Getting a Pre Purchase Inspection Saved This Customer From Buying a Wrecked Car! 

We all need a good mechanic like this guy. I like to see honest people that take pride in their work.

The "body shop" that fixed the collision damage was a real hack shop.

I saw the orange peel as soon as you put the camera on it. My truck I drive I bought from a used car lot. The truck was 5 years old when I bought it in 2019 and it had around 43K miles on it. It was honestly driven by a lady that didn't use it much. It came out of Texas as a 1 owner but had a "rebuilt' title. The car lot was very honest about what had happened to the truck and had pictures of the damage to the truck before it went to the body shop. It wound up that this truck was the unfortunate recipient of like an 80-90 mph wind storm that pelted the truck with anything that wasn't bolted down. It blew the passenger right rear door window out (crew cab truck), did a lot of body damage on the right side, destroyed the windshield and grill and a few other things...basically cosmetic damage. After that I went back out and looked the truck over really good and found no frame damage and had no panel alignment issues. The paint actually looked really good where they resprayed it after the bodywork was done. I don't have an issue with a damaged vehicle if the owner or car lot is up front about what happened and the repairs were quality repairs, not a hack job like the car you inspected. I now have 120K miles on the truck, trouble free miles and still going strong.

When i go for a used car i have a two page checklist and spend an hour crawling all around before even firing it up. Saw several work orange peel, paint runs, over spray. Never ever go on rainy days, you cannot see imperfections. Always go first thing in the morning to ensure an overnight cold start.

This man just got a sub from me. He didn’t give a fuck and exposed these idiots. Like he said if you’re proud of your work you wont mind him showing your work off

I printed a certified checklist from a Ford Dealer and go thru each line if I buy a car. Even if you know cars you can miss something.

This is the best pre purchase inspection I have ever seen. You a great mechanic .

Just because I live in a hurricane state, always pull the seat belt all the way out of the roller and check for water marks.

"I'm going to my proving grounds over in Mexico here". Funny!

I'm glad you saved these people from this nightmare

Always have a good shop do a pre inspection! I've done this for many vehicles and most people don't know that you have this right before buying any vehicle. Great video!

I am not well versed in body repair so what you showed me was eye opening. It is amazing what you can see with a trained eye. Agreed, do a PRE purchase inspection of any used vehicle. Some dealerships will give you a 7 day return period to return the car if you are more comfortable doing that but otherwise don't take a chance on a used vehicle.

Mr. K you provide sold advice for folks regarding their vehicles. That makes you a good man in my books. Keep wrenching

Once again you have given a great lesson on how to avoid a financial disaster when buying a vehicle. Very good idea to also have a scanner with you when looking at a potential vehicle purchase whether private party, or even when buying from a dealer. Pays to check carefully before purchasing, that way we don’t lament after the purchase! Awesome job Kenny, much respect! 👍🏼👏🙏

I owned a brand new Corolla for 4 days before it was struck by lightning in the driveway and completely fried nearly every module in the vehicle. Was totaled out. But that hasn’t steered me away from Toyotas - I upgraded to a RAV4 with the new car replacement and a little cash and I’m happier overall. (Ps- Toyota actually got that 2016 Corolla running again and it’s still out on the road today to my knowledge. Someone got a deal on that car.)

The driver hit a curb while driving after a few too many drinks.. limped it home. Then paid that shop to make it look good enough to trade off (with a clean history since no accident report/insurance claim).

Kenny, One thing I've always done is check the radio station presets. The stations they're set to will tell you a lot about who was driving. Example Rap and Hip Hop verses Country or Rock or easy listening etc. Can tell you if the car was driven fairly easy or run pretty hard. Its not perfect but every bit of information helps paint the bigger picture.

In the winter you'll find that the colder it is outside the better the A/C works, said no one ever.

I would always leave the road test until the last. That way you sometimes don't even have to take it for a drive, and you are less likely to have problems.

In my family we have been purchasing salvaged cars since the 90’s. Some were stolen cars, some were damaged cars. The stolen cars had very little damage. I bought an early 90’s Toyota Tercel (basic hatchback car, stick shift, not even a radio) for $3250, it had 4,000 miles on it, was 4 years old, sat in an insurance company’s lot in Florida (Illinois car) for 2 1/2 years, finally returned to Illinois, sold at auction. It had only minor damage below bumper. My daughter drove it for 2 1/2 years, put 70,000 miles on it, one repair and sold it for $7500. Some rebuilders are good, some are terrible. I’ve bought from both, cars can be very badly repaired. The ones to stay away from are the ones that don’t replace the parts and rebend or straighten them. I bought a car that we couldn’t keep one of the tires from wearing out on one side and axles kept breaking. That 2 or 3 finger spacing could be the same kind of problem. Currently I know a good/honest rebuilder. We bought a 2021 Acura ILX, with 18,000 miles for $15,000. It is loaded and has a 2.4L, 4 cylinder, had a minor hit in the passenger front (saw pictures). Fender and hood were Acura parts, rest were aftermarket. Had it for a month, no issues. Have had some with problems, even a year later were repaired timely at n/c. PS: Why did we buy these cars? Kids in college and these were better than the used cars, prices are much cheaper.

Great video Kenny!! People need to learn from this video and how imperative it is to get a proper pre purchase inspection. Good, thorough informative video; thank you!

Great video Kenny. All used car buyers should watch it.

well done inspection, you are a master at your trade. that is the way an inspection shoud be done. bravo.

Thank you for an easy to understand and thorough explanation of what to look for and what you to expect from a PPI.

Thanks Kenny for some very good inspection tips. I really like your tip about oil changes. I now always do that. Luckily never had a problem refilling.

That is some good work Kenny, very thorough. The label thing was something, even had their name on it. Goes to show, bring a car to a mechanic BEFORE you buy it. Thanks for sharing.

Wow good call I'm glad I watched this video. Thanks Kenny.

I like this video brother Kenny. Everyone considering the purchase of a used vehicle should have this done. It is well worth the time and money to do.

Hey Kenny, Great video! I may have mentioned this in a previous video. Over here in the UK we have a very strict and legally required annual road worthiness test called an MOT. That is basically what you did here. The MOT also checks things like emissions and headlight alignment but that needs specialist equipment. I'm assuming you did this off camera but when you did those tight turn tests I would have done an Emergency stop as well to check it didn't pull to the right or left.

Thank you for showing the way to check out a used car!!

That was a video really worth watching !

Great diagnosis on what looks like a great deal..yet has some issues that the buyer has no idea what has happened to the car. ..but still it's perhaps worth it,,...! Kudos to yoy Kenny for the extensive check-up of this car...!!

Good evening Mr Kenny, hope y'all had a great day. Thank you for the heads up on purchasing a used vehicle. Alot of people just because it's a good deal will just jump straight into buying it without looking.

I'll bet the vehicle tracks crooked. Front tire probably wears funny. I'd still be concerned about witness marks on drivers door since soo many controls in there. Great video and lots of fantastic info. I was looking at buying a used car years ago. My mechanic took to empty church parking lot, got me to drive slowly right next to parking lines and noticed left front tire kept drifting over lines . Maybe alignment issues. Keep 'um coming

Excellent video Kenny!! Thanks for the info.

Good job Kenny that paint job and shoddy work ........Run Forest Run !

Great video, Kenny.

I owned a detail shop for a few years and once you are around vehicles all day you soon get a good eye for things most other people do not see .. Good eye Kenny .. ;)

I remember a few years back I went to look at a Buick Rendezvous. I saw wires from what looked like a home install remote start. I pulled out my bi-directional scan tool. It was unable to communicate with the vehicle. I ran from that dumpster fire.

Thank you. Great information

Their are a lot of cars like that in the Raleigh area is a very common problem great job checking it out I agree that wheel is kicked back a lot with a replacement strut their is frame damage run run

Good luck getting an alignment on that one ! great video

I learned a few new things to look for. Good info.

So glad you showed the body shop name. Bad work is way too common nowadays ! Bet thy got big bucks from the Insurance company. This potential owner was smart to have it looked at but they easily could have saw all the stickers and other signs.

Great video Kenny.👍👍👍

Great video Kenny. That was really helpful and informative. Keep wrenching. 😮

" OS ( Oh Sh*t ) Handles " Good to know you know the official name for those _inertia assist_ handles Kenny. 😆Every good mechanic does.

Very educational !!! Thanks!

I can't stand CVT transmissions and after driving a mini for six months and currently driving a nissan sentra and replacing one I am firmly convinced that this is the demise of the automotive world. They always feel like they are slipping and the never shift like the good old fashioned ones that I grew up with. Great video Kenny and lots of good info on this one.

Always check under the seat for Kentucky Fried Chicken wrappers . If found this is a leading indication the motor oil has never been changed !

Good video! I got bait switches and screwed over by a used car dealership in Belton,TX despite the misinformation and con artists, the only thing is, I can’t find a mechanic in my area to help me out and my other car was in the shop for several months after Christmas. They care about money and use nepotism to screw over outsiders..

Found a few that were wrecked/repaired......... paint, overspray and one big clue Fresh "CLEAR" headlight assembly on one side, other side is aged and shows it.

Great video!!

Great info.

Great video! Taught me a lot. I subscribed to your channel. I’ve got a 65 fastback mustang

thanks Kenny, I wish I lived closer to you, your a good guy and great mechanic..

Nice video a master class of how to check out a used car it took a while for you to check the space in front between the tire and the wheel well but it’s clear that the damage to the subframe is significant. Most people don’t see any of these things good catch on paint differences, that body shop must be in demand by used car lots they are quick and cheap, bad for them good for you!

Great job. 🎉

Cheers for the walkaround and commentary, Kenny. I'd be curious to know what the customer did with the car after learning the results of your inspection.

Wow, great job!

It's amazing how you can get a vehicle realigned and it's feels great and it's not even close to correct. The 3 finger test l always do and fender height check. Having no accident history report on this one will make many people buy it sight on seen ironically this vehicle was probably probably already been certified for the road.

Great information not only for inspecting the car but for asking an inspection mechanic what they check. I'm glad I found your channel.

Good job, kenny

Lol. When u pulled the parts receipt out of the strut, it gave me a flashback to when i was looking at a used s10 truck like 25 years ago at a shady lot. Overall,.looked fine but i happened to open the glove box and they hadnt thought to take the previous owners accident report out detailing how he wrecked the right front side...

I have seen it before,customer brought in a Dodge Magnum once befote purchase.From an used car dealer that does not fix anything before putting it on the lot.Found loose suspension parts in the front suspension.Customer ended up buying it making them replace what we found.

I would have rejected that paint job all day long! I ran across a 2005 Toyota SR5 that my Bro-In-law that was interested in down in Maryland that was auction bought but then was repaired by it's owner and it was involved in a wreck and so his repairs was so bad that I had a hard time convincing Jimmy just the first 8 minutes into a test drive. I finally told him that he would not be able to keep tires on the damned thing because the cradle had been bent along with the passenger frame had a massive ding into it as well. He looked at me like I was lying to him and he was very pissed off at me like no other! He would not even talk to me all the way back home to PA. I had told him very explicitly that he didn't want to buy it from this ripoff artist at any cost! In my belief I told him that it would probably cost him 8K to try and make things right but that was absolutely no guarantee that it would turn out right to begin with! There were at least 7 tattle tale signs all over that rig that told me the the repairs were botched from square one! I knew something was wrong when I asked Jim to get into a big open parking lot a to do serpentine movement and figure 's and circles! Once he stopped the vehicle, I took out my Bic lighter and check the clearance between the front tires and the and the edge of the fender (with the tires and wheels) straight ahead. Sure as chit, I found the problem in a flash. I then asked Jim for us to go and buy a tape measure so as to check the tracking from center of front to rear (center axle) And sure as chit it was entirely off too! We checked both sides of that SUV! When we got back home, my own Sis was pitching a fit at me for stopping Jimmer from buying that POS!!! One thing that I can tell you about my bro in-law is that when he makes these kinds of car deals, (time after time after time) he falls face first into these piles and POS's, nearly non-stop!!! Just ask him whether he does oil changes on his Kubota or other lawn equipment and you shall find out that it doesn't get done!!! The first tip off upon an initial inspection is that it had a new grill with that walk around and alarm bells went off immediately, along with other front end parts. So yeah, this should tell anyone to back off immediately and just leave it right where it sits. Once I got underneath the Toyota, I kept finding one thing right after another and this was before we even did the test drive! Initially I didn't spot the hard crease in the passenger side frame but after the test drive I found it big as chit!!!

Thank u so much for the knowledge and advice! I learned a lot. Ur a great mechanic and I wish you were down the street from me haha

great video!

That was great !

Hi Kenny, I saw your video about your wife. Meg never saw your videos before, but out of curiosity, I watched this video about pre purchase inspection. Wow, what an eye opener that was I wish you lived near me because a good honest car guy is so hard to find well since you don't live close by I'm doing the next best thing I am subscribing to your channel 👍 besides I thought it may help you in some way especially with what Meg is going through Thank you for your advice 🛻 🚙 🧰 👍 Prayers to You and Meg🙏 Flowers for Meg 💐💐

Wow, good eye! Wish I were that observant. I feel like Dr. Watson.

Keep up the great work

Thank you for showing the importance of pre-purchase inspection by a non-involved 3rd party.

In 1989-1990, for drivers Ed class, we had to drive in reverse weaving between parking lot islands. I see people combat park all the time and it's like a 3point turn and i just laugh!!!. It's easier to back out than in!

One other thing to think about is even if the impact hard enough to set off the airbags, if the car was parked and turned off, then the air bags likely never went off, and for other modern sensors, such as collision fuel cut off that car may have, possible never triggered if the car fully turned off, and the owner had it towed for repair without attempting to start

Great video, thanks for posting! I learned a lot and feel better prepared for the next time I purchase a car. Cheers

LOL! You said "VIN number! " :D ....it's just "VIN"

I actually like labels being left, it sort of makes bodyshop more honest - they were not trying to hode it, even if it's not their real intention.

This car has to have a R title. There is no way an insurance company paid to fix this car. If it’s not a R title, I would bet it was wrecked, not turned into insurance and half ass fixed. That crinkle you were showing is on the R Apron. That is considered “structural damage” and diminishes the value significantly.

I wonder how this car drives at highway speed. Parts car. Good job saving the buyer trouble.

I am looking at either a new Mazda CX30 or one to two years old. The problem I see is the used car market price is too close to the new car price. I am holding off for now, maybe within a year the used car market prices will come down. It's nice having two older cars to drive while making a big car decision.

I don’t know what level of inspection this was but did you check the following, if cruise control is working and distance control, ABS, lower and upper ball joints, date code on the tyres, if all outside lights working, oil level, air cleaner, brake pads, seeing it had a hit in the front I would’ve checked engine mounts and front rims for runout.

Thanks for the priceless tips😅 Did he ever buy it?

You earned a subscribe.

Drives nice now, after a few miles it wouldn't drive so nice.

The first half of the video I thought you weren’t serious. That’s stuff my wife checks! Then you got serious! Poorly done body repair. Frame repair! That car was totaled and should have a salvage title. Good eye! Great job.

it could have had air bags and been reset did you run it through a carvertical check or similar

That tire to fender clearance is the biggest issue I would have with that car! I too am surprised it didn’t give any indication of pulling to one side while on the test drive?

Really making me miss my 2011 Corolla that got crushed in an EF4 tornado in 2021. Insurance only gave me 4.2k. :(

I’m a big fan! Did you pull the dipstick or pull a spark plug to check for an oil burner?

Saved somebody from real trouble. Looks like it will probably eat that tire pretty quickly.

I would have a friend follow me in his vehicle when I was test driving a used car. Looking for dog tracking or other issues. This one should have been a total. Too bad. Nice car. Good video

Honestly that Corolla is not that bad! Those codes just were not cleared but everything was fixed and slight half inch bend in wheel well isn’t bad if it’s not effecting the drive or wear on axle or tires

I have a friend who wanted new shocks on his car, but I had no time to do it for him. He took it to the cheapest shop he could find and came back with shocks that had a big tag still hanging off the shocks. I said, what kind of lazy tech couldn’t even take the tag off? The whole install was in doubt.

Many years ago, in the mid 1970's I painted cars for a lower tier buy-here-pay-here used car dealer. They would never bid on a wrecked car, and would do no more than 2 hours of cosmetic repairs prior to paint. They never sold a dirty car and if one turned into a turd, it went to the crusher. How things have changed!

In Canada we have a system in place that tells purchasers if the car has been in an accident

Toyota can accept a lot of error in alignment and still drive fine. Likely they, from the damage, sideswiped a Jersey barrier, damage is consistent with clubbing the base of one, pushing front suspension back, and the rest is from the side of the concrete. Yes a thing that should have been disclosed, though the painter who worked it did a poor job, orange peel all over, fisheyes and clearcoated the dust, plus failing to fix the edge damage on A pillar. But matched the colour well, that charcoal colour is actually a really hard paint to match properly, too bad it was applied poorly. Rushed, poor prep of surfaces, and dust in the area. Yes if the price reflects the fact it was damaged, you take it to an actual alignment place (definitely not toe and go) and get that subframe correct, it should give no issues at all, though your range control will absolutely need recaibration, as the aftermarket bumper covers are different to OEM, which get matched at the factory before they get on the line, and this is then programmed into the ECU as it finishes the line.

Can't say about USA, but in Eastern Europe, especially Russia, expert might also look under doorbay rubbers. Why? To see if there are interruptions in welds, which would be an indication that car was assebled from a wrecked car. Like it has a new roof, or back and front parts are from different cars. Also would test the thicknesses of paint and hook up to a computer, as well as look it up on data bases.

Thanks Kenny

Retired attorney. Client's son bought used car from a Big 3 dealer. Many problems. Found odometer roll back 70 k miles. Before carfax. Midas Muffler docs showed actual mileage. Dealer wanted to settle w NDA. Reminded filing suit wd be public and my fees keep running.