A pre-purchase inspection that ends in buy, negotiate or walk away
A used car costs thousands. Fifteen minutes with your phone and a cheap OBD2 adapter tells you what the engine has been doing, whether someone cleared the codes before you arrived, and what the first repairs would cost. A guided photo walk-around adds the rust, tyres and leaks a scan cannot reach.
€24.99 per inspection, VAT included
Tip: pay with the email you use in the Skanyx app. Your inspection credits land on that account automatically.
Works with any ELM327 Bluetooth adapter from around €15. No proprietary dongle, no subscription, no appointment to book.
What you actually receive
A worked example: this car passed at idle and at cruise, then failed under load. Your own report reflects the car you scan.
- P0401 EGR flow insufficient, logged under acceleration and not at idle€180-€420
- Two readiness monitors incomplete: the codes were cleared recentlyAsk the seller
- Fuel trims drifting at steady cruise€90-€260
Negotiation talking points, an estimated market value for the car, and a shareable report for the seller or your mechanic.
How the inspection works
Each PPI has two halves, both run from your phone: a guided 8-step drive with a Bluetooth adapter plugged into the car, and a 28-point photo inspection of the car itself. Roughly 5 minutes of driving, plus the walk-around and the AI analysis.
- 01
Preparation
Connect the adapter to the car and confirm you're ready. The app auto-detects fuel type and OBD2 communication protocol so the analysis can adapt for diesel versus petrol.
- 02
Initial code scan
Reads any existing trouble codes as a baseline. Stored codes can reveal hidden problems the seller might not mention.
- 03
Idle phase (90 seconds)
90 sWith the engine idling, SKANYX measures engine stability, fuel-system health, battery voltage and cooling at rest.
- 04
Cruise phase (60 seconds)
60 sDrive at a steady speed of around 50 km/h (30 mph). The app monitors how the engine performs under normal driving load, including fuel trim and catalyst efficiency.
- 05
Acceleration phase (45 seconds)
45 sAccelerate firmly when prompted. The app checks how the engine responds under stress, looking for hesitation, misfires or unusual readings.
- 06
Final code scan
Reads codes again after the test drive. New codes that appear only under load can reveal serious hidden issues.
- 07
Fraud detection
Checks for signs of tampering: recently cleared codes (a common trick to hide problems), incomplete readiness monitors and sensor manipulation.
- 08
AI analysis and shareable report
All collected data is analysed by multiple AI specialists to generate a 0-100 score with a Buy, Negotiate, Caution or Walk Away verdict, a branded PDF report and AI-generated negotiation scripts.
The walk-around: 28 photo checkpoints
Alongside the drive, the app walks you around the car using hotspot checkpoints on a diagram: front, both sides, rear, interior and underneath. Each point asks what you can see and you photograph it, then a dedicated visual AI agent reads those images back against the scan data. This is where rust, panel alignment, tyres, glass, lights, interior condition and visible leaks enter the report.
About 5 minutes of driving in total, plus the two code scans and the analysis.
For diesel engines, the AI analysis automatically adapts. Instead of petrol fuel-trim metrics, it weighs airflow and intake-manifold pressure readings.
What an OBD2 inspection can and cannot tell you
This inspection covers
- Stored and pending powertrain and emissions codes, read before the drive and again after it
- Readiness monitor status, which exposes a recent battery disconnect or a code wipe
- Live engine data across idle, steady cruise and hard acceleration
- Faults that only show up under load and stay quiet on a gentle test drive
- Fraud signals: recently cleared codes, incomplete monitors, implausible sensor behaviour
- Repair-cost ranges for what it finds, plus negotiation talking points
- The exact engine generation, decoded from the VIN, so you know which known faults apply
- A guided 28-point photo inspection across the front, sides, rear, interior and underside: body panels and paint, panel alignment, rust on rockers and frame, glass, lights, tyres, interior condition and visible oil, coolant or transmission leaks, each reviewed by AI
It cannot see
- Brake pad and disc wear, or suspension play. Both need the wheels off or the car on a lift
- Structural integrity behind the panels. A rust photo is a rust check, not a chassis measurement
- ABS, airbag and gearbox control modules. Standard OBD2 covers powertrain and emissions only
- Mileage stored inside control modules, so it cannot prove or disprove odometer tampering
- EV and plug-in hybrid battery health
The visual pass is a guided self-inspection you photograph and the AI reviews, not a mechanic's teardown: nothing behind a panel, under a wheel or on a lift.
Plenty of buyers still run both: this for the electronics and everything you can photograph at €24.99, a mechanic for the lift work.
This, or a garage inspection?
Both, if you can. They look at different halves of the same car, and together they still cost less than one bad surprise.
Skanyx PPI
- Time
- About 15 minutes, at the car
- Covers
- Engine and emissions electronics, live data under load, fraud signals, repair costs, plus a guided 28-point photo inspection of body, rust, glass, lights, tyres, interior and leaks
- Misses
- Brakes, suspension and anything needing a lift
Independent garage
- Time
- 60-90 minutes, plus booking
- Covers
- The same panels and fluids with the car on a lift, plus brakes, suspension and a road test
- Misses
- Often skips readiness monitors, pending codes and live data under load
Both
- Time
- Same day
- Covers
- The electronic and the physical half of the car
- Misses
- Nothing significant
A hidden fault on a used car runs €800-4,000 to put right. That is the number both of these are protecting you from.
- Health score with a clear advice: buy / negotiate / walk away
- No‑jargon explanations of fault codes
- Live data deviations (sensors, temperatures, fuel trims, pressures)
- Predicted failures with urgency and time window
- Repair cost bands (parts + labor)
- Buyer's checklist for quick physical inspection
VAT included
Perfect for serious car shopping
Best for dealerships & traders
Credits never expire, so a pack keeps working for as long as your search takes.
Some body/structural faults require physical inspection.
Pro members save 15% on all PPI reports
Annual Pro subscribers: your first PPI report is included free every year.
Frequently asked questions
What does the inspection actually do?▾
It runs a guided 8-step diagnostic that captures real engine telemetry across idle, cruise and acceleration, scans for fault codes before and after the drive, checks for fraud indicators and runs a multi-specialist AI analysis. Alongside the drive it walks you through a 28-point photo inspection of the body, glass, lights, tyres, interior and underside, which the AI reviews together with the scan data. The output is an overall 0-100 score with a Buy, Negotiate, Caution or Walk Away verdict, prioritised findings, regional repair-cost estimates and a branded PDF report you can share with the seller or your mechanic.
How long does it take?▾
Roughly 5 minutes for the guided test drive (90 seconds idle, 60 seconds cruise, 45 seconds acceleration, plus the code scans before and after). The 28-point photo walk-around is self-paced, so allow a few minutes more depending on how carefully you shoot it. A short AI-analysis step then produces the final report.
Which vehicles does the PPI work on?▾
Most petrol and diesel vehicles that follow the OBD2 standard: US 1996 onwards, EU 2001 onwards petrol, EU 2004 onwards diesel. The PPI auto-detects diesel engines and adapts the analysis automatically. EV and plug-in hybrid support is on the roadmap and is not currently a verified capability.
What if the inspection fails mid-drive?▾
Your PPI credit is automatically refunded. You don't lose the credit if something goes wrong with the adapter, the connection or the drive itself.
What's in the PDF report?▾
Overall 0-100 score with the verdict (Buy, Negotiate, Caution or Walk Away), detailed findings organised by category and severity, regional repair-cost estimates with a min/max range, AI-generated negotiation talking points and a safety assessment. Designed to share with the seller, your mechanic or your bank.
Do I need a special adapter?▾
No. The PPI works with any ELM327-based Bluetooth OBD2 adapter, BLE on iOS and Classic Bluetooth on Android. No proprietary dongle, no hardware lock-in.
How is this different from a mechanic's PPI?▾
A mechanic's PPI is hands-on: the car goes on a lift, wheels come off, brakes and suspension get measured. The SKANYX PPI covers the electronic layer, real telemetry under idle, cruise and acceleration plus fraud indicators and an objective 0-100 score, and adds a guided 28-point photo inspection of body, rust, glass, lights, tyres, interior and visible leaks that the AI reviews. What it cannot do is put the car on a lift. Many buyers run both. This one costs a fraction of the mechanic visit and produces a shareable document.
Before you go and see the car
The checks worth doing yourself, and what the readings mean.