We look at the car before you buy it, at the seller's house
Pre-purchase inspections
Buying a used car? We meet you at the seller's house or the forecourt, go over it for an hour with a torch, a diagnostic tool and a paint gauge, drive it, and tell you plainly whether to buy it, what it needs, and what to knock off the price.
The seller knows the car and you do not. An hour with someone who does this every week evens that up. We check the bodywork with a paint-depth gauge for hidden repairs, look underneath for rot and leaks, read every module for stored faults, check the service history against the schedule, and drive it with the laptop plugged in.
At the end you get a plain answer in the street: buy it, buy it if they knock something off, or walk away, and then a written report with photographs by email that evening. Most of the time the car is fine and the report is what you use to agree a price. About one in five we tell people to walk away from, usually because of rot, a clutch on its way out or a fault code someone has cleared that morning.
We do inspections anywhere in our area for £95, and further out for the call-out fee on top. If you buy it, we will service it for you too.
What is included
- An hour at the seller's or the forecourt
- A paint-depth gauge for hidden repairs
- Every module read for stored and cleared faults
- Underneath with a torch for rot and leaks
- A road test with the laptop connected
- A plain verdict and a written report that evening
What it costs
A pre-purchase inspection is £95 within our area, written report included. Including VAT. The area checker gives the call-out for the seller's postcode.
Questions about pre-purchase checks
Will the seller mind?
A seller with nothing to hide never minds. One who refuses an inspection has told you something useful.
Can you check an online auction car?
Only where we can see it in person; we will not inspect from photographs.
Book a slot. We bring the garage.
Pick a time, tell us the car and the job, and Dai or Ffion turns up with the van. Fixed labour, the parts at what they cost us plus our margin on the receipt, and twelve months on everything.