Diminshed Value Claims

rgatijnet1 wrote:
JALLEN4:
I'll just keep it simple.....how is a buyer supposed to inspect a "repaired" vehicle and tell if the repair was done properly or if it was just done to look pretty? How can any inspection done by a potential buyer tell if the repair is as strong as it is supposed to be as originally designed?

I doubt if you can tell me how someone can inspect a vehicle after it has been repaired so this is exactly why this has to do with diminished value of an accident repair. With no way to properly inspect a vehicle, a buyer has no idea whether the repair was done by the best mechanic, or the worst mechanic, that was fired the next day. For that reason why would someone pay the same amount of money to buy a "repaired" vehicle when given the chance to buy the identical vehicle that has had no accidents?

Thank you for proving my point. The CarFax reports have opened a can of worms where they have made the vehicles with previous damage suffer unnecessary loss of value. The inexperienced and theoretical consumers, such as yourself, automatically assume the worst case scenario hoping to get an undeserved windfall of either buying the used vehicle at a greatly lower value or diminished value in their pocket in case of accident.

By far the majority of reported accidents involve cosmetic only damage. Very few involve actual structural damage that would compromise the safety of the repaired vehicle if not repaired properly. This number of vehicles of potential concern would be reduced further by the ones that are actually repaired by competent shops. By your uneducated scenario, damaged and repaired unibody vehicles should be summarily destroyed...not sold to an unsuspecting consumer at a reduced price. There is no reduced price that would justify putting lives at danger.

The reality is that those vehicles repaired improperly and presenting a potential structural risk can be discovered by a competent automotive inspector. While it is true that they are not tested for structural rigidity after repair, neither was the vehicle tested after the original manufacturing. The engineering models are tested in the design phase and we all hope running changes in the manufacturing process do not compromise the original design.

But, at the end of the day, folks are entitled to believe whatever ridiculous article they read that was designed to sell views. Negative thoughts always sell better than reality and people just absolutely love the idea that some shining knight will put newly found money in their pocket because they factually know everybody is out to get them to begin with.