Cat S and similar

Author
Discussion

cliffords

Original Poster:

1,806 posts

30 months

Tuesday 23rd January
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I have done some hunting on here but can't find the actual answer I am seeking.

There are heaps literally heaps of repaired cars on E bay and auto trader. Good prices often and say repaired cat S or was cat N in 2019 etc.

When they are repaired are they then inspected before they can go back on the road , like a big mot or a sva test etc .

Thanks

Nickp82

3,404 posts

100 months

Tuesday 23rd January
quotequote all
No they’re not required to be inspected.

Mr Tidy

24,274 posts

134 months

Wednesday 24th January
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They don't need to be inspected to go back on the road, but you used to be able to get them inspected by a firm called Autolign and if the passed the Cat marker got taken off, but I'm not sure if that is still the case.

But Car markers wouldn't bother me much on an older car as it doesn't take much to make them uneconomic to repair.

In 2018 my nephews 2004 BMW 325i Touring had a disagreement with a Tesco Home Delivery van and his insurer decided it was a Cat S based on the photos he took on his phone! It possibly was a Cat N but had no structural damage whatsoever, which is what Cat S is supposed to mean. Anyway given how hard it was to find a manual 6 cylinder estate he decided to keep it. A used bonnet and pattern wing from Ebay and a front-end respray, that also got rid of some stone chips, and it was sorted for less than he got paid.

Then last year my 2005 BMW 330i got tapped in the rear at a set of lights. a couple of gouges in the bumper and two barely visible cracks and the insurer of the guy that hit me decided it was a Cat N. All it needed was a bumper cover that BMW could supply in primer for £650, but the garage that did the estimate padded it up to over £2K. I kept the car and all I've done since is use it!

Photos might tell the story better.





sixor8

6,595 posts

275 months

Wednesday 24th January
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AIUI, cat S (old cat C) has to be inspected. Cat N (old cat D) is non structural so it is not required? Stand to be corrected.

Personally, I have had a couple of cat D cars in the past, they were cheap, but I wouldn't go for a S (old C).

MrBen.911

544 posts

125 months

Wednesday 24th January
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sixor8 said:
AIUI, cat S (old cat C) has to be inspected. Cat N (old cat D) is non structural so it is not required? Stand to be corrected.
See other posters, no inspection is required.

Many years ago, there was an inspection of Cat C cars to put them back on the road, which was simply an identity check (to ensure a ringer wasn't replacing a written off car's identity), there was no inspection of works carried out.

ZX10R NIN

28,365 posts

132 months

Thursday 25th January
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If you want to buy a Cat car then get a VCheck or similar done as you'll normally be able to see the damage before the car was repaired & it'll also give the person you get to inspect it a good idea of where to look.

With all car & especially Cat cars do your checks, I've seen Cat S cars then should be Cat N & vice versa.