Mobile used-car inspections
Buy the car. Not the story.
Before money changes hands, I go to the seller and inspect the car properly: 220+ checks, road test where possible, history review, photos, and a straight buy, negotiate or walk-away verdict.
Don't Risk It. Car Audit It.
Why it matters
A clean advert can still hide a horrible car.
A valet, a fresh MOT and a confident seller do not tell you what is happening underneath. I check the expensive bits, the paperwork, the underside and the story the car is trying not to tell.
Clocked mileage
MOT records, service stamps and wear patterns get checked against the number on the dash.
Hidden write-offs
Cat S and Cat N cars can be patched up well enough to look tidy online. The history and bodywork need to agree.
Rust and repairs
Sills, subframes, brake lines, chassis legs, paint depth and panel gaps all get checked, not guessed.
Outstanding finance
If a finance company still owns the car, it can become your problem after you have paid the seller.
Engine, gearbox, brakes and suspension
Start-up behaviour, leaks, warning lights, road-test feel, noise, braking and suspension condition.
History, MOT, VIN and finance
The visible car and the recorded car have to match. If the paperwork is thin, the report says so.
Photos, readings and a plain verdict
You get a written report you can actually use to negotiate, ask for repairs, or walk away.
Check the seller's postcode.
I usually cover Hertfordshire and Essex. Enter the postcode where the car is parked and I will flag edge-of-area jobs before you book.
"Someone else is coming to see it later" is pressure, not proof. If a seller will not allow an independent inspection, that is useful information on its own.
Database plus hands-on inspection
An HPI check reads a database. I read the car.
A database can show finance, write-off and stolen markers. It cannot hear a rattly timing chain, feel a weak clutch, spot filler under paint, or tell you whether the seller's story stacks up against the car in front of me.
Report example
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 is 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.
11 inspection areas, over 220 points examined
Want to see the real thing? View the full redacted report (PDF)
The workflow
Reg in. Report out. Three steps.
Enter the reg and book
Pay online, tell me where the car is, and I start checking the background before the inspection visit.
I inspect on site
I liaise with the seller, go to the car, work through the full checklist, and road test where possible.
You get the verdict
A written Red Flag Report with photos and a clear buy, negotiate or walk-away answer lands in your inbox within 24 hours.
No bronze-silver-gold nonsense. Every inspection gets the same full audit. What changes is the price band, because what is at stake changes with the car's value.
Who turns up
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.
Customer proof
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 yet.
Booking takes two minutes. I come to the car, wherever it is parked. Report inside 24 hours.
Book an inspection