Portland OnSite Used Car Pre-Purchase Inspection Service

Portland's ORIGINAL modern used car inspection company. Since 2006 proper Master ASE Certified Technicians performing real inspections. The most technologically advanced used car inspection anywhere

PDXinspections Blog Posts

Here is a collection of things we see, our opinions and our thoughts in general.

Portland's most advanced pre-purchase used car inspection service

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Just an example how PDXinspections uses technology to spot things that others cannot during our pre-purchase used car inspection. We use our infrared camera on every inspection to test and actually be able to show our clients that the heated seats, rear defroster, heated windshield, heated steering wheel, A/C performance, dual climate operation and anything that gives off a heat signature.

Backstory behind this video:
I being the car guy was asked to take a look at one of our firefighters vehicles. She just recently purchased a 1989 Jeep Cherokee and was complaining of her battery repeatedly going dead and having to jump start the vehicle. I put the Jeep on a charger for about 30 minutes and went to go test the battery and noticed that there was an electrical draw on the system. I went out to grab my amp-meter to check for a draw and decided to grab my infrared camera as well. I figured if there’s and electrical draw there has to be heat! Because the vehicle was cold from sitting in the shop on the charger for 30 minutes I figured I could see the draw instead of hooking up my amp-meter and going through the long drawn out process of diagnosing an electrical draw. About 5 seconds after looking into the cab of the Cherokee I found the issue. This Jeep has power seats that stay energized even with the key out of the car instead of via a switched ignition circuit. Sure enough the drivers seat adjuster switch was glowing and I noticed that over the years the button had become grimy and it was stuck in the down position after she likely brushed it when exiting the vehicle.

Help us fight for Aurora in 2016!

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Josh Lawson is trying to make "CF" stand for "Cure Found!" Visit Josh's 8th Annual Portland Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge taking place on Sunday, September 25th 2016!

2016 CF Climb for Aurora Donation page

Thank you to all who donated in 2013, 2014 and 2015! You guys are absolutely amazing with hearts of gold! With your help over the years we've raised nearly $7000 to benefit CF and have been in the top 10 benefactors for both the 2014 and 2015 Portland Firefighter Stairclimbs. The CF Foundation raised $200,000 at the 2014 event alone!

2013: Completed the climb in 12:04, on almost 4500psi of air and we raised $1310 to benefit CF

2014: Completed the climb in 10:51, on 2750 psi of air and we raised $3700 to benefit CF

2015: Completed the climb in 11:28, and we raised $1905 to benefit CF

US Bank Corp Tower

Look for the 2014 video to come!

Climb for CF 2014

Donor
Amount
Notes
Date
Jurrens Family Foundation
$1,000.00
Sep 26
Kristen Lawson
$25.00
Sep 22
Jamie Denley
$50.00
Sep 21
Jennifer Denley
$50.00
Sep 21
Coral Denley
$25.00
Thank you so much Josh!
Sep 21
Brad Lawson
$100.00
Sep 20
Terra McCracken
$50.00
Sep 19
Amy Thennes
$10.00
Sep 18
Lynn Stone
$25.00
Sep 18
Wayne Love
$500.00
Josh, thank you again for participating in the Portland
Firefighters Stairclimb Challenge on behalf of our granddaughter Aurora.
Sep 18
Beth Card
$100.00
Gooooo Josh!!!
Sep 18
Andrea Hopkins
$25.00
Sep 17
Yohei Ota
$100.00
Sep 17
Jennifer Justman
$25.00
Thank you for doing this, Josh, I only wish we could donate more!
Sep 17
Imogene Trembowicz
$50.00
Sep 17
Heather Lethbridge
$50.00
Sep 17
Hazel Philbrook
$25.00
Thank you Josh
Sep 14
Linda Moczkowski
$100.00
We are so proud of what you are doing!
Sep 14
Susan Lawson
$50.00
Sep 13
LaDona May
$500.00
Thank you, Josh, from the bottom of my heart. Wayne is my brother,
and since we lost a brother to this disease in the '70s, this is very personal.
Thank you for what you are doing not only for Rory but for everyone else who has cf.
I really appreciate you and wish you all the best.
La Dona May
Sep 13
Karen and Bob Moczkowski
$40.00
Sep 13
Kristen Lawson
$50.00
For Rory...
Sep 12
Joshua Love
$250.00
Akrebel69@hotmail.com
Sep 12
Marlene Love
$250.00
Josh thank you so much for sponsoring our Grandaughter again this year!
Sep 10
Sheila Goeth
$50.00
Keep the faith!
Sep 10
Jurrens Family Foundation
$100.00
Apr 23
Joshua and Jandi Love
$100.00
Jan 28

2014 CF Climb for Aurora Donation page

Stair_Climb_2014
Our 2013 Firefighter Star Climb Video - Climbing for Aurora
The climb was difficult but we did make it to the 41st on one bottle of air in 12 minutes and 4 seconds. This was our baseline this next climb quickly approaching on September 21st 2014!
Interesting facts about the video:

  • The iPhone you see mounted to my helmet is my heart rate. It was as high as 128 just standing in line due to the excitement ahead! At the end you'll see 195!
  • At every turn they had photos of CF patients with words of encouragement - this really helped
  • The orange buckets on the landings are exactly what you probably think they are for!
  • When the video slows down the beeping sounds you'll hear starting at floor 36 is my tank on reserve air, you'll really start to see the struggle. If you listen closely a couple of flights later you'll hear my vibe-alert which is my mask vibrating to let me know I'm almost out of air. The amazing thing about the struggle towards the end is the similarities of what it must feel like to be someone with CF and the struggles to breath. I can tell you, this is an emotional moment in the video for me and it really makes me realize how perfect this foundation and event are matched.

Thanks Again to all who donated in 2013: Sue Lawson, Brad Lawson, Sharon Worley, Kris Sal Dana, Joshua and Jandi Love, Washington Companies , Wayne and Marlene Love, Karen Moczkowski, Rachael Deach, Tanya Roust, Kellie Houston, Linda Franklin, Kim Devries, Caroline Haags, Nic Lawson, Kristen Lawson, Coral Denley, Hazel Philbrook, Phillene McNeill, Darlene Stone, Christina Blair, Leah LaBar, Joanie and Chris Vanderbeek/Moczkowski, Geneva Cantrell, Imogene Trembowicz, and Christy Bryan

 

Aurora's story and more about Cystic Fibrosis

We have a very good friend who is an amazing mom and is raising a child with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Josh, our lead inspector/owner of PDXinspections who is also a firefighter and will be climbing 40 floors of the US Bank Corp tower in Portland, OR on September 22nd, 2014 in full turnout gear while on air from a SCBA to help raise money for Cystic Fibrosis in Aurora's name.

304122_3672249144530_1912576990_n-1It's been a long journey for Rory, and we can only hope the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will give those with CF a fighting chance for as normal as possible life to come...Rory was diagnosed with a bowel obstruction in utero at 36 weeks. This was due to a blockage of meconium, the thick first stools of newborns. This required emergency bowel surgery at 4 hours of life. Rory lost 3/4 of her small bowel and had a jejunostomy until her second surgery at 8 weeks to reconnect her small intestine to her colon. It was when she was two weeks old that we received the news that her tests came back positive for CF. CF is a genetic disease that causes an abnormality of the chloride channels at a cellular level. It's an autosomal recessive condition, meaning both parents have to be carriers of the gene. You have a 25% chance of having a child with CF, 50% chance a child that is a carrier, and 25% chance the child is neither.

PANDA Transport for Rory

What does all this mean for Rory then? Well, CF causes thick secretions, most notable in the lungs and pancreas. Extra thick mucous in the lungs is too difficult to clear, bacteria form and are difficult to eradicate with the assistance of antibiotics and daily nebulizer and chest physiotherapy treatments, designed to help break up mucous an assist in coughing it out of the lungs. The pancreas aids in digestion by releasing enzymes that breakdown fats in the foods we eat. Because the tubules in the pancreas are so small, and the enzymatic fluid is extra thick, little to no enzymes make to the small bowel. In order to digest fats, individuals with CF have to take enzymes by mouth with most foods they eat. Rory's condition is a bit more complicated however. The portion of bowel she had removed includes the entire section that absorbs fats. The remaining 1/3 of her bowel has adapted some to take on the role of the missing sections, much like the brain learns to adapt after a stroke. Because of this and having CF, it is very difficult for her to grow and gain weight. She remains on a feeding tube at night and a strict diet. It's a daily battle just to keep her healthy and growing. She has had many trips to and from home with help from the OHSU PANDA team.

3368_3675956717217_140687339_n

Now we wait, hope, and pray for a cure. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a donor driven, non-profit organization dedicated to attacking cystic fibrosis from every angle. They, through the generous donations, support the development of new drugs to fight the disease, improve the quality of life for those with CF, and ultimately to find a cure. They promote awareness and provide support for CF families. It is largely due to the efforts of this organization that many individuals with CF are now living well into 30's, 40's, and 50's. They fund groundbreaking research in the areas of gene therapy, creating new drugs that will fight the disease at a cellular level and bringing us one step closer to a cure. The CFF is adding tomorrows every day. Thank you to all who have donated in 2013, it means the world to those who need it.

Finding a quality used car to buy on craigslist can come with its challenges

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This was being advertised as a clean title.

While Craigslist has plenty of great cars, it’s also full of hidden disasters.

That’s why every one of our inspections comes with thorough upfront research, no surprises. On average, we refund at least one inspection per week because our research alone uncovers issues serious enough that the client decides not to proceed.

Here’s an example: A client asked us to inspect a “Clean Title” 2008 Honda Fit. They gave us the real VIN (not the fake one in the ad). Within minutes we discovered the car wasn’t clean-title at all — it was a rebuilt salvage vehicle. The seller had deliberately swapped VINs in the listing to hide the truth.

Take a look at the proof in the photos below.

Craigslist Ad
Fit

This Honda Fit was being advertised as a clean title car

Always get the car inspected, its cheap insurance to make sure you don't end up falling for a car like this!

CarMax doesn't welcome onsite pre-purchase inspections in Portland Oregon

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CarMax is now in the Portland and Vancouver Washington Markets. We hope this will be a good thing for the Portland/Vancouver used car market.

Just as we recommend with any dealership we always recommend you go in well informed. There is much to be found on the internet that suggests CarMax like Carfax (everybody has heard of these companies) invests a lot into marketing and advertising and not all of their claims pertaining to inspections, certifications and guarantees are entirely accurate. You can Google carmax inspection complains. When spending a lot of money on a used vehicle you need to protect yourself and the best way to do so is to have the car independently inspected. We always recommend doing this prior to getting to potentially becoming emotionally attached to the vehicle or before making an offer in case we find issues that the dealer may be willing to address prior to your purchase. CarMax advertises that they perform an in depth 125 point inspection on their vehicles. Looking at their inspection, in our opinion appears to be pretty quick and basic when considering these are modern vehicles.

We’ve been told by many of our customers that CarMax will not allow mechanics to come onto their property to perform the inspection. There is no reasonable excuse for this. Since 2007 we have been welcomed by all of the reputable dealers throughout Portland. Portland dealers typically appreciate the fact they don't have to have the vehicle leave their lots for an inspection. We've been told by many that they will not allow their vehicles to leave, because to often they end up at a competing dealer or shop and receive an in-accurate or potentially biased (trying to up sell products/services) assessment causing confusion to the buyer. We are completely objective and unbiased, we only report the facts and best of all the dealer doesn't have the liability of having the vehicle leave their lot. CarMax states that all of their vehicles have already been inspected and push their customers to buy the car and then bring it back if they're not satisfied. They advertise that they will allow the buyer to return the vehicle within 5 days. Typically we recommend having it inspection prior to going through the hassles of buying the car, credit reports, paperwork, time etc. but if this truly their policy, it’s still very important to have it inspected immediately at the beginning of your 5 day window.

We’ve done several inspections on CarMax vehicles that the buyers had us come to them within their 5 day return window. A majority of these vehicles had had accident repairs/paintwork that the buyers were not aware of. This paint/repair work didn’t show up in CarMax’s inspection nor on the Carfax they supplied with the vehicles. This isn’t uncommon with many vehicles we inspect at dealerships, however we were surprised by our initial experience with the quality of CarMax vehicle inspections.

There are several websites and stories about the quality of CarMax’s own inspections including 20/20.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1YQkysD15g - 20/20 video
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/carmax.html
http://carconsumers.org/carmax.htm
http://www.truthaboutcarmax.com

There is nothing better than having the peace of mind of having an in-depth, independent unbiased inspection performed on a vehicle you're strongly considering buying. We come to you and perform the inspection at your home or place of business at your convenience and hopefully give you the confidence or knowledge of pending issues or previous paintwork or accidents that may alter your decision to keep the vehicle or take it back while you're still within their 5 day return window.

Compare our inspection options

PDXinspections takes used car inspections to the next level in Portland. New cars, new equipment, same great customer service!

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New Prius 2

Thanks to our past satisfied clients and our continued commitment to becoming the most innovative used car inspection service, we've heavily invested into the future of our company!

We're here to stay and we've officially built a new and improved second Prius. Most probably think our Prius's are nothing but vehicles that get us around the Portland and Vancouver areas inspecting used vehicles but our Prius's are much more! They are strategically equipped with various technologies and inspection equipment, and after about 80-100 hours of labor our new car is officially ready to get out and start inspecting! Our first Prius has been extremely reliable and has worked out very well for our service. We've taken our winning strategy for our complete lean green inspection machine and built the inside of the new car around some of the things we learned with our first vehicle. Look forward to even greater things to come from PDXinspections in the future!

Flood vehicles... Stay far away!

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We had an interesting phone call last week followed by some email conversations with a buyer looking to buy a Salvaged 2010 Cadillac Escalade from a less than reputable dealer here in the Portland market. This particular Escalade was flood damaged. Despite our warnings about the dealer, our past experiences with them and their negative online reviews the buyer was still considering the inspection and purchase.

When most people think about flood vehicles, I think they think about the cosmetic factor of the interiors getting wet and then dried out. What most don't realize is that a modern vehicle is a rolling network of very expensive modules (computers). In an Escalades case there are over 30 of these modules everywhere from under each seat, each door and in places you wouldn't even imagine. Although the seller may tell you it was "minor" and it may even look and smell fine this is a ridiculously risky purchase. In this case a $30K purchase. All may appear be ok today but the types of failures, issues and abnormalities you may experience in the future will not only be extremely expensive, but very difficult for any technician to correctly diagnose. Something like a seat module acting up could completely take down the vehicles network or cause the engine to stall, ABS to activate while driving on the highway, render the airbags useless, window to roll down when you hit the horn, etc... After explaining this, the buyer emailed back to ask if GM would warranty it. Most don't think about this but the answer is absolutely not. A manufactures warranty is in place to cover "manufacturing defects" not acts of nature, accidents, modifications, etc. Edmunds did a great write up on what voids a manufactures warranty - http://www.edmunds.com/auto-warranty/what-voids-your-vehicles-warranty.html

Again, don't fall the attractive price, it's just not worth the risk. Sometime in the future when you're done pulling your hair out, throwing money at it and want to get rid of the vehicle, you're going to lose out on the resell value even worse than you feel you gained on the initial purchase price.

Stick with clean title vehicles, go in cautiously and be sure to have them inspected!

flood escalade