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.

Inspection failed in 5 minutes

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Yesterday we were sent out to inspect a 2006 Jetta TDI in Milwaukie at a dealer we've never been to before. This inspection was for an out of state buyer who wasn't interested in the car if it had been in an accident. We started with the paint and sure enough there was plenty of accident repair and bodywork on the car. However most concerning would be the SRS light remaining on. With any vehicle it must come on and then go out 5-7 seconds later with the key switched to the on position. In cases like this we immediately stop the inspection and process a 50% refund to our platinum inspection clients.

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Welcome to the new home of PDXinspections

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As we have grown over the years we quickly outgrew our old website. This new website redesign has been a long time in the making and was well over due.

The new site is still being tweaked daily but we will soon have a much more interactive experience for our users and it should be easier to find the information you need. With this new website and new technology we'll be able to share with you what we see in real time, actually updating our site in the field on the fly! We will be regularly posting fresh content and stories on our site as we do on facebook to ensure everyone gets our latest inspection stories and used car buying information and advice.

Look forward to more exciting news to be announced soon!

Josh - PDXinspections

Prius-Shot

Selling cars illegally is a big deal – why you should be concerned

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for-sale-by-curber

From our used vehicle buying tips page

5) Just because the vehicle is listed for sale by owner doesn't mean the registered owner is actually selling the vehicle.  There's a good chance it isn't the owner selling the vehicle rather "Curbers" or often referred to a Curbstoner or Curbstoning. Some people flip cars here in there but more so, a "Curber" is someone other than a registered owner or licensed dealer selling the car.  This is highly illegal and those who get caught face fines from the DMV from $2500-$5000 per vehicle.

Why should you care?
a) For starters, they're not a dealer there is absolutely no accountability if and when you have issues registering your new vehicle.
b) They likely know nothing about the vehicle they are selling and I guarantee they probably don't care. These may be the most impersonal people you will deal with, they will likely tell you what you want to hear or hopefully they are honest and they will let you know when they don't know about the history. It's usually all about money with these sellers and most have no conscience. There are plenty who buy cheap junk and resell quickly/cheaply. Ask yourself this: If the vehicle caught your attention at their asking price, why were they able to buy it so much cheaper to turn for a profit?
c) Most importantly they are already lying to you claiming to be the owner... What else are they hiding? Where did the get the car from and why was it sold? Maintenance or service history?

Kerry Tomlinson of KATU Problem Solvers here in Portland does a great job of reporting these stories
1st story of a guy selling a odometer rollback truck as a "Curber" http://www.katu.com/home/video/108354209.html
2nd story involving the same guy now a licensed dealer not following the DMV rules that govern all dealers and still using the trickery you'll read below. http://www.katu.com/home/video/117463379.html 

So how do you catch them?  Again back to step one, use Google and also search Craigslist for the phone number. If you see multiple vehicles for the same phone number of a seller who is claiming to be an owner? Guess what....You've found a Curber. I can guarantee this is the case for 1 or more vehicles you've already been looking at, Yes it's that common!  Another dead give away is when they attempt to fool you by listing their phone number in a photo rather than the ad text (so Craigslist and search engines can't index it) or using different formats with spaces such as 5 0 3 - 7 8 9 - 0 1 6 8;  replacing the zeros with O's; spelling out numbers (5O3)-7 eight 9 O16eight, or a combo of all the above. If someone goes through the hassles of doing this they are 99.7% positive not the registered owner of the vehicle...

OregonLive article – http://www.oregonlive.com/happy-valley/index.ssf/2011/03/happy_valley_man_nicholas_butkovich_accused_of_selling_cars_without_a_license.html

KATU News also did two stories on him – http://www.katu.com/news/problemsolver/95882224.html
http://www.katu.com/news/problemsolver/95882224.html?tab=video
http://clackamas.katu.com/content/man-sought-connection-illegal-car-sales

Pay attention out there.

For more used car buying tips visit our used vehicle buying tips page

Cooling system leaks, we'll find them but would other inspections?

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As your engine warms up, the pressure in the cooling system increases. It isn't uncommon to have a cooling system only leak when the engine is hot. We pressure test cooling systems when appropriate to verify there are no cooling system leaks cold or hot.

Here's one that would have may been overlooked by most independent/dealer used vehicle inspections as they don't typically pressurize the cooling systems as part of their standard inspections.

Cooling system leak on a Jeep Wrangler