Volkswagen Tiguan With & Nbsp; Confusing Insurance History: About & Nbsp; What Not & Nbsp; The Seller Will Tell

Collecting data for our column "Not beaten, not painted", we are already accustomed to the fact that there are many cars on the secondary market that in the past were both beaten and painted. And which are offered complete with the optimism of their sellers, invariably writing in the ads that this is a "car in excellent condition."

However, Auto.ru has a tool for studying the real history of cars - ProAuto reports. They are able not only to tell about car accidents, but also to identify other suspicious details in its past. An example is this 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan.

The German crossover does not surprise anyone: in the secondary market, second generation cars are sold in the hundreds. But this particular instance of a rather rare version - with manual transmission and all-wheel drive! There are only a dozen of them on Automotive News throughout Russia.

As usual, the future owner is promised excellent condition of the car, dealer service, confirmed by a service book, as well as the opportunity to bargain and even take out a loan. Although a private person sells the car.

Seller comment

“I sell Tiguan. All questions by phone. Bargaining is reasonable at the hood. The car is in excellent condition, serviced by an authorized dealer, everything is in the service book

There is an opportunity to apply for a loan."

Bargaining may indeed be appropriate. A few photographs show that the car does not have the richest equipment and interior, which would be useful for dry cleaning. But the main thing: in three and a half years, this Tiguan has already covered 150,000 km! Among crossovers of the second generation, this is a mileage close to a record.

On the other hand, the Tiguan looks good on the outside and is sold by its first owner. The turbo engine could easily survive 150 thousand kilometers without consequences, not to mention the "mechanics". And the starting price of 1,450,000 rubles is one of the lowest for all-wheel drive copies, regardless of the type of box.

In general, not ideal, of course, but quite a "working" option, which should not be immediately discounted when planning to buy a family crossover. However, before entering the car into your personal shortlist, you should look at the ProAuto report.

First, he hints that even the declared 150 thousand km may not be true. But looking ahead, let us reassure: upon careful study, it becomes clear that these are just errors in recording the mileage when entering data into the databases. However, already in the first lines of the report, five registered accidents are visible at once - at intervals of six months or a year, so these records are clearly not duplicates.

However, on the traffic police diagrams, all five do not look scary: slight damage to fenders, bumpers, doors, hood … Those who sell or select used cars, for such cases, there is even a slang word - "cosmetics".

The most serious of the accidents, it seems, turned out to be the second - after it, the owner even wanted to sell the crossover to a broken one and posted an ad on Avto.ru. Thanks to him, we can look at the consequences. And they are clearly not cosmetic anymore.

It can be seen that the car's bumper, grille and headlights are broken, the hood is subdued and the passenger airbag has been activated. And in the calculation of the insurance company, made after the accident, the list of replacement parts is long, like the filmography of Jackie Chan. There, in addition to visible elements, all airbags (including knee and curtains), power unit supports, radiators and even a throttle valve with a turbine pipe appear. And most importantly, the left spar is also on the list …

But how much in this case can you trust the calculations of insurance companies? After all, a total of 20 of them were made for this Tiguan! Moreover, many of them clearly do not correlate with the registered accidents - neither in number, nor in dates.

After each accident, estimates were made several times - and with different costs. According to the aforementioned accident, there are two of them, with a difference of a couple of days and several hundred thousand rubles. Replacing the bumper after a rear impact was first counted at 100 thousand rubles with all related repairs, and a few months later - again, already at 50 thousand. Finally, according to calculations, this Tiguan has changed as many as six windshields in three years.

What was the reason for such frequent visits to insurance expertise? Perhaps these were disputes about the amount of damage or the culprit of the accident. But one should not exclude the option of some kind of fraud with insurance payments. Unfortunately, the ProAuto report cannot give an exact answer. However, the information obtained with its help is a reason to think about the reasons for the confusing history of the car, as well as ask the seller the right questions. After all, illegal actions with a car can backfire on its next owner.

Therefore, when looking for the best option for a used car, do not forget to check its history on Automotive News. It doesn't matter what you're looking for: an inexpensive Lada, a popular Volkswagen, or a luxury SUV. The benefits of additional knowledge will probably outweigh the costs of obtaining a report - it is enough to enter the VIN or license plate of the car you like in a special form, so that in a minute you will know much more optimistic “Car in excellent condition” that appears in the ad.