I bought a car with broken numbers: what to do?

Checking a used car before purchasing it is very important. On our website Vodi.su, we told how you can check a car by VIN code, by registration numbers and numbers of units - chassis, body, engine.

However, quite often there are situations when the buyer does not pay enough attention to all these issues and as a result it turns out that the car is problematic. You are unlikely to be able to register such a car with the MREO. Moreover, it may turn out that the transport is wanted, not necessarily in Russia, or is the so-called "constructor", that is, assembled from parts of old cars.

Is there any way to solve this issue? Where to apply? What should you do if you had to face a similar situation by your own example?

Unit numbers are broken: action plan

According to the current regulations, all cars in which the stamped numbers do not match are subject to removal from the market, that is, disposal. The Ministry of Internal Affairs clarified this back in 2014: in this way they are trying to block all loopholes for criminal transport.

Various scammers often used such schemes:

• a car was stolen, its numbers were interrupted;
• after a while, it “surfaced” in a completely different region or even country;
• a fictitious sale and purchase agreement was concluded;
• the buyer in a judicial proceeding confirmed the transparency of the transaction with the help of this agreement;
• the car was registered, and a photo of broken numbers was pasted into the TCP.

However, there was one catch - the number had to be killed in such a way that its original version could not be established, otherwise the previous owner could be easily calculated.

Such a scheme is also widely used, when scammers buy cheaply a car that has been broken after an accident. At the same time, a car that is identical in make and color is stolen. In it, legal numbers are interrupted, and then they are put up for sale.

All these schemes and their variations are well known in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, in 2016, a new regulation began to operate, according to which it is still possible to register a car if you are a bona fide buyer and the vehicle is not wanted.

If you contact auto lawyers, they will advise you on several options:

• nothing can be done, so you need to make a claim against the seller and demand a refund through the court;
• after refusal to register, again go to court with a demand to compel to register the car (this option will be possible if all the documents for the car are on hand, that is, you will be considered a bona fide buyer);
• contact experts who will determine that the plates are damaged due to corrosion and therefore cannot be read.

Of course, you need to act according to the situation. So, if a forensic expert from the MREO establishes the original number, the car will not be registered, but will be searched for in the database of stolen cars. And if the true owner is found, then according to Art. 302 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, he will have every right to take his property. All this time the car will be in special storage in the parking lot of the traffic police. You will only have to legally demand compensation from the seller, who will be very problematic to find.

If it turns out that the car was insured under CASCO, and the former owner received the compensation due to him, the vehicle becomes the property of the insurance company.

If this incident is successfully resolved for you, a mark will be made in the TCP about the unreadable numbers or you will simply be allowed to register the vehicle using the broken numbers. In some cases, it is indicated that due to corrosion and damage, it is not possible to identify the numbers.

Thus, we give an approximate sequence of actions:

• inform the traffic police about all the circumstances of the transaction, be sure to show the DCT and all other documents;
• go to the police and write a statement about the sale of the "left" vehicle to you - they will look for both the seller and the affected owner;
• if a former owner is found, he is obliged to prove that the car was stolen from him (and this can only be done if the experts establish the original numbers of the units);
• if the owner is not found, you will be allowed to register the car with a mark in the TCP.

How to avoid buying a car with broken numbers?

As legal practice shows, cases of registering a car with broken numbers can last up to six months. At the same time, there is no likelihood that it will be decided in favor of a gullible buyer.

Based on this, you should be aware of some tricks that scammers use:

• sale by proxy;
• do not want to draw up a contract of sale, allegedly in order not to pay taxes;
• the price is below the market average;
• the seller does not want to show the documents, says that he will bring them to the notary.

Of course, sometimes there are situations when a car can be registered without problems, but when removing or re-registering, problems with the VIN code pop up. If you have any doubts, it is better to refuse the transaction, because the choice of used cars is now huge, you can buy them even in trade-in salons, although even there today they can be deceived.

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