Pre-Purchase Inspections from Auto Repair San Diego

If you are in the market for purchasing a used car, then you do need to be careful in your selection. It doesn’t matter if it is from a showroom or a private buyer. Used vehicles can hide many issues.

In some cases, the seller knows these and tries their hardest to get rid of the vehicle as fast as possible. Other instances, even they are unaware of the impending problems.

For this reason, you don’t want to find you have a car that costs more, so you should make full use of pre-purchase inspections from auto repair San Diego mobile mechanics.

Has the Vehicle Been in a Body shop?

You can count numerous reasons why a vehicle has been in a body shop. Maybe it has been in an accident, someone tried to vandalize the car, or it is old and rusted. With a bit of body filler and new paint, most of these can be hidden from the unsuspecting.

Mobile mechanics in San Diego have a few tricks on how to spot this. All they need is a keen eye to check for faded paint against new paint, a slightly different finish, or the magnet they use to check for metal doesn’t stick to the body.

Bent Chassis on Accident Vehicles

One of the most significant issues, any vehicle owner faces when being in an accident, is the chassis twisting out of line. In many cases, it can be just a little, that doesn’t affect driving the vehicle too much. The problem is, this weakens the structure of the car and is almost impossible to correct without spending a fortune.

You can check online if the car was reported as being in a collision. Although not all vehicles go take this path. It will take an excellent mobile auto repair San Diego mechanic to scramble underneath the car and check the prone areas of the chassis.

Resist the Urge for the Test Drive

When you want to buy a new car, you will be itching to give it a test drive. However, you do need to wait a little longer and let the mobile mechanic take the wheel first.

For purchasing any used car, a test drive is an ultimate giveaway if there are problems the seller knows about. Some of them won’t want a mechanic to drive a car because they know the issues. Weak brakes are a good example where the vehicle may pitch to one side ahead of stopping.

The clutch is the same and finding the gear can be hard, or the engine makes a noise as you try and shift gears.

Don’t ever buy a lemon, and contact Mobile Mechanic of San Diego for a second opinion before you commit unless you have some extra bargaining power. The good thing is if there are problems, you already know the mobile mechanic who can fix them.

A note on what a pre-purchase inspection is, and isn’t

This page was written a while ago and reads a little more confidently than we’d put it today, so here is the plain version. A pre-purchase inspection from us is a visual, non-invasive look at a used car in San Diego, plus a read of the car’s computer for stored codes and, when the seller allows it and it is safe, a short low-speed drive. You get our written checklist with the mechanic’s notes. It is one experienced opinion to weigh alongside your own test drive and a vehicle history report.

We would rather you know the limits before you book than find out afterwards.

• It is not a teardown. Nothing gets removed and the car doesn’t go on a lift. We can’t see inside an engine, a transmission, or a differential, so internal wear in those parts is outside what this inspection can tell you.
• It is not a history check. We don’t verify the title, liens, mileage, or accident history. A Carfax or AutoCheck report covers that side, and we suggest running one alongside our visit.
• It is not a certification. We don’t issue emissions, state, or safety certificates, and a completed checklist is not a statement that the car is safe or roadworthy.
• It is not a warranty. The checklist records what one mechanic could see, hear, and read from the scanner on one day. It doesn’t guarantee the car’s condition or how it will hold up.
• It is not the whole decision. Buying is your call, made with everything you’ve learned about the car. Our notes are one part of that.

Every inspection is done under our Pre-Purchase Inspection Agreement. It is short and worth reading before you book.

The current description of the service, including exactly what is on the checklist, is on our pre-purchase car inspections page.