Site icon Portland OnSite Used Car Pre-Purchase Inspection Service

Bronze/Budget onsite inspection designed for older, lower priced, higher mileage used vehicles

*The Bronze inspection is not acceptable for Salvage/Reconstructed vehicles or for those considering purchasing the vehicle from a distance/sight unseen/out of state. These situations require our Platinum Inspection.

This inspection was primarily designed with the older (typically mid 1980′s to 1999)/high mileage or budget vehicle in mind with mechanical and safety condition taking precedence. As used cars age they develop used car issues, may need maintenance, and some TLC. For those who understand this and are comfortable with the vehicles driving characteristics we offer you our Bronze/Budget inspection.

Our Bronze inspection is designed for those who don’t need the extreme detail we’ve known to provide over the years in our complete Platinum Inspection rather only confirmation that the vehicle doesn’t have major mechanical issues or has been in an accident. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to inspect a $10K-$40K+ vehicle the same way we would a $5K vehicle as even good cars can sometimes look bad once you have 5 pages of notes describing all of its flaws. We realize most of these buyers may only be concerned about reliable basic transportation vs. a full blown evaluation making sure every accessory, light and function is working as designed. This more affordable inspection covers all the major mechanical and safety check points:

Included With Every Inspection

Vehicle history information

When available including ownership information/title information/crash/damage records

Service records

When available – these are the same records that are available to companies such as Carfax

Infrared Head Gasket/Exhaust Testing

Using an exhaust gas analyzer to test for potential internally failing head gaskets or mechanical engine performance issues by monitoring the exhaust stream

Computer/module scan/analysis

DEQ (emissions) readiness testing including a general scan of the engine control module (depending on age) to verify emissions readiness tests and/or use of an exhaust gas analyzer to determine whether or not the vehicle will pass the Oregon DMV/DEQ requirements required to register the vehicle in Oregon. Depending on the age of the vehicle we can report if/when there have been any recent computer resets, engine misfires, pending issues, past issues, perform cylinder balance tests and more.

Accident/paintwork reporting

We measure all exterior metal body panels to determine if the vehicle has been repainted and to determine whether it was due a simple cosmetic repair or an accident requiring extensive body work

The five processes above are what we consider the most important aspects of a complete pre-purchase inspection. No other inspection choice provides the thoroughness of the inspection itself and all the information necessary to make an informed decision like PDXinspections.
  • General mechanical evaluation checking for noises, leaks and any under hood abnormalities. Citing possible needed maintenance based on the vehicles service intervals.
  • Basic safety inspection: Test and verify seat belt operation, a quick scan of the airbag system to verify the it is free of tampering and appears to be working as designed, checking brake lamps, turn signals, headlamps and horn operation.
  • Noting general tire condition checking for matching tires, old, defective, or damaged tires while classifying tires into a newer, average or needing tires based on the tread depth remaining.
  • Measuring basic brake pad remaining on axles equipped with disc brakes when easily visible through wheels.
  • Your PDXinspections pre-purchase inspection report (.pdf) is emailed to you directly from the inspection itself within minutes of completion. Your inspection report is easily read/printed using your computer, smart phone, iPhone/iPad or any other mobile device capable of reading PDF’s. They are easily read and understood, written in laypersons terms with items of importance highlighted.

This is a very basic mechanical and safety check similar to other mobile options and some independent shops are advertising. Taking about only 45 minutes it is still more advanced than most inspections considering the importance of the tools used: an electronic paint meter, scan tool for checking the engine control module, and an exhaust gas analyzer.

The Bronze inspection is not an extremely detailed inspection and does not check all components of the vehicle: The suspension and underbody/frame are not completely inspected (the vehicle is not lifted); none of the vehicles electronics such as interior accessories or exterior accessories are tested in this inspection. This inspection is for those buying an older/high mileage/budget vehicle and who understand they may have used car “issues” and is really concerned about the major mechanical condition of the vehicle. We do not test drive the vehicle with this inspection so it is crucial for you to feel comfortable with the vehicles operation and driving characteristics prior to purchase.

*This is not an acceptable inspection for Salvage/Reconstructed vehicles or for those considering purchasing the vehicle from a distance/sight unseen/out of state. These situations require our Platinum Inspection.

We perform on-site inspections wherever the vehicle sits throughout the day whether that be at a dealership, private sellers home or workplace (whatever is most convenient for the seller)

Ready to book your Bronze inspection?

Step 1 – Check our Availability

Nothing from Sunday, May 5th to Saturday, May 18th.

Scheduling Frequently Asked Questions

Hours
Please refer to our days availability above. On the days we’re performing inspections we’re typically available to start inspections from sunrise to about 3:00PM. We are not currently performing inspections over the weekend.
 
How do I pick an inspection time?
Our availability above is only to show whether we’re available to perform inspections on a given day, we always contact the seller (typically on the morning of the inspection) to arrange the actual appointment (our 30 minute arrival window) after payment is made. We can attempt to accommodate sellers requests when specified in the order (early inspections are easiest for us to do so).
 
Do I need to be present for the inspection
No, you’re not required to be present for the inspection. Assuming you’re local, we always recommend you first viewing the vehicle in person prior to booking an inspection. We strongly recommend avoiding having the vehicle inspected and planning on immediately purchasing it following the inspection in the same trip. This doesn’t allow appropriate time to properly digest and consider our findings from the inspection and make an educated decision.
 
Do you have any backup same day availability?
We typically fill our schedule days in advance so while it is rare that we can accommodate same day inspections, we do sometimes have changes to our schedule (canceled inspections, running ahead of schedule, etc) that allow us to sometimes fit your inspection in. There is an additional $20 charge for “Same Day” inspections so please book at latest the night prior by 9pm to avoid these additional costs. If you need to check our same day/backup availability, please first check our availability calendar above to ensure there is an entry for todays date. If there is an entry for today feel free to email us with the Year/Model and location of vehicle to check our availability while we’re out in the field. If there is no entry to todays date, a same day inspection is not an option, please refer to the next day as displayed.
Step 2 – Bronze Inspection Cost Calculator
Step 3 – Once you have calculated the total inspection cost from the calculator above please checkout here

***PLEASE NOTE: You must use the correct value from the completed calculator above in order to prevent delays.***

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