Guides
Pre-Purchase Inspection Cost: What Each Type Costs and Misses
A shop check runs $186 to $273 and a mobile inspector $219.99. The price tracks how much of the car each one can physically reach, and nothing else.
September 8, 20269 min
Topic Cluster/Topic Cluster: Buyer Protection
Used Car Buying and Buyer Protection
Complete guide to used car buying, pre-purchase inspection, fraud detection, and buyer protection. Learn how to avoid scams and make informed purchases.
All Posts in This Cluster
Tips & Tricks
Car Inspection Cost: What You Pay and What Fails a Car
A US state inspection costs $0 to about $60, and the state sets the ceiling, not the garage. A stored fault code fails the emissions half on its own.
September 6, 20269 min
Guides
How to Negotiate a Used Car Price With OBD2 Scan Evidence
Two stored fault codes can be worth several hundred euros off the asking price if you present them right. Here is how to turn a pre-purchase OBD2 scan into a documented discount.
June 12, 202610 min
Guides
How to Check a Used Car Before Buying: The Full Checklist
Most used-car checklists cover paint and a test drive but skip the one check sellers fear: a 5-minute OBD2 scan that reads the faults the eye cannot see.
June 11, 20269 min
Guides
Will Your Car Pass the Emissions Test? Check Readiness Monitors First
A car can fail its emissions test for incomplete readiness monitors even with nothing wrong. Check them yourself for 15 euros before you book the test.
June 11, 20268 min
Guides
Which OBD2 Codes Fail Inspection (And Why Clearing Them Fails Too)
Clearing a code before inspection resets the readiness monitors, and stations check those. Here are the OBD2 codes that fail, and why a fresh clear fails anyway.
June 10, 20269 min
Guides
Recently Cleared Codes: How Readiness Monitors Expose It
A used car that scans clean can still have its codes wiped minutes before you arrived. Readiness monitors are how you catch it. Here is the check.
June 9, 20269 min
Guides
OBD2 Red Flags When Buying a High-Mileage Imported Diesel
A 210,000 km imported diesel that looks too clean hides its faults in the OBD2 data. Here are the red flags a scan catches before you wire the money.
June 7, 202610 min
Guides
VIN Decode Plus OBD2: The Two-Step Pre-Purchase Check
Decode the VIN to confirm the car is the spec the ad claims, then run an OBD2 scan to read its condition. Two steps, fifteen minutes, before you pay.
June 6, 20269 min
Guides
BMW M57 Engine Buyer's Guide: 525d, 530d, 535d Faults
M57 vs M57N vs M57N2 across E60/E61. Swirl flap delete, twin-turbo wastegate on the 535d, ZF 6HP mechatronic. Five OBD2 checks before 3,000-12,000 EUR.
May 26, 202611 min
Guides
Used VW Golf TDI Buyer's Guide: PD, EA189, EA288 and Faults
1.9 PD vs 2.0 TDI CR EA189 vs EA288 across Mk5/6/7/8. Dieselgate fix legacy, DSG mechatronic, DPF on short trips. Five OBD2 checks before 5,000-22,000 EUR.
May 25, 202610 min
Guides
Used Audi A4 2.0 TDI Buyer's Guide: B8 vs B9, Quattro and Faults
EA189 B8 dieselgate legacy, EA288 B9, S tronic mechatronic, Quattro Haldex sludge. The 5 OBD2 checks before you pay 9,000 to 35,000 euros for a used A4 TDI.
May 22, 202610 min
Guides
Used Mercedes Sprinter Buyer's Guide: OM651 Faults, AdBlue, DPF
OM651 balance shaft wear, injector failures, AdBlue countdown, DPF on stop-start duty. The 5 OBD2 checks before you pay 8,000-45,000 EUR for a used Sprinter.
May 19, 202611 min
Guides
Used BMW 320d Buyer's Guide: N47 vs B47, Faults and OBD2 Checks
The 320d splits at the engine. N47 hides its chain at the back and costs 2,500 to 4,500 EUR to fix. Here is how to tell which one you are looking at.
May 16, 202610 min
Guides
VW Passat 2.0 TDI Used Buyer Guide: DPF, DSG and Faults
EA189 vs EA288 vs EA288 evo. The dieselgate fix that still matters. DSG mechatronic, DPF, AdBlue and the five checks before you pay 8,000 to 22,000 euros.
May 13, 202610 min
Guides
Used Nissan Leaf: Battery Bars, SOH and Common Faults
Twelve battery health bars, the LeafSpy SOH number, and the four faults that kill resale on a used Leaf. What to check before paying 5,000 to 22,000 euros.
May 9, 202610 min
Guides
Used BMW i3 Buyer's Guide: Battery Health and Range Check
Three battery generations, REX quirks, and four OBD2 checks that separate a healthy used BMW i3 from a tired one. Before you pay 8,000 to 28,000 euros.
May 6, 202610 min
Guides
Tesla BMS Error Codes: A Used Buyer's Decoding Guide
BMS_w015, BMS_a067, BMS_u029 and the rest. What each alert means on a used Model 3, S or Y. Range loss patterns and the four codes that mean walk away.
May 2, 202610 min
Guides
AdBlue Tampering: A 5-Minute OBD2 Check Before You Buy an EU Diesel
An AdBlue emulator or SCR delete is invisible on the dashboard but leaves stored DEF codes a generic OBD2 scan catches in five minutes. A specialist NOx read confirms the rest.
April 28, 20269 min
Guides
EGR Delete Detection: What OBD2 Will (And Won't) Show on a Used Diesel
A deleted EGR usually leaves the scan clean. Three things under the bonnet give it away, and putting the system back costs 250 to 2,200 euros.
April 23, 20269 min
Guides
How to Spot a Deleted DPF on a Used Diesel Before You Buy
A removed diesel particulate filter is illegal across the EU and costs EUR 1,500 to 3,500 to refit. Six checks (three visual, three OBD2) catch it before you pay.
April 18, 20269 min
Guides
How to Check a German Used Car With OBD2 Before You Buy It
A 15-minute pre-purchase OBD2 scan tells you most of what the seller of an imported German used car would rather you didn't ask. Here is the exact checklist.
April 12, 20269 min
Guides
Is It Safe to Drive with the Check Engine Light On?
Your check engine light just came on. Can you keep driving? It depends on whether the light is steady or flashing, and how the car actually feels.
February 22, 202610 min
Guides
Odometer Fraud: How to Detect Mileage Rollback (2026 Guide)
Odometer fraud costs EU buyers billions annually. Learn how to detect mileage rollback using physical evidence, OBD2 scans, and vehicle history checks before you buy.
September 19, 202514 min
Guides
Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist: Avoid Fraud & Hidden Damage (2026 Guide)
What a used car inspection costs, what each type actually looks at, and the readiness-monitor check that catches a seller who cleared the codes this morning.
August 17, 202518 min