Mail Online

Car dealers found selling ‘death trap’ write-offs

By Sam Merriman

THOUSANDS of cars written off in horror crashes are being illegally repaired and sold as secondhand vehicles to motorists who have no idea they may be driving around in a ‘death trap’.

More than 40,000 undeclared write-offs worth £800million – including some without airbags – are being sold to unwitting drivers each year, a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation found.

Experts warned that criminals were buying write-offs from salvage auctions at bargain prices, having them repaired – often using stolen parts. Those cars then entered the second-hand market.

The worrying criminal trend is being fuelled by the soaring price of used cars caused by a chronic shortage of new vehicles.

In one case, a dealer in the West Midlands sold a Mini Countryman for £17,495 without informing the buyer that it has been written off in an accident, with a front wheel ripped off and airbags deployed.

Motorist David said he bought the car after being assured it had not been written off – and carried out a standard search that came back all-clear.

But he was horrified to discover its past eight months later when he tried to part-exchange the car for a smaller model. The dealer refunded him, but he soon spotted that the same car was up for sale online for £16,995.

It is illegal to knowingly sell a car that has been written off without declaring it.

To avoid buying an undeclared write-off, experts advise using an enhanced checking service – such as Vcheck or MotorCheck – and not rely solely on a dealer.

Dispatches: Why Is My Car So Expensive? airs on Channel 4 tomorrow at 8pm.

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2022-08-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

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