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Car Audit Take the guesswork out of your next vehicle. Our Pre-Purchase Audits send an independent expert to inspect your potential new ride.

So you can buy with total confidence and drive away with confidence.

"Full service history" is the most abused phrase in car sales.A book full of stamps looks reassuring. That's the point o...
15/08/2026

"Full service history" is the most abused phrase in car sales.

A book full of stamps looks reassuring. That's the point of it. What matters is what sits between them.

When I go through a service book, I'm not counting stamps. I'm plotting them against mileage and dates:

Where are the gaps? Serviced at 30k, then again at 78k. That's not full history, that's a 48,000 mile hole where nobody changed the oil. Ask what happened in those years and watch the answer.

Do the intervals match the manufacturer's schedule? Some cars want oil every 10k. Some are on variable servicing and will happily go 20k. Some need a specific spec of oil or the timing chain eats itself. A stamp doesn't tell me which oil went in.

Do the mileages run forwards? A service recorded at a lower mileage than the one before it is a red flag, and it's one of the easiest places to catch a clocked car.

Are there receipts, or just ink? Stamps can be bought online. Invoices with a garage name, a date, a mileage and a parts list are much harder to fake. I want to see the paper pile.

And the big one: the cambelt or chain. Overdue on either is a four figure job, and on some engines it's a new engine. If there's no receipt for it, assume it hasn't been done and price accordingly.

Missing history isn't automatically a walk away. It's a negotiation, once you know what it's actually costing you.
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A pass tells you it was roadworthy on one day. The advisories tell you the story.MOT history is free, public, and takes ...
14/08/2026

A pass tells you it was roadworthy on one day. The advisories tell you the story.

MOT history is free, public, and takes thirty seconds. Registration into the DVSA checker and it's all there. Almost nobody buying a car actually reads it properly.

Here's what I'm looking for when I do:

Repeats. The same advisory year after year, never fixed. Corrosion on the brake lines, a slight oil leak, a worn bush. Those never get better on their own. Three years of the same note means three years of nobody spending money on it.

Corrosion wording. "Corroded but not excessively" is a countdown, not a clean bill of health. Brake pipes, subframes, sills. I want to get underneath and see how far along it is.

Mileage. Plot the readings across every test. Look for a year that barely moved, or a jump that doesn't fit. Also look for gaps in testing altogether, which usually means the car sat somewhere.

Same-day retests. Failed in the morning, passed in the afternoon. Sometimes that's a bulb. Sometimes it's a bodge that got it through.

Minor defects. Since 2018 the tester records minor defects and the car still passes. They sit right there in the record and people skim straight past them.

And remember what the MOT never touches: engine condition, gearbox, clutch, cambelt, air con, or whether anything under that bonnet is about to cost you two grand.

The V5C is not proof of ownership.Plenty of people find that out the expensive way.All the logbook tells you is who the ...
13/08/2026

The V5C is not proof of ownership.

Plenty of people find that out the expensive way.

All the logbook tells you is who the registered keeper is. That's the person responsible for taxing it and picking up the fines. It is not the same as who legally owns the car, and it tells you nothing about outstanding finance.

So when I've got a V5C in my hand, I'm checking:

✅ The VIN on the document against the VIN on the car. Windscreen, plate, and stamped into the shell where I can get to it.
✅ The name and address against the person I'm stood in front of, and the house I'm stood outside.
✅ Previous keeper count against what the advert claimed.
✅ Colour, date of first registration, engine number.
✅ The document itself, including whether the serial number is one DVLA has flagged as stolen.

And if the seller isn't the name on the logbook, and they're "selling it for a mate", think very hard before you hand any money over. A trader posing as a private seller strips away your rights under the Consumer Rights Act.

Tyres are the one part of a car that cannot lie to you.The advert says one careful owner, full service history, drives f...
12/08/2026

Tyres are the one part of a car that cannot lie to you.

The advert says one careful owner, full service history, drives faultless.

I start at the front nearside and work round. Four tyres takes about four minutes, and I usually have most of the truth before the bonnet is even open.

Front nearside. Tread across the middle is fine. Inner edge is nearly down to the cords. You cannot see that standing up. You have to get low and put your hand round the back of the tyre. That is not normal wear, that is geometry. Something is bent or something is worn. A kerb, a pothole, tired bushes, or a suspension arm that has taken a hit at some point.

Front offside. I run my hand across the tread. One direction it is smooth. The other direction there are sharp little ridges on every block. That is feathering, and it means the toe is out. Nobody has had the tracking done. Whatever ate the inner edge on the other side is about to do the same here.

Rear nearside. Different brand to the other three, and a budget one. Fitted on its own, which usually means that corner went flat or got damaged and got replaced with whatever was cheapest that afternoon.

Rear offside. Tread looks healthy. Then I check the date code on the sidewall. Four digits. 2416 means week 24 of 2016. That tyre is nine years old. Rubber hardens and cracks with age whether the car moves or not, and there is fine crazing right round the sidewall confirming it.

Four tyres, four different stories, and not one of them says faultless.

Here is the thing though. The tyres are not the expensive part. Four decent tyres is a few hundred quid. What they actually did was tell me where to look next. That inner edge sent me under the front with a bar on the suspension. Cupping on the rears would have sent me straight to the dampers. Tyres are the cheapest diagnostic tool on the car and they are sat right there in the open where anybody can read them.

What you can check yourself on a viewing

Get low and look at the inner edge of all four tyres, not just the side facing you
run your palm across the tread in both directions. Sharp one way means the alignment is out

Check the brands match, at the very least across each axle.

Find the four digit date code on the sidewall, this is the manufacturing date. Week, then year for example 0224 translates to 2nd week of 2024

Look for bulges or eggs in the sidewall. That is structural damage, it is an instant MOT fail and it is genuinely dangerous

Legal minimum is 1.6mm across the middle three quarters of the tread, all the way round. Below that is three points and up to £2,500 fine per tyre!

One more. Brand new tyres all round on an older car is worth a question. Sometimes it is an owner who looked after it. Sometimes it is the cheapest way to push a car through an MOT and make it look loved on the driveway.

An advert tells you what the seller wants you to know. The tyres tell you what actually happened to the car.

The car does not care who is selling it. The law does.Same car, same price, same mileage. Buy it from a trader and you h...
11/08/2026

The car does not care who is selling it. The law does.

Same car, same price, same mileage. Buy it from a trader and you have rights. Buy it privately and you have almost none.

Here is what actually changes.

BUYING FROM A TRADER

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies. The car has to be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described.

Satisfactory quality is judged against the age, mileage and price you paid. A twelve year old car on 140,000 miles is not held to the same standard as a three year old one, but it still has to be roadworthy and free of faults that were already there when you handed the money over.

What that gives you:

First 30 days, you can reject the car outright and get your money back.

After 30 days and up to six months, the trader gets one attempt to repair or replace it. If that fails you can still reject it, though with cars they are allowed to knock something off for the miles you have done.

For the first six months, it is on the trader to prove the fault was not there when you bought it. After six months that flips and it is on you to prove it was.

If you bought it online or over the phone without seeing it, you usually get 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations.

That does not apply if you went to the forecourt and viewed it.

BUYING PRIVATELY

The Consumer Rights Act does not apply. None of it.

The only real obligation on a private seller is that the car is as described. If the advert said 2016, full service history, no outstanding finance, then it has to be that. Beyond that, nothing.

Satisfactory quality: does not apply
Fit for purpose: does not apply
30 day right to reject: does not apply
Repair or replace: does not apply
14 day cancellation: does not apply

Clutch goes on the way home and that is yours. That is what sold as seen actually means.

THE ONE TO WATCH

Traders posing as private sellers. Same mobile number across several adverts, meeting you in a car park rather than at an address, vague or irritated when you ask about history. They do it to dodge the Consumer Rights Act. If someone is trading in cars, the law treats them as a trader no matter how the advert is worded, but you will be the one having to prove it.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

Private sale: the inspection is your only protection, and it has to happen before the money moves.

Trader sale: you have rights, but using them means arguing your corner, and arguments are won on evidence. A written report listing what was wrong and when carries a lot more weight than telling them it has been making a noise.

I inspect cars across Hertfordshire and Essex. 220+ points, and you get a straight BUY, NEGOTIATE or WALK AWAY at the end of it.

A HPI check will tell you about the history but nothing about how it runs or drives.At Car Audit I include a HPI check w...
10/08/2026

A HPI check will tell you about the history but nothing about how it runs or drives.

At Car Audit I include a HPI check with every inspection, my service covers the past and present of the vehicle, so you can make an informed decision and not a blind one.

Simply go to caraudit.co.uk or WhatsApp using the number below and book!
09/08/2026

Simply go to caraudit.co.uk or WhatsApp using the number below and book!

At Car Audit, I do more than just have a quick look and give the tyres a kick.I go in-depth, over 220 points checked:I s...
08/08/2026

At Car Audit, I do more than just have a quick look and give the tyres a kick.

I go in-depth, over 220 points checked:

I start buy communicating with the seller asking them questions about the car, ask to see the V5C and keys.

I then start of the body work, checking for panel gap misalignment, paint depth and looking for scratches or dents.

I check to make sure all the lights and exterior bulbs function correctly from sidelights to the rear numberplate light, every bulb gets scrutinized.

Then I move on to the interior, checking all the safety systems such as airbags, seat belts and buckles are up to code, a diagnostics scan which I upload to the report and explain in detail what they mean, what's important and what isn't.

Tyres and wheels are next, tread depth the age any cracks in the tyre itself and the rim condition.

Then I move on to the engine bay, all the fluids get tested, brake fluid, coolant pressure test, engine oil and gearbox oil (if accessible). The battery gets load tested along with an alternator charging test.

Then I lift the car, whether its drive up ramps or a jack and stands, as long as its safe to do so. Everything underneath then gets scrutinized.

After all that, I take the car out for a road test. Listen to anything i couldn't see or feel during the inspection and note it down.

Finally, everything I found, good or bad gets documented into a report I built from scratch , run a HPI check then make a verdict based on what's been presented.

I will send you all 3 reports (Inspection, HPI and Diagnostic) along with a detailed breakdown on what I found, to give you peace of mind whether or not its worth your hard earned money.

Don't risk purchasing a used vehicle without a thorough inspection. As an independent mechanic, I conduct a comprehensiv...
07/08/2026

Don't risk purchasing a used vehicle without a thorough inspection. As an independent mechanic, I conduct a comprehensive 220+ point examination in 13 categories, including a full road test, diagnostic scan, and vehicle history check. Receive a photo report within 24 hours with a clear verdict: buy, negotiate, or walk away. I'll come to you, whether at a dealer forecourt or private driveway, in Hertfordshire and Essex.

Buying a used car? Did you know you can tell multiple things by just looking at the pedal rubbers? If the car has low mi...
06/08/2026

Buying a used car? Did you know you can tell multiple things by just looking at the pedal rubbers?

If the car has low milage but the pedal rubber, especially the brake pedal is worn to the bare metal tells you multiple things:

1. Low milage and worn pedal rubbers suggest constant short/town driving which isn't good for the engine or drivetrain as nothing gets hot enough which can lead to premature failure.

2. Low milage with all 3 pedals worn out (2 if auto) can suggest milage tampering.

3. Moderate milage but new and unused pedal rubbers suggests the seller is trying to cover up heavy use or constant spirited driving in their ownership.

This is just one 220+ points I check when auditing a used vehicle.

Don't risk it. Car Audit it.

caraudit.co.uk

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The Smithy
Bishops Stortford
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