psu2fan

iTrader: (2)

I was just wondering if any of the pros out there have any tips on identifying previous bodywork done on cars. A friend of mine was looking to purchase a used car and was told it was never in an accident. I made her take it to a shop and have it checked out, and the mech said the fender was replaced and the hood refinished. Is there a way for the laymen to identify bodywork themselves? I just thought that would be good info for anyone looking into buying a used car; please chime in if you have any tips.

wikidminds

some parts have the model name on it. for example, u may find nissan etched in some body parts on the maxima.
when i bought my 4th gen. i inspected it up and down. i looked at the paint to see if there are differences as far as the shade of paint goes with other parts of the car.
i used a heavy duty magnet wrapped in a thin cloth and ran it all over the car to see if there were any major bondoing here and there.
look at the lines of the car. do they match up?
also run a carfax report to have more piece of mind.

Froggmann

iTrader: (6)

Look for overspray, mis-aligned fenders, hood and decklids. Look at the lights If some at one corner of the car are clearer then the others that corner was hit. Look for replaced (non factory painted) radiator supports. Check tires/rims see if one or one side has been replaced or refinished. Look at the fitment of the bumper covers, those are a ***** to line up sometimes. Also if the car has a metalic paint job, look for a diffrence in the pattern of the metal flakes. 1 stage metalic paint usually looks "jelly" like compared to factory 2 stage paint. Also look closely at the shades of paint. Unless the vehicle was out of the sun or hit early in life the new paint will usually have a lighter sheen than the factory paint. It's easy to paint a factory color, hard as heck to paint a weathered color.

Maxima9750

Look for mis-aligned parts on the car. Depending on the model of the car, there are things such as pin stripes along the side that don't line up properly from door to door. Also, things such as chrome strips around the windows or body side moldings that some Maximas have could possibly be mis-aligned. Look at the gaps between body panels. If the width of the gap is narrower at one end than the other, that is often an indicator. Open all of the doors and make sure that they all make similar sounds of latching and unlatching, and that they all require an equal amount of force to open/close the door. Remember, once a car has been in an accident, it is never the same.

97MaximaSE97

iTrader: (3)

Check for rust, overspray, knock on the major panels to check for any bondo jobs. Check all fluids like oil, coolant, tranny fluid, brake fluid etc... Check the tires and brakes for any abnormal wear. If you can get under the car check the frame to see if there was any attempt to re-align it. If you know a body shop person bring him over and check the body. Thats all I can think of right now. Oh and make sure you know what your factory color is supposed to look like. My car is sterling mist but if you look in my sig my car is more silverish than a sterling mist car. I was able to get a HUGE discount for finding that. So yeah just check everything inside and out.

Professor

iTrader: (4)

Hmm my windshield was replaced, the hood looks replaced, the driver door dont quiet meet up right, Check carfax, its clean, i dont get it.

2Kmax

JdoubleOe703

iTrader: (6)

use a magnet and areas of big damage with bondo to fix, the magnet wont stick...

Squirrel82

iTrader: (30)

The paint should be evenly textured all over the car.Most cars have a semigloss to flat finish on the inside of the engine compartment coming from factory.Chips that get painted over without getting fixed are easily seen.There should not be a hard line in the jambs where the outside paint meets the inside paint.Check the edge of the black trim againts the paint.Sometimes a little bit of paint gets on it if not removed for repairs.

Maxima9750

Carfax would only show body damage if either a police report was filed or insurance was involved. There could be body damage from something that the owner paid directly out of his pocket to fix, and that would not show on a carfax.

Froggmann

iTrader: (6)

i.e. tread comming off a truck that hit the hood and windshield, neighbor backing into the hood, something falling off a truck etc.

spdfreak

Fore ever i'm telling people that their car was in an accident. I see mis-aligned parts such as hoods, fenders, bumpers, grills and paint.

It takes a trained eye to catch these mistakes.

Putting the car up on a lift is always a good idea. You may find that the foam behind the bumper is held on by tape, a sign that a bodyshop might have done some work there.

Don't forget that our Nissans aren't BMW's and that not everything is up to perfection from the factory.