Tracing the owner of a car

[Ross365]

if you want details from a number plate then you need a private investigator you will find an ex copper P.I. is best.

Exactly what I was thinking, but I suspect it would not be cheap!

 

[premmington]

He would get reamed big time if they found out.

Do you know anyone at local council highways? They have access to PNC data for cars that are in the way that they need shifted for tarmacing and what have you. They only can see registered keeper. They would still get sacked if they were found out and it’s all logged

Only real option is to contact DVSA with some made up excuse - dumped vehicle, non payment of invoice etc. shouldn’t matter it’s sorn. Just say it’s the only way of tracing the customer available to you

I have done this - they charge a small fee. Not a quick process thou.

 

[brightspark]

I have done this - they charge a small fee. Not a quick process thou.

was a fiver 30 years ago and took a week .seems like yesterday

 

[droopsnoot]

I think the historic check for £5 has stopped due to data protection

You have to give the DVLA a good reason for requesting the information, and just being interested in the history of your own vehicle isn't a good enough reason any more.

 

[Wedg1e]

Well... I thought I was getting somewhere
The insurance cert in the glovebox was for a year's cover a couple of years back, if you follow. The last V5 was issued 2016 so it's a safe bet that the name on the insurance cert is that of the previous owner.

Once the V5 arrived I could use the DVLA website to download the last 4 MOT certs (and see who issued the previous 2).
All 6 tests were carried out by only two testing stations about 5 miles apart, so I was thinking maybe one is close to the guy's house and the other to his work. He bought the bike when it was 2 years old so all the MOTS are for the same owner. If the MOT stations are A and B, they were used A-B-A-B-B-A which suggests he didn't move from one place to the other but frequents both locations.

The car park ticket was from a hospital about 100 miles away, so possibly a red herring - maybe he was visiting.

Anyway, according to 192.com there are 200 entries for people with this name, so not quite John Smith but not exactly rare (especially in Wales ). However some of those are the same person at different addresses and most are miles from the MOT stations, which left me with less than a dozen.
It occurred to me that maybe the staff at the last MOT place know the bike's owner, so I emailed them. Of course I couldn't ask for their customer's details but I could give them mine and ask them to be passed on... so I did, but 5 days later I haven't heard anything back. To be fair they weren't sure they'd have the guy's number - and of course he might not want to talk to me.

Helpfully, according to Companies House or similar sites, some of the dozen are Directors, so it was possible to get contact numbers for them.
Of the closest addresses, one was a retired solicitor and the other a self-employed engineer with published contact details, but the engineer's wife was adamant they've never owned a motorcycle (thought I was talking to Penelope Keith as Margot Leadbetter). I'm erring away from the solicitor as he's pushing 80, which is not to say he wouldn't still be riding but still... the next best option was a guy listed as the director of a social club in the next town, the website of which is well out of date and the phone doesn't work. However his occupation on Companies House was given, so a quick Google turned him up on Facebook straight away.
Called up, got through to voicemail, left a message but as yet no response - and of course, maybe he doesn't want to.

Ironically, the first owner has a really obscure name and 192 says there's only one of him (and in the same area - the bike's never moved far from where it was originally registered). It would be unlikely that he'd know/ remember the address of the guy he sold the bike to 6 years ago... but you never know

 

[droopsnoot]

I found the first owner of one of my cars by posting a photo of it in a "local" Facebook group for the area it was first registered (I've had it ages, so I know the name and address of the first owner from a V888 search) and within an hour his wife had responded and I've exchanged emails. He was going to find some old photos and send them to me, but he hasn't so far. As he said, though, it was over 40 years ago so they're not immediately to hand.

 

[dobbslc]

Just drive to your local shopping centre and park next to an identical one
Same year and same 3 letters on the plates! They are unoffical imports all the way from Japan and he lived in the same town as me!
I first saw it driving through town and thought someone had stolen my car so chased it, I then realized that the numbers are slightly different

 

[knighty]

why are you guys so keen on finding past owners etc?

other than for very rare/vintage stuff, why does it matter?

 

[mtt.tr]

Just drive to your local shopping centre and park next to an identical one View attachment 387108
Same year and same 3 letters on the plates! They are unoffical imports all the way from Japan and he lived in the same town as me!
I first saw it driving through town and thought someone had stolen my car so chased it, I then realized that the numbers are slightly different

That's 3 out your way, my mates lives near ware with one.

 

[stuvy]

Just drive to your local shopping centre and park next to an identical one View attachment 387108
Same year and same 3 letters on the plates! They are unoffical imports all the way from Japan and he lived in the same town as me!
I first saw it driving through town and thought someone had stolen my car so chased it, I then realized that the numbers are slightly different

That's 3 out your way, my mates lives near ware with one.

Good source of spares available by the sounds of that

 

[dobbslc]

spares

Spares ???
It's a Toyota!

 

[bump]

Just drive to your local shopping centre and park next to an identical one View attachment 387108
Same year and same 3 letters on the plates! They are unoffical imports all the way from Japan and he lived in the same town as me!
I first saw it driving through town and thought someone had stolen my car so chased it, I then realized that the numbers are slightly different

I had something similar, but in the supermarket car park. I was convinced that my fob batteries must have died as it wasn't opening. It was only when I looked up and saw the flashing indicators one row over.

 

[mtt.tr]

I had something similar, but in the supermarket car park. I was convinced that my fob batteries must have died as it wasn't opening. It was only when I looked up and saw the flashing indicators one row over.

This is like going to our head office, 10+ vans all identical

 

[droopsnoot]

why are you guys so keen on finding past owners etc?

other than for very rare/vintage stuff, why does it matter?

For me, it was to try to build up a picture of the history of the car. I love to see old photos, photos when it was new or nearly new, that kind of thing. I contacted a previous owner of my Firenza via his brother and I've now got the original owners handbook and service book, some old tax discs and a few other bits and pieces.

 

[Robotstar5]

This is like going to our head office, 10+ vans all identical

 

[stuvy]

I had something similar, but in the supermarket car park. I was convinced that my fob batteries must have died as it wasn't opening. It was only when I looked up and saw the flashing indicators one row over.

When I was younger my ex boss took us for lunch in his new M3

It wouldn’t unlock which obviously made us laugh

After a very upset woman told him that he was at the wrong car, even her private plate didn’t give it away!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Well... I thought I was getting somewhere
The insurance cert in the glovebox was for a year's cover a couple of years back, if you follow. The last V5 was issued 2016 so it's a safe bet that the name on the insurance cert is that of the previous owner.

Once the V5 arrived I could use the DVLA website to download the last 4 MOT certs (and see who issued the previous 2).
All 6 tests were carried out by only two testing stations about 5 miles apart, so I was thinking maybe one is close to the guy's house and the other to his work. He bought the bike when it was 2 years old so all the MOTS are for the same owner. If the MOT stations are A and B, they were used A-B-A-B-B-A which suggests he didn't move from one place to the other but frequents both locations.

The car park ticket was from a hospital about 100 miles away, so possibly a red herring - maybe he was visiting.

Anyway, according to 192.com there are 200 entries for people with this name, so not quite John Smith but not exactly rare (especially in Wales ). However some of those are the same person at different addresses and most are miles from the MOT stations, which left me with less than a dozen.
It occurred to me that maybe the staff at the last MOT place know the bike's owner, so I emailed them. Of course I couldn't ask for their customer's details but I could give them mine and ask them to be passed on... so I did, but 5 days later I haven't heard anything back. To be fair they weren't sure they'd have the guy's number - and of course he might not want to talk to me.

Helpfully, according to Companies House or similar sites, some of the dozen are Directors, so it was possible to get contact numbers for them.
Of the closest addresses, one was a retired solicitor and the other a self-employed engineer with published contact details, but the engineer's wife was adamant they've never owned a motorcycle (thought I was talking to Penelope Keith as Margot Leadbetter). I'm erring away from the solicitor as he's pushing 80, which is not to say he wouldn't still be riding but still... the next best option was a guy listed as the director of a social club in the next town, the website of which is well out of date and the phone doesn't work. However his occupation on Companies House was given, so a quick Google turned him up on Facebook straight away.
Called up, got through to voicemail, left a message but as yet no response - and of course, maybe he doesn't want to.

Ironically, the first owner has a really obscure name and 192 says there's only one of him (and in the same area - the bike's never moved far from where it was originally registered). It would be unlikely that he'd know/ remember the address of the guy he sold the bike to 6 years ago... but you never know

When's your job application going in to the Pinkerton Detective Agency?

 

[Wedg1e]

why are you guys so keen on finding past owners etc?

other than for very rare/vintage stuff, why does it matter?

In my case, I'd like to find out if he still has the missing panniers! Spare keys etc. would be nice as well.

 

[Wedg1e]

When's your job application going in to the Pinkerton Detective Agency?

I'm not sure I could work out of a seedy, low-rent office (probably upstairs fom a knocking-shop and with the smell from the Chinese takeaway permeating through the damp-riddled walls) with a rattly air conditioner, full ashtray and moth-eaten cat... plus I don't own a Smith & Wesson .38 snub-nose, grey mackintosh or any form of hat that coud be pulled low over the eyes.
Also, don't you need an estranged wife and troubled child? I have a couple of the former but my daughter's fairly well screwed-together...

 

[Bobupndown]

Got the dvla history for my 1963 mini about 10 years ago when they still provided it for £5. Wrote to all 7 previous owners. Didn't get a single reply. I suppose they could be dead or have moved address but thought at least some would still be current?