If you’re looking to buy a used car and don’t have the cash for certified pre-owned, don’t fret. That’s because you could always pay a bit for a pre-purchase inspection of a used vehicle.
The TikTok account for the auto shop Concept 3 Performance (@concept3performance) detailed why pre-purchase inspections are so important. In fact, the auto tech says that they’re absolutely vital for someone who doesn’t really “know about cars.”
His viral clip on the subject has garnered over 191,000 views. In it, he inspects a used vehicle and commenters were shocked by what he found.
Pre-purchase inspection
“This is common sense 101. For example, this person is about to buy this vehicle. But he came to us to a get a pre-purchase inspection,” he begins. “Please, anytime you buy a used car, do a pre-purchase inspection.”
He urges folks to bring their cars to him and then goes on to list his process. First, he searches the car’s VIN to look up its vehicle history, showing the car he’s inspecting is a used 2007 Honda Accord. He sees that in 2006 the car was purchased but in 2007 after just 11,000 miles, the brakes were resurfaced. Which means that whoever was driving it, was going a little too hard.
The original owner kept the car until 2012, the tech found. As he looked through the car’s history further, he noticed that the engine mounts had been replaced at 174,000 miles. As he went down the list, he noticed that the car had 227,000 miles. However, he quickly backtracked, stating that he wasn’t entirely sure of its actual mileage.
How many miles?
@concept3performance Common sense 101 pt.1 – – – #mazdaspeed #nation #car #jdmnation #honda #rotor #japan #club #rotarypower #nsx #stancenation #rb #gt #nismo #miata #jdmdaily #subaru #wankel #silvia #a #racing #mx #carsofinstagram #mk #supramk #boost #jdmsociety #toyotasupra #fdrx #driftcar ♬ original sound – Concept 3 Performance
At this point in the video, he goes to the vehicle to check its odometer, which displays a vastly different number: 105,000.
The auto tech sighs, “This is what you call a rollback car. So there’s different ways to actually roll back mileage. I’m just telling you the facts. I’m not telling you how to do it.”
He continues, “People are taking clusters from used vehicles and swapping the clusters over. Or taking the car to someone that can hack the cluster and change the miles in the cluster.”
He points to the used Honda that entered his shop. “Someone did this to it, and it rolled itself back…122,114 miles. Reason why someone wants to do something like that is also to get the value higher,” he says. “When you try to sell a used vehicle and it has 230,000 miles. You ain’t gonna get it. But at 105,000 you can get double the cost.”
The tech begins to inspect the exterior of the car. Second, “you look around the vehicle and see what’s going on with the paint. And stuff like that, make sure everything is in sturdy condition. Another thing I also like to look for is on the glass. Making sure if it’s original glass or if this is aftermarket. For example this one, aftermarket.”
More inspection work
“Another thing I like to do is…” he says, walking to the hood of the car. He opens it and slams it down. “Everything can close. Just in the random jambs, run your finger through it. If you have a consistency of the same gap-ness, the car is straight. This one feels different right here.”
He touches the left side of the car’s hood, running his finger down it. On the opposite side of the hood, he notices an inconsistency in the gap line. “You go from tight…and it opens up.” Using his finger, he highlights a difference in the gap lines of the hood. “Something happened on this fender,” he states.
Continuing his exterior pre-purchase inspection on the vehicle in a follow-up video, he goes on to find key indicators the car’s been in an accident. Or that it was hit multiple times in different areas of the car.
@concept3performance Common sense 101 pt.2 – – – #mazdaspeed #nation #car #jdmnation #honda #rotor #japan #club #rotarypower #nsx #stancenation #rb #gt #nismo #miata #jdmdaily #subaru #wankel #silvia #a #racing #mx #carsofinstagram #mk #supramk #boost #jdmsociety #toyotasupra #fdrx #driftcar ♬ original sound – Concept 3 Performance
The tech also encourages folks to look for “overspray.” Aka, leftover remnants of a paint job that spills onto other parts of the vehicle.
He also noticed that the car had an “aftermarket Chinese fender” installed. Additionally, he says you can always tell a hood has been repainted if you look at the bolts that hold it in place. If the bolts have different colors, that’s a telltale sign as well.
Moreover, he can tell the front end of the vehicle has been in an accident because of differences in clips. Some of the plastic fasteners under the hood are different colors. And one of the clips wasn’t even a clip, but a metal bolt. Also, on the right side of the vehicle, the fender was silver. The left side, which sustained damage, featured a black, aftermarket fender.
New vs. used
Tons of financial analysts will tell you to never buy a new car. The depreciation rates are much too high. That’s because the value of the vehicle drops significantly right after you drive it off the lot.
However, new cars almost always come with shiny new warranties. And you know that there’s a certain number of mileage, or years, that most of the car’s components are covered by.
And, if you happen to buy a lemon, there are laws put in place that help people recoup the money they’ve lost. Additionally, auto manufacturers do have buy-back programs. These help afflicted customers sell their faulty vehicles back and not lose any cash.
Some auto manufacturers also offer certified pre-owned inspected vehicles. Lexus, for instance, has a multi-point inspection system appended to these certified used cars. They also come with warranties as well. However, certified pre-owned vehicles tend to come with a higher price tag than non-certified ones.
TikTokers weigh in
Commenters who saw the tech’s clip were stunned by what he found. “Isn’t illegal to rollback? or does the seller have to inform to the buyer about a new cluster?” one asked.
Someone else said that additionally, folks can tell a car’s actual mileage through its ECM. “Aside from cluster mileage displayed, a scan tool can also display mileage through the ECM… I’ve seen that on Euro cars… Nonetheless, this is wild, lol,” they said.
Another person said tat they wouldn’t mind buying a high-mileage vehicle. As long as it’s not American or European-made. “A Honda and Toyota with high mileage doesn’t sound bad Should be concerned if it’s a America or European car with high mileage,” they shared.
Update 1:07pm CT, Nov. 4: Concept 3 Performance told the Daily Dot, “The response of our videos are usually 90 positives, we do get few haters, and of course keyboard warriors that think they know eerything… Damn youtube mechanics. As the importance of pre purchase it’s a necessary thing to do, especially for folks that don’t know many things about automobiles. And for the shop labor for a pre inspection charge is $50.00.”
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
