western Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 never said it was a ringer or otherwise, but it does need it's correct identity fonud or broken up & bits sold/chasis destroyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Humphreys Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I think everyone's being a bit quick to assume it's all stolen parts.If the original builder legally obtained all the parts and they were all like for like with the vehicle the chassis came from, then the vehicle "could" still claim its chassis's original reg. Wont know until you try. If however it is a ringer then by quietly disposing of it you leave the thief that built it free to do it again. The way I look at it is, a lot of 4x4 are worth more in parts that compleat. If it does turn out to have stolen parts then it will have to be taken to bits anyway. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobtail4x4 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 But if its stolen parts, you dont own them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 thats why the identity needs to be verified, if it turns out to be a made up from stolen parts the current owner will loose the lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Humphreys Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 But if its stolen parts, you dont own them. No, but you do own the parts that the police can not prove stolen, so if the chassis turns out to be stolen and proven, then the rest of the parts will be returned to the current owner. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treebloke Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I reckon he would be better off breaking it & selling the parts, then destroy the old chassis by cutting it up & legally disposing of it at a metal recyclers. But only if you are registered to carry waste. The situation may have eased since the price of scrap has come down but plod have been nicking people for weighing in scrap in a bid to stop the abundance of theft. Cost's £100 for a three year licence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 thought that only applies to the trade not private owners, a workmate just scrapped a complete mot fail rover25 a few weeks ago, no licence for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 best case scenario is that the tuck is a legitimate one that's just had the number plate and V5 switched for a dodgy one. If he can check the vin and find the original identity - then I'd think he has a strong chance of getting the proper V5 for the vehicle he really bought and just coming clean about the old plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I was given a 'Series II' a few years ago. When I decided to sort it out and get it back on the road, I noticed that there were 3 different chassis numbers on it. The registration document only related to the registration number and the chassis number on the bulkhead by the gearstick. The chassis plate on the front panel was from a Series 3, and the number on the dumb iron was from another series 3. I spoke to a Police offier about it and he suggested the best thing for me to do was just scrap it, which I did. There's potentially a whole heap of trouble otherwise. If the vehicle is made out of stolen parts, then breaking it and selling the parts is selling stolen goods and I would have thought that cutting up the chassis and scrapping it might also be destroying evidence? If the Police are interested, then the first thing that's likely to happen is that they will sieze the vehicle and perhaps arrest/caution you - pending further enquiries. The DVLA/VOSA are likely to tell you to contact the Police - especially if you mention 'stolen' or 'ringer' (or they may contact the Police themselves). Once you start the ball rolling, then there's no stopping it I'm afraid. Forget MOT certificates - they only have the VIN number on and it's read from the plate, not the chassis itself, so a vehicle with potentially two VIN numbers won't get noticed. The MOT test is for roadworthiness, not legality of the vehicle itself. I don't believe that axle/engine/transmission, numbers relate to a specific vehicle - just a type (90/110/Disco, within a certain build time period) It's quite common for a V5 to have just the chassis No on it and no engine No, so even that document won't be a great deal of help if that's the case with yours. Strange how the system is stacked against you like this - it's almost like you are encouraged to do nothing, as you are the first to suffer through your own honesty. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 That's why I think it's worth checking the vin from the chassis - he can do that, be honest about the fake v5, and perhaps keep the vehicle (provided it's not a collection of parts) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunc Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Strange how the system is stacked against you like this - it's almost like you are encouraged to do nothing, as you are the first to suffer through your own honesty. I think you've made a massively important point there Les. I've been reading this thread thinking about what the chap 'should' do and what i theoretically would do in has position. Then i really thought about it and apart from arguing the toss with the seller and getting my money back i kind of back-tracked on my own self righteousness and came to the conclusion that i'm not sure i'd follow the 'hand myself in' route. I'd never knowingly buy stolen goods, but it's a whole different ball-game if you end up with them accidentally. Hopefully this doesn't read like "Dunc condones criminals and turns into one" because that couldn't be farther from the truth, but i guess i'd want to see lots of receipts before i bought the thing in the first place. Once he's checked as many numbers as he can and ascertained the history and legitimacy of parts, and perhaps the seller can offer him some receipts, then perhaps declare it as scrapped and start over with a fresh SVA. I'm sure the seller would help with info if he was told that DVLA will seek to reclaim road tax during his ownership should they be informed of the questionable status. Very very difficult. I hope his truck turns out to legit and he gets sorted asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 How you stand from the legal aspect . If you bought the vehicle for its true marketable value and have reciepts and a supplier details then you should be OK from a Handling stolen goods charge point of view . If you start the ball rolling by contacting police or DVLA etc , and it turns out that any iD marks on the vehicle are listed as stolen then the vehicle will be siezed , as the ownership of the part that is stolen remains with the owner. If there is only that part that is stolen then you may be able to negotiate with the owner to obtain title to that part i.e. buy it . The vehicle will then be returned to you after police have concluded all their enquiries in relation to various ID on vehicle , and with previous owners where possible . If it turns out that it it is worse than that then the vehicle may have to be scrapped . If it turns out that it is just a bitsa then it will be given a Q plate . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat_pending Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Here's an idea that might work. If Land Rover dealers are anything like us (Suzuki dealers) they can match a vin to a reg' no' via their warranty records. So if you have a vin on the chassis then you could get the original reg' from a dealer. Once you have a reg' you can HPI it. That will tell you if the original vehicle is stolen/written off, without involving Plod, DVLA, VOSA. Then you will be in a better position to decide how to proceed. If it is stolen or the vin is missing from the chassis, then your conscience not your wallet should dictate what to do next. Plod should be able to trace back through previous owners to assertain the "history". I don't think breaking it up or doing nothing is an option until the proper status is known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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