South Africa
Write-offs sold to unsuspecting buyers─── 18:00 Thu, 21 Jan 2021
Unsuspecting used vehicle buyers are purchasing cars without knowing they have been previously written off because the registration code of the vehicle has not been amended to reflect this.
Not only does this lead to consumers purchasing a used vehicle at an inflated price but these rebuilt vehicles are often unroadworthy and dangerous to drive and require the new owners to spend a significant amount of money to get them into a safe and roadworthy condition.
This has resulted in the South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association, an association of the Retail Motor Industry Organisation, appealing to the SA Insurance Association to allow public access to the vehicle salvage database to allow consumers to check if a vehicle has been written off before concluding a transaction.
The SA Insurance Association has declined this request. The association’s insurance risks GM Pamela Ramagaga said it does not believe the database is the solution but rather effective policing of vehicles that are bought and repaired after being sold, by auction houses for example, and that these vehicles reflect the right code in line with the Saia Code of Motor Salvage.
Moneyweb
