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Thursday, December 6, 2001
Tacoma
Stroud's Auto Rebuild has been identifying problems with inadequate and improper vehicle repairs with its post-repair inspections and WreckCheck diminished value assessments. Consumers Union, the publishers of Consumer Reports magazine, publish their research on the same types of problems with rebuilt wrecks in the cover story of the January 2002 issue.
Their research indicates a real problem for unsuspecting buyers of late model cars and trucks that have been rebuilt and repaired improperly. Twenty percent of vehicles that were damaged severely enough to be totalled after fatal accidents from 1993 through 1999 were rebuilt, reregistered, and sold to new owners. Thirty percent of those vehicles no longer had titles that revealed the history of the vehicle.
The problem isn’t just with the titles of the cars. Many of the vehicles are not properly repaired. It is very difficult to buy a totalled car and then repair it completely and safely and still sell it at a profit. Totalled vehicles suffer a diminished book value; buyers won’t pay as much for them as for a like vehicle that has not been damaged. The repairer has to cut corners somewhere, usually in safety items and in places you can’t see, like leaving out the air bags.
The problem isn’t confined to cars sold at auctions or purchased from dealers.
Recently, Stroud’s examined a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse purchased by a couple from a private party for their son. The buyers saw a problem with a door, and decided they’d get it fixed. But the inspection by Stroud’s revealed unrepaired damage from an accident, including suspension damage, which rendered the vehicle unsafe to drive. These damages remained from incomplete repairs done by a repair shop and not fully paid for by insurance.
This is one of numerous cases Stroud’s sees every week. The owner of Stroud's Auto Rebuild, Mike Harber, contends that economics is the root of the problem. He attributes most of the problem to insurance companies who push too hard on shops to repair cars for the least amount possible, sometimes compromising the safety and completeness of repairs.
There has been very little help in the past for consumers who have problems with their improperly repaired cars and insurance claims. The local legal community is referring their clients to Stroud’s in cases involving diminished value and for post-repair inspections, even when problems aren’t initially apparent.
Stroud's Auto Rebuild joins Consumer Reports in calling for passage of meaningful legislation to protect purchasers of used cars and trucks. Currently there are no regulations to protect consumers. Rebuilt vehicles are not subject to federal safety standards or any kind of safety inspection.
More information about Stroud’s Auto Rebuild and its services is available on their web site at www.stroudsautorebuild.com or by calling (253) 474-0709.
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