Pre-Purchase Inspection
The cheapest repair is the one you decline to buy. Before you hand money to a private seller or a lot, bring the vehicle here and we will go over it the way we would for someone who already owns it. You get what we found in writing. What you do with it is up to you, and we have no stake in the sale either way.
What we look at
On the lift and off it: brakes and tires, including how much life is actually left and whether the wear is even. Fluid condition and leaks, engine and transmission. Cooling system, belts, and hoses. Suspension, steering, and the parts that decide whether an alignment will hold. Battery and charging. Lights and the obvious safety items. We scan for stored and pending fault codes, which catches a warning light that was cleared shortly before you arrived. Then we drive it, because a car tells you more in ten minutes of driving than in an hour of standing still.
What an inspection cannot tell you
It is an inspection, not a teardown and not a guarantee. We cannot see inside a sealed transmission, predict the month a water pump will fail, or find a fault the car only shows after two hours at freeway speed. We do not assess body or frame damage. What we can tell you is what is wrong today, what is close to needing attention, and which of those are cheap and which are not. That is usually enough to decide.
Cars that sat, and cars that came from somewhere colder
Two things worth knowing about used vehicles in this valley. A car that sat through desert summers has aged in ways the odometer does not show: dried and cracked rubber, a weak battery, flat-spotted or heat-checked tires, brake surfaces filmed with rust, and rodent damage in the engine bay. A car that spent its life where roads get salted can carry corrosion underneath that looks nothing like what desert cars show. Both are visible on a lift, and both are worth knowing before you buy.
How to set it up
Call and schedule it, and arrange with the seller for the vehicle to be here for a couple of hours. Private sellers are usually fine with it, and a seller who refuses has told you something useful for free. Dealers vary, so ask before you fall in love with the car. Bring the listing or the VIN if you have it.
What's included
- Brake and tire condition, with life remaining
- Fluid condition and leak inspection
- Cooling system, belts, and hoses
- Suspension and steering inspection
- Battery and charging system test
- Scan for stored and pending fault codes
- Road test
- Written findings you can take to the seller
Pre-Purchase Inspection: questions we get asked
Family-owned since 1981
AAA Approved Auto Repair
12-month / 12,000-mile warranty on qualifying work
32125 Arbol Real, Thousand Palms, CA 92276
Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
Related repairs
Other services at the shop
Where we serve
We serve drivers across the Coachella Valley: