Is there a way to find out who the previous owner of a used car I've recently purchased was? I purchased from a main dealer who'd already filled-in and sent off the V5C with the previous owners details on it after I bought it but before I collected it.

 

The new V5C that recently arrived, now in my name, tells me the previous number of owners, but doesn't give me their name or address.

 

I'm simply curious to find out anything of interest about what the car has been through in its first 3 years on the road, as well as always being suspicious around the dealers reluctance to share this information with me. It could be perfectly reasonable, I guess dealers shouldn't be handing out the names and addresses of their customers. 

 

Looking on the gov.uk website they have form V888 which is described as being for the 'request by an individual for information about a vehicle'. 

 

The website says that this form can be used if you want to apply for information about:

 

- your vehicle

- a vehicle previously registered to you

- the registered keeper of a vehicle which is registered to someone else

 

So the first bullet point applies to me?

 

It also makes mention that if I want to request information about the registered keeper of a vehicle which is registered to someone else, you must show ‘reasonable cause’ for wanting this information and how it will be used.

 

It isn't registered to someone else, its registered to me, so I'm assuming this exclusion doesn't apply?

 

I'm not convinced this form is going to work?

 

I guess with data protection laws what I'm trying to do simply might not be allowed anymore.

 

I still need to check out the 'Home' location in the sat nav in case the address is stored.

 

Edited 10 May, 20197 yr by silver1011

Any service history from the previous owner? 

Unfortunately not, it's all electronic these days, so the dealer simply gave me three pieces of A4 paper, one for each service, showing what was done, when, where and the mileage.

 

No invoices.

It's changed then. A few years ago I asked for a copy of all the service paperwork for my vehicle as all I had was a few ticks in the service book (which didn't cover all the work carried out; Haldex oil change for one) and a basic receipt. The copies they gave me contained what was carried out, Vehicle Health Check, prices and part numbers and my name and address. 

 

I can only suggest giving your contact details to the dealership that took the vehicle in and ask them to pass them on to the previous owner. 

Edited 11 May, 20197 yr by Guest

Good shout, thanks, 

What fin said.. ask the dealer to send on your contact details to them. That avoids any "GDPR issues" as you are supplying your details for usage..

On 11/05/2019 at 21:06, mac11irl said:

What fin said.. ask the dealer to send on your contact details to them. That avoids any "GDPR issues" as you are supplying your details for usage..

 

That will work. Dealer handing out previous owner details could get them in trouble these days.

That's not what I said. 

 

Silver gives his details to the dealership to pass onto the previous owner. 

 

Then it will be up to the previous owner as to whether they respond or not. 

 

The only details that would be given out would be Silvers, to cover the dealers back he could get Silver to sign something to say he's happy for his details passed on. 

You might try the form, suggesting you want the service history verified. The dealer gave you a "Bit of paper or three' The last owner could tell you if this was accurate or if the dealer "Made it up". Also, you could be asking for the locking wheel bolt, service book/handbook or another small but needed item, missing from the car. Accident damage, too, might be relevant. The dealer might say No accident, the seller might not agree. If the dealer "Lied" abut this, he/she could be accused of a fraudulent transaction. It may not be a registered accident but may still have had damage, to which the owner told the deal. There could possibly be many reasons you want this and it used to be recorded on the V5. It may even be your legal right to know who owned the vehicle prior to you!

 

You just need to tell them and usually, they are quite willing anyway as they charge a small fee to do this. I very much doubt they will offer a comprehensive list of owners but they should give you the last one. 

This may have been blurred/covered up by the need for dealers to add their details etc but I would give it a go.

A previous car of ours was written off in an accident and classified as “scrap” by my insurance company.

 

Three months after they’d paid up another insurance company contacted me as one of their customers had, had a case of the car suddenly veering to the left under braking.

 

Some body shop had joined up two cars that had both been written off!

 

So asking your insurance company for details might be an option.

...Sounds a bit John Wayne, to me!  If they were classed as unfit for the road, they should only be possible to use for spares. Saying half is ok off one, the other half off the other is ok is above and beyond what is meant by spares. Proper scrap, you can't even use parts from... But strange really, that you could not remove a gearbox, say, from a proper write off as this should or could be fine, depending on the accident etc. I had my car written off merely for having the door dented and the mirror broken!

Low spec write off (Cat N I think) so fixing and MOT/driving again is fine. A new or used mirror and door is hardly two cars fixed together! 😅

 

In your instance, surely the part you owned was traceable to whoever allowed it to be repaired?

Your insurer, (or the paying out one) then "Owns" The car, they sell it on for salvage/scrap, the buyer fixes/breaks the car. There must be a chain of ownership, etc. So the person who sold it to the repairer was duty bound to declare the write off/salvage/scrap situation to the buyer, the buyer is then liable when they fix it to return it to the road. If it was not declared, that would then fall on the seller, ultimately, the insurance company. 

Someone was very naughty, though. Even if it fell in to the categories that allow a repair, that repair should have been safe and fit for the purpose of driving! With my door, I was asked to re-MOT the car and obtain an invoice from the repair shop, to show my insurer that it was fixed. So backs DO get covered!  

 

Bit off topic here so sorry to the O.P.  The thing is, being able to trace previous owners, if only by the authorities, is a good thing but I feel every car/van/lorry, etc owner SHOULD be able to trace the history of a vehicle they now own! I do get the D.P.A and the right to privacy but lets be honest, there are a lot of dodge vehicles out there, some are complete death traps!

@mrgf

 

Jfhuk's car wasturnes into whats called a "cut and shut".

Its utterly and completely illegal....

The take from the tale is that that kinda stuff went on, probably still does but to a lesser extent courtesy of MOTs etc. 

Its 50/50 if the "new" owner knew about it being 2 cars...

 

I remember an episode of Pimp My Ride when they took in some young guy's car, about 20 but was working 2 or 3 jobs to support his partner and their babies iirc.. the car was all he could afford but was total heap. When they stripped it out, they found a load of weld lines... then 2 different chassis plates..turned out it was a cut n shut, which they legally couldnt let back onto the road . so they bought a new minivan for them and pimped that. Poor guy had no idea he'd been driving his babies around in a death trap 😞 there are nefarious people who will try this kinda **** for a quick few quid. 

On 24/05/2019 at 13:51, mrgf said:

...Sounds a bit John Wayne, to me!  If they were classed as unfit for the road, they should only be possible to use for spares. Saying half is ok off one, the other half off the other is ok is above and beyond what is meant by spares. Proper scrap, you can't even use parts from... But strange really, that you could not remove a gearbox, say, from a proper write off as this should or could be fine, depending on the accident etc. I had my car written off merely for having the door dented and the mirror broken!

Low spec write off (Cat N I think) so fixing and MOT/driving again is fine. A new or used mirror and door is hardly two cars fixed together! 😅

 

In your instance, surely the part you owned was traceable to whoever allowed it to be repaired?

Your insurer, (or the paying out one) then "Owns" The car, they sell it on for salvage/scrap, the buyer fixes/breaks the car. There must be a chain of ownership, etc. So the person who sold it to the repairer was duty bound to declare the write off/salvage/scrap situation to the buyer, the buyer is then liable when they fix it to return it to the road. If it was not declared, that would then fall on the seller, ultimately, the insurance company. 

Someone was very naughty, though. Even if it fell in to the categories that allow a repair, that repair should have been safe and fit for the purpose of driving! With my door, I was asked to re-MOT the car and obtain an invoice from the repair shop, to show my insurer that it was fixed. So backs DO get covered!  

 

Bit off topic here so sorry to the O.P.  The thing is, being able to trace previous owners, if only by the authorities, is a good thing but I feel every car/van/lorry, etc owner SHOULD be able to trace the history of a vehicle they now own! I do get the D.P.A and the right to privacy but lets be honest, there are a lot of dodge vehicles out there, some are complete death traps!

 

Cant say too much as it’s currently the subject of an appeal case. Both insurance companies of the two half’s went after the cowboy. He got banged to rights in the first hearing and is now appealing.

I think you mean appalling! Hope he gets a custodial! Apart from fraud, its a blatant misuse of trust and a massive danger to other road users!