From $350
Mobile pre-purchase inspections in Clear Lake
The full process before you buy: scan data, hands-on, undercar, road test, and a written buy / walk / negotiate.
Call (713) 819-5914
Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist in the Bay Area are full of flood-adjacent cars, salt-eaten brake hardware, and ‘just needs a battery’ stories. A ten-minute look with the seller hovering is how people buy a $4,000 problem. We show up as your mechanic.
The process is the same every time: book the car, scan it, put hands and a light on it, get under it, road-test it when it is legal and safe, then hand you a written buy, walk, or negotiate. You get codes, photos, and a number you can take back to the seller.
We are licensed and insured. We do not wholesale cars, we do not take a cut of the deal, and we will not talk you into a car we would not park at our own house. If it is a walk, you hear it from us before money changes hands.
- Scan data, not a glance under the hood
- Hands-on mechanical plus undercar
- Road test when it is safe
- Written buy, walk, or negotiate with photos
- We do not sell the car — no conflict
- Meet at the seller’s driveway or a lot
The process
Same steps. Every car.
- 01
Book the car — not a bay
Year, make, model, VIN if you have it, asking price, and the seller’s address. We meet the vehicle. Facebook lot, driveway, or a public park-and-ride is fine.
- 02
Arrive with scan tools, not a flashlight only
Licensed and insured. We introduce ourselves as your mechanic, not the seller’s. Hood, OBD port, and a walk-around before anyone talks us out of a look underneath.
- 03
Scan data first
Stored, pending, and permanent codes. Freeze-frame. Monitor readiness. Battery and charging test. A ‘just needs a battery’ story usually isn’t.
- 04
Hands-on mechanical
Leaks, mounts, belts, hoses, cooling, A/C clutch, brakes, tires, steering play, CV boots. We pull wheels when the lot is level and the seller allows it.
- 05
Undercar — this is the Bay Area
Rust, impact, oil in the bellhousing, exhaust, bushings, unibody. Salt air and flood-adjacent cars are why this step is not optional in Clear Lake.
- 06
Road test when it is safe
If the car is legal to drive and the seller agrees, we feel shifts, pulls, noises, and A/C. If it is not safe, we say so and stop.
- 07
Written buy, walk, or negotiate
Photos, codes, and a dollar range to take off the asking price — or a walk. We do not sell the car. No conflict, no ‘I know a guy.’
On the report
What we actually check
- Full OBD scan — stored, pending, permanent
- Battery load and charging system
- Engine, trans, coolant, and diff leaks
- Cooling fans, hoses, and temperature
- A/C clutch and vent temperature
- Brake pads, rotors, calipers, lines
- Tires, spare, and uneven wear
- Steering play, rack, CV boots
- Struts, bushings, sway links
- Exhaust and heat shields
- Undercar rust, impact, flood lines
- Visible VIN vs. documents you have
- Road test when safe and allowed
- Photo set of every finding
Cities we do this work
Clear LakeWebsterLeague CityFriendswoodPearlandSeabrookKemahNassau BayEl LagoPasadenaDickinsonLa PorteGalvestonHouston (Bay Area / SE)
Related
Yes. We meet the car. You do not have to be there, but we prefer you on speaker so you can tell us to walk.