Best Vehicle History Check (HPI?)

H

heavymetalthunder

Member
 Shoreham-By-Sea (West Sussex)
Hi, I've found a Z4 from a private seller and just wondering what people would recommend for a vehicle history/HPI check? The seller said he had it checked when he bought it and it was clear, but has no paperwork to prove so I am wanting to do my own check for peace of mind.

I gather those cheap text message services for a couple of quid are not very good, so I've been looking at the AA (£19.99), RAC (£14.99), AutoTrader (£19.99) and the official HPI (£19.99). Anybody have any feedback? Many thanks :)
 
I believe HPI is the best of the bunch, they claim they flag things up others don't, i.e plate changes in an attempt to hide that a car is a Cat C/D. That sort of thing, well that's what HPI tell the trade anyway!
 
I've only ever used the 'cheapo's, maybe 3 or 4 times and and found them re-assuring for the basic stuff.
Received 3 pages but most of it was manufacturers details about the car, performance, fuel economy engine, VED costs etc.
The only bits that mattered to me were whether any reports of being stolen, insurance theft or write off, outstanding finance, plate transfers, colour changes.
You get what you pay for I guess.
All best.
 
I did mean to add that as far as I know, there is absolutely no liability of the provider if mistakes are made.
 
HPI every time!

They also give a guarantee, upto I think £10k if it later turns out that their info was incorrect. They also allow you to verify that the serial no of the V5 is correct, and it isn't one of the blank one's that "mysteriously" disappear from the DVLA every so often..

Mike
 
heavymetalthunder said:
[post]1330075[/post] I've found a Z4 from a private seller and just wondering what people would recommend for a vehicle history/HPI check? The seller said he had it checked when he bought it and it was clear, but has no paperwork to prove so I am wanting to do my own check for peace of mind.

I gather those cheap text message services for a couple of quid are not very good, so I've been looking at the AA (£19.99), RAC (£14.99), AutoTrader (£19.99) and the official HPI (£19.99). Anybody have any feedback? Many thanks
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I always got my mate to do it who worked in the insurance industry he could pull me a full report that showed every single accident that had ever been rung through to an insurance company even claims that were non categorised whether a claim was made or not....

He has since changed jobs so doubt I'll be able to get that level of detail ever again, was cool whilst it lasted though, I knew about accidents that the sellers of the cars had no clue about
 
Ducklakeview said:
They also give a guarantee, upto I think £10k if it later turns out that their info was incorrect. They also allow you to verify that the serial no of the V5 is correct, and it isn't one of the blank one's that "mysteriously" disappear from the DVLA every so often.
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Only if the data they give you is data they own/create. If the data they rely on is bought from/provided by a 3rd party they will claim it's not their fault and you should take it up with the 3rd party.

Just means if there is no record of a write off/repair then it might simply be because the insurer failed to update their systems, or if DVLA has not updated their records properly (mileage, owners, plate changes, etc.), or if it shows no outstanding finance when there is still some - in either case they will tell you that HPI are not responsible for the 3rd party's error.

It makes me wonder whether you could actually ever use their 'guarantee' as I'm not sure HPI are the originators of anything.
 
mmm-five said:
Ducklakeview said:
They also give a guarantee, upto I think £10k if it later turns out that their info was incorrect. They also allow you to verify that the serial no of the V5 is correct, and it isn't one of the blank one's that "mysteriously" disappear from the DVLA every so often.
Click to expand...
Only if the data they give you is data they own/create. If the data they rely on is bought from/provided by a 3rd party they will claim it's not their fault and you should take it up with the 3rd party.

Just means if there is no record of a write off/repair then it might simply be because the insurer failed to update their systems, or if DVLA has not updated their records properly (mileage, owners, plate changes, etc.), or if it shows no outstanding finance when there is still some - in either case they will tell you that HPI are not responsible for the 3rd party's error.

It makes me wonder whether you could actually ever use their 'guarantee' as I'm not sure HPI are the originators of anything.
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Doesn't it refer to "data they hold?"

Mike
 
One I cannot recommend is "mycarcheck.com". This company gave me duff information with every suggestion the vehicle I was looking at had done 78K miles in 8 months. Utter nonsense and eventually I proved it was something like 11K miles. Needless to say and like everyone else has suggested, HPI henceforth.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I also spoke to some colleagues at work and general consensus is that there isn't much between the 'big name' providers. So I decided to go with the cheapest AutoTrader 5 checks for £25 deal - which is a bonus as my mother is also looking for a new car in the next few weeks so the extra checks will come in handy.

The Z4 I was looking at had a clean bill of health (just flagged up a previous owner had a private plate) so hopefully this weekend I could be the proud owner of a Zed! :driving:
 
heavymetalthunder said:
The Z4 I was looking at had a clean bill of health (just flagged up a previous owner had a private plate) so hopefully this weekend I could be the proud owner of a Zed! :driving:
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Good look and keep us posted. :thumbsup:
 
Do "Log Book Loans" show up on an HPI check now?

That seemed to be a loop hole that needed closing.
 
If you haven't done it yet it's worth running any reg numbers for the car through the free .gov MOT site. particularly for mileages and and recurring or unresolved advisories. Look forward to seeing some pics :thumbsup:

Link https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history
 
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