What to Check When Viewing a Used Car: The 20-Minute Inspection

You don't need to be a mechanic to spot most problems with a used car — you need daylight, twenty minutes, and a method. Here's the inspection routine our own buyers use at auction, adapted for a driveway or forecourt viewing. Print it, take it with you, and don't let anyone rush you.

Before you touch the car

View in daylight and dry weather. Rain hides paint defects; streetlights hide everything. If the seller will only show the car at night, that tells you something.

Check it's cold. Feel the bonnet. A pre-warmed engine can hide poor cold starting — one of the classic tricks. You want to hear the engine start from stone cold.

Bodywork and tyres (5 minutes)

• Sight down each side of the car in the light — ripples in panels reveal filler and accident repairs.
• Check panel gaps are even. A door that sits proud or a bonnet with uneven gaps suggests crash repair.
• Look for paint overspray on rubber seals and plastic trim — evidence of a respray.
• Tyres: all four should be a matching, reputable brand with even wear. Wear on one edge means alignment or suspension issues. Budget tyres on a premium car hint at cost-cutting on everything else. Check the legal minimum 1.6mm tread with a 20p coin — if the coin's outer band is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
• Check the spare wheel or repair kit is present, and that the boot floor beneath it is dry and undamaged.

Under the bonnet (3 minutes)

• Oil: pull the dipstick. Oil should be between the marks and not look like tar. Milky, mayonnaise-like residue under the filler cap can indicate head gasket trouble.
• Coolant: should be bright (pink, blue or yellow), not rusty brown, and between MIN and MAX.
• Look for fresh oil around the engine seals and on the undertray.
• Check the battery terminals for corrosion and any warning stickers about recent jump starts.

Interior and electronics (5 minutes)

• Does wear match the mileage? A 30,000-mile car should not have a shiny, smooth steering wheel, sagging driver's seat and worn pedal rubbers. That combination suggests a much harder life — or clocking.
• Turn the ignition on and confirm every warning light illuminates then goes out. A bulb removed from the airbag or engine light is an MOT failure and an old trick.
• Test everything: all windows, mirrors, air con (should blow genuinely cold), heater, infotainment, reversing camera, every seatbelt, boot release, and all lights while a friend walks around.
• Lift the carpets in the footwells and boot; damp means leaks.

The test drive (7 minutes minimum)

Never buy a car you haven't driven. Confirm you're insured, then:

• Start up: listen for rattles on cold start and watch for smoke in the mirror. Blue smoke is oil, white persistent smoke can be coolant.
• Steering: the car should track straight hands-off on a flat road, with no wheel wobble at speed.
• Brakes: a firm progressive pedal, no pulling to one side, no grinding. Try one firm stop from 40mph where safe.
• Gearbox: manuals should shift cleanly with a biting point about mid-travel on the clutch. Automatics should change gear smoothly without thumps or flaring revs.
• Listen with the radio off the whole time. Knocks over bumps suggest suspension wear; a droning that changes with speed is often wheel bearings.

The golden rule

Any single fault above can be a negotiating point. Several of them together — or a seller who bristles at the inspection — is your cue to walk away. There is always another car.

Every car at Carluvo goes through a documented multi-point inspection before it reaches the website, and you're welcome to bring this checklist (or an independent inspector) to any viewing. Cars that pass proper scrutiny have nothing to hide.