you are able to obtain information comprised of data reported by multiple data sources conveniently displayed in one easy-to-read report.

What You Can Learn from a Vehicle Accident History Report

Using a vehicle accident history reporting service yields a lot of useful information related to collision events, including vital details such as airbag deployment, crash severity, damage to vehicles, related total loss records and more.

Checking out a car’s accident history isn’t just for car enthusiasts or anxious buyers; it can serve as a vital tool for all pre-owned car buyers. You want to know if that “barely used” ride just had a simple bumper respray due to a minor scratch, or if it got pancaked and stitched back together like Frankenstein.

How to Access Vehicle Accident History

Find the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

Run a VIN Check Online

Cross-check with Seller’s Story

Get a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI).

Ask for Repair Receipts.

Red Flags You Should Watch

Watch for vehicles with multiple accidents and severe damage history. That car’s probably going to be cursed with ongoing problems, so in most cases it is best to stay away and move on to another option.

Salvage or rebuilt title. A vehicle with a branded title like salvage or rebuilt means that it was deemed a total loss due to damage so great that it was determined to cost more to repair than the value of the vehicle itself. The consensus for these types of vehicles is that the insurance company already gave up on them once; maybe you should too.

Any hint of flood damage. Water damage can cause electrical gremlins to appear and disappear sporadically, making them hard to diagnose and repair properly. Additionally, water can accelerate metal corrosion and mold.

Airbags went off but there is no proof they were fixed. Hard pass, unless you like living dangerously.

Do your homework, and don’t get played.

Many buyers skip checking accident history because the car looks and drives fine, so they naturally assume that it must be fine, but that is not always the case. Don’t make the mistake of trusting someone you do not know, trust should always come with proof.

Some of you may already realize that neck injuries sustained in car accidents can take in some instances, quite a while to bear fruit. However, at the same time you would be surprised at how much money people have lost out on because they have had to pay out medical bills on injuries to themselves that were actually the fault of somebody else many months before.

Many people do not actually realize that you can even get free police accident reports from chiropractors these days.

These free reports are something that can be done and put down on record a matter of minutes or hours after the initial car accident reports.  A chiropractor will be able to spot any damage to the tissues within the neck and its surrounding muscle and will be able to predict the start of a whiplash injury.

A Simple Check Up is All That Is Needed

In dangerous situations our body is very good at masking our pain in order for us to operate at our optimum. Much like in emergencies where we seem to gain extra strength or when being attacked we go into fight or flight mode, these natural responses have been a part of our genetic makeup since humans first existed.

Even once this natural response withers we may only be left with nothing more than a bit of a stiff neck. Does not seem so bad right? You survived a car accident and all you have to show for it is a little bit of a stiff neck. However, that stiff neck when untreated can turn into something a lot worse a few weeks down the line.

You might feel chronic neck pain as your whiplash finally starts to show its true self. However, because all paperwork has been finalized and you have no record of any injuries being found at the time of the accident, you have no hope of having the guilty parties insurance covering your medical costs.

Chiropractors Know What to Look For

A good chiropractor will know how to spot the early signs of whiplash or any other neck or back injury. There diagnosis and treatments will also be recorded so that the required insurance companies get to hear about it.

It is not just medical costs you have to consider either. You might have to take days off from work due to the pain and discomfort. This is a loss of earnings due the injury sustained at the fault of another driver. This loss of earnings in many cases can be claimed back from them as well as any transport costs associated with your medical treatments.