DVLA - New owner of my write-off 111S - DK04 BJX - Warning!
Discussion
Hi All,
Received a letter from the DVLA this morning stating that someone has applied for ownership of my old car... A Black Elise 111S, reg DK04 BJX
I wrote the car off in December last year - lamp post made a nice mess of the main beam that runs the length of the car, just behind the drivers door - as far as I am aware this cannot be repaired, so the car should have just been scrapped.
Just wanted to post on here to make it public and hopefully stop some poor soul picking up an unsafe vehicle that should not be returned to road use.
Perhaps they have replaced the chassis? (more likely they have replaced the rear clam or patched it up, covering up the chassis damage) But I don't think that tub / chassis itself can be repaired?
Cheers,
Adam.
Received a letter from the DVLA this morning stating that someone has applied for ownership of my old car... A Black Elise 111S, reg DK04 BJX
I wrote the car off in December last year - lamp post made a nice mess of the main beam that runs the length of the car, just behind the drivers door - as far as I am aware this cannot be repaired, so the car should have just been scrapped.
Just wanted to post on here to make it public and hopefully stop some poor soul picking up an unsafe vehicle that should not be returned to road use.
Perhaps they have replaced the chassis? (more likely they have replaced the rear clam or patched it up, covering up the chassis damage) But I don't think that tub / chassis itself can be repaired?
Cheers,
Adam.
Aand.. now for sale on eBay : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Elise-111s-2004-27...
Just to re-iterate, the rear drivers side chassis is bent and should not be on the road unless it's had a new chassis fitted, which should be identifiable by the chassis number.
Just to re-iterate, the rear drivers side chassis is bent and should not be on the road unless it's had a new chassis fitted, which should be identifiable by the chassis number.
Edited by sl0wlane on Wednesday 29th August 11:47
bordseye said:
I would have thought the tub could be repaired by welding in new sections, but it cannot be a cheap job to do.
The advantages of bonding extrusions together is that you can use sections that can't be made by fabricating and you can use thinner wall sections as you don't have to worry about the heat affected zone of a weld being the weakest bit.A welded repair would be weaker than the extruded part.
New chassis is the only repair I'd trust.
LotusTim said:
It does state Cat D Nov 2011 in the description. At least that is made clear
Cat D is the lightest damage - if what the OP says is true, I would expect a higher Cat. Definitely not a change of identity for a stolen car? Would like to see pictures of the damage/repair before going anywhere near it at a minimum.AyBee said:
Cat D is the lightest damage - if what the OP says is true, I would expect a higher Cat. Definitely not a change of identity for a stolen car? Would like to see pictures of the damage/repair before going anywhere near it at a minimum.
reading the ad he does mention that pictures of the damage/repair are available...so you pays your money and makes your choice as far as I am concerned.
I used to mess around with write offs a little, but to be honest its just not worth it anymore - hassles with insurance, damaged cars not being any cheaper than a private sale good nick one too.. so why bother..
hedgefinder said:
reading the ad he does mention that pictures of the damage/repair are available...
so you pays your money and makes your choice as far as I am concerned.
I used to mess around with write offs a little, but to be honest its just not worth it anymore - hassles with insurance, damaged cars not being any cheaper than a private sale good nick one too.. so why bother..
I agree. He's been honest about it being a cat D so if somebody wants to save money and buy a write off this is the gamble they take and they know it. so you pays your money and makes your choice as far as I am concerned.
I used to mess around with write offs a little, but to be honest its just not worth it anymore - hassles with insurance, damaged cars not being any cheaper than a private sale good nick one too.. so why bother..
This highlights why I wouldn't buy a write off, without an extensive inspection you just never know what lurks beneath!
AyBee said:
Definitely not a change of identity for a stolen car? Would like to see pictures of the damage/repair before going anywhere near it at a minimum.
Defo my car - several distinguishing features including the little wrinkle on the alcantara on the steering wheel - stereo - exhaust.... Not to mention, someone on seloc requested the photos of the damage and he sent images of the crack below the fuel filler - but the image is cut off before you can see the chassis damage.I think the insurance assessor is to blame a little - should defo not be a cat D.
sl0wlane said:
Defo my car - several distinguishing features including the little wrinkle on the alcantara on the steering wheel - stereo - exhaust.... Not to mention, someone on seloc requested the photos of the damage and he sent images of the crack below the fuel filler - but the image is cut off before you can see the chassis damage.
I think the insurance assessor is to blame a little - should defo not be a cat D.
If you send a question on E-bay everyone can see the question and the reply so why not ask him if the chassis was repaired/replaced as you know it was bent???I think the insurance assessor is to blame a little - should defo not be a cat D.
Will be interesting to see the response.
400SE Dave said:
If you send a question on E-bay everyone can see the question and the reply so why not ask him if the chassis was repaired/replaced as you know it was bent???
Will be interesting to see the response.
It can only be seen if the seller answers and chooses to display the answer.Will be interesting to see the response.
The problem is that he needn't reply to the question and the way ebay works, if he doesn't reply to it - no one knows the question was ever asked. It would be helpful to all ebay bidders to see any and all questions asked, that way it would be very difficult to dodge the difficult ones. But life on ebay is not like that unfortunately.
Stonie said:
sl0wlane, you could do a 'Report item' on the items' auction page, just opposite of the 'Description'.
Why? The seller is not doing anything illegal (though agreed, maybe immoral if not disclosing all the information about the repair). He is fully within his rights to sell the car and I believe he is only required by law to list the fact that it's an insurance write off. He can be forthcoming or not about any extra information and it is up to the potential buyer to make a decision to buy or not. This just highlights to anyone contemplating buying a cat D or C to save a few quid the potential downfalls and possible dangers.
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