Wheeler Dealers’ Mike Brewer reveals ‘visual trick’ for all used car buyers that ‘takes just two seconds’
WHEELER Dealers’ host Mike Brewer has revealed a “visual trick” to potential car buyers that they can implement when buying a used motor.
The much-loved television personality, who’s been the main man on the popular classic car restoration programme since 2003, certainly knows a thing or two about getting a good deal when buying a second-hand set of wheels.
In a video he posted to his , Mike showed petrolheads how they can identify hidden vehicle damage using an easy car number plate check.
He shows how inspecting the plates at the front and rear of the vehicle could identify whether the motor had been involved in an accident - which may not be easily identifiable at first.
Mike said: “You need to turn yourself into a crime investigator. One of the things you can do that is really simple is just take a look at the number plates.
“Take a look at the front number plates at the very bottom, it says ‘The Trade Centre’. That’s the dealer that put the plate on it.
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“Now if we go to the back of the car, the number plate on the back of the car also says ‘The Trade Centre’.
“And there’s a ‘Trade Centre’ sticker in the rear window. If it had an accident on the front or the rear it’s likely to have a number plate changed by the accident centre.
“That means this car hasn't had an accident in our opinion because it's got matching front and back number plates.”
Mike has previously warned car buyers to be especially vigilant when picking up a motor at an auction.
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At such events, potential buyers won’t have as long to thoroughly check over a car or to conduct a proper test drive before agreeing to a deal.
So in this sense, quick checks that take mere seconds could be crucial to avoiding long-term expenses.
Mike added: “And that’s a really visual trick that you can do in two seconds at the car auction.”
“If it's got ‘Trade Centre’ at the front and ‘Brewer Motors’ at the back why?
“Why has it got a different number plate at the back than the front, so you need to start looking for signs of accident damage.”
This comes as Mike recently shared an update on the Ford Fiesta that "vanished from the face of the Earth" at a hotel some two years ago.
The Fiesta Mk1 was snatched by thieves outside a hotel in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, back in June 2023.
The super rare care was taken just hours before Mike and co-host Marc Priestley were set to show off their restoration job for an episode of the show.
Few updates have been revealed since - until Mark took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on January, 3, 2025.
Elsewhere, a man has revealed he was issued nearly £25,000 in ULEZ fines for a vehicle he hadn't owned for nearly a year.
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Bilal Yousaf, 44, from Glasgow, Scotland, had his Renault Master repossessed in February 2024 after he was forced to give up work.
However, his details were seemingly still linked to the van.