SCANDALOUS Rip Off affecting UK Motorists buying Used Cars

[@h.google]

HPI Clear is obviously a declaration which is meaningless. Yet another way to be ripped off by the car dealers. Well done for exposing. How about sending this to BBC's Watch Dog? It may get you some good coverage? Thanks👏

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I've tweeted them but I doubt they'll pick up on it. Vcheck have done a lot of work and had a lot of meetings trying to get the powers that be to resolve this issue for everyone but it seems to be fallign on deaf ears. It's already been on mainstream TV several times according to vcheck.

[@1gerard47]

​@DefinitelyNotAGuru you serious? BBC Jimmy pheodophile Saville buddy's.

[@stephenmacdonald3624]

That's absolutely shocking, they should not be able to get away with it, all dealers should be reported to the relevant authority, well done for highlighting this.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks mate, unfortunately I don;t think the dealers are doing anything wrong in the eyes of the law. It's the DVLA, DfT, MIB, MIAFTA, HPI and Experian that need to get this sorted - unfortunately they don't seem inclined to.

[@alexandrustefan9059]

Dealers, like me, we run checks on autotrader which are powered by Experian, we pay the fee to autotrader. We can’t know when buying a car that has been salvaged without an insurance claim and also if a car pass the 50 points safety checks means it’s been professionally repaired

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@alexandrustefan9059 dealers could run their checks via one of a number of alternative sites that would tell you about the further history of the car rather than stick to facilities Experian or HPI. It seems that you choose not to.

[@alexandrustefan9059]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru we do what is required by law with the available tools integrated in the digital advertising platform we use. If you really want to Point a finger out, point it to copart and bca, they sell the cars to us

[@konysolomon2705]

@@alexandrustefan9059 end of the day if you’re the last in the chain who then sells it onto the consumer you should take on that responsibility instead of blaming others.

[@bs7157]

puts you off buying a car watching this doesn't it. great vid. thanks for warning us about what really goes on behind our backs!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

It does!!!!! I'll watch your back if you keep watching my fat head on here :)

[@ljbuxton]

Thank you! You just saved me 9k on an insurance write off. Not kidding.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

That’s good to know 👏 please share this video everywhere you can 👍

[@johnroberts9212]

That really is a complete scandal. I had previously heard about unrecorded write-offs but had assumed these were rare instances of vehicles slipping through the net. What is clear from your video is that it's happening on a grand scale and, by the sounds of it, the insurance industry, the motor trade and the DVLA are all routinely complicit in this appalling scam.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

DVLA, Dft, MIB, MIAFTA, HPI and Experian all seem to be accountable here. Motor traders who are aware of this and using it to their advantage may well not be doing anythign wrong in the eyes of the law but ethically it's the pits in my eyes.

[@curtisducati]

My 407SW was written off last year , collected by insurance recovery truck , paid out the day before collection , 6 months later I see the car parked at TESCO ????? Spoke to owner who said he brought it from a car shop with no idea it was a write off before , so the insurance company is doing it , they sell them unrecorded to the bent car trade , they repair and put through a dealer ! SCUMBAGS .....

[@marcars9417]

Shocker, I bought a car from a major network dealership, after 3 months the paint started to bubble. Took it to the same brand dealership (different network) only to find out the the side of the car was crushed in an accident. Did not come up on HPI check and tbh I trusted this main dealer not to sell damage repaired cars especially if not advertised as such. After lots of emails including the company MD they finally agreed to foot the repair bill of £3000 including new doors as they were so full of filler. Thanks for sharing, will definitely be using V check in the future 👍

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

That's shocking mate. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience.

[@npc2k]

Which major dealership?

[@marcars9417]

@@npc2k let's just say it was a UK wide company which has multiple franchise dealership sites across the UK with franchises for mostly premium car brands. It was only after I contacted the company CEO and threatened to share my story with the press and social media they decided to put the car right.

[@delazzuro]

Been in the motor trade for some 40 years never used vcheck before but thanks to you I am now...thanks for the tip.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

thanks

[@7omly]

You need to start a petition to address this oversight. When enough signatures are gathered the issue will need to be discussed in the house of commons.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

👍

[@seanohare3509]

At this point I’m literally to scared to check my current cars real history 😂

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

😁

[@bergeracvandamme]

Same!

[@PB72UK]

I think the biggest shock, is that these cars are being advertised on auto trader as perfectly used cars when they are far from it .. quite shameful really.. thanks for the heads up.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Makes my blood boil, especially when the authorities have been aware of this for years yet have done nothing. That's why I'm so keen for this video to be shared as wide and far as possible.

[@robinwells8879]

I don’t know how I feel about this. I have “repaired” written off cars before for my own use. Some cars are uneconomic to repair only because the owner insists on dealer repair with new parts which come at a ridiculous cost outside the vehicles value. I have lived long enough to know that if THEY “do something about it” it’s going to be worse. Assuming it has been properly repaired it should be as good as before the accident so why should it carry a discount? The corrosion implications would be the main concern for me. Very difficult one. Thanks for sharing.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks for the balanced view Robin. I think if everyone’s aware of everything people have the chance to make up their own minds. It seems so wrong that someone who is concerned enough to do a history check or sees one on Autotrader can be completely mislead. Personally I think there’s nothing wrong with a repaired car if the job is done 100% (in majority of cases) but I think it should carry a discount (as the registered car cars do). Thanks again 👍

[@andreamacgillivray3653]

OMG. Thank you for this information. I have been looking for another car for 2 years! because I am so scared of being ripped off. These companies should be reported and get a large fine. This is peoples lives we are talking about, not only the cost of these cars.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Check out my book - link in the video description - you should find it a big help ;)

[@justjosh11]

Proper rustled my jimmies this, bought a 9-12 month old v60 a couple years ago and still have it. I know (can't remember how) that previous owner was a hire car company and one of the panel gaps looks suspicious and I suspect it's had some paint work done. I tried not to worry too much about it as it was a reasonable deal at the time, but I always wondered why they got rid of a nice car so young and with 7k miles on it. Long story short, I ran the fiver vcheck and it's all fine so nothing to worry about but I wouldn't have been surprised if it was written off or something like that, knowing my luck!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Rustled my jimmies is my new faviourite phrase I think. Glad your car came out OK mate.

[@tullochgorum6323]

Some years back a family friend purchased a used car from a high-end Rolls Royce, Bentley and Daimler dealer. But he noticed some faults and had it surveyed - only to discover that it was a lethally dangerous cut-and-shut. The engineer found it incomprehensible that the dealer's inspection had not noticed this. And here's the kicker - our friend was Minister of Transport at the time! If a Rolls Royce dealer can sell a cut-and-shut to the Minister of Transport, then you really do have to be suspicious of everyone in the trade and take nothing on trust.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks for watching Tullochgorum - WOW! 👍

[@tullochgorum6323]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru The gentleman involved was also a high-powered lawyer, so I've no doubt that the dealer paid dearly for putting the lives of his children at risk! At least the cars with hidden history you were highlighting have been certified for safety. A cut-and-shut could never be safe and any serious accident would have been catastrophic. A lot of people must have colluded to put that death-trap back on the road. It really is a dirty trade...

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@tullochgorum6323 good lord!

[@Glenmoraydrinker]

Thanks for letting me know about V Check. I’ve always brought a full history check for any used cars I have brought in past. I have done this so I know that we won’t be travelling around in a potential death trap or I won’t get a knock on our door one day from a finance company saying there’s outstanding finance on our car which we would either pay up the balance or loose the car. This actually happened to a friend of mine, he had picked up his used car from a private seller and within 2 Months of owning the car received a letter from a finance company saying there was outstanding finance on the car. He ended up to keep his car paying over £3000. He did get his money back from the private seller eventually. Tomorrow I will be purchasing 3 V Checks for my two daughters Citroen C1s They both have and my used Land Rover Discovery 3 that I have owned now 7 years. As I said I brought 3 full history checks for all 3 of these cars and they all came back as clear. If I find out that any of my daughters C1s have a hidden past I will be after blood as we paid the full market value for both vehicles. I honestly thought a full history check covers everything.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Ian, glad you found it useful. Good luck with your checks 👍

[@karlgable6587]

I knew nothing about this so thank you for posting. I am viewing a car tomorrow so have just paid the £9.99 and now have a full and clean report. I have done some checks before this but nothing to the level found in the report. Knowledge and peace of mind when buying a car are worth more than the £9.99 I paid

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Cheers Karl, good luck with the car 😂

[@Ian-kw3iz]

Thanks for highlighting this - was truly shocked.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Ian

[@alternativeperception6949]

Unbelievable how its even possible to get away with it . £10 for a check is well worth doing

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

👍

[@TheMerlin672]

Wow! Vcheck it is then. I bought a car from an online dealership during lockdown which was HPI clear. After deciding to make the most of having nothing better to do I whipped the bumpers off to fit parking sensors front and rear. It was a bit of a shock to uncover collision damage at both ends, the front right being the worst. HPI clear? Bullshit...

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Oh no!! Thanks for watching mate

[@thatboy8991]

Having bought a car recently via a main dealer and paying thousands it’s crazy how we can still be caught out! I always expected a hpi provided by a dealer or autotrader to give you reassurance and peace of mind. Now that I have watched this video it gave me cause for concern and I was a tad bit scared to do a vcar check. Thank god it come back as a pass and I must say it’s very detailed, comprehensive and value for money! I did a full check for £10 along with a 10% promo code I found online. Big thumbs up for this video pal 👍🏽

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks, glad the car checked out 👍

[@wgriffiths2628]

BG Not surprised about this. I don't trust dealers for any sales/services full stop. It pays to do your own check and this looks a safe bet.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Exactly

[@templent9431]

Amazing insight into how exposed we "could" be in purchasing the second most expensive asset, next to a house. Staggering that this is allowed to go on. Have just checked mine, and thankfully all good.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks for sharing!

[@bigmotoringworld]

Thank you for highlighting one of our advertised cars in this video. Like most automotive retailers, we use CAP HPI data to ensure our cars have a clean history before putting any vehicle on sale. We have raised this video with CAP HPI as we were not aware that this vehicle was a CAT S (as it didn't show on the HPI report and wasn't declared at the auction by the vendor). The vehicle has now been immediately taken offline and returned to the auction house. We have a strict policy of never buying or selling vehicles that are CAT S/C/D/N (whether declared or not) and so we were disappointed to see this car had found its way on our forecourt, after not being picked up by the HPI report and failing to be declared by the vendor. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure our customers can be confident in the quality and history of the cars we buy and sell. Kind Regards, Social Media Team Big Motoring World

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Great, so will you use something other than Cap HPI in future now that it’s been highlighted that the Cap HPI check is basically worthless as demonstrated here? I will do a follow up video and mention your comment in that although it’s surprises me that a large motor trader would be unaware of any of this prior to my mentioning it in a video - has this never come up before?

[@soulboy5700]

Shocking....absolutely shocking. Not only are you being ripped off but you could be driving your family around in an unsafe car. Thanks for this. I’ll be using VCheck from now on if I buy a used car.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Nuts isn’t it!

[@stuipooey1]

Saven my bacon today, about to go and buy a car that is shown as clear, Vchecked it and low and behold its a Cat S with the photographs showing some considerable damage. An unapologetic seller who was well aware of what he was selling.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Glad to hear that this helped Stuart

[@Charlie-gq2fq]

Thank you so much for making this video. I conducted a check on a car being marketed for sale as HPI clear, it turned out that it was sold at a salvage auction as stolen/recovered just 14 days before it being marketed by the dealer who I was going to buy the car through. They made no mention of the vehicles past on their advert. I was going to pay full retail value for this car of £31,000 and it’s true retail value is probably thousands of pounds less than this because of its past.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Glad to hear that you discovered it before it was too late Charlie 👍

[@frankspencer6935]

Just done the £5 check, all clear on the car I got from a small dealer. I will definitely Vcheck my next car, even if it is from a main dealer. It seems the more expensive the car the more potential for somneone to try and wring a few quid out of a write off.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Glad yours is kosher 👍

[@alanfurness8466]

Thanks Jim for this very informative video, I don't think most people would have known anything like this existed. It just seems another dodgy dealer trick. We all know which company to use infuture to check out our used car purchases. Thanks again for bringing this to light.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Cheers Alan, there are some other companies who have checks that show this information by the way. Vcheck is just the one I use and recommend. At least you know what to look for and to avoid Experian and HPI like the plague.

[@TonyCeetube]

About 20 years ago I visited a semi retired motor trader. His fax machine started spitting out loads of paper, curious (and cheeky) I asked him why was he so popular? We had an existing non-motor trade business in common. He explained that these faxes were from the big car hire companies who only insured their cars for third party cover, so when a car was in an accident they looked to dispose of it through the trade and they were always unrecorded. He would buy them and either move them on through the trade unrepaired, or for minor stuff, have it repaired and then sell it within the trade with the dealer buyers knowing exactly what they were buying.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

👍

[@-DC-]

Far more prevalent than the typical customer realises it really pays to have any vehicle properly pre purchase inspected, Trust no one.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks DC

[@rogerbarrett9920]

Just come across this and man this is scandalous! - Shouldn't main dealers be running these checks?- Like you said there's no problem if the car has been properly repaired and the new purchaser is aware of the history AND the price has been adjusted downward to reflect that it has been in a major shunt. BUT this is deceit in a major way. It made me check my car out and thankfully it's come up A-OK.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

100% agree with all of that Roger 👍

[@KFORDYCE73]

Jesus ! I’m too scared to check out my £40,000 pound Rover. I will spread the word. Thanks for putting this out there 👏🙏

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Keith 👍

[@zypp33]

Great vid thanks, I'm shocked but not really surprised, I have done HPI checks before with the AA but makes you question everything. I wonder what comeback there is as a dealer can legitimately claim a car was unrecorded? What a nightmare...I am sure that half the airbags don't work in these cars and you would only find out when it's too late. The implications are horrendous. My father's insurance insisted on fixing his badly damaged car, and he had 18 months of breakdowns, mostly electrical. Eventually, when it was being winched onto a transporter for the umpteenth time the front chassis ripped off the car and it careered backwards only being stopped by a metal bollard which severely damaged the side, no airbags deployed and luckily no one was hit. It was then written off, but he had been during it for 18 months, just imagine if he had been in another crash.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Oh my lord !

[@alank2296]

Many thanks Jim, as I am at this moment looking at cars I will carry out a Vcheck after watching your video, relying just on HPI may result in tears after purchase ...... My car just this week has been deemed a write off and I have (reluctantly) agreed a cash settlement, I made a point of telling the direct line 'engineer' I would check in 6 months on DVLA site to see if the car was re-taxed and would not be happy to see repaired and back in use, he sheepishly replied there was a possibility it would be auctioned off for 'spares or repair'.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Yes, if it’s a cat s or n it most certainly will be, nothing wrong with that if the next buyer actually knows about it of course! Good luck with the search Alan, thanks for watching 👍👍

[@papah5552]

This gave me a shock! Never knew this sort of stuff went on. I always thought HPI check was the best. So thanks for this info and it'll be V Check for me in future.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Same here!!! mental isn't it!

[@MrAniruddhajog]

Fantastic piece of info. Going to make my first used car purchase in the UK. Thanks for this video.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sirmalus5153]

This video has just confirmed for me, what I already suspected has been going on for many years. Car dealers are ONLY interested in making money, not especially how they do it. You can always tell if a car dealer is lying, he's smiling at you (in his head he's actually saying 'YOU MUG')

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Shocking that the authorities are not dead long with this.

[@nigel.w]

Thank you so much for dedicating a whole video to this. It is a very important public service video. It is so easy to forget these things in the excitement of finding a car that appeals at an apparentlly fair price.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks, I set up this channel as I wanted to help people with their money, it quickly turned into a car content channel but I guess this one scores on both fronts. Thanks for watching.

[@ianpies2498]

Thanks for this Jim - like others have commented, I thought that apart from a very low number of cars that slipped through the net a clear HPI check was all that I needed. It's all I've ever done in the past!. Thanks for the heads up. Very worrying indeed.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks very much for watching Ian.

[@mickyeverton]

Many Thanks, I'm really surprised that DVLA are not all over this!! Peace From London. ✌️✌️

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I’m less surprised unfortunately! Thanks for watching, please share the video wherever you can. Jim

[@ilyasali6229]

Great advice. Nobody would think twice about these cars.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks

[@vigneshn.y3048]

I immediately bought a 3 license V check and checked all my cars. Luckily, all good. Thanks for sharing

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

You’re welcome

[@Simon_W74]

I bought one years ago, luckily I know as me and a mate put it back on the road following a previous owner having a argument with the back end of a tractor. If you are buying a Car that has been through salvage auction and if they are done properly then they are as good as they were when the left the factory. Sadly there are plenty of so called repairers out there that don't do the work required to a high enough standard. Car Vertical is another option look at to check a vehicles history that give full history and insurance photos if it have ever been involved in an accident.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Yes a few have mention Car Vertical 👍

[@simonfranklin6434]

Great vid, vcheck sounds like a good place for info .... Info that should be free and clear for all consumers to see prior to purchase, Its great that companies reveal all this, but we shouldn't have to pay to find this stuff out!!!!!!! Keep up the vids👍🏼

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

100% agree mate.

[@ericgriffin6698]

I'll be using V Check, good I found you because I want to buy a car soon, really shocked what's going on , makes hpi look bad, a check should include everything this is deception, I certainly don't want to spend 28K on a pranged motor. So much for main dealer prices and selling on badly pranged cars that's not right.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Cheers Eric

[@dawngrant9858]

Many thanks for the info, just checked a car we were about to buy and it had been a write off! Disgusting that this is still happening!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I completely agree Dawn; the system seems quite broken.

[@finianday-lewis9769]

Hi, a point of interest, I’d suggest that the silver BMW 5 series has struck a pedestrian. The upper part of the bonnet has explosive bolts designed to fire and lift the bonnet in a car vs pedestrian collision. This is so the pedestrian doesn’t strike the engine block underneath. The “bullseye” damage to the windscreen is also consistent with this scenario.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Oh god! 👍

[@Panpan1568]

Wow, thanks for your excellent video on this really important and scandalous matter that I knew noting about. I may be buying a car soon so I am so pleased I know know this. Why on earth are the DfT not doing something about this?

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Isn’t it crazy? So many large bodies that should have already acted on this but seem somewhat disinterested

[@photoframe1a]

Well done Jim, About time this was brought to light!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Don

[@mudskipper0075]

Geez that’s an eye opener…😳 not a problem with repaired cars if they are done right but the buyer should have the info to make an informed choice…

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

100%

[@superthierry1]

Wow that's shocking, hope those cars are not sold at retail.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I hope so too

[@byronmasters5512]

Thank you for sharing. It’s so scary knowing this happens. Good on you bringing awareness to it. Fair play.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Byron

[@thomascowley4258]

Great video. Iv been around workshops for 40 years and i did not know this. Cheers.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Thomas 👍

[@josephp5058]

First time here, got to say lv been messing about with vehicles a long while, l thought all insurance write offs were recorded, as such, when the insurance companies wrote them off, thank you for the eye opener, have subscribed and thank you, looking forward to seeing you again, learn something new everyday!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks for watching, come back soon! Lots of videos in the back catalogue 👍

[@qaiskhan3778]

I bought a car from big motoring world 2 years ago and at that time I didn’t do any HPI check or regular checks. I only found out that my car was reported salvage when it came to selling. I’ve lost on a lot of money for not checking the HPI CHECK. great video, it really made me think twice about buying a car in the future

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Sorry to hear that

[@tombatterby5782]

Did a check on my C class that I purchased last year (using your link). Pleased to say that it was all clear and I was really impressed with the level of detail provided about every aspect of the vehicle (I opted for the £4.99 check).

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

That’s good 👍

[@casualagent7250]

Just did a check on my S-Type, (£4.99 option) pleased with the level of detail, VCheck found a discrepancy with the mileage, but, for some reason in my service book 📖 was shown as kilometres ! (hence the higher mileage) well spotted though.

[@devenair681]

Thanks for highlighting this. HPI is clearly a waste of money. 🙁 Also worth connecting a good OBD analyser to see if there are fault codes too.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks 🙏

[@michaelharrison9340]

Considering this, together with the state of our roads, the poor standard of driving, the lack of reliability of the complicated electrics, difficulty of changing bulbs, etc. it baffles me as to why anybody buys a vehicle manufactured in the last 10 years or so.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

This could apply to an old car too 👍

[@michaelharrison9340]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru Not so likely that an old, cheap car will be worth salvaging (look at the examples shown in the video). Also, a few hundred quid extra at that end of the price spectrum doesn't seem so bad.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@michaelharrison9340 I guess so mate but there will be some high end stuff affected for sure

[@stuipooey1]

A great video and thanks for highlighting this, having just recently bought a vehicle and completed an HPI check i was not aware of how meaningless they can be. Glad to say just ran it through Vcheck and its clear. You live and learn

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Glad it helped

[@MrTomomahony]

thanks for opening my eyes to this car dealer scam !

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

👌

[@boshebosh9269]

Wow! That's unbelievable. Valuable information! 👍

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks 🙏

[@y2jacobs222]

Very interesting Jim. And disturbing! Bought my car from Big Motoring World a couple of months ago so thought the worst when I saw your first example. Did a Vcheck just now and all clear thankfully.👐

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Phew!!! thanks for watching David

[@mapryan]

Presumably if you buy one of these and then subsequently have an accident, the insurance company wouldn't pay out on it as they would then tell you it was a write-off. So, the consumer can end up getting shafted both ways

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

You should declare it to your insurers up front, not all will cover them. They can be written off again but you’d get a much lower payout than normal in the event of a further write off.

[@mapryan]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru Thanks. I guess I was thinking more of the unsuspecting Joe Public who bought one of these vehicles only to find out about the issue after they had an accident. By the way, thanks for the video and highlighting this issue for everyone

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@mapryan you’re most welcome 🙏

[@gary63693]

I've always done a full vehicle check on all my past cars, it's the right thing to do

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

100%

[@nickb6655]

Great video. Feels like I've wasted time with HPI checks in the past now. Need to buy a car in June when my lease goes back and will definitely use V Check...thanks for the heads up.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

It's nuts isn't it?

[@robertolira9843]

Thank you for your great hard work. This is helping me enormously as I am in the process of buying a second hand car. Just come across a dealer in Cardiff that has not even mentioned that their car was a Cat S. Really eye opener .

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Really glad it’s helped Roberto, good luck with your search 👍

[@andyeve8]

This is shocking that this is all being hidden from customers. I never realized this. Fair play to that company that expose those hidden details and to you for exposing this. That dealership in Belfast is one of the biggest in the country. With multiple showrooms of different manufacturers and second hand dealerships. They also have multiple bodyshops. So they should have know All these hidden details. I have had issues with that same company on a few occasions.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

It's rife across the industry I'm afraid Andy. The software most of the industry uses only checks the main databases which do not look at salvage records, therefore unrecorded write offs are missed; whether that is a happy coincidence or something more sinister is for you to decide.

[@Locke86]

I’ve watched this video before I went to buy my new car. Ran it through vCheck and it came back all clear. Picking up the car next week. Thank you for the video 👍🏼

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Great to hear!

[@thrilled2bits]

Scandalous! Typical, government just turning the other cheek.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Isn’t it just

[@markpaul1154]

HPi has been a rubber stamp job for years now, they just take the money, stamp it and away you go. Not worth jack.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Shame isn’t it, most punters assume that it’s a stamp of quality. How on earth the authorities haven’t sorted this is beyond me.

[@garydouglas3289]

Omg, amazing information mate, definitely will use your knowledge, great stuff, I'm actually speechless!!! 👍

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Awesome, thank you!

[@stephenwaller7461]

Its about 10 years since I bought a used vehicle. My Vectra C Design 150 has been brilliant over that time but even it is starting to show the signs of wear and tear which are starting to make it uneconomical to maintain. I decided to do a bit of research and look at the pitfalls when buying a used vehicle in todays market. Your video is excellent and im really glad I came across it. I will use your link to be sure when I have found a suitable vehicle to do a history check.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks very much Stephen, I’ve actually just done one myself for a car I’m thinking of getting, all clear thankfully!

[@subevo35]

Thanks for exposing this scam.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks

[@thunderpants007]

Thanks for this, great info. I just bet the insurance companies are gaining money by not registering the vehicles as a write off.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I would imagine it’s just one less job for them to do but don’t really know.

[@barrieainge4937]

I'm amazed that the Citroen from a Citroen dealer was not as it seemed. Can you trust anyone these days? And the DVLA have known all about this situation for some while and do nothing about it? Why doesn't that surprise me in this country..

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Have a look at the follow up video, I did get a response from a dealer who had been made aware of my video

[@railvlogger1439]

Very informative video. I noticed it shared on the Tesla Model 3 UK Facebook group. Stuff like this needs to get out.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Oh really?, thanks for letting me know. Great that it’s getting shared 👍

[@Chuggles77]

Thanks for this information. It is a minefield when buying used cars. I agree that things need to be done about it. Surely trading standards should get involved.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I've tweeted around a few places but falls on deaf ears I think

[@johnclowes3894]

Thanks for the heads up. Wish I’d seen this before buying my latest. Scared to check it out now just in case. Too late to bring it back. Anyway I’m gonna pass this video on to ALL friends and family. And will definitely download the V check app. 👍

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thank you

[@keelferm]

Great public service you've performed here. Many thanks

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

It's my pleasure

[@g.d2450]

charles hurst buy in most of their stock from hire companies like avis and hertz that have been hit and badly repaired, i know as i got strung along with 3 of their one year old vauxhall astras that had all been hit or damaged. first one was red and could spot it a mile away under an orange street light so rejected the car the next day (went straight back on their forecourt) second had a broken gearbox and wouldn't select gears smoothly so didn't even take it out of the premises, ordered me one from their lookers stock that was network q approved and noticed the rear quarter panel had a lot more orange peel from a bad respray job, got my money back and went elsewhere. shocking what a main dealer gets up to to make a few pound more, safest way is to buy or lease new

[@h.bsfaithfulservant4136]

Blimey G.D… that is shocking from a main dealer! Good for you that you weren’t fooled by them… most folks might be taken in 🙁

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Seriously??? that's unreal...

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

It's mental isn't it?

[@g.d2450]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru you would think going to a main dealer you would have a better grade of car but as i found out they're only good for a shiny showroom

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@g.d2450 you would indeed

[@rickydub6950]

Would be madness not to pay for something like vcheck if parting with that amount of cash, or any cash for that matter. I'd be gutted if I saw pics of that Merc smashed to bits after I had bought it, but with not a leg to stand on!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Amazing isn't it mate?

[@505allan]

Made up finding this. Going to use this company from now on just checked my own van and found two issues. Luckily nothing dangerous but it went through a salvage sale I didn't know about. The slight damage is still visible and I saw it when I bought the van. But the level of information was impressive.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Cheers 👍

[@mlgboy1]

Great video and thank you for highlighting this potential major issue when buying a used car. Given your warning I ran my car through the check, having purchased rcently I just had to put my mind at rest. Thankfully no issues.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Peace of mind then Mark, hope you enjoy your new car 👍

[@bizzbarberbarryt747]

great vid this scam needs to go public . clearly the gvrmt is making money of the fact these cars are put on sale at the forecourt price and the treasury takes the xtra tax rather than making it law that all info should be disclosed and as a result the vehicles price would not be as shown and the tax on that would be less . again well done for bringing this to the publics attention

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Barry 👍👍👍

[@Rob-on5tz]

A valuable tool for consumer rights, knowledge is power and Vcheck gives you that power. A great bargaining tool to get a few grand off a motor if you are prepared to drive a dodgy motor that has been in a pile up!!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

👍

[@willswheels283]

Well that’s just scandalous, when you HPI check a vehicle it should be an honest check of a vehicle with no hidden past that’s, but it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on. Just shows how thorough you’ve got to be when buying a car, especially so when your shelling out that kind of money.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

100%

[@pauldavison9512]

Just done a check on my car that I have owned for 5 years, and it came back with outstanding finance With the company took it out with and now I have paid it off.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Take it up with the finance company mate, maybe they didn’t update the database?

[@Vass881234]

Spent 2nd lockdown watching UK rebuild salvage garage videos, they work on several cars damaged unrecorded, the work done looks good enough and I have you agree most wouldn't need a CAT designation , Guess it depends on the level of damage

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I agree that in many cases the damage is light and work carried out to a good standard but that's not always the case; would you want to buy one at full retail price with no idea that it's been salvaged? I'd 100% want to know and I'd be expecting to pay less for it. I have no problem with Cat cars coming back to the market but full disclosure should be there, especially from the likes of Cap HPI who will give these unrecorded cases a pass, it's currently misleading at best.

[@johnburrows7938]

It’s guys like yourself that bring things like this to the publics attention. Autotrader is at fault and something needs to be done about this deception, in my view, it’s clear deception. You have a new sub…keep up the good work.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks John 👍

[@jackking5567]

Also, many dealerships have wrangled a contract with the Motability fleet. Within that contract is the extension of service intervals. Instead of say a 10k mile service, expect a 20k mile service. All done with permissions and all to the detriment of the vehicle engine.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Sounds like another can of worms!

[@M.B.C38]

We recently found our car hit in a parking lot and dicovered that the rear left wing was full of filler, because we bought it from a dealer and we still have finance on it, we immediately took it to a body shop to have it checked. We were told that besides the roof and bootlid the whole car was repainted and where the filler was the car was knocked. Just used the £10 vcheck and they couldn't find anything wrong with it, so if they do it private you're still not going to find out about it.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

May not have been a write off or gone through a salvage auction. If someone crashed their car and fixed it themselves you’ll never know.

[@Sleepywhispers79]

Great video mate 👍👍 I genuinely think that all car details should be made available for free cause after buying a house a car is the next most expensive thing people will buy and I think car dealers no fine rightly if a car has had a prang

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Agreed. The fact is though that dealers could find this out for less than £3!

[@Sleepywhispers79]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru In your video you done that Citroen from Charles hurst, they're my local dealer and I've recently been looking at some 2017/18 Vauxhall insignias makes me wonder now

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@Sleepywhispers79 oh really!

[@Sleepywhispers79]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru Yes but I'm not on here to vent off about them, they may not know about it

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

@@Sleepywhispers79 exactly mate, it’s not a witch hunt. I would say though that if selling cars is your business then you probably should know.

[@Andeecee]

One of the most informative YT videos I have ever seen! Couple of questions though: 1/ In the examples you highlighted would the fact they are written off be shown on the log books(V5C)? 2/ Is it possible for a car to show as clear on Vcheck but not clear clear on HPI?

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Wow, thank you!. I’m not sure about the log book, answer to question 2 is no to best of my knowledge as the likes of vcheck and carvertical etc look at the same databases as HPI and Experian but then extra data sources on top.

[@aiuzdursa]

This is shocking and an eye opener for someone like me - " first time buyer" The last car you showed, should not been even sold. It was so damaged 😢

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

I agree 👍

[@waynewilliams5434]

How many people are thinking about getting their Cars 🚗 checked !!!!!

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Hopefully a few more now.

[@rodneycooperLMSCoach]

Some dealers are not out to rip off their customers and are honest in their dealings. Trouble is you have to ask around their local area to find them.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Yep, I have no doubt and am not saying that those in the video are but they could always do proper checks rather than relying on Cap HPI and the like.

[@PhilipBallGarry]

Just done my Merc purchased in Nov. Thought it would be wise considering the three month warranty runs out soon. Paid just £4.99 for the check as it provided me with everything I needed to know. Came back clear but it's peace of mind to know especially as there would be an opportunity to do something about it whilst I had the chance. Thanks for the head's up Jim 👍

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Glad it came back ok PGB - shockign stuff isn't it?

[@PhilipBallGarry]

@@DefinitelyNotAGuru Yep. Definitely worth a fiver 👍

[@neilsg2001]

Wow, I checked my car as it came with no service record from a main dealer and was discounted, came back ok on v check.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Great 👍

[@janedoh123]

if you bought a write off and didn’t know because we had no idea how to do the checks would the insurance company who’s not registered it as a write off, could you have issues with being paid out by an insurance company after say non fault accident because of the status of the car being a write off ? just wondered if it’s buyer beware on that reason also? thanks good video

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Jane, you should have no issues with the insurance companies as their databases are the issue here. They don’t know and won’t know.

[@billbow7757]

Great info. Shocking. Just run a check and all good. Keep up the great content.

[@DefinitelyNotAGuru]

Thanks Bill, keep watching mate 👍