How long should a good pre-purchase inspection take?
03-27-15, 09:53 PM
#1
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How long should a good pre-purchase inspection take?
How long should a good pre-purchase inspection take? For example, on a RWD Lexus (LS, GS, IS)
About how much should it cost?
What are the most important things you should make sure a shop checks? Is it better to have a Lexus dealer than an independent shop do an PPI?
About how much should it cost?
What are the most important things you should make sure a shop checks? Is it better to have a Lexus dealer than an independent shop do an PPI?
03-28-15, 12:15 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Maybe an hour or so, the pre inspection is not going to catch everything and depending on where you take it sometimes they just check fluids, brake pads, idle, etc. I think I paid $90 for mine at the Lexus dealer.
I personally would make sure the electronics work right, the car shifts smoothly, make sure the brakes work smoothly, AC blows cold, heat blows hot, take it up to a high speed on the highway, run it hard with some hard acceleration/braking and then drive it at lower speeds and see if it still rides well, sounds normal, and handles smoothly, is the temp gauge changing? Check the fluids, are they at the right levels and the correct color?
I personally would make sure the electronics work right, the car shifts smoothly, make sure the brakes work smoothly, AC blows cold, heat blows hot, take it up to a high speed on the highway, run it hard with some hard acceleration/braking and then drive it at lower speeds and see if it still rides well, sounds normal, and handles smoothly, is the temp gauge changing? Check the fluids, are they at the right levels and the correct color?
03-28-15, 12:43 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
On the road, if possible, get it up to at least 55-60 MPH (minimum freeway cruise-speeds) and note if there is any shake or shimmy in the steering wheel....that is most likely out-of-round or out-of-balance tires, wheels, or hubs. Let go of the wheel (keeping your hands very close to it if you need to grab it) on a LEVEL surface without crowns and see if the car pulls left or right...that could be anything from uneven tire PSIs to wheel-alignment to needed suspension/steering repairs. Note any pulsing or shimmy in the brake pedal at higher speeds.....usually, but not always, warped or out-of round brake-rotors. Then, with your hands off the wheel but very close to it, gently hit the brakes and see if the car pulls left or right while braking...that could indicate a problem with the proportioning system that regulates the brake pressure to each wheel. Testing the ABS is probably best done, apart from other traffic, on a relatively slick surface where it won't take that much pressure on the pedal to activate it, but, in some cases, can be done on dry pavement if you really jam the pedal hard (again, make sure no one is close behind you). You should hear a chattering noise, feel a fast-vibration in the pedal (not a shimmy like with bad rotors), and, in some cars, a yellow or orange dash light may indicate the system is activating.
Last edited by mmarshall; 03-28-15 at 12:46 PM.
03-28-15, 08:31 PM
#4
^ You forgot to mention the "give it hell test" IE put your foot down, make sure the tranmission properly kicks down a gear and that the engine pulls without hesitation or weird noises all the way to redline.
As for a prepurchase inspection, mmarshall gives some great advice on what to look for on a test drive. If you have access to a lift and know what to look for under the car, you really don't need a prepurchase inspection. Basic things to look for are signs of rust and fluid leaks. Also look for signs of crash damage, ie funny welds, crumpled or dented metal, paint finishes that obviously don't match on the underbody, etc. Look for similar signs of crash damage under the hood, in the door jambs, and pull back the trunk carpet on the sides and floor of the trunk. Uneven body gaps are also a sign of crash damage, but then again if its an old car(especially a domestic car) from the 80's or earlier, that might just be the way it left the factory.
As for a prepurchase inspection, mmarshall gives some great advice on what to look for on a test drive. If you have access to a lift and know what to look for under the car, you really don't need a prepurchase inspection. Basic things to look for are signs of rust and fluid leaks. Also look for signs of crash damage, ie funny welds, crumpled or dented metal, paint finishes that obviously don't match on the underbody, etc. Look for similar signs of crash damage under the hood, in the door jambs, and pull back the trunk carpet on the sides and floor of the trunk. Uneven body gaps are also a sign of crash damage, but then again if its an old car(especially a domestic car) from the 80's or earlier, that might just be the way it left the factory.
03-29-15, 04:34 AM
#5
Lexus Test Driver
45m is a good number. i have done pleanty of those, And I can tell you is this. If you dont have a lift you can check the car 85-88% yourself.
Here is a list of thing I do:
1. Make sure the car is cold, check for coolant, open the coolant cap, and I shine light in there to see the color and the level left. The most important is to make sure it green and it is not below the Level.
1.5 I start the car, I ask someone to give it some gas and I check at the tail pipe for any smoke or leaks.place your hand on the end of the pipe and see if it has any oil on it afyer someone has given a little gas.
2. I look for any loose wires cables under the hood.
3. Chk oil level and color. Sometimes the color may be dark brown, that means someone added something to fix the leak or god knows what.
4. Steering/break fluid level
5. Then I turn on every electronics feature: windows, wipers, aignals, mirror etc...check AC and Heat make aure both work. You wont be able to tell if AC is good in the winter, you may have to turn it on and see under the hood if compressor kick in.
6. Then I check the car visually for any damage, different collors, check the trunk for nay damage and collor differance.
7. Then I look underneath the wheel for any damage on springs/leaky shocks.
8. Then I drive the car, it all about the feel and sound. i make sure I hit a lot of pot holes and the most important is to take it on the HwY, over 60mph. Very often car drive well around 30mph but when you hit it, it start smoking and may have transmission problems!
9. After i finish with the drive, I look everywhere for leaks, under the car, under the hood, where breaks are. I let the car idele for 1minute then i move the car away and look for oil spots on the driveway.
10. Invest $100 into getting a OBD2 computer, sold anywhere. Plug in and check for codes. very easy to use, any one can do it!
11. When you turn the key to position II make sure all the gage lights are lit (abs, check engine, all of them), if not someone either burned the light or it just broke, if someone internationaly killed the light it is BAD, OBD2 will show you if there are any codes!!
12. Make sure you dont have check engine light on when you start the car, if its on IT Is very BAD!!
I can go on and on about used car buying, there are other things you need to onow besides cheking the car for problems, but maybe that is for another thread! I have wrote a few things about used car buying in Car Chat forum, its a sticky All about leasing and buying, check it out!!
Thats it kids!
Here is a list of thing I do:
1. Make sure the car is cold, check for coolant, open the coolant cap, and I shine light in there to see the color and the level left. The most important is to make sure it green and it is not below the Level.
1.5 I start the car, I ask someone to give it some gas and I check at the tail pipe for any smoke or leaks.place your hand on the end of the pipe and see if it has any oil on it afyer someone has given a little gas.
2. I look for any loose wires cables under the hood.
3. Chk oil level and color. Sometimes the color may be dark brown, that means someone added something to fix the leak or god knows what.
4. Steering/break fluid level
5. Then I turn on every electronics feature: windows, wipers, aignals, mirror etc...check AC and Heat make aure both work. You wont be able to tell if AC is good in the winter, you may have to turn it on and see under the hood if compressor kick in.
6. Then I check the car visually for any damage, different collors, check the trunk for nay damage and collor differance.
7. Then I look underneath the wheel for any damage on springs/leaky shocks.
8. Then I drive the car, it all about the feel and sound. i make sure I hit a lot of pot holes and the most important is to take it on the HwY, over 60mph. Very often car drive well around 30mph but when you hit it, it start smoking and may have transmission problems!
9. After i finish with the drive, I look everywhere for leaks, under the car, under the hood, where breaks are. I let the car idele for 1minute then i move the car away and look for oil spots on the driveway.
10. Invest $100 into getting a OBD2 computer, sold anywhere. Plug in and check for codes. very easy to use, any one can do it!
11. When you turn the key to position II make sure all the gage lights are lit (abs, check engine, all of them), if not someone either burned the light or it just broke, if someone internationaly killed the light it is BAD, OBD2 will show you if there are any codes!!
12. Make sure you dont have check engine light on when you start the car, if its on IT Is very BAD!!
I can go on and on about used car buying, there are other things you need to onow besides cheking the car for problems, but maybe that is for another thread! I have wrote a few things about used car buying in Car Chat forum, its a sticky All about leasing and buying, check it out!!
Thats it kids!
Last edited by FastTags; 03-30-15 at 05:10 AM.
03-29-15, 04:57 AM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
^^^ excellent post. 
03-29-15, 07:42 AM
#7
Lexus Test Driver
Here is a portion of my write up:
#4
FastTags on 07-02-14 01:20 PM
Buying a USED CAR
A totally different animal from buying NEW.
When you are looking to buy a used vehicle, you are looking for that unique make and model, which may only be a few in your town, there for , there is not much room for negotiation. You find it, you check it, negotiate, and buy it. You cant wait like if you are buying a new car.
Make sure you sign up for CARFAX unlimited, check all your cars. Look for things like, where it was bought, was it sold at the auction, if so, how many times it was sold at the auction. Was there any accidents, if so, when. There should be a story and you should be able to follow it.
Also, pay attention to the exact date of the Original Purchase, the original warranty will come from that exact date.
Buying car that was driven in Northern states has it negatives:
Salt , snow--> possible rust in the future.
Drowned cars from Hurricanes and other bad weather. CarFax may not always show that the car had water damage.
Transmissions do not last as long in the North, because of the SNOW. people get stuck often and as they try to get out, they can damage the transmission.
I would not recommend a car from the NORTH.
Make sure you have the used car checked by a mechanic.
Check engine light-> means that there is something wrong, it could be a sensor, an exhaust leak or others.
When Check engine light is ON, its bad. You may not pass Inspection, You may have costly repairs, even a sensor could cost you thousands of dollars as sometimes you may need to replace more than one.
Dealers can hide the Check Engine, and the only way to see it, is with a OBD2 computer.
When the car was bought and sold at the auction over and over, there could be many reasons why. One of them because something is wrong and as soon as the dealer buys it, he is trying to sell it back.
Ask for any records that the Seller may have. Look over them, look for repairs, and consistent problems. Repairs are not a bad thing to have, unless it is the same repair over and over.
Personally, I do not recommend buying from a small dealer, I would advise buy a used car from an Individual who actually owned a car, preferably an original owner.
Some small dealers will trick you in believing that it is their car, although they most likely bought it from an individual and simply trying to re sell it. It kind of obvious when they claim that they selling it for a friend, mother or cousin, EX wife. The address on the title will not match the dealers, the name will not match, etc...
Always look at the title before buying, this way you can see multiple things:
1. Is the car paid OFF, if not there will be a BANK name as a Lien Holder
2. Is this a real title or a duplicate
3. Does the name and address matches of the person who is selling the car, if not there is a very good 80% chance it is a dealer who is flipping the car.
4. VIN matches the car VIN
5. Mileage. If they are an original owners most likely it will have minimal mileage on the title. When the car is sold, the Title changes.
6. Date on the title, will tell you when it was Registered/Titled. SO if you see that the date is a few month ago, most likely it is a dealer who registered the car, and trying to flip it, or the person bought the car, realized that something is wrong and trying to Sell it.
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#4
FastTags on 07-02-14 01:20 PM
Buying a USED CAR
A totally different animal from buying NEW.
When you are looking to buy a used vehicle, you are looking for that unique make and model, which may only be a few in your town, there for , there is not much room for negotiation. You find it, you check it, negotiate, and buy it. You cant wait like if you are buying a new car.
Make sure you sign up for CARFAX unlimited, check all your cars. Look for things like, where it was bought, was it sold at the auction, if so, how many times it was sold at the auction. Was there any accidents, if so, when. There should be a story and you should be able to follow it.
Also, pay attention to the exact date of the Original Purchase, the original warranty will come from that exact date.
Buying car that was driven in Northern states has it negatives:
Salt , snow--> possible rust in the future.
Drowned cars from Hurricanes and other bad weather. CarFax may not always show that the car had water damage.
Transmissions do not last as long in the North, because of the SNOW. people get stuck often and as they try to get out, they can damage the transmission.
I would not recommend a car from the NORTH.
Make sure you have the used car checked by a mechanic.
Check engine light-> means that there is something wrong, it could be a sensor, an exhaust leak or others.
When Check engine light is ON, its bad. You may not pass Inspection, You may have costly repairs, even a sensor could cost you thousands of dollars as sometimes you may need to replace more than one.
Dealers can hide the Check Engine, and the only way to see it, is with a OBD2 computer.
When the car was bought and sold at the auction over and over, there could be many reasons why. One of them because something is wrong and as soon as the dealer buys it, he is trying to sell it back.
Ask for any records that the Seller may have. Look over them, look for repairs, and consistent problems. Repairs are not a bad thing to have, unless it is the same repair over and over.
Personally, I do not recommend buying from a small dealer, I would advise buy a used car from an Individual who actually owned a car, preferably an original owner.
Some small dealers will trick you in believing that it is their car, although they most likely bought it from an individual and simply trying to re sell it. It kind of obvious when they claim that they selling it for a friend, mother or cousin, EX wife. The address on the title will not match the dealers, the name will not match, etc...
Always look at the title before buying, this way you can see multiple things:
1. Is the car paid OFF, if not there will be a BANK name as a Lien Holder
2. Is this a real title or a duplicate
3. Does the name and address matches of the person who is selling the car, if not there is a very good 80% chance it is a dealer who is flipping the car.
4. VIN matches the car VIN
5. Mileage. If they are an original owners most likely it will have minimal mileage on the title. When the car is sold, the Title changes.
6. Date on the title, will tell you when it was Registered/Titled. SO if you see that the date is a few month ago, most likely it is a dealer who registered the car, and trying to flip it, or the person bought the car, realized that something is wrong and trying to Sell it.
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03-30-15, 03:40 PM
#9
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Thanks mmarshall, FastTags, & Aron9000.
I called two dealers. One said it would take 1/2 an hour and cost $55. The other said it would take 2 hours and cost $210.
The $55 one said they do a Multi-point inspection which is routinely done every time a car is serviced with them, even if it's an oil change.
The $210 one said the inspection they do is the same they do for cars they're going to sell as CPO.
The list of what they inspect looks similar except the $210 one includes things like inspecting brake sensors, intake & exhaust manifolds, interior lights & gauges. It seems like a longer list but the car I'm looking at only has 70k miles so I don't know what the chances of any of that extra stuff having problems are.
I called two dealers. One said it would take 1/2 an hour and cost $55. The other said it would take 2 hours and cost $210.
The $55 one said they do a Multi-point inspection which is routinely done every time a car is serviced with them, even if it's an oil change.
The $210 one said the inspection they do is the same they do for cars they're going to sell as CPO.
The list of what they inspect looks similar except the $210 one includes things like inspecting brake sensors, intake & exhaust manifolds, interior lights & gauges. It seems like a longer list but the car I'm looking at only has 70k miles so I don't know what the chances of any of that extra stuff having problems are.
03-31-15, 03:35 AM
#10
Lexus Test Driver
How about this, take your car to the shop who quted $55, tell them you want additian things checked, and you pay additional $45. It will cost you $100 and you will get everything checked. $200 is way toooooo much!!!! Take it to a smaller shop and give them a list of things you want them to check.
The multi point inspection is not good enough, you need in depth auto purchase inspection. Which state are you in?
The multi point inspection is not good enough, you need in depth auto purchase inspection. Which state are you in?
Thanks mmarshall, FastTags, & Aron9000.
I called two dealers. One said it would take 1/2 an hour and cost $55. The other said it would take 2 hours and cost $210.
The $55 one said they do a Multi-point inspection which is routinely done every time a car is serviced with them, even if it's an oil change.
The $210 one said the inspection they do is the same they do for cars they're going to sell as CPO.
The list of what they inspect looks similar except the $210 one includes things like inspecting brake sensors, intake & exhaust manifolds, interior lights & gauges. It seems like a longer list but the car I'm looking at only has 70k miles so I don't know what the chances of any of that extra stuff having problems are.
I called two dealers. One said it would take 1/2 an hour and cost $55. The other said it would take 2 hours and cost $210.
The $55 one said they do a Multi-point inspection which is routinely done every time a car is serviced with them, even if it's an oil change.
The $210 one said the inspection they do is the same they do for cars they're going to sell as CPO.
The list of what they inspect looks similar except the $210 one includes things like inspecting brake sensors, intake & exhaust manifolds, interior lights & gauges. It seems like a longer list but the car I'm looking at only has 70k miles so I don't know what the chances of any of that extra stuff having problems are.
03-31-15, 03:38 AM
#11
Lexus Test Driver
A few years back I wanted to open up a shop where we only would do Auto purchasing inspection( there is so muc more to it) But, I didnt have that kinda money so I gave up on a dream. and I was very discouraged by feiends that it wont work 
Last edited by FastTags; 03-31-15 at 03:44 AM.
03-31-15, 03:29 PM
#12
If you want to PM me your email I can send you an extensive checklist (10 page Word doc). It is meant for a Ferrari, but 95% of it applies to any car really. Actually my LS has some stuff the Ferrari doesn't.
04-19-15, 12:58 PM
#13
45m is a good number. i have done pleanty of those, And I can tell you is this. If you dont have a lift you can check the car 85-88% yourself.
Here is a list of thing I do:
1. Make sure the car is cold, check for coolant, open the coolant cap, and I shine light in there to see the color and the level left. The most important is to make sure it green and it is not below the Level.
1.5 I start the car, I ask someone to give it some gas and I check at the tail pipe for any smoke or leaks.place your hand on the end of the pipe and see if it has any oil on it afyer someone has given a little gas.
Here is a list of thing I do:
1. Make sure the car is cold, check for coolant, open the coolant cap, and I shine light in there to see the color and the level left. The most important is to make sure it green and it is not below the Level.
1.5 I start the car, I ask someone to give it some gas and I check at the tail pipe for any smoke or leaks.place your hand on the end of the pipe and see if it has any oil on it afyer someone has given a little gas.
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