Code 3 Car

[Cage Rattler]

Code 3 is a car that was de-registered and then after the fact re-registered. De-registering a vehicle is incredibly simple but once it is done, your car is no longer road worthy and you also no longer receive those license payment notices. Therefore on the eNATIS database your car VIN is shown as de-registered. The only way to have it registered again is by putting it through the road test, after which the car will be code 3 (Built Up).

A car can be written of in a number of ways, the most popular is: 1) Insurance company, they write of a car if they believe the repair cost to be too much, then pay you.
Then there is: 2) Your car was stolen and recovered. The police will write off the vehicle and in the impound remove the engine number and stamp and case number on the engine block.
3) You decide to write off your own vehicle for whatever reason.
4) You are pulled over by the police and they deem your car un-roadworthy, car is impounded, you are charged and simultaneously the car is written off.

There is a whole list of reasons your car may be written off, at that point once you re-register the vehicle it will be code 3, provided you passed the road test.

There are only 3 types, Code 1 - New, Code 2 - Used, Code 3 - Built Up.

However, changing an engine for example does not require that your car be registered as Code 3, you just need to have the new engine number registered.

Not necessarily correct. I speak from actual experience. Hijacked, GTI stolen and recovered 6 days later in perfect working order without a scratch on it anywhere - it had only been driven 12 km and abandoned. Police did not remove engine number or anything like that as everything was still 100% okay on the vehicle. I deregistered the vehicle myself after 5 days (1 day before being told it had been found). I then had to reregister it a couple of weeks later, put it through roadworthy, mass verification, etc. etc. and it was a normal code 2 used vehicle on the system. Insurance still covered it at normal rates. Traded it in over a year later without any problems at all - in fact, had 2 dealers fighting over it due to its good condition and got full retail value.

 

[Gnome]

Not necessarily correct. I speak from actual experience. Hijacked, GTI stolen and recovered 6 days later in perfect working order without a scratch on it anywhere - it had only been driven 12 km and abandoned. Police did not remove engine number or anything like that as everything was still 100% okay on the vehicle. I deregistered the vehicle myself after 5 days (1 day before being told it had been found). I then had to reregister it a couple of weeks later, put it through roadworthy, mass verification, etc. etc. and it was a normal code 2 used vehicle on the system. Insurance still covered it at normal rates. Traded it in over a year later without any problems at all - in fact, had 2 dealers fighting over it due to its good condition and got full retail value.

Well lets agree to disagree. I haven't met you or saw your vehicle personally. I know because a friend showed me his car after it was stolen for a total of 10 minutes. Nothing wrong with it. He was at the car before it even got to the impound but he was told the vehicle must go to the impound. After the vehicle had a case number (S and case number) stamped on the block.

Other information about the de-registration I got from the poster at the licensing department. Apart from that it also said that you may not sell a code 3 vehicle without explicitly informing the person you are selling them a code 3 vehicle and the car can only be sold for cash.

 

[MR.C]

I believe you can't get insurance on a code 3.

 

[Gnome]

I believe you can't get insurance on a code 3.

You can, however the insurer isn't obligated to ensure. Legally an insurer cannot refuse to ensure you (hence if they don't want you they just make the price really high). With a code 3 however there is no obligation but most will ensure you (unless you have a terrible insurance history), however they'll probably load the price.

 

[AniV]

I own a Code3 Mazda Etude - I had no problem getting insurance.
We bought the car over 4 years ago at a good price. The car had been in a chain-accident where the front and back were both bumped. The insurance decided that paying out was easier, faster and cheaper than repairing. The car was repaired anyway - purely cosmetic damage to the rear, while the front require more work. The radiator needed a bit of attention.

Before we bought the sellers were upfront about the damage, the repairs, and the Code. We simply took the car to the AA to get it checked out and all was in good condition. Now, more than 4 years later, I am about to sell my Etude (I ride a bike and hubby has a new car) because it is simply standing there mostly unused.

The car is now 8 years old, and we have had absolutely no problems with it that related in any way to the accident or rebuilding it underwent. Just normal getting-older-high-kilometer things. Insurance on Code3 cars might be a touch more expensive than normal insurance, but at the same time the value of the car is 25% less than market value for a Code1 car. In the end it evens out.

If you just get the vehicle properly and thoroughly checked out by AA or similar, test drive it properly and thoroughly and know exactly what damage it had sustained and what was repaired and how, you could get yourself a very nice car at a low price. The big issues are engine and frame/undercarriage damage. Be very careful of those.

Insurance companies often write off vehicles that haven't sustained all that bad damage. Friend of mine's Peugot got the left front door mangled in a minor smash, no engine or frame damage whatsoever. The new door plus new cosmetic parts and labour would have cost over R60k to repair, so they wrote it off instead. There's nothing wrong with that vehicle and now it's a Code3.

 

[carolnwn]

Am interested in this 2009 VW Polo Classic 1.4 Trendline, mileage of 28000. It is a Code 3 vehicle, it was damaged front bumper and going for R45k. Reparing it after the panel beater checked it will cost R7k. Is this a good deal or its too expensive.

 

[web]

I believe you can't get insurance on a code 3.

you can but you must specify that it is a code 3 vehicle when you insure it

 

[Hemi300c]

you can but you must specify that it is a code 3 vehicle when you insure it

Old post - Some insurers accept but insure for 75% of the market value and at higher terms.

 

[dj_jyno]

Am interested in this 2009 VW Polo Classic 1.4 Trendline, mileage of 28000. It is a Code 3 vehicle, it was damaged front bumper and going for R45k. Reparing it after the panel beater checked it will cost R7k. Is this a good deal or its too expensive.

How can it be a Code 3 if the repairs come to only R7k? Something's not right there.

 

[Sensorei]

Because the airbags popped. They cost a bloody fortune to replace so insurance companies often code 3 the vehicle.

 

[lholhos]

I was hijacked, the car was found about 600m from my place, police insisted to take the car to the impound...now the has a an S mark, It has been removed since. Its code 3 now I guess..