Used Vehicle Inspection – Body Inspection

The main things to consider when inspecting a car body are collisions and care. How well the car body was cared for and are there indications that the car was in a collision.

Consider the overall appearance of the car. People who take proper care of their car worry about the obvious things first; this indicates how well the entire car 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 dings and cracks in the windshield, worn wiper blades, missing or mismatched wheel covers, damage and dents in the fenders, cracked headlights or taillight lenses, and damaged mirrors. Later, you can use them to negotiate a lower price or have the dealer repair them.

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

Don’t rush into your body inspection, a little thing that goes undetected now can turn into a major problem later. Look to the side from about 10 feet in front of and behind the car on either side. Adjacent panel lines must be straight. Look in the paint for a soft reflection. Look especially for waves. They didn’t make the car with sides like a wavy potato Used Car inspection & Mechanic Seattle.

Look at the paint color from near and far and from various angles. The color should be uniform and similar in smoothness if everything was painted at the same time (when the car was new). Otherwise you may have a repainted section.

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

The parts of the frame and many other components that are hidden under the car also corrode. Use a magnet to find putty. The magnet will not be attractive for metal-only body filler. The car was not built with body filler.

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