VIN plate help/advice?

[adam164]

Hello chaps.

Wondering any of you can help this this conundrum. A lad at work bought a BMW X6 from a trader a few weeks ago on Ebay. The trader did the V5 online, but now the DVLA have asked the lad for pics of the VIN number. The VIN number on the windscreen is correct, but the ones in the door has been removed & the one under the bonnet has been scratched under. He paid a company to do a vehicle check, a pre-purchase inspection, they came back & said it was fine.

Now the kicker is, he bought it from Ebay whilst browsing the ads, and paid BT. He's no communication trail with the trader, it was all by text.

He's worried sick it's going to go to the great crusher in the sky.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, he's absolutely distraught.

Cheers

Adam

[GMTMaster]

This sounds not good!

Most of the online HPI checks will cover for this if the vin is provided at the time of the check but if it has been scratched off and not checked then I doubt they will!!

Definitely sounds criminal whats happened!

If it is from a trader he should have some legal recourse for sure.

[ralphy]

He's no communication trail with the trader, it was all by text.

How did he physically receive the car?
Who was the BT made to?
Does he not have any form of receipt?


More information is needed really if you're looking for help/advice.

R

[speedypro1111]

I thought the only VIN number was the one in the front screen?
The door I thought just gave you the options “if any “ and paint code

[Bluehase284]

By law all cars made for EU market must have:
-VIN permanently engraved on a non removable structure in the engine bay (normally tower top)
-Engraved VIN plate, or tamper proof vin sticker on the body (normally by drivers door), this must also have the type approval number, body type and axle mass limits

The windscreen one is an optional security feature, but standard for all vehicle manufacturers.

If that's the only once present, I predict:

- The car is stolen
-Screen has been cut out and the under glass label over stuck with a hooky label

If the V5 is accessible, check the engine number - if this also does not add up then I would be expecting issues.

If he paid for an HPI via a 3rd party inspector then this should be covered by either HPI, or profesional indemnity insurance of the checking co. If they didn't catch it.

Sent from my SM-G950F using TZ-UK mobile app

[Lukea]

Did he select ‘buy’ through eBay or just find the add then text and buy? The reason I ask is I’ve recently been reading in to the consumer rights act 2015 on
Moneysavingexpert and there is a bit that says ‘don’t think eBay is different’ so eBay may have some liability too. Worth a look at least.

[Chris_in_the_UK]

https://www.vinnumberlocation.com/bmw-x6.html

Shows where VIN numbers should be located.

[Motman]

On many cars, the vin can also be read from the ECU.

[walkerwek1958]

I’ll never understand how people will buy a vehicle like this. Ebay’s fine, but anyone with any sense would travel to view the car before buying, and carry out the same checks as they would if buying from a local private seller. OK, it involves time and committment, with the risk and expense of a wasted journey, but it’s the only sensible way to deal.

Do your homework first and know what you’re looking for, then be prepared to put the effort in.

Hooefully this will work out OK, but it doesn’t sound good, the buyer’s been a bit naive to say the least.

[IAmATeaf]

Did somebody actually come out to do the pre inspection checks?

[Rob153]

Stating the obvious but he's bought a cloned car- HPI will do nothing as the check has been carried out on a Bona fide reg number and car.

Scammer buys the stolen car, obtains a V5 for a similar X6 ( can be done will not divulge on here) uses this reg number for ads etc... innocent buyer carries out a HPI, uses the supplied reg number but unfortunately that will link back to legit X6 so no markers will show up.

Only recourse would be with the inspection company, they should check Vin numbers and pull the Chassis number from the ECU. Hopefully it's the RAC or AA, least they'll take a complaint seriously.

[number2]

I'm sorry to say but it sounds like your friend has bought a 'ringer', the reg and vin number were used from from a legitimate car, and unless the hpi check was physically done by a 3rd party who saw the car, not simply data entered on line into the hpi system by your friend or the trader, then there is probably no good news ahead, this has all the hallmarks of a 'cloned car'.

[TKH]

Ok very sad to hear your friends news must be feeling dreadful

As a main dealer we buy lots of stock and due diligence is vital we get approached by private’s wanting to sell their cars and whilst we do buy some most are rejected as they are wrong in one or several aspects be it dodgy fabricated service history or previous repairs or being on the hit list.....there is a lot of rubbish out there and very brazen people who are Oscar worthy at displaying shock when we give them our findings.

Your friend has used a 3rd party ‘expert’ to inspect the vehicle no doubt costing circa £300+ for that he should expect them to have as a minimum checked all VINS and Engine number and cross referenced to V5C.

They have a duty of care and if decent Inspectors with accreditation will have indemnity insurance against this occurrence

Go for them full chat IMHO.

[Weirdfish]

Basic question, has he contacted the seller to see what they have to say on the matter.

[IAmATeaf]

I know it sounds really obvious when the inconsistencies are highlighted but ..... When I got my wife her first car, a knackered Nissan Micra from a dealer who trades from the pavement :) a few months later a friend pointed out that the VIN plate in the engine bay looked to have been glued in place which at the time knowing little or nothing about car hadn't spotted/realised.

Thankfully for me and the wife as it was a Micra that cost little money, if it was cloned/stolen nobody made a claim for it :)

[oldoakknives]

Sad news coming for the buyer I think. Can't believe people part with large amounts of money to so called 'dealers' on eBay. If I couldn't go and see it at legitimate bricks and mortar premises, before parting with cash, I'd walk away. At best it will probably be a repaired write off, at worst a stolen car.
Caveat emptor indeed.

[number2]

Import or not all the vin numbers should be present.

[adam164]

Import or not all the vin numbers should be present.

Agreed, then if the trader is as honest as he says he is, he should take the car back. I doubt it, though.

[number2]

Agreed, then if the trader is as honest as he says he is, he should take the car back. I doubt it, though.

I may be cynical but I think that sometime soon the trader will go AWOL.

[adam164]

I may be cynical but I think that sometime soon the trader will go AWOL.

Already crossed my mind.

[ernestrome]

I wonder which one it was https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...&LH_Complete=1

[number2]

Errrm, not sure that you have a grasp of the situation.
1) A probably dodgy trader has sold a totally 'hooky' car.
2) Said dodgy trader has probably lied and falsified the provenance of the car.
3) From this you deduce that the buyer has 'recourse' against what?
A stolen car, a cheating lying seller, falsified vehicle details,

[RJM25R]

Hello chaps.

Wondering any of you can help this this conundrum. A lad at work bought a BMW X6 from a trader a few weeks ago on Ebay. The trader did the V5 online, but now the DVLA have asked the lad for pics of the VIN number. The VIN number on the windscreen is correct, but the ones in the door has been removed & the one under the bonnet has been scratched under. He paid a company to do a vehicle check, a pre-purchase inspection, they came back & said it was fine.

Now the kicker is, he bought it from Ebay whilst browsing the ads, and paid BT. He's no communication trail with the trader, it was all by text.

He's worried sick it's going to go to the great crusher in the sky.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, he's absolutely distraught.

Cheers

Adam

His local main dealer should (for a fee) be able to plug the car into the diagnostic system and it will provide the correct chassis number (which will probably not be the same as the one on the windscreen....)

Trader he bought from has possibly been scammed too....

If the car is stolen, it’s likely to be the property of an insurance company.