How to Check Accident and Maintenance Records for Used Cars?

[LaRebecca]

Checking accident and maintenance records for used cars is actually quite simple. First, you need to know which insurance company the vehicle is insured with. Accident records are considered personal privacy, and insurance companies will not easily provide them. You will need the policy number and the original owner's ID number to query. Log in to the insurance company's website, find the corresponding service window, and enter the policy number and the insured's ID number as required to retrieve the insurance information. You can also call the insurance company's customer service number and provide the policy number and ID number for inquiry. Alternatively, most insurance companies have a query entry under their official WeChat public account. The prerequisite for checking accident records is that the original owner reported the accident to the insurance company, so there will be a record. Many minor accidents are often settled privately, so you need to be extra careful during the vehicle inspection. Generally, maintenance records are only left when the vehicle is serviced or repaired at a 4S shop or a large repair chain. Therefore, when buying a used car, it's best to choose one that has been maintained at a 4S shop. To check maintenance records at a 4S shop, you can visit any brand 4S shop nationwide in person and provide the owner's identification documents for the staff to assist with the query. As long as the vehicle has been serviced or repaired at a 4S shop, detailed records will be kept regardless of the size of the service. Nowadays, maintenance records from 4S shops across the country are all interconnected, so you can query them from anywhere. Simply use a mobile phone and the official WeChat public account, input the vehicle's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), and you can check the maintenance records online to understand the vehicle's historical condition. All data can be retrieved with a single query, and you can do it from the comfort of your home without needing to download an app. The steps are as follows: Open the vehicle data query system on WeChat, click on "Query Vehicle Maintenance Records" or "Query Vehicle Accident Records," and then select the type of product you want to query. Manually enter the VIN. If you don't want to type it in, you can click the camera icon on the right to activate the phone's photo function, which will automatically recognize the VIN and avoid manual input errors. Simply take a photo of the VIN for automatic recognition. The recognized VIN consists of 17 alphanumeric characters. Click "Query" to retrieve the vehicle's maintenance records or accident records. Insurance records can also be queried by calling the insurance company and providing the license plate number and owner information. Accident records can also be queried simultaneously. However, insurance companies only record accidents that have been reported. Minor scratches or collisions that were not reported will not be recorded. In addition to the above methods, you can also query through 4S shops. Most people who want to check accident records are looking for serious accidents, such as major overhauls, which are usually repaired at 4S shops. Therefore, it's very convenient to find these records.

[LeJameson]

To check the accident and maintenance records of a used car, I think the most common method is to rely on the VIN. First, the accident records can be directly queried by entering the VIN on the official website or app of the insurance company. I once looked at a car and found out through Ping An Auto Insurance that it had been involved in three minor accidents, which was quite useful. Second, maintenance records can be obtained by asking the original owner’s dealership system or by using platforms like Chaboshi or Che300 to piece together the historical reports. It might cost a little money, but it saves a lot of hassle. Don’t forget to ask the seller to proactively provide the records—this is a basic trust issue. If you really can’t find the records, you can try services on WeChat Mini Programs or hire a third-party inspection agency to help clarify. Before buying a car, it’s essential to do this homework to avoid the risk of getting a refurbished car. Every time I change cars, I insist on checking all the records before making a purchase, which has saved me from the embarrassment of buying a flood-damaged car.