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They welded two wrecks together. In a heavy crash, the car splits in half.

Following write-offs, dodgy traders chop cars in half at the B-pillars and weld them back together with a fresh coat of paint. Don't buy a structural coffin.

£9.99 Standard · £19.99 Comprehensive History & Finance

The Forecourt Secret Dealers Hide

Fresh paint hides a lot. It won't hold a chassis together in a crash.

Two Wrecks, One Car

Rogue traders buy two salvaged cars — one smashed at the front, one at the back. They slice both through the B-pillars, keep the good halves and weld them together into one car that looks clean on the forecourt.

Where They Hide the Welds

The join line is buried behind door shuts, under carpets, seat bases and trim panels, then covered with seam sealer and fresh paint. A quick walk-round and a valet won't show you a thing.

A Ticking Time Bomb

The chassis was engineered as one piece. Once it's cut and re-welded, crash strength is gone, and spliced wiring can leave airbag sensors and seatbelt pretensioners failing exactly when you need them.

Free Trade Checklist

  • Mismatched paint lines or overspray inside the door frames and B-pillars.
  • Uneven or inconsistent gaps around doors, bonnet, boot and panels.
  • Grinding marks, fresh seam sealer or new underseal in the boot well.
  • Tampered, re-drilled or non-original seatbelt mounts and bolts.

A clean database result cannot rule out an unrecorded rebuild. If two or more of these show up, walk away or get expert eyes on it.

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