FAQS

A pre-purchase inspection is highly recommended when purchasing a vehicle without a warranty, or when the vehicle is located in another city. When there is no warranty, the buyer is immediately assuming all the risk in the event of a breakdown or a major mechanical issue. For this reason, a qualified pre-purchase inspection makes financial sense. Vehicles in other cities present additional challenges when the purchaser is unable to take a test drive. With just a few clicks, you can often arrange a thorough inspection. The resulting vehicle inspection report gives car buyers added security during a long-distance transaction.

Most of our inspectors are experienced, ASE-certified mechanics who have been active in the automotive industry for several years.

We are available to do inspections in the greater Houston, Texas areas including (The Woodlands, Katy, Spring, Tomball, Sugar Land, Cypress, Pearland, and Clear Lake) and South Florida areas including (Miami, Hollywood Beach, Doral, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, and Boca Raton).

Inspectors are out in the field during the day doing inspections. At the end of their shift, after we are closed, that is when they upload their reports. We start reviewing reports at 8:30am Eastern Time and review them one at a time and then send them to the email address you provide when you order the inspection.

Inspections are typically completed within 1 business day, depending on the inspector’s schedule, the seller’s schedule, and the weather. Inspections that are completed on Friday will have the report reviewed on Saturday morning, starting at 8:00am. We do our best to complete inspections by the next business day as long as the seller makes the car available for review and the inspection is ordered early enough the day before.

We are a pre-pay service. You pay for the inspection when you place your order. If the car sells before we dispatch an inspector, or if it is not available, then we will put your order on hold and you can use the amount paid towards inspection of another automobile.

We strive to get inspectors on site very quickly. We begin working on your order immediately. Once your order has been placed, we cannot offer a refund. PLEASE BE SURE OF YOUR VEHICLE BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER. If your vehicle sells before we dispatch an inspector, we will put your order on hold and you can use the amount paid towards inspection of another vehicle. If you purchase a vehicle before we can get to it, we will not offer a cancellation for a refund.

Yes. You can place your order 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, including holidays. If you place your order after hours or on the weekend, we will assign your order to the inspector right away the next business day.

The Inspector may ask the seller to drive the vehicle and we will observe the vehicle performance as a passenger if the seller will permit us to do so. If the seller does not want to test drive the vehicle or let us drive the vehicle then we will complete the used car inspection report without the road test. This information will be noted in the report.

If the seller of the vehicle accepts an appointment with the inspector and then doesn’t show, you will receive a report with a picture of the location of the vehicle to let you know that the inspector was there to do the inspection. The inspector will call before going to the vehicle to verify that the car is still available.

No. Unless there are major issues with the vehicle or the inspection process, we typically keep the report and send it only to the buyer.

Yes. We can inspect any vehicle at any auction house. Please call them and verify that they allow inspections on site before you place your order. Some auction houses do not allow inspections.

Migo Automotive does not guarantee the inspections because the vehicle is fully assembled for the inspection and the inspector cannot see the internal components of the vehicle, including the transmission or the engine. There is the possibility of impending failures that are not evident at the time of the inspection. In other words, if it is not failing at the time of the inspection we will not know that it is failing. Therefore, any used car inspection cannot be guaranteed.

Yes. on electric or hybrid vehicles, we hook up the OBD computer to the vehicle to detect any issues regarding the charging system, as well aseverything else that we already are looking for during the inspection. If the vehicle is a hybrid, we check to make sure that the battery is taking a charge, and to make sure that the vehicle is switching between the hybrid and gas engine systems without issue. On electric vehicles, we check to make sure that the vehicle is operating without issue on the road test, and that battery is not losing its charge faster than normal. Older batteries tend to fail more frequently than newer batteries.

Yes. Our inspectors do test drive the vehicles as long as the owner allows it, and the vehicle is safe and street-legal.

We check that the braking system is in working condition, but we do not take the wheel off to check the brake pads.

No. Unfortunately, the timing belt requires us to take components apart so we do not check it. The buyer should assume that the timing belt has not been replaced unless proven otherwise.

Yes. Our inspectors do check for oil leaks. Unfortunately, some sellers power-wash under the car to hide any leaks so it is hard to catch them.

We do look for numbers but without a hoist it can be difficult and not always possible. It is best to have your seller get the vehicle to a hoist for us to check these. It is also possible that the numbers may be under a bracket that needs to be removed. We do not take the vehicle apart to look for these. In certain instances, numbers cannot be verified. We will take pictures of numbers that can be seen and accessed to photograph. We do not jack up the vehicle to check for any numbers.