Might have found my go-to PPI provider

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
01/04/2019 at 13:49 • Filed to: None

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Since I am still highly considering the “previously salvaged” title Miata that I looked at, I have decided that if I really want the car then I need to have a thorough PPI performed. This service is a little expensive coming in at $235 versus around $100 for most typical shops. But what they actually provide seems worth the extra $135 for sure. Unfortunately they dont cover where this car is located without an extra fee ($80) but for this case I think I just want to do it. I have booked an appointment so we shall see. The way I look at is that I am paying a $200 premium for this service. Is it worth $200 to feel entirely confident about my purchase? Considering this is a $4400 purchase, it feels kind of silly to spend that much on an inspection but really if something bad turns up I will be glad I did. And even if nothing bad turns up, I will feel much safer driving it to and from work and taking it out on the track knowing that a real thorough inspection was done on the car. Looking at their sample report, I am sure I will be satisfied enough to feel like it was money well spent.

https://autodocsinspections.com/dev/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Sample-Report-1.pdf

There are like 4 pages of detailed stuff like this along with thorough comments at the end and dozens of detailed pictures. I was concerned about how exactly they get a good look under the car being a mobile service but the pictures show the use of ramps and some excellent photos. But just the initial list of stuff on the front page makes me feel pretty good about this and that I would get a real clear picture of what I could be buying.

Here was that list in an actually readable format:

An ASE Certified Master Mechanic (all 8 certifications) with a minimum of 5 years trade experience

A Body and Frame expert with certificate and a minimum of 5 years trade experience

Flood and Fire expertise with course study certificate or trade experience equivalent

All vehicles are test driven and raised to thoroughly inspect the undercarriage

Same day inspections in most cases and same day reports always!

Sonar equipment used on every body panel to detect body filler and repaint

Multi point odometer fraud detection check

Chemical smoker residue test which is exclusive to Auto Doc’s Inspections

Air Conditioning Freon electronic halogen leak detection

Cooling system pressurization leak detection

Oil fluorescent dye with UV light inspection for oil leak source determination

Volt/Amp meters with battery load test and charging system output test capabilities

Computer system Scan Tools

A four page condition report consisting of complete Mechanical, Body and Frame, Exterior, Interior, Vehicle Equipment, Wheel and Tire checks including a full set of photos.

And our exclusive Friend for Life program. Any vehicle purchased that was inspected for you by us, automatically makes you a Friend for Life. If you ever have a question related to that vehicle, just call us and one of our technicians will help you through any situation. Just imagine, your mechanic is telling you that you need a $900.00 repair. Do you really need it? Is that a reasonable price? Call us and we’ll help you through it. It’s like having a mechanic in the family!

DISCUSSION (15)

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/04/2019 at 14:13

$300 for a $4400 car seems steep but $300 for peace of mind seems like a bargain. Just be sure you are willing to do all the DMV title stuff before you do the PPI. I spent like a grand in PPI’s in 2016 so my opinion might be biased haha

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor
01/04/2019 at 14:25

Haha yeah I have all the title stuff sorted at least. The DMV gave me two different answers depending on what day I called but I planned on going to AAA to do everything anyways and they said I had everything that I needed. Either way, the thoroughness of the inspection makes me feel good that it would pass any of the title junk anyways. I am just more concerned that some damage that I couldnt see is present. It is way too much for such a cheap car but it is the title issue that has me wanting to just pay it and sleep easy afterwards. It truly is a super clean car with super low miles, it would be the lowest mileage car I have bought haha.

facw > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/04/2019 at 14:27

That’s a lot nicer looking than the PPI I got for my car:

Kinja'd!!!

In fairness, they were more descriptive over the phone. I do sort of which I had spent the extra money for the compression test (I haven’t had any problems, but even for a relatively cheap car, I think the extra $100 would have been worth the piece of mind).

On the other hand, apparently much of what they told me was wrong (according to two Volvo specialists). Of the things they marked bad:

Drive Belt:

FR tire: This was indeed horrible bald dry-rotted garbage

CV Boot: There was a CV boot leak, but it was the left inner one, not the right inner.

Oil: This was true, but doesn’t seem to be a persistent issue.

Brakes: Rotors will need to go next time the pads are done due to a small lip, but they are fine otherwise, pads were brand new.

Suspension: All shocks/struts are fine

Blower Motor: This is failing. I’m constantly torn by trying to contort myself enough to replace it on my own or just waiting to see if it fails (which could be problematic in Winter). It works fine up to about 60% power, but then starts vibrating horribly.

Alignment: Maybe? I eventually got one done after I got new tires, but I’ve never felt like the car was pulling even slightly. Unfortunately the dealer didn’t show me the measurements from their alignment machine.

On top of that, they missed a number of things. The good news is that their relatively negative inspection gave me leverage to knock 20% off the price of the car (which wouldn’t have covered everything they claimed, but I was expecting the car to need work regardless so that was already figured into what I was looking to pay initially)

Jason Spears > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/04/2019 at 14:29

This does sound really good, and I would pay it. Remember, it’s not just what you’re spending on the purchase, it’s what you stand to spend on repairs that you need to consider.

However... knowing some local folks (and some who know folks) that know a specific car very well, I might lean toward using them instead. What you get from this shop sounds very one-size-fits-all, versus going to a place that works on street and track Miatas all day long and knows exactly what they’re looking at. Just a thought.

facw > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor
01/04/2019 at 14:30

Yeah, $300 to get a good report is well worth it. Where it becomes a problem is if you aren’t satisfied and end up needing to do it for several cars.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/04/2019 at 14:46

That is good to hear about the title! I always forget you can go through AAA for that type of stuff. You will be very happy driving around in a low mileage car that is cosmetically in good condition. I certainly think and inspection on a salvage car is a good idea even if everything looks good to you. Like you said, they could potentially find things you missed or confirm something is good that you couldn’t see yourself. Either way, good luck!

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > facw
01/04/2019 at 14:48

Yep, been there haha. One case was the PPI which was over $300 didn’t have the detail I wanted. Like, they basically did a compression/leak-down test and glanced at the rest of the car. There were glaring things I found wrong AFTER I flew out to look at the car. I was upset to say the least. Basically, I didn’t car if the issue was minor or not, it should have at least been mentioned so I just walked.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > facw
01/04/2019 at 15:05

Well yeah that leverage is great to have. If anything is really wrong, I shouldnt have trouble fixing it but should be able to get a little bit off the price to the point that it basically pays for the inspection. Anything really wrong will just scare me away but I was confident enough that if it wasnt for the title, I would have just bought it same day. Even with the title knowledge and details of what caused it, I could only barely tell something was off. But hopefully the report comes back saying the frame is good and nothing weird is going on under the car.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor
01/04/2019 at 15:12

It helps that I have seen the car already so its really just one specific item I have them looking for and while they are at it, knowing every little detail about the car isnt bad to have also. But man that sucks haha. I was super glad the inspection for the Saabaru I nearly bought was as thorough as it was. I definitely would have just bought it had I not done that and faced a $4k repair job on like day 1. It would have cost more than my STi at that point!!

But yeah shit like that that happened to you is why I wanted to make sure I wasnt using a crap service. Its a Miata so it should be easy to be super thorough.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor
01/04/2019 at 15:14

I only hope I didnt waste all my damn time with this car lol. I will be swearing off salvage titles forever if this doesnt work out..

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/04/2019 at 16:15

My shop charges around 300. We do most of that plus a few others (Mercedes specific).

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
01/04/2019 at 16:36

Oh okay, that is pretty good then. I dont feel like I paying some outrageous amount then at least! especially without the destination charge, it would be pretty good then.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/04/2019 at 16:52

Yeah, super glad you did the ppi on that saabaru too. That would have been a salty repair to swallow haha

Hopefully this one goes well though. It will be nice know the in depth details. Even if they are negative.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/04/2019 at 17:57

It sounds like a lot at first. But you get what you pay for. We've saved people from buying cars that would've immediately needed $10k+ in work plenty of times.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor
01/04/2019 at 20:32

I probably would have never even bought my Miata in the first place had I known ppis were even a thing. The rust problems might have never ended up killing the car but if it had been rust free, I'd have kept it and fixed it.