'Zombie cars': Tens of thousands of UK write-offs resold in Ireland
Imported Written Experts Motorcheck Salvaged Year Cars The As Many Or Off, Car 10% Uk Have From Used Will To Been As Last Of Data Either According
Used car buyers are being urged to check the history of their prospective purchases as there are still “tens of thousands” of so-called “zombie” cars in Ireland.
As many as 10% of used cars imported from the UK last year will have either been salvaged or written off, according to car data experts Motorcheck.
This is on top of the nearly 40,000 used cars imported into Ireland which Motorcheck identified in 2022 as being write-offs after vehicle identification numbers of 1.9 million Irish vehicles were cross-referenced with the company’s massive UK salvage database.
As well as write-offs imported from the UK, there is also a proportion of cars first registered in Ireland that are also classed as “zombies” — cars that are brought back to life after a crash — and being sold on the used car market.
Motorcheck co-founder Shane Teskey said nobody knows the actual number of these because of the lack of records for two of the four main write-off categories.
While there is a central checkable database for Category A and B write-offs — cars that cannot be put back on the road — none exists for category C or D.
C is where the vehicle is repairable but repair costs exceed the pre-accident value of the vehicle, and D is where the vehicle is repairable but the insurer has chosen not to repair the vehicle for economic reasons.
Although in both cases, the vehicle can legally go back on the road, the fact a car is even categorised as a write-off can knock as much as 30% off its value.
Mr Teskey said: “With people trading in or selling their own cars in January so they can get a 251 new vehicle reg, there will be a flood of cars onto the used car market.
“Unfortunately, the issue around zombie cars is still happening, and if anything, has got worse."
He said day in, day out, people discover cars have a write-off history that was not communicated to them by the person selling it.
“It's not always the fault of the person selling it, they might not have been aware of it themselves, because the car could have changed hands a couple of times.
“We surveyed people who were buying a car last year, and we divided them into two groups, those that had checked with a car history check, and those that hadn't,” he said.
“Of the ones that hadn't, something like 70% of them said they didn't check because they trusted the seller.
Mr Teskey has also warned of a growing phenomenon of mileage blockers.
Also known as mileage freezers, these are electronic devices that are installed on a car’s computer to interrupt the signals from mileage tracking sensors in the wheels and engine control unit.
While it is not illegal to change vehicle data, it is illegal not to declare known mileage discrepancies.
“It is getting big in the UK and it is just a matter of time before it gets big here too,” Mr Teskey said.
A number of companies such as Motorcheck, Cartell and MyVehicle can, for a fee, take a car's registration and provide information about its history including whether it has been damaged, imported, and what its road tax and NCT history is. Checks can also be made on its UK history, how many owners it has had, what its last recorded mileage was, and whether or not there is any outstanding finance.
Prospective buyers should also do checks on either the garage or the private seller from whom the vehicle is being bought.
If buying privately, arrange to meet at the seller’s house. If buying from a dealer, check to see if they are members of SIMI, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry.
Motorcheck co-founder Shane Teskey’s advice is to get the vehicle into a main dealer to run a diagnostic check on it.
Ask the garage — if you are buying from one — what kind of warranty it is offering. Beware the small print here, because while a garage may tell you they will give you a six- or 12-month warranty, it may in fact be with a third party and not the actual garage or main dealer you are buying from.
More basic checks should also include opening the boot to check if there is a spare wheel, and what sort of equipment there is for changing a tyre.
A spare key can cost as much as €400. If there isn’t one, get the garage to agree to order the spare and get it adapted for the car they are selling to you.