Don't buy a used car blind.
Here's how it works. Before you give the seller a penny, a mobile pre-purchase car inspection puts a qualified mechanic between you and a bad buy. Ninety-odd minutes working through 220 points by hand, then a straight answer: buy it, knock them down, or run a mile.
Don't Risk It. Car Audit It.
Trusted used car inspections
Independent pre-purchase car inspections across Hertfordshire and Essex. We come to the vehicle, carry out a detailed inspection, and help you avoid expensive mistakes before you buy.
Amazing what a £30 valet can hide.
A gleaming bonnet tells you precisely nothing. Neither does "first to see will buy" comments. The stuff that can cost you thousands lives underneath the car and deep under the bonnet, buried in the history file, or under a quick respray. So that's exactly where I look. Every job, different car, same checks:
Clocked mileage
The odometer says one thing. The MOT history and service stamps say another. Faked mileage happens far more often than you'd think.
Hidden Cat S / Cat N write-offs
Insurance write-offs, patched up and sold on as clean, with the structural damage papered over and the paperwork conveniently left out.
Rust
Years of gritted winter roads quietly eating the sills, subframes and brake lines. You will never spot it from the kerb.
Outstanding finance
If the finance company still owns the car, they can take it back. After you've paid for it. SERIOUSLY.
Three common buying scenarios.
Used-car sellers can move fast. You do not have to. Pick the situation that sounds most like yours and I will help you keep control of the decision.
Get it checked before you leave a deposit.
If the advert looks right and the seller is available, book the inspection before money changes hands. I can contact the seller direct and arrange access.
Book an inspectionPressure is not proof the car is good.
"Someone else is coming later" is not a reason to skip checks. If the seller will not allow an independent inspection, that is useful information.
Ask me firstYou do not need to be there in person.
I inspect at the seller's location, check the paperwork and send you the report. Ideal when the car is in Hertfordshire or Essex and you are not.
Check coverage and bookAn HPI check reads a database. I read the car.
A database will tell you what a computer knows. It won't hear a rattly timing chain, and it won't spot filler under paint. Below is the worksheet I work through on every inspection, top to bottom. No shortcuts. No "looked fine from where I was standing".
And that's not the half of it: Suspension & Steering, Tyres & Wheels, Battery & Charging, Interior & Electrics, Lights & Safety Systems, EV high-voltage checks (where fitted), and a proper road test. See the full list →
Already bought the car? I inspect those too.
A post-purchase inspection documents faults the seller never mentioned, with photos and readings you can use if you need to raise it. Here's a condensed example from a real report.
Taken from a genuine post-purchase inspection. Client details, plates and paperwork have been redacted, and the layout has been condensed for the web. The full report runs to considerably more detail.
11 inspection areas, over 220 points examined
Want to see the real thing? View the full redacted report (PDF)
Reg in. Report out. Three steps.
Enter the reg and book
Pay online, tell me where the car is. I start digging into its history straight away.
I inspect on-site
I drive to the seller, anywhere in Hertfordshire or Essex. 60 to 120 minutes on the car. All 220+ points, plus a proper road test.
Report in your inbox
A written Red Flag Report with photos and a straight buy, negotiate or walk-away verdict. Inside 24 hours.
No bronze-silver-gold nonsense, no cut-down "basic" option lurking at the bottom. Every car gets the full 220+ point audit. Taxes are handled where applicable. One flat price, whatever I'm crawling under.
Meet the Inspector.
Hello, I'm Stu. I've been a mechanic all my working life, and Car Audit puts that experience on the buyer's side rather than the garage's or the dealer's. You're the only one I answer to. Every report is my own design, built from the ground up and filled in by me on the day. It comes with a diagnostics scan explained in plain English and an HPI check, no jargon and nothing glossed over.
Reviews from real customers.
“Stu was great from start to finish. His communication along the way was perfect and in the end he saved me a small fortune. Very trustworthy and I will 100% be using his services again to make any car purchases.”
“Stu was brilliant, gave my car a full check over and a really helpful report of any potential problems that may come up in the future… would 1000% recommend to everyone!”
“…we wish we'd found him before we bought the car — it would have saved us thousands and a lot of stress.”
Found the car? Don't shake hands just yet.
Booking takes two minutes. I come to the car, wherever it's parked. Report inside 24 hours.
Book an inspection