Used Car Pre-Purchase Inspection in Detroit
A pre-purchase inspection puts the car on a lift and tells you what the seller either does not know or is not saying, before your money changes hands. We check frame and rust, scan for stored and pending codes, test compression where warranted, look at fluid condition, and go over brakes, tyres and suspension. Private sales in Michigan are sold as-is, so the hour on the lift is your only protection, and finding a bad transmission beforehand saves you the entire purchase price.
Bring it in if you are seeing any of this
Not sure which of these it is? Call and describe it. Half the time we can tell you over the phone whether it needs looking at today or whether it can wait for the weekend.
4.5from 58 Google reviews
Read them on Google rather than taking our word for it.
- You are buying privately and it is sold as-is
- The listing says runs great with no other detail
- The seller will not let you take it to a shop, which is its own answer
- It is priced noticeably under similar cars
- You are buying sight-unseen or from out of the area
What we actually do on this job
- Full lift inspection of frame, subframe and rust condition
- Scan for stored, pending and history codes plus readiness monitors
- Fluid condition on oil, coolant and transmission fluid
- Brakes, tyres, suspension and steering measured and reported
- Road test and a written report you can negotiate with
Turnaround. About an hour with the car here. Book ahead so the lift is free.
What the price depends on
We do not publish a flat price for this, because a number quoted before anyone has looked at the car is a guess. You get a real one after the diagnosis, and you approve it before any work starts.
- Whether a compression test is included for a higher-mileage engine
- How long the road test needs to be to reproduce a reported fault
- Vehicle type, since trucks and vans take longer on the lift
Free full synthetic oil change on your first visit
New customers only, with a paid service. One per vehicle. Ask for it when you drop off.
Free towing with any service over $300
Local tow to our W Warren Ave shop. Applied to your invoice once the repair is approved.
Pre-Purchase Inspection questions
What people ask us about pre-purchase inspection
What if the seller will not let me have the car inspected?
Walk away. A seller with nothing to hide has no reason to refuse an hour at a shop of your choosing, and a refusal is the clearest signal you will get. It is the single most reliable red flag in a private sale.
Will an inspection tell me if the car has frame damage?
In most cases yes. On the lift we can see repaired frame rails, welded sections, crumpled subframes, mismatched underbody coating and rust that a car wash and a photo listing hide completely. Combined with uneven panel gaps and paint depth, it usually gives a clear picture of whether the car has been hit.
Can you inspect a car that is at a dealership across town?
The car has to come to us so we can get it on the lift, but most sellers will allow a test drive to a nearby shop. Call us with the details and we will make time for it.
Tell us what it is doing
We will call you back with what it most likely is and what it takes to find out for certain. If it is faster to talk now, the number is right there.
(313) 253-030020142 W Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48228. Closed Sunday.
Related work
Brake Repair
Squeal, grind, or a pedal that sinks. Brakes are the one thing we will always look at the same day.
Suspension & Steering
Detroit roads eat struts, ball joints and control arm bushings. Clunks and uneven tyre wear start here.
Check Engine Light
A code tells you which circuit reported a problem, not which part failed. We test the difference.
Who we do this for
Pre-Purchase Inspection for drivers across west Detroit and the communities on our side of the city line.
Need pre-purchase inspection in Detroit?
Call and describe the symptom. We will tell you what it usually means and what it takes to be sure.