How To Check For Accident Damage — Dave's Complete Guide

Damage Hides in Plain Sight

Here is a fact that might keep you up at night: thousands of accident-damaged cars are repaired and resold in the UK every year without the buyer knowing about the damage. Some of these repairs are excellent and the car is perfectly safe. Others are botch jobs that compromise the structural integrity and put you and your family at risk.

The problem is that modern body shops can make a damaged car look showroom-fresh. You cannot always see the repair with a casual glance. But if you know What To look for and where to look, even the best repairs leave telltale signs.

This guide is your field manual for checking any Used Car for hidden accident damage.

Step 1: Start With the History

Before you even lay eyes on the car, check its history. A vehicle check will tell you whether the car has been declared an insurance write-off (Cat S, Cat N, or the older Cat C and Cat D categories). This is the fastest way to identify a car with significant previous damage.

But not all accidents result in an insurance claim. Plenty of drivers repair damage privately, either to avoid their premiums going up or because the damage was minor. These repairs will not show up on any database. That is why the physical inspection is equally important.

If you are weighing up alternatives, our guide to What Questions To Ask When Buying A Used Car covers similar ground from a different angle.

Also check the MOT history. Advisory notes sometimes reference things like "evidence of previous repair" or "structural repair noted," which give you clues about past damage.

Step 2: The Panel Gap Test

Panel gaps are the spaces between adjacent body panels: between the doors and wings, between the bonnet and wings, between the boot lid and rear quarter panels. On a car that has never been damaged, these gaps should be perfectly even all the way around.

Walk around the car slowly and look at every panel gap. Compare the left side with the right side. If the gap between the front wing and the door is 4mm on the driver's side but 8mm on the passenger side, that wing or door has been removed and refitted, or replaced entirely. This is one of the strongest indicators of previous accident repair.

Step 3: The Paint Inspection

Colour Matching

Stand back from the car and look at the overall colour. Does it look consistent across every panel? Slight differences in shade can indicate a respray. These differences are easiest to spot in direct sunlight. Move around the car and look from different angles.

For more on this topic, take a look at our What Documents Do You Need to Buy a Used Car? guide.

Compare the paint on the door edges with the paint on the outer panels. The door edges are rarely resprayed during a repair, so if the outer panel is a slightly different shade from the edge, the panel has been repainted.

Texture

Factory paint has a consistent texture. Aftermarket paint, especially applied in a less-than-professional environment, often has a slightly different texture. Look for "orange peel" (a bumpy, textured surface like the skin of an orange) which can indicate a respray.

Overspray

When a panel is resprayed, paint can drift onto adjacent surfaces. Check the rubber seals around doors, the engine bay edges, the boot seal, and the window surrounds for signs of paint where there should not be any. Overspray is one of the most common mistakes made during body repairs.

Step 4: Feel for Filler

Body filler (often called Bondo) is used to smooth out dents and reshape damaged panels before painting. A skilled repairer uses it sparingly and blends it seamlessly. A less skilled one uses it generously and hopes you will not notice.

We have covered related ground in our Complete Used Car Buying Checklist guide, which is worth reading if this subject interests you.

Run your hand along each panel. Original metal feels consistent and slightly cool to the touch. Filler feels slightly different: warmer, and sometimes you can feel a subtle difference in the surface even through paint.

You can also use a small fridge magnet. Place it against each panel. A magnet sticks firmly to bare metal but will not stick to filler. If the magnet slides off a section of a panel, there is filler underneath.

Step 5: Check the Boot and Engine Bay

Open the bonnet and look at the inner wings and the area around the headlight mountings. Look for:

• Fresh welds or seam sealant that looks newer than the rest
• Bolts or fixings that have been painted over or replaced (original bolts are usually colour-coded from the factory)
• Misaligned components that suggest panels have been shifted during a collision
• Crinkled or rippled metal in the inner wing area, which indicates crash damage that has been pulled rather than replaced

In the boot, lift the carpet and check the boot floor for the same signs. Rear-end collisions often damage the boot floor, and the repair is hidden under the carpet.

Step 6: Check Under the Car

Get underneath the car with a torch if you can. Look at the sills (the panels running along the bottom of the car between the front and rear wheels) and the subframe.

You can look up the exact insurance group for any car on Thatcham's website before getting quotes.

Look for:

• Fresh underseal that covers repair work
• Welded patches that do not match the factory finish
• Bent or misaligned subframe components
• Evidence of scraping or impact on the underside

Structural members that have been bent and straightened may show stress marks or cracks in the paint. These are serious concerns because the metal may be weakened even after repair.

Step 7: Check the Doors and Alignment

Open and close every door, the boot lid, and the bonnet. They should all open smoothly, close with a solid clunk, and sit flush with the body. Doors that are difficult to close, that need lifting to latch, or that sit higher or lower than the adjacent panel have likely been removed and refitted, or the car's structure has shifted.

Check that all the doors have matching hinges and bolts. If one door has different-coloured or newer-looking hinges than the others, it has been replaced.

Step 8: Examine the Glass

Every window in the car has a manufacturer's mark etched or printed on it, including a date code. Factory-fitted glass will have the car manufacturer's logo and a date that matches when the car was built.

The FCA has a useful guide to car finance that explains your rights and what to watch for.

If any glass has been replaced (for example, after a collision), the replacement will likely have a different logo (the glass manufacturer rather than the car manufacturer) and a date that is later than the car's build date.

A replaced windscreen is common and usually innocent (stone chips). But replaced side or rear glass suggests the car was involved in an incident serious enough to shatter a window.

Step 9: Test Drive for Alignment Issues

Some accident damage affects the car's alignment in ways that are not visible but are noticeable when driving.

During the test drive:

• On a straight, flat road, briefly let go of the steering wheel. The car should track straight. Pulling to one side suggests alignment issues from previous damage.
• Listen for unusual noises from the suspension, which could indicate bent or damaged components.
• Feel for vibrations through the steering wheel, which could indicate bent wheels or damaged suspension geometry.
• Check that the steering wheel is centred when driving straight. An offset steering wheel suggests the tracking has been adjusted to compensate for misalignment.

Step 10: Professional Inspection

If you have any doubts after your own inspection, pay for a professional assessment. The AA and RAC both offer vehicle inspection services that include detailed structural checks. An independent inspection costs £100 to £200 and provides a written report from a qualified engineer.

For any car with a Cat S history, I consider a professional inspection essential, not optional.

Dave's Accident Damage Checklist

• Run a vehicle history check for write-off markers
• Check MOT history for advisory notes about repairs
• Inspect panel gaps for consistency around the entire car
• Look for colour variations, overspray, and paint texture differences
• Feel for body filler on every panel
• Examine the engine bay and boot for fresh welds and replaced bolts
• Check underneath for repair evidence and structural damage
• Open and close all doors, bonnet, and boot for alignment
• Check glass date codes for replacements
• Test drive for alignment and handling issues
• Consider a professional inspection if anything is suspicious

Before you go to view any used car, run a check through Dave's vehicle intelligence platform. It flags write-off history, verifies the VIN, and checks for mileage and finance issues. Physical inspection catches damage the databases miss. Database checks catch damage the eye misses. Together, they give you full protection. Use Dave to check any car you are considering.