Blazin TL

Does anyone know another way to find out if the car, for instance, my TL has been wreaked, without carfax, i tried calling a local dealership and they said they wouldn't know unless it was totaled. thanks in advance.

Henry

Blazin TL

sorry, i mean wrecked

Inspire

I don't think you will be able to find that out without carfax. However, you are able to find out if the car have been modded simply by checking up on all the screws and connections and see whether or not they have ever been detached or replaced. Scratches on screws, panels etc. And also, you may check the paint of the car... I heared a friend a mine who works at a bodyshop that if a car has been wrecked in the past, "real pros" will be able to differentiate the after market and orginal paint, whether or not panels have been repainted. Hope this helps...

VTEC Animal

Most of the body panels are stamped (these days they sometimes put stickers instead) that have the VIN number or a portion of the VIN number. Also, a magnet is a good way to find bondo. Paint in places where it shouldn't be are dead giveaways. Also, looking at the glass is another thing to look for. Sometimes factory glass will have a different stamp than a replacement, especially if you have non-factory brand piece of glass. In some states you legally have to disclose and accident if you are asked the question. Some states put a dollar limit on that, if damages are below that limit you do not have to disclose it. And in other states, you have to disclose whether a vehicle has been in an accident if a certain dollar figure was reached or if airbags deployed... It depends, but I've heard of some crazy stuff.

rmarin2

Carfax sucks. I'm only saying that based on the experiences I've had with it!

I was helping my sis buy a car and so I decided to see if carfax really worked. I used the VIN of a friends '95 maxima which I knew had been in several accidents throughout its life. Carfax told me nothing!! The only thing it said was when it was originally bought, and 3 of the 5 times the car got its annual inspection!

chadhova

Yeah but is carfax supposed to show you ALL of the accidents or just the major ones? you know the ones that actually may effect the car? Or just the accidents reported to the insurance company?

BLEXV6

The best way to tell if a car has been in an accident, is to closely inspect it. For instance, open up the trunk and look @ the seams. Are they nicely straight or poorly fitted. Is their overspray anywhere. Do the panels line up properly. On a Chrysler this wont be a good indicator, but on an Acura, most of the panels line up. If in doubt, have it inspected by a shop you trust. It will be a lot cheaper for an inspection fee than a POS car.

Blazin TL

Thanks, for all the help, the car i bought was a 2001 TL, with 3000 miles on it for $16.5K, he told me it was a theft recovery, that the air bags, seats, hood, and fenders were stolen; also a couple electrical things don't work like rear window defroster, gas is low light, and out side temp reading, which i guess makes sense b/c the car was probably hot-wired, but i noticed that the cars alignment was alittle off, and the body panal connecting the left fender to the hood, close to the dash was a little off, the stearing wheel cover and passanger side airbag cover is off, i think he replaced them with used parts, but then he offered me a 3 yr, 36k mile warranty, this was a small dealership too, i asked him if the car has been in a accident or water, he said no, i kind of do trust him, but he couldn't really speak english that well, but then again, i just iffy just because. the car drives great, and engine is new. if i went to an authorized acura dealership, would they fix all my electrical problems, i already asked if i had a warranty with them and they said yes, but this isn't a manufacturer's defect. sorry for the long post, but thanks again in advance.

henry

daverman

Blazin TL: sounds like a bad deal to me. The car has suffered extensive electrical damage for all those things not to work. Also, he said that the car has had no accident, but the front left fender has been replaced. Why?

I wouldn't buy that car. It has been abused, or at least stripped without caring for the rest of the car. If you really want to buy this car, get the seller to state in writing that he will ensure that the car is repared to factory specifications. This is not the Acura warranty! Acura's warranty will only replace defective parts, not missing parts.

Again, I'd steer well clear of this car. It has "dragon tracks" if you know what I mean ...

Blazin TL

Actually, the car comes with most of everything that has been stolen except the airbags, its been inspected by the DMV and is OK, how far on E do you have to be for the gas light to come on, i was about half a ticker away from the red, do i have to be on the red for the light to come on, the defroster and the temp does not work for sure; the outside temp just has a line goin through it like a unset digital clock. besides from that it's alright, i've driven the car 400 miles in 4 days and it hasnt' shown any problems but i'm kind of meticulous about things and i want everything perfect, or atleast aware of.

henry,

thanks for your input.

Blazin TL

Daverman,

also the hood and left fender were stolen, i think he replaced the parts with not new but perhaps used or parts from wrecked vehicles, i think... i know this because the leather seats are in good shape, not torn but shows a dirt or something and the airbag covers are off color.

thanks,
henry

daverman

Unless you're really hurting for a TL, you may be better off buying a recent-model Certified Pre-Owned Accord EX V6. This car has so many questionable parts and mysterious problems that it gives me the heebie-jeebies.

It's your money, of course, and you can do what you think is best. But at least get the seller to give you a written warranty to bring everything to factory spec.

Blazin TL

he gave me a 3 yr 36k mile warranty engine and transmission.

henry,

thanks for your help

chadhova

But what about the rest of the parts on the car though?

TLBaller

ways to see if the car has been wrecked or worked on:

as "inspire" said, check to see if the screws are diff color than the factory screws.

pop the hood and look along the sides under the hood above the wheel wells or along the outter parts of the chassis. if it look like its molded and not smooth like it should be, then its been wrecked.

and finally, run your fingers along the ends of hoods, all 4 doors, and trunk. take for example the end of your hood (the part FACING the windshield wipers) run your fingers all along the top part of the hood, if its rough and not smooth like it should be.......its been wrecked. do the same for doors and your trunk lid. if you have trouble founding out by running the fingers along the door sides, just simply close the door and gently knock on the door near the side molding. if it makes this LIGHT hollow sound (unwrecked doors make a deep thump) then your cars been wrecked.

hope this helps..

Blazin TL

thanks, it helped a lot, it checked out smooth on all panals, i also had a neighbor come over and look at it, he's restoring a 68 mustang, so i just thought he could help too, he ended up checking the paint, he said it was original, and the parts inside of the engine compartment hadn't been removed and the inside panals weren't banged back, he told me the car was fine. and the points made be other people and you all check out, i just want to thank everyone for helping, i'm not only that i got this car, but that i got to be a part of something good like this.

thanks,
henry

SL1200MK4

The outside temperture is not displayed I think maybe the wiring or the senser is dead? or stolen? maybe you can check into that... not that you really need it anywayz