How do I check if a car is stolen?

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kingr
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How do I check if a car is stolen?

Post by kingr »

While the vast majority of all South African car deals happen above board and without the need to check if a car is stolen, nonetheless there are times when a tiny voice (or a glaring detail) prompts you to, indeed, check if a car is stolen. This can be a front line issue i.e. you suspect that the car you’re looking at buying is being fraudulently represented for sale. Or, at times you’ll want to check on a car’s criminal history because - even though it might now be resolved - the details around what happened impact on the value and ultimately the purchase price of the car.

There are a limited number of routes to check if a car is stolen in South Africa, and we’ve also simplified the process immensely with our online car history check. There are a few routes to ascertaining the true status of any car you’re interested in buying and - be warned - it’s worth putting everything on hold until further investigation happens if ever a car is even hinted at having been stolen at some point in its past.

#1 The Wheel Index car history check

Convenience without compromise - that was our guiding light when building the Wheel Index car history check tool. In other words, we took the painful hold times of repeated calls or the laborious process of physically visiting and queuing at the police services’ offices and made it all a one-click affair. If you need to check if a car is stolen, our online tool
presents as a hassle-free, efficient and - most importantly - effective solution.

When it comes to criminal matters, that’s a dark line most of us don’t want to find ourselves on the wrong side of, so any electronic report must be completely accurate in order to have any value. The Wheel Index car history check app is, indeed, accurate, tied as it is into the SAPS database. So if you need to check if a car is stolen, the tool literally gives you the same results as if you were to call up or visit a police clearance center. Just much faster, and more accurately, as there’s no margin for human error in the transaction.

NB: Don’t bother calling. No matter who you phone, criminal checks are real-time, physical exertion. Put another way, you’re not going to get any reliable information by calling any SAPS or other center when looking for a criminal check on a car. Unless you use our car history check, you’ll have to go into a clearing center for clarity.

#2 Visit the SAPS clearance center

If you want to check if a car is stolen, and have amicable comms with the seller, you can also arrange to visit the police clearance center closest to you to get things sorted. Your local SAPS office will be able to point you to your nearest clearance office, and you’ll need to go in with the car and all current paperwork in order to get the matter clarified. The request for police clearance (RPC) has to be handed in first and, during the day, officers will slowly work their way through the cars of the day, on a first-come basis. It pays to arrive early with all needed and - yes - early as in subhuman hours when the sun is still only slowly rising! While quieter towns might be breezier, major metropolitan centers in South Africa have clearance yards on a par with the bigger Home Affairs offices - busy busy busy!

The RPC can be obtained from any registering authority office, and is a real-world essential when you need to check if a car is stolen in South Africa. It can typically simply be filled and handed in on the morning when you arrive to check if a car is stolen, but you do need it. There might be issues with microdots on particularly newer vehicles in the country. While the SAPS may be able to acknowledge that the car is not a stolen vehicle, they sometimes won’t actually issue you a certificate of clearance without the car having microdot identification. This is to become mandatorymandatory soon enough, even if you can still manage to slip through on a handshake and a smile to date. Some key manufacturers like Toyota and Nissan and even BMW now also make cars that are pre-microdotted when they leave the assembly line.

Officially, you’ll also not get a police clearance confirmation on a car without it being currently validly licensed, even if only a temporary permit from the authorities. This is another good reason to always insist on a current roadworthy disc when appraising a sale car.

#3 Third party service providers

Although involving the same limited option of visiting a police clearance yard, you can get someone else to do it for you. There are clearance services by the dozens online but - be warned - you’re going to pay for it! Precisely because obtaining a police clearance typically takes the whole day, lots of fiddly paper bits and extreme patience, these companies provide a service whereby they’ll check if a car is stolen on your behalf, or collect a clearance certificate, without the hassle involved for you.

There are a number of usual complaints from the process however:
  • You’ll not know if there is any corrupt relationship between the parties. In other words, has that service provider got someone on the payroll who will jump the queue for them and rubber stamp whatever they submit before close of business? Not good for factual accuracy.
  • All knowing isn’t knowing or, rather, there are some things you’re better off witnessing for yourself. When you check to see if a car is stolen, that’s one of those occasions where the legwork is best done by yourself, not only to avoid the above scenario, but also to avoid omissions that make you return a second or third time.
  • It can be expensive. Prices are experienced differently by different people, but on the whole you’re unlikely to get away with a fee of two or three hundred. Factor in a fee closer to R1000, as that is closer to what the average motorist employing a queuing service will pay for a remote police clearance experience.

Of course, if you already know that the car needs a police clearance in order to register the car in your name, these services can prove very useful. The cost or alternative inconvenience is for you to weigh against one another, and many find value in these services and can justify the expense involved.

Conclusion

To summarise, apply common sense at all times, looking out for telltale signs that might prompt you to check if a car is stolen when you’re still viewing the vehicle. If for whatever reason it’s not a desperate criminal matter, but the car does however need police clearance to be registered in your name, there’s no substitute for you or a service provider driving the car through and getting that done.

But if you’re still in the shopping phase and merely need to check if a car is stolen, well then the logical answer is simply to submit the VIN number using our online tool, and everything will become instantly clear, in all needed detail. Results are immediate, drawn from the SAPS database, and all arrive without you having to go anywhere.
Kurt #3337

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