How can you tell if the Viper has been painted?

[THE FLASH]

I am new here and trying to research all I can before I make my Viper purchase. I have used the search function a lot and have read several posts where people are talking about checking to see if the car has been paint4ed or in an accident but a car fax does not show any accidents. How can you tell or what are the tell tale signs? I have seen a few GTS' for sale that have a clear bra, is that a possible sign? Thanks fot the info.

 

[propsail]

I could be wrong about this being a good method, but a friend of mine who buys high end cars uses some type of gauge to check the thickness of the paint around the car. Good luck with the search.

~Craig

 

[THE FLASH]

If the accident did not show up on a carfax report and the front bumper has been painted and everything looks really good.....is that ok?

 

[Ratical2]

Front bumpers get painted all the time due to rock chips.
However, you should have the car inspected, that way there is no doubt.
Carfax is not the holy grail. My brother bought a car (nonviper)with a clean carfax report so he skipped the inspection. When he went to get an alignment he found the car had been an major accident and the frame was bent.
Always get an inspection it saves you in the long run.

To answer the other question, "How can you tell if the car has been painted?" It is real obvious if the car is not a color that was offered that model year.

 

[THE FLASH]

Thank you all for the advice. Spending that kind of money..I'll get it inspected. I thought I read on a post while I was using the search function...look for a qualified Viper inspector in the area where the car is...right? Thanks again for all the help and advice.

 

[Ratical2]

You will never go wrong contacting the local VCA president when you find a Viper you are interested in. They probably know the history of the car and whether or not it is a wise choice. He will also know who is qualifed locally to inspect the car.
Buy Maurice Liang's Viper Buyer's guide. It will help you in making your selection and provide you with helpful hints.

 

[w8liftn]

You can check around the door sills, if it's been painted and not sanded properly there will be a paint 'lip' that you can see and feel. Most cars will show with their hoods opened but doors are the best way to tell on Vipers. Also, open the hatch and check on Gen I & II GTS's.

 

[agentf1]

Overspray
Tape lines
Paint on trim where it is not supposed to be.
Mismatched panels.
paint on frame or under hood

Look in tight/hard areas to paint like door jambs and around rear hatch and windshield for tell tale signs.

All a clear bra means is the guy did not want to get his bumper chipped. Pending on the car even a bumper repaint is probably OK providing it was just for nicks and it is mileage appropriate.

 

[Dads Toy]

good information for me also, thanks for the thread

 

[TAXIMAN1]

paint meters are used for metal and alum. They DO make an ultrasound meter for non-metal vehicles. But very few people use them, and they are very expensive.

Most vipers that are hit (everyone I've seen), you can spot from 10 feet away... especially Gen II's.. Panels are very difficult to align.. If the bumper has been painted, thats not an issue. Unless were talking about $1million Enzo, then maybe..

 

[PDCjonny]

Run the VIN through a Dodge dealer like Chuck Tator, he can check on any warrantee work done and provide other information.

 

[Kmrumedy]

All great info. You can also post a bunch of detailed pictures of the car you are thinking of buying. There are some VERY experienced people here that see things new owners would miss. I did this and the guys on the VCA saved me from making a few bad choices. The car looked perfect to me until the guys here pointed out some things. They were right every time. I finally found a car they couldn't pick apart and I bought it. Best purchase I ever made.....and the advice was free!!

 

[Sapphire RT/Tn]

I looked at a 2000 gray Viper in Chicago a couple of months ago, (International car center) that supposedly had the front bumper repainted because of scratches. The dealer/former owner repeatedly told me that nothing else was wrong and the bumper was the only thing that had been painted. During our test drive, my wife found a receipt in the glove box where the car had been repainted and the windshield replaced. We then confronted the dealer and he all of a sudden remembered that he had his viper repainted because it had some scratches on it.
After we found the receipt, we found overspray, paint lines, and a cracked front wheel well. BTW, this car had a clean carfax report and it most certainly had been wrecked.
I wish there was a section in the forum to report such cars so nobody gets burned buying a wrecked Viper.

 

[hemihead]

That is a great idea Sapphire RT/Tn! Moderator is there a chance we put an area on the board where VIN's of car known to be damaged can be listed? I too am searching for a specific car and it's ammazining what you find on cars that people claim to be "flawless". It would save us searchers some time and money.

 

[propsail]

paint meters are used for metal and alum. They DO make an ultrasound meter for non-metal vehicles. But very few people use them, and they are very expensive.

Interesting. Thanks for the insight!

~Craig

 

[JonB]

I have bought and dismantled DOZENS of totalled Vipers that have 100% clean faxes. Fact. They even offer me a "buyback guarantee" on these searches! A few months back I had one that had been totaled in a theft, paid off, SOLD....and was being rebuilt over 2 years. Then sold to me. C-fax had all the sales / registration transfer data.... and NOTHING of any accident. That is JUST ONE CASE! We have bought known floaters and burners and fatals...with clean fax history.

Carfax is good IF IT TELLS YOU SOMETHING............But "NO News is NO NEWS."

Nuttin = Nuttin; No Info = NO INFO;

 

[vipeuup]

On a gen 2 car. Sometimes It wont be easy to tell if some of the panels have been re-painted. Why? because back then the panels were hand sprayed in enviroments just like at your local bodyshop. So seeing wet sanding marks on the hood under flourscent lighting is common. So is some imperfections. Such as dust marks here and there. Not to mention finding masking tape underneath the car, or in the fender wells. And last powder from rubbing compound jammed in some parts of the car.

 

[RavenFan_94]

Rember the registry that Bonkers made years ago?

I bought a Ferrari a few years ago and it had paintwork right from the factory. On the F boards the guys talk about cars that get scratched from the build process and it was something like 20% of all cars had 'spray work' done before the first owner even took deliver. All part of hand built cars.

I'm not saying that Vipers have such an issue, my point being that a little paint work is not the end of the world. For some higher end cars, its just a birth passage.