I bought a car in October 2012 from a dealer. At the time, a HPI check showed to us by the trader was clear as was a text we did to carcheck.com. It was an Audi A3 quattro and I paid £15,500. We've come to sell the car in May 2017 and a HPI check now shows the car as Category D loss. The CAT D loss was March 2012, but was only recorded in August 2013. We have sold the car for £3500 when market value if clear would be £5000. We have spoken with Carcheck.com, but their claims department are not interested as the database was correct as per date of our check Oct 2012. From my investigations, the dealership are no longer trading – at the time we bought in Oct 2012 the trader had given up his forecourt and was trading a few cars from his house. I estimate he would be in his seventies now. The house was sold last year, the phone numbers are no longer in action, his VAT number is showing as inactive. I did think he was a genuine person, nothing about the situation at that time made us raise any suspicions. The car had one previous owner – ALD automotive. Their records show they sold the car in April 2012, they can’t say what condition the car was at that time. They cannot give us the drivers or company name, nor the insurance company name due to data protection. I would be interested in your views on the matter and any insight you may be able to offer in to how to pursue the financial loss. To me the insurance company who didn’t record the CAT D status until 17 months after the event are to blame, but finding the name of that company is being blocked by data protection.