How to recognize undisclosed damage/signs of damage

definitely a color mismatch /

 

Looks repainted to me. A plastic bumper will always look different from some angles in the sun but that one looks much darker. However a quick look on a lift with the undercovers off will tell the story. Lots of bumper covers get ripped, nicked and repainted with no ramifications.

Research the important gen3 mechanical issues. Paint is insignificant.

 

A little paint and bodywork shouldn't automatically fail a prospective car. Find out what you can, but keep an open mind.

I'd be more nervous seeing something like rust over all the interior metal, could indicate a flooded car.

 

if you get beyond the possible hidden damage, educate yourself by searching here for battery longevity, brake actuator, egr valve, oil burning, and blown head gaskets

 

i wouldn’t buy, there’s no miles driven disclosed by the seller. It can be any miles at this point.

 

I'm not that familiar with CarFax -- "cosmetic damage" is all it said?

The owner of the car I bought before the Prius disclosed a "minor accident" that caused a small rip in the bumper. She elected to have the entire bumper replaced, claiming that she was a perfectionist and couldn't live with a "patched" car. In talking her up, I found out where the accident occurred and then pulled the police report. It was, as she claimed, an extremely minor incident, so I purchased the car.

Maybe talk to the owner (or prior owner) and find out exactly what caused this "cosmetic damage."

I don't know about vehicle repair but is it possible that they got that front bumper from another car, like from a junkyard? I just can't image any owner getting that back from a repair / paint place and not saying, "Yo, you need to do this again -- I'm not paying for a substantial mismatch!" I also can't imagine any reputable repair place letting such a mismatch out the door.

 

Metallic paints are difficult to match. That level of mismatch can happen at some mediocre/cheap shop. I would inspect painting quality in the other parts (sag in the edges, orange surface etc) and overspray in wheel wells, bottom of the car etc. All abnormalities normal person can see usually are not from factory..

With 8 year old car i would accept some imperfection in appearance if car is good in other terms (maintenance, mileage, condition etc)

ps. I like white color, especially non-metallic white. Bonus feature is easy color match

 

Just editorial: I think the usual expression is "orange peel". Understand what you mean though, that dimpled texture. There'll always be a slight amount, but should be minimal.

 

another editorial: raging bull was last seen on july 10