Piet from Rondebosch wanted to know how he can prove driver abuse and writes, 

Dear SuperSpark,

“I recently sold a little ‘pocket rocket’ to a customer. He later returned the car with a number of mechanical breakages, most of it on the drivetrain. It is obvious that the vehicle was abused. How do I go about proving it?”

SuperSpark replies,

Dear Piet,

Although proving driver abuse may be hard, it is not impossible.

There are a number of different ways to detect driver abuse:

Obtain the professional opinion of a forensic assessor. It may be costly, but worth the expense.

Have the vehicle fitted with a plug-in monitoring system, while still under the perceived warranty as prescribed by the CPA. There are a number of inexpensive systems available in the marketplace. Just remember to inform your customer.

Check your customer’s social media posts, as some enjoy posting videos of events where they race or drift their cars.

Excessive wear on clutch plates and brake drums are an almost sure indication of abuse.

Lastly, tread wear, uneven wear patterns or lacerations on tyres may also be a good indication of abuse.

Gotta fly,

SuperSpark