When you purchased your used vehicle from a dealer, you may have relied on the dealer’s representation of the condition of the vehicle. This dealer may have told you that the vehicle was in good condition, failing to mention extensive past repairs or accidents that the vehicle was involved in. Later, you may discover that the vehicle was not in the condition that you assumed it was when you bought it. It may be necessary to consult with an attorney in order to investigate the vehicle’s history and make a claim for auto fraud against the dealer.

7 Steps for Investigating a Vehicle’s Title History to Uncover Auto Fraud

How can you determine a vehicle’s title history to help with your auto fraud case? Here’s a 7-step process you can use to investigate your vehicle:

  1. Your attorney can assist you in obtaining a history of the vehicle's title.
  2. Once you have the vehicle’s title history, your attorney may contact the vehicle’s prior owners.
  3. From this information, a chain of custody can be established with regard to the vehicle.
  4. Once the chain of custody of the vehicle has been established, your attorney can investigate in order to determine exactly when the vehicle was damaged and if the seller was aware of the damage.
  5. Your attorney can also uncover the extent of the damage and the details of any repairs that were made to the vehicle.
  6. Perhaps most importantly, your attorney will identify the person who sold the vehicle to the dealer. This individual is crucial to your auto fraud case because he or she can provide information as to the exact condition of the vehicle when the title was transferred. This individual can also confirm what information was given to the dealer regarding the prior condition of the vehicle.
  7. If the remote dealer sold the vehicle without disclosing information about a known wreck, he may be liable to you as well as your selling dealer.

All of this information is important because it will help you prove that the dealer knew or should have known that the vehicle they sold you had previously been damaged. Relying on a Carfax or AutoCheck report alone is simply not enough to truly establish the history of the vehicle’s condition.

For assistance pursuing an auto fraud case, we encourage you to contact us today at 804-282-7900.

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