Auto P I Used Car Inspections – Mobile Service

Pros:
Convenience
Price
Cons:
Thoroughness: ²⁄₃ were good but the bad was bad
Standing behind work: poor
A late review but it may help someone else. To the point, I used Auto P I for 3 vehicles over the years starting with an SUV, then minivan followed by a used VW Jetta sedan. I was not present at the time of any inspections but the sellers were fine with the inspectors and the reports were good for the first 2. These inspections fell several years apart, beginning in 2008 and ending in 2013.
I was happy to use them for the VW Jetta. Granted, the inspection fell on a cold wet Saturday but it was based on their report that I bought the car. Within several weeks while doing an oil change, I found the air filter to be ridiculously overdue for change but the report had stated that it was fine. To their credit they reimbursed the cost of a new filter. My bigger concern was that more expensive issue may have been missed.
Several weeks later, my car wouldn’t start and it wasn’t a simple battery or alternator problem. It had to be towed and serviced by a VW guru in the Austin area named Robby Plenge at Meyerhoff Auto. He quoted work totaling about $ 1600: in fairness, the overlooked repairs were probably in the neighorhood of 800‑1000 of that 1600 (a leaky injection pump that affected engine hoses, some «wiring issues» from alternator, brakes). But it’s a 600 point check right?!
Auto P I. ‘s position was to refund my cost of inspection and fight doing any further. Maybe there was more I could have done but life was extremely busy at the time with family and work. The car was functional so I let it go.
Since I just sold the car, at a significant loss due to transmission issues that also materialized about 2 months after purchase, it reminded me to get a final word in about them. Now, I’m not posting anyone’s name or our past email threads because that’s a low thing to do. Additionally, I didn’t conceal the transmission problem at sale, making for the biggest part of the loss in sale because it’s flat immoral.
My advice is to use a mechanic you trust or be present at inspection if possible and validate their work as best you can; if you end up in my position, there is not much financial protection.
Purchased VW ⁰⁹⁄₂₀₁₃: 5000
Repairs initially ¹⁰⁄₁₃: 1600
My max sale price obtained 2015: 1000 for a clean title, functional car with a transmission issue.

I called about 830 AM, by 11 AM the car was inspected at the dealership and I was emailed a very thorough report and was called be the examiner to review. I also spoke at length to the person in the office, John, asking his impressions. Fortunately, for me, I was good to go. I could never have done that kind of thorough inspection, especially the computer part to see if there were any fault codes.
Thanks, guys!

I called Auto PI last minute and they went out to inspect a used car the next morning. They called right after the inspection and sent a report as promised and it was complete. Great service. thanks.

Sometimes people don’t go out of their way to make a review but i had such a good experience with this company that I just had to take a moment to post to say that John really took good care us with our used car purchase. With the report that we got from Auto p.i. inspectors we were able to make an informed decision on the purchase of our used vehicle which helped us negotiate the price. After we purchased the vehicle we found a bad bushing and loose bolt on the subframe. We called John back told him what we found he sent his mechanic out to verify it, once he had it verified he had us bring the vehicle in to have repaired since it was stuff missed on their checklist. I will definitely be recommending this company to my friends and family because he backs up his work.

Not much to be said. I used them when I bought a car a few years ago and their advice was sound. The report was accurate, they were fast, and the car has been great. Excellent service, highly recommended.

This was the first time we used a third-​party to do a used car inspection, Auto P.I. personnel were extremely friendly and professional. When reviewing other companies that do this service, we were sold on all the positive Unilocal reviews and the fact that they were certified frame inspectors and certified «ASE Master» technicians. They were quick and very thorough. When I spoke with them on the phone about our inspection, they inspected thing that I would have never though of if I inspected the car myself. Thanks for the great customer service, we will look you guys up when its time to buy used cars for our teenagers =)

Auto P. I. is an extremely professional service. The make appointments for inspections at short notice and do a thorough job of inspection. The also provide a detailed report via email. I got charged $ 119 (after a UFCU membership discount) and I believe the peace of mind you get after the inspection is absolutely worth the money. Prompt, professional, affordable. Great service.

Amazing. I needed to find a low cost, dependable car for my mom and was looking at a 10-​year-​old Honda Civic with 140k miles. As John suggested, I drove the car for around 10 minutes, and it seemed to drive well enough, so I took the next step and set up an appointment to have the car checked out. Our mechanic was at the car in less than an hour, and called me to go over the report right away. He followed up by emailing the extremely detailed report. Sadly there was enough information to convince me not to buy the car, but the cost of the report was nothing compared to what I would have been looking at if I had bought the car! Thank you so much for all the information! I would definitely recommend you invest in these guys before purchasing any used vehicle.

I’ve recommended these guys countless times and they’ve never disappointed. I appreciate that they’re speedy, thorough and that they send you a really really long report about all the things they’ve checked.
Recently I was selling a car and was able to use their report to help convince the buyer that they were getting a solid vehicle. Getting your car inspected by these dudes is kind of the gift that keeps on giving.

John and Chris were great to work with. I was buying a car from out of town and needed someone to check a car out for me. They came highly recommended and gave me the added comfort of knowing that everything checked out ok on the vehicle. So far, so good. I felt it was a great car, but just needed that extra expertise in mechanical and electrical to help me out. I would highly recommend them. I don’t give out 5’s very easily, but it was hard not to give them a 5 star. The only reason not to give them 5 stars was that I’ve never used this type of service before and don’t have anything to compare them too. So, I can’t say it’s better than anything else, but these guys are very thorough, and very professional. If I ever buy a used car in Austin again, I would use them.

Allow me to tell you about my experience with the Auto P.I.‘s. I called John around mid day of the day I would be potentially making my car purchase. In the several times talking to him, he was professional and informative. Gave you the feeling like he would be attentively taking care of you. He scheduled one of his engineers to be out at the dealership later that day (around 4pm). I didn’t have to be there, all I had to do was let the dealership know he was coming and he would take care of the rest. The Auto P.I. finished the inspection a little after 5pm. This is where it gets good.
The car I was considering was a great deal because the CarFax showed the vehicle had been in a moderate to sever accident. Brian (the engineer) was able to explain the wreck so clearly, I could almost recreate what happened in my mind. The guy was like CSI for cars. As he went on explaining his findings I asked him to level with me. To give me an A, B, C sort of grade. He used the Kelly Blue Book definition to tell me the car was Good to Very Good if he were rating it on KBB. Thanks to these guys I was able to get the car down on price (even more than I already had) and land a sweet 2013 Subaru Legacy with low miles at a price point that rocks.
I hate to give 5 stars after only working with a business once, but these guys are solid.
I will definitely recommend these guys and use them the next time I purchase a used car.
I forgot to add, they send you a detailed PDF rating all of the systems they checked. This got over to me, about 10 mins after I spoke with Brian. Pretty awesome.

These guys are awesome! Incredibly thorough, including a title check. They saved me some $, with the things they found. They also saved me a ton of time and hassle, since they (not I) traveled to the location and fought the Austin traffic! Certified master mechanics who gave me a clear picture of what I was about to buy. What’s not to love?
I’d use their services again if I bought another used car. I’d also have them inspect my own used car, if I were selling, and I’d use their detail as a selling/​price point for the vehicle.

I recently had a 2006 Toyota Camry inspected by Chris. He did a very, very thorough job and was patient in explaining every little detail about the inspection. I used the information he gave to negotiate a lower (and fair) price. Well worth the inspection fee and I can buy the vehicle with confidence that I know exactly what I’m buying!
Thanks guys!

I’ve had two experiences with AutoPI. The first was when I was considering a high mileage Mustang GT. The inspector was through and provided me the confidence I needed to buy the car. 3 years later and every single thing he said was true. It was perhaps the best used car I’ve ever bought.
The second was a few days ago. I had asked them to check a Camaro SS that looked to be in good shape. They found found every tiny little thing wrong with that car (which I ended up walking away from saving me from future headaches).
I will absolutely without a doubt consult AutoPI when purchasing a used car in the Austin area.

******
UPDATE — Worked with John as he cares about his customers and is very throughout in getting into detail. He admitted that there were problems with the car that were unforeseen and would be tough for their inspectors to notice. We resolved the issue.
Had these guys inspect a used vehicle out of state. They did a good job but missed a few things. Missed that aftermarket was glued on top of OEM carpet and under the carpet was damp and wet. Missed that the brake wear on the pads were very uneven due to seized caliper pin on both rear brakes. For the amount of money and reviews I thought these simple things wouldn’t be missed, so I had to spend time and money to fix these issues. However, John is great their customer service is good. I believe I should be right to receive at least half of my inspection fee back because they did go out there.

John and his team are as good as it gets. John is diligent in follow-​up and communicative on the process. The inspectors are professional, knowledgeable and thorough. The team is able to uncover virtually all potential issues with vehicles you are planning to purchase and then arm you with this information. They are automotive experts and you’d be foolish to purchase a used car without having them inspect the vehicle. The website is also incredibly helpful. Great job!

My first ever Unilocal review, yay.
I emailed Auto PI in the dead of night on a Saturday, and received a call early in the morning from a John (I guess he runs the show) who said he could get someone to check out the car by that afternoon. I told him the dealership would be closing early that day and that it would be impossible for me to follow through with a car purchase, due to my work schedule as well as the Dealership being closed for the coming holidays. After initially being informed that they were booked up and couldn’t do it any sooner, John called me a couple hours later and told me they could pencil me in before the dealership closed.
Later that day, at the Dealership, I met Michael, who was just finishing the test drive portion of the 600+ point inspection. He informed me that overall the car was in great condition and that aside from a couple, very minor, extremely serious issues, the car was a good buy. He found that the check engine light was on, which I had also mentioned to the Dealer after my test drive, and indicated it had something to do with the turbocharger. He also found that the car had wheel locks, but he was unable to find the wrench to take them off. He told me that it was illegal for the Dealership to sell me the car without fixing these issues.
The car was still under warranty, so the Dealer agreed to take care of these things at the manufacturer dealership before continuing with anything.
Overall the service was excellent. John and Michael were very pleasant and easy to talk to guys. I ended up buying my very first car, a fully loaded 2012 Kia Optima SX, relatively trouble free, and with the peace of mind that I wasn’t buying into some heavy repairs or a lemon starting off.

We needed to get a new-​to-​us car, but, as always, we were leery of buying someone else’s problems. We found a great deal on a car dealer’s lot — almost too good to be true. We wanted to confirm that it really was a good deal. So we called Auto P.I.
We were able to arrange for them to come to our house the next morning. Michael did their tip-​to-​tip inspection and found several things that could have been deal breakers as well as some things we could easily handle ourselves. The biggest issue they found was that one of the motor mounts was slipping. We brought that to the dealer’s attention, and they replaced it as well as another mount that was going to need replacing shortly. Because we had the Auto P.I. documentation, there was no need to negotiate. Once they took care of this, we were more than happy to buy the car, because we knew it was going to be worth it.
I’d highly recommend using their service anytime you’re buying a used car. Hiring them definitely saved us money in the long-​run.

I was recently looking to a buy a cash car, and had no clue where to find a mechanic to inspect it. I googled «mechanics for used cars» and came up with Auto PI. I am so glad I did.
The car I looked at was a 1998 Toyota Corolla. I was eager to get the inspection done that business day, and called Auto PI at 12:30. John had an opening at 2:30, and by then 3:30 I heard back from the inspector about the vehicle. It was extremely organized and efficient.
The inspector, Michael, gave me an exhaustive report on the car. Everything cosmetic wrong, minor problems due to age, but overall he said that the car was well maintained — the engine was good, transmission was good. He told me it was on the higher end in terms of used cars he’d seen. He told me the probable amount I’d spend on repairs, which is very low, considering the age of the car.
I was on pins and needles waiting for the email report. I called them to make sure they had my email address correct, and received the report about 5:30. When I was finally able to get home to print it, I was overwhelmed by the thoroughness. I now felt well informed and prepared to make a good purchasing decision.
I’m happy to say I purchased that Corolla today. I did so with confidence and peace of mind, because Auto PI’s inspection was so comprehensive and detailed.
I have to give props to the professionalism and politeness of both John and Michael. I was especially impressed that Auto PI got me in that same business day. Thanks to them, I was able to get the inspection done on Friday, and test drive and buy the vehicle on Sunday. Simply extremely efficient customer service.
I gladly recommend this company to any one looking to buy a used car. It’s the best $ 140 I’ve ever spent.

There comes a time when the junker you’ve been keeping alive via a steady IV of hard earned cash outlives its usefulness as a paid off vehicle.
After three days of 8 hour research marathons, smacking around car salesmen, and a few test drives, I finally had my heart settled on a gorgeous Honda Ridgeline RLT.
Of course, as nice as the truck was, outside appearances can be deceiving. Not only that, but CarFax and AutoCheck are not the most reliable. The dealer was a consignment and internet sales place (sounds shady, but see my review on Austin eAutos) and the previous owner had made plenty of modifications where anything could have been screwed up. I have had Auto P I Used Car Inspections on my «To Do» bookmarks for over 3 years – and I am SO GLAD I FOUND THEM!
When John spoke to me on the phone he was clear, concise, and extremely polite. One thing that irks me about so many «professionals» is their complete lack of phone etiquette, however John treated me with complete respect.
Remember their thorough inspections are most effective AFTER you’ve made an offer on the car so that you can negotiate further from there. John was able to squeeze my appointment in last minute for the next day and he contacted me two hours EARLY to let me know that the inspection was complete. Wow!
He gave me all the information needed for a few minor issues so that I could have the dealer fix them (which they did!) without needing to bring them to a mechanic or pay a dime for the fixes. Immediately after the phone call I received a full report on my vehicle.
I was SO impressed by the speed and professionalism of this service and grateful that they saved me so much time, convenience, and money.