Guide

How to spot an accident car — 7 signs you can see yourself

You don’t need to be a mechanic to catch most crash repairs. An hour, a bright day, a clean car and a careful eye are enough — plus a cheap paint gauge for pricier cars. Here are seven signs you can check yourself before paying a deposit.

Before you start: Inspect the car only in daylight and only when it is clean and dry. Rain, dirt and dusk hide exactly what you want to see. Never view a car in the evening — it is the oldest seller’s trick.

1. Panel gaps

On an unrepaired car the gaps between bonnet, wings, doors and boot lid are equal on both sides. Crouch in front of the car and look along the side: uneven gaps, a protruding trim strip or a poorly fitted bumper are the most common bodyshop trace. A simple test: how many fingers fit between the tyre and the wing — it should be the same left and right.

2. Paint thickness — the actual numbers

Factory coating is usually 70–170 μm. A reading of 160–170 μm suggests a repaint, and above 300 μm — filler. But more telling than a single reading are sudden jumps within one panel and differences between symmetric panels (left vs right door, both A-pillars). Start with the roof — it is rarely repainted, so it serves as your baseline. A gauge costs a few hundred zloty; on a 50k car it is the best money you can spend.

3. Glass codes and dates

All windows should carry the same manufacturer code and a similar date. If one pane is younger than the car or lacks the brand logo, it was replaced. The date hides in a dot code: dots before the digit mean months 1–6, the digit is the year, dots after it — months 7–12. Note: a difference „by one notch" can be factory, but one completely different pane is a signal.

4. The boot: lift the liner

This is the spot sellers polish least. Under the liner and in the spare-wheel well, the spot welds should be small, even and factory. Uneven welds, filler traces, fresh sealant or wavy metal = a rear impact. The spare-wheel well is practically impossible to straighten — it is usually cut out of another car.

5. Pillars, sills and seals

Peel back the door and window seals — underneath you can see paint traces (runs, a different shade, paint on the rubber). Check the B-pillar where it meets the sill, and the A-pillars top and bottom. These are hard to repair, so they are usually skipped in cosmetic work. A missing factory spot weld under the seal = a replaced roof or side.

6. Engine bay and underside

An unusually clean engine bay is suspicious — it more often masks traces than proves care. Look for paint overspray on the engine, cracked or painted engine mounts, and marks from undoing the wing bolts. The underside shows the most: straightened chassis rails, non-factory welds, fresh underseal applied to one section only (masking a repair).

7. Interior: airbags, belts, seat

Check that the airbag warning light goes out properly after starting (crooks wire a dead light to another circuit — if the lights go out „together", that is a signal). Belts should extend smoothly with no cut marks; the anchors should show no signs of being undone. The driver’s seat must not be deformed and the gaps around airbags not excessive. Freshly stitched seat upholstery can hide an airbag replacement.

The car looks fine, but the price is oddly low? Check the real value and the model’s typical faults → VARTOCAR report 49 zł

Caution: a good repair can be undetectable

Let’s be honest — if the car went through a good bodyshop and panels were replaced with new ones, even a professional may not spot the repair during an inspection. So an inspection is only one of three legs: add the vehicle history by VIN (free at historiapojazdu.gov.pl) and a real market valuation. A suspiciously low price is often the one signal no paint can hide.

Should you always walk away from an accident car?

No. A car with minor, properly repaired damage can be a good buy — provided the price reflects it. The problem starts when you pay as if it were never crashed. So the key question is not „was it repaired" but „what is this car actually worth". See also whether importing from Germany pays off — the hidden-damage risk is even higher there.

Need to finance the purchase? Compare loans and accounts: Finumero →

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What paint thickness indicates a repair? Factory is usually 70–170 μm. A reading of 160–170 μm suggests a repaint, above 300 μm — filler. More important than a single value are sudden jumps on one panel and differences between the left and right side.

Can I detect a repair without a paint gauge? Yes — from uneven gaps, shade differences, glass codes, boot welds and paint traces under the seals. A gauge speeds things up, but your own eyes catch a lot.

Is an accident car always a bad buy? No. Minor, well-repaired damage can be acceptable if the price reflects it. The problem is paying the price of a never-crashed car for a repaired one.

How do I check whether the price matches the car’s condition? Compare the price with the real market value for the model, year and mileage. A suspiciously low price usually means a hidden defect — the VARTOCAR report (49 zł) shows a value range and the model’s typical faults.