it will all ways be on the reg documents if repaired properly it should on effect the warranty ' it will also have to be tested before it go's back on the road like a mot only more thorough
Cad D can go straight back on the road, you should tell your Insurance co & some may insist on an mot as a check or an Engineers report, the AA or RAC can do that but an assesor from one of the companies that Insurance companies use will probably be cheaper. your local bodyshops will have contact details.
A cat D tends to be worth at least 20% less that a not cat D & will be harder to sell so worth doing but only really if you intend to keep it. A properly repaired cat D is no worse than any other repaired car & with s/hand values falling through the floor a lot of cars which are given the last rights actually arent that badly damaged, with more being totalled more decent s/hand parts are around.
Cars are only categorised if Insurance pays out which makes a total mokery of the system. Most rental companies & large companies only have 3rd party insurance so any wreck is sold to the highest bidder hence many totally mullered cars are repaired with no history. When buying any s/hand car always always have a real dig underneath, behind & under seats etc for any signs of repairs, not just paint overspray, look for cable ties & clips loose or broken, do all 4 wheel arch liners look like they have done similar miles, is the grime build up on both sides of the car equal, are the panel fits the same both sides, do all doors shut the same, do bonnets & boots shut & open perfectly etc etc. If you find any signs dig deeper, any good bodyshop knows the tricks of the trade & can give a decent opinion in a very short time. Ive seen a merc that looked perfect from a distance but the owner said it didnt drive properly, once you got closer to the car you could visually tell that one front wheel was further back than the other side, it was actually just over an Inch
Cat C requires a once over by the local DVLA inspector & can be a real pain, its meant to be just to check that the car is all one car etc & generally put together Ok but can be done with any angle they wish. I also got the feeling that the centre is not as friendly to joe public as they are to traders
I cant elaborate more in a public forum but
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Ive had 2 cat C cars, one was plain sailing, the other was an absolute pain & personally I would never touch another Cat C
The best buys are Cat D with mechanical damage only, a lot of cars that get water in the engine are totalled, Ive had one of these, I had a s/hand lump put in & it ran for around 4 years trouble free.
Stolen recovered can appear a good bet but be very careful, many are stolen by joy riders who rag them. A friends Octavia VRS was stolen & found 3 days later parked up, no oil left in the engine. a funny rattle, cooked turbo, bald tyres, brakes cooked. It was sold at auction as stolen recovered & mention was only made of the scraped bumpers, & internal vandalism. Someone will be a tadge out of pocket
