"VIC" test - and not having to declare Cat C/D

"VIC" test - and not having to declare Cat C/D

Author
Discussion

Blown2CV

Original Poster:

28,695 posts

202 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
ok i have a work colleague who has an 02 plate vectra that has been written off... twice. He maintains that if he pays £30 for a VIC test, and they say that it is OK and has been repaired properly, and is all one car etc. then he doesn't have to declare Cat C/D. Technically his is CatC-squared! Is this true? I have never heard of such a thing, but then I am not in the market for smashed-up cars.

siscar

6,887 posts

216 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
A VIC is a Vehicle Identity Check, all it does is validate that a written off car being put back on the road is the same car and not a stolen car. Basically any write-off has to have a VIC test to put it back on the road. It will still have the write off in it's history though.

RobCrezz

7,892 posts

207 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
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It will only be declared as a Cat c/d if the insurance company are involved. If you dont tell them and fix it your self then it wont be.

SmoothCriminal

5,047 posts

198 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
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Declare to who exactly?

If he's a private seller then no he doesn't have to declare it to the buyer unless they ask but I suppose that's ur mates consciene, and they shouldave hpi'd anyway.

To insurance co well I've never did when I had a cat car and it didn't make a difference when I had to claim, altho loads of people say some INS co's don't insure cat cars well that's bs when it comes to the mainstream providers.

Blown2CV

Original Poster:

28,695 posts

202 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
declare it to a buyer... i thought if it was Cat C/D then its on the register, which requires you to declare it to a buyer. However I am prepared to be proven wrong! He is under the impression that Cat C/D status will be removed if VIC passed. Is this bit wrong then...

Risotto

3,926 posts

211 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
Don't think so. As far as I'm aware, if it needs a VIC, it's because it's a Cat C write off. Just because VOSA decide the car's identity hasn't been tampered with, doesn't mean it suddenly stops being a write off.

s3fella

10,524 posts

186 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
Vic check is identity only and only for Cat c. It could be held together with bluetac, so long as it is the original car and no stolen bits, they will pass it.

Cat D or Cat C status does not have to be delcared by ANY seller, per se, trade or private, but a trade seller would be deemed in law to be an "expert" so would not have the defence of not knowing it's cat C or D status. A private seller may well have such a defence, unless it oculd be deemed he did know, ie he wrote it off himself as is the case here.
But still he does nto have to "declare" it, only answer honestly if asked the direct question by the buyer. If the buyer asked if it had been in an accident, or written off, and the seller said "no" it would be a straight misrepresentaiton issue and the buyer would have a valid claim in Court. This is also true of a trade seller, but as Trade, theyu would not have a valid defence of not knowing, even if they actually didn't know! The fact they're a trader means they SHOULD know, / be able to find out!

CAT C will ususally state so on the log book I think, and cat C and D will flag up at MOT time also. CAt D does not have anything on the log book.

HTH

Edited by s3fella on Thursday 20th May 13:09

RobCrezz

7,892 posts

207 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
Risotto said:
Don't think so. As far as I'm aware, if it needs a VIC, it's because it's a Cat C write off. Just because VOSA decide the car's identity hasn't been tampered with, doesn't mean it suddenly stops being a write off.
I had to vic one of my old cars that was previously a cat D write off. It was still a cat d write off.

GC8

19,910 posts

189 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
If its recorded as a Category C write-off then the V5C will show this. With regards to people having to 'declare its a Cat D' etc... Why would a decision made by a private company, and recorded by another private company; have any legal bearing on a private individual? People repeat too much rubbish on forums, without thinking.

s3fella

10,524 posts

186 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
RobCrezz said:
Risotto said:
Don't think so. As far as I'm aware, if it needs a VIC, it's because it's a Cat C write off. Just because VOSA decide the car's identity hasn't been tampered with, doesn't mean it suddenly stops being a write off.
I had to vic one of my old cars that was previously a cat D write off. It was still a cat d write off.
You definately dont need to VIC check a cat D. If you buy a cat D as a damaged car, it may well not come with a log book, but you can just apply for one from DVLA as soon as you have bought it, ie before fixing it. With a cat C it definately wont come with a log book and you will only be able to apply for one once the VIC is done. If it is your own car and you write it off cat C, then retain it to fix, the insurance should get you to surrender the logbook prior to payout. If it is cat D and you retain it to fix, you just keep the log book and use that.

GC8

19,910 posts

189 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
Blown2CV said:
ok i have a work colleague who has an 02 plate vectra that has been written off... twice. He maintains that if he pays £30 for a VIC test, and they say that it is OK and has been repaired properly, and is all one car etc. then he doesn't have to declare Cat C/D. Technically his is CatC-squared! Is this true? I have never heard of such a thing, but then I am not in the market for smashed-up cars.
I suspect that the root of this spurious 'knowledge' lays with the old/original Autolign examination (whichs nothing to do with, nor like, a VIC). Originally after a vehicle had been Autoligned it would be removed from the condition alert register. After a while (a long time ago) this changed and cars remained 'recorded', but they were moved to a 'condition inspected' register. As you can imagine, Autolign became a lot less popular after this change was forced upon them.

A VICs only purpose is to establish the identity of a vehicle that was considered a likely candidate for ringing. The quality of repairs or parts used isnt checked and the result simply allows a new V5C to be generated - leaving the vehicles ABI/HPI status unaffected.

RobCrezz

7,892 posts

207 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
s3fella said:
RobCrezz said:
Risotto said:
Don't think so. As far as I'm aware, if it needs a VIC, it's because it's a Cat C write off. Just because VOSA decide the car's identity hasn't been tampered with, doesn't mean it suddenly stops being a write off.
I had to vic one of my old cars that was previously a cat D write off. It was still a cat d write off.
You definately dont need to VIC check a cat D. If you buy a cat D as a damaged car, it may well not come with a log book, but you can just apply for one from DVLA as soon as you have bought it, ie before fixing it. With a cat C it definately wont come with a log book and you will only be able to apply for one once the VIC is done. If it is your own car and you write it off cat C, then retain it to fix, the insurance should get you to surrender the logbook prior to payout. If it is cat D and you retain it to fix, you just keep the log book and use that.
Well I had the log book when I bought it (honda prelude). When it was transferred to my ownership the DVLA sent me a letter telling me to do get a VIC test done.

So you are saying the DVLA are wrong?

GC8

19,910 posts

189 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
Are you telling us that they dont make mistakes???

RobCrezz

7,892 posts

207 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
GC8 said:
Are you telling us that they dont make mistakes???
No. I was asking if the DVLA were wrong.

GC8

19,910 posts

189 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
Before the VIC was introduced, the DVLA, through the local VRO, always had the ability to require that an identity check was carried out. To the best of my knowledge this was triggered by a V23 form having been submitted. In the same way that lightly dented cars end up with a C categorisation, sometimes more heavily damaged vehicles can end up with unsuitably low categorisations, or sometimes not be recorded at all. Police officers are able to submit V23 forms themselves, where they are concerned that a vehicle has been heavily damaged but feel that it may go unrecorded, or where they feel that its of a type which makes it particularly likely to attract thieves.

I bought a car which wasnt recorded, where this very thing happened. A nice lady came out from Sheffield VRO, who didnt now her arse from her elbow; and a V5 was issued shortly afterwards

s3fella

10,524 posts

186 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
RobCrezz said:
s3fella said:
RobCrezz said:
Risotto said:
Don't think so. As far as I'm aware, if it needs a VIC, it's because it's a Cat C write off. Just because VOSA decide the car's identity hasn't been tampered with, doesn't mean it suddenly stops being a write off.
I had to vic one of my old cars that was previously a cat D write off. It was still a cat d write off.
You definately dont need to VIC check a cat D. If you buy a cat D as a damaged car, it may well not come with a log book, but you can just apply for one from DVLA as soon as you have bought it, ie before fixing it. With a cat C it definately wont come with a log book and you will only be able to apply for one once the VIC is done. If it is your own car and you write it off cat C, then retain it to fix, the insurance should get you to surrender the logbook prior to payout. If it is cat D and you retain it to fix, you just keep the log book and use that.
Well I had the log book when I bought it (honda prelude). When it was transferred to my ownership the DVLA sent me a letter telling me to do get a VIC test done.

So you are saying the DVLA are wrong?
No, I am saying it was a cat C, not a cat D! If you bought it damaged with a log book, it is because the seller messed up and didnt surrender the log book.

Also, when was this? The VIC is relatively new in the world of car repairing, mid 2003 IIRC.

You definately dont need a vIC check if the car is a cat D. One thing that can trigger a car being cat c'd even with minimal damage is the likelihood that stolen parts may be used to fix it. Some Jap import stuff, and rarer cars can be Cat C's with fairly inocuous damage if the insurer thinks it may end up having some sly bits added to it.



Edited by s3fella on Thursday 20th May 15:41

GC8

19,910 posts

189 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
This is certainly more likely.

RobCrezz

7,892 posts

207 months

Thursday 20th May 2010
quotequote all
s3fella said:
RobCrezz said:
s3fella said:
RobCrezz said:
Risotto said:
Don't think so. As far as I'm aware, if it needs a VIC, it's because it's a Cat C write off. Just because VOSA decide the car's identity hasn't been tampered with, doesn't mean it suddenly stops being a write off.
I had to vic one of my old cars that was previously a cat D write off. It was still a cat d write off.
You definately dont need to VIC check a cat D. If you buy a cat D as a damaged car, it may well not come with a log book, but you can just apply for one from DVLA as soon as you have bought it, ie before fixing it. With a cat C it definately wont come with a log book and you will only be able to apply for one once the VIC is done. If it is your own car and you write it off cat C, then retain it to fix, the insurance should get you to surrender the logbook prior to payout. If it is cat D and you retain it to fix, you just keep the log book and use that.
Well I had the log book when I bought it (honda prelude). When it was transferred to my ownership the DVLA sent me a letter telling me to do get a VIC test done.

So you are saying the DVLA are wrong?
No, I am saying it was a cat C, not a cat D! If you bought it damaged with a log book, it is because the seller messed up and didnt surrender the log book.

Also, when was this? The VIC is relatively new in the world of car repairing, mid 2003 IIRC.

You definately dont need a vIC check if the car is a cat D. One thing that can trigger a car being cat c'd even with minimal damage is the likelihood that stolen parts may be used to fix it. Some Jap import stuff, and rarer cars can be Cat C's with fairly inocuous damage if the insurer thinks it may end up having some sly bits added to it.



Edited by s3fella on Thursday 20th May 15:41
Was about 3 years ago, bought it off a mate so I knew the circumstances of the write off (old bag drove into the back of him, so he bought it back off the insurer and repaired it him self). He said it was Cat D, had no reason not to believe him. Was a common UK car, so wasnt rare.
confused