Damage evidence sheet

For a used car with a clean history report but possible damage or repairs. Write down what each claim rests on, then take page 2 to the inspector. Works on screen or printed: two A4 pages blank, more if you type long notes.

Car (make, model, advert link)

VIN read on the car

VIN on registration document: matches?

1. The four claims

Each claim needs its own evidence. A tick on one does not answer another.

Claim 1 · The report returned no matching event

Report name, date run, VIN or plate match

Sources, countries and years covered; anything "not checked"

Claim 2 · No insurance write-off is recorded

Which country's write-off or damage records were searched, and how (e.g. HistoVec, only while the car is registered in France: ask the French holder)

Other countries where it was insured; any marker on the documents

Claim 3 · The seller says it has never been damaged

Answer received in writing? Owned since

What they cannot know (before their ownership)

Claim 4 · Repairs and current condition are sound

Inspector, date, report names the VIN?

What could not be inspected; recommendations

2. The seller's written answers

How long have you owned it? Any accident or damage before or during your ownership?
Any insurance claim, write-off or total loss, or official damaged-vehicle procedure, in any country?
Panels repaired, replaced or repainted: which, when, why, by whom?
Airbags deployed? Airbags, seat belts, sensors, cameras or windscreen replaced?
Invoices, photos before repair, repairer reports: do they show the VIN?
Independent body and structural inspection allowed before payment? Where?

3. Inspection request: give this page to the inspector

Inspector (independent of the seller)

Date and place

VIN and odometer reading

Please assess body and structural repair as well as mechanical condition, and report in writing on each item that applies to this car. Tick what you agree to cover.

Scope

Signs of structural repair to body and chassis, and how they were done
Panel repairs and refinishing: which panels
Airbags and seat belts: warning lights, signs of replacement, stored faults on a diagnostic scan
Wheel alignment, steering and suspension
Driver-assistance cameras and radar, if fitted: replaced parts and evidence of calibration
Corrosion or sealing around repaired areas
Areas I pointed out (paint, gaps, newer parts):

Please also record: anything you could not inspect, and anything you recommend checking further

4. Before paying

A discount can cover an understood, costed repair; it cannot cover an unassessed structural or safety repair, an identity or ownership doubt, or money owed. If the seller refuses an independent inspection, don't pay or sign; for a car with known or suspected damage, walk away.

Must be resolved first (unassessed structural or safety repair, conflicting write-off marker, warning lights, VIN, seller or finance doubts, no acceptable insurance)

Understood and costed: can be reflected in the price

Insurer asked before buying: name, date, answer

Decision and reason

An inspection reports the condition it could see and test on the day; it is not a guarantee that the car has no defects. A clean report covers only the sources and years it searched. From the OdoTrace guide "The history report is clean. Could the car still have accident damage?", checked 12 November 2026. General guidance, not legal, insurance or engineering advice.