How to check if fg has been in a accident??

351capriV8 · 26-08-2011, 10:35 AM

hey guys n girls

just wondering if you can give me info on what to look for in a car (fg if that makes it easier) to see if its been in a accident or been patched up i know in the E series theres ID tags in doors ect but unsure about the newer cars, any info will help Cheers.

PS. f this thread is in the wrong place please move

AWD Chaser · 26-08-2011, 11:54 AM

Contact StateRoads(.com.au). They come out and do a full car inspection for buyers and use a paint micrometer (or something) that determines if a panel has been repainted.

1. Check for paint flakes on the quarter panel bolt heads under the bonnet.

2. If you can see the back of the panel, see if it cleaner then the back of other panels (same with bumpers)

3. Look at the paint in the light and see if its a slightly different shade to the rest of the panels

4. Look at the alignment of panels and doors and see if they are even and match the gap to the same on the other side of the car...

5. Check for obvious replacements like radiators, rad fans, headlights (1 headlight may look newer then the other), tail lights, mirrors, suspension parts, etc.

351capriV8 · 26-08-2011, 12:01 PM

Cheers mate, thanks for the info

R1XSTA · 26-08-2011, 12:16 PM

The only way you'll ever know, is by checking the depth of the paint. or by checking the nuts/bolts.

Sometimes they use completely different ones from factory.

Glen 5150 · 26-08-2011, 12:55 PM

As been mentioned above. Also look for overspray on rubber, and badges that are in the wrong place. I'm amazed how many B and F series falcons that have the boot badges in the wrong position. Dead give away for rear end hit or just maybe de-badged at some time, and not put back in factory position.
Check paint in direct sunlight as mentioned. Not always a true indication of a hard accident though. Once had a Liquid Silver AU that was hit by a trolley in a carpark. Looked great when i picked it up from the panelbeaters but over a month later in certain light it was a terrible paint match, and it looked like the car had been hit by a train it stood out that much, rather than just a simple supermarket trolley.

BadMax · 26-08-2011, 02:15 PM

Colour variation can be misleading as from the factory it isn't perfect.
Paint depth is far more accurate and has less risks to getting it wrong

351capriV8 · 26-08-2011, 02:40 PM

Hrmmm really wish i had a paint thickness tester lol

gcg2503 · 26-08-2011, 03:14 PM

Paint thickness testing only works on metal. The bumpers can't be tested I thought. I may be misinformed though

My advice is to go to a dealer and lift the boot of an FG. Take pics of factory seam sealer. Cars in rear Enders would get bootlids replaced. Very hard to get seam sealer 100% factory look

Jesmol · 26-08-2011, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gcg2503

Paint thickness testing only works on metal. The bumpers can't be tested I thought. I may be misinformed though

My advice is to go to a dealer and lift the boot of an FG. Take pics of factory seam sealer. Cars in rear Enders would get bootlids replaced. Very hard to get seam sealer 100% factory look

Not sure how that last bit is supposed to be read, are you saying they replace the bootlid skin ?

gcg2503 · 26-08-2011, 03:20 PM

When they replace the whole boot

Jesmol · 26-08-2011, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gcg2503

When they replace the whole boot

Why would that affect the seam sealer ?

STROPP · 26-08-2011, 04:25 PM

if the car has had a rear end hit the back guards will need to be replaced or removed to straighten and the seam sealer will look different than the factory, the factory seam sealer is very neat and repaired ones are not too good, its obvious when its pointed out!!

351capriV8 · 26-08-2011, 04:35 PM

thanks guys this will be heaps of help when i go have a look at this fg

thankyou all.

BadMax · 26-08-2011, 05:23 PM

LOL, now I've heard it all....

No, unless it's had a massive shunt in the rear, the rear quarters would not get replaced and neither would boot lids. The best peice of advice for hang on parts is to check bolt heads for touch up paint or a paint thickness gauge.

chrisfpv · 26-08-2011, 05:47 PM

You can always do a vehicle status check on the vicroads website, that'll give you a bit of information about the vehicle.

351capriV8 · 26-08-2011, 05:49 PM

Did that already, just told me its wasnt a stat write off and that it hasnt been reged in Vic

GunmetalFox · 01-09-2011, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 351capriV8

Did that already, just told me its wasnt a stat write off and that it hasnt been reged in Vic

If you can get a hold of the rego and VIN number aswell as where it was from you can still check through that states road authority. Although the RTA in NSW charge you for the privilege. And they say we live in the nanny state

mrghia · 26-08-2011, 05:53 PM

checking spot welds is a good one, if it has had a front hit normally it will be missing some of the factory spot weld. That is what i'v been told by panel beaters even fridge magnets can work if the panel has any bog it the the magnet usually falls of.

STROPP · 26-08-2011, 05:58 PM

i have had a car that had a rear shunt on one side and you could see the seam sealer was different on one side to the other and the spoiler had been moved slightly (marks inside the boot lid) but the car was repaired well so I bought it anyway.

svo supporter · 26-08-2011, 06:13 PM

Check the sill panels at the bottom joins, for "teeth" marks. These are clamping marks that panel beaters use to straighten the car up. They're usually located just under the front of the front doors and the back of the rear doors, right in the join of the sill panels. They look similar to the teeth of a wood saw.

This is the easiest way to tell. No special tools either. Just your eyes.

gtfpv · 26-08-2011, 07:44 PM

ask the owner . 9 times out of 10 they will tell you . the problem is what they say . they may say it was in a minor , when infact it was heavy . on the other hand they may say it was in a minor and be telling the truth .
but they will tell you something if it has had any work done , unless they are from AUBURN , LAKEMBA, OR GREENACRE ( NSW) . also percentages vary with nationality , in regarding truth .

351capriV8 · 01-09-2011, 07:53 AM

Thanks for all the info guys, found out it had been in an accident or something coz it was repainted

Cheers for the help!

ltd · 01-09-2011, 08:08 AM

Look for panel alignment and also, have a look underneath it. If it looks like there are pretty new/ish parts on the car in an area and the rest look a little older, you can be assured it's been in an accident.
Look to see that the car sits straight ie, not higher/lower one side to the other.
Don't worry if the bumper has been painted; my G6 has never been in a smash and I've had the front bumper repainted twice (from all the scrapes of it bottoming out in driveways).

OzJavelin · 01-09-2011, 12:32 PM

I've had touchup work done on both my wifes FG and my SV8 and the paintmatch etc is almost perfect. The most obvious way I can still tell is was done is the slight overspray on the wiperarms, rubbers, mouldings etc. They never seem to be able to clean it properly .. and most people wouldn't notice. Probably the easiest way to tell it's been in a paintshop since it was built ..

happy1 · 01-09-2011, 11:44 PM

Some repair work doesn't matter if it is well done, but of course the value of a repaired one should be a few thousand less than a not repaired car, and the dealer should always inform you.
As SVO sais, look for the 'tooth' marks of the repair bench. Ask for a wheel alignment report to see that it is all correct. And if you don't feel comfortable about it then choose another buy.

svo supporter · 02-09-2011, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by happy1

Some repair work doesn't matter if it is well done, but of course the value of a repaired one should be a few thousand less than a not repaired car, and the dealer should always inform you.
As SVO sais, look for the 'tooth' marks of the repair bench. Ask for a wheel alignment report to see that it is all correct. And if you don't feel comfortable about it then choose another buy.

Alignment reports don't necessarily show it up.

I do stat write off reports and they don't necessarily show up the car has been involved in an accident. These reports are used to show that it's all within factory specs. Nothing more. The powers to be also accept this as well.

Jesmol · 02-09-2011, 10:57 AM

Thought of another way to check.

For all Spare parts panels , the ecoat used is black. When they are coated as part of the body build the E-coat colour is different (I think Ford use a tan colour, Holden & Toyota a sort of army green)

So the unpainted areas of the panel should appear different.

fordfreak1 · 08-09-2011, 08:25 PM

best way to check is to grab ya self a pro panel beater/spray painter. two of my mates are and they pick absolutly *** everything every time on cars they look at without fail.

i do a bit of car detailing so i can pick the resprayed panels. and my god there are some shockers out there.

silver cars are the worst at colour matches and hardest to do.