Used Vehicle Inspections - Inspecting the Body

The main things to look for in vehicle inspections are collision and care. How well the car body was cared for and are there indications that the car was in a collision.

Consider the general appearance of the car. People who care for their vehicle properly care for the obvious things first; this indicates how well the entire vehicle was cared for. Record any defects you find. After inspecting five cars you won’t even remember what color your own car is.

Look for windshield dings and cracks, worn out wiper blades, mismatched or missing wheel covers, fender damage and dents, cracked headlight or tail light lenses and damaged mirrors. Later on you can use these to negotiate a lower price or get the dealer to repair them.

Look for corrosion and collision. Both are bad. Corrosion never heals itself; it only corrodes more with time. The problem with collision is you have no idea how well the repair was made. Sometimes the repair shop cuts corners on the quality; sometimes it is the previous owner. You should avoid a car that has obviously been involved in a major collision. The potential future problems include early corrosion, air conditioning problems and bad tire wear.

Don’t rush through the car body inspection, a small thing undetected now can grow into a major problem later. Look down the side from about 10 feet in front and behind the car for each side. The lines on adjacent panels should be straight. Look in the paint for a smooth reflection. Look especially for ripples. They didn’t make the car with sides like a rippled potato chip.

Look at the color of the paint from near and far and various angles. The color should be uniform and similar in smoothness if it was all painted at the same time (when the car was new). If not it may have a repainted section.

When the car was new, the gaps between body panels were straight and all the gaps were the same size. Check for corrosion. Corrosion only gets worse. If you can see surface corrosion, there is probably much that you can’t see.

Frame parts and many other components that are hidden under the car corrode also. Use a magnet to find body filler. The Magnet won’t be attractive to body filler only metal. The car wasn’t built with any body filler.

As soon as you determine the car has been in a major collision, it’s time to move on to the next car. Sometimes the repair is done with non-OEM substitute parts to save money. In a front end collision the air conditioner condenser can be damaged. It will only work for a while and fail later on, a costly repair. Some front end collisions cause frame damage which will impact the structural integrity of the car and can adversely affect tire wear.

What is the best way to keep from buying a car that has been in a major collision? People don’t volunteer information about collisions involving the car.