What a vehicle health check is
A vehicle health check is a thorough, hands-on inspection with no servicing attached. We go over the car from front to back and top to bottom, record what we find and give you a clear, written report. It is a way of finding out the true condition of your car, and of putting any repairs in order of importance, before you spend money.
Plenty of people book one without any particular fault in mind. They simply want to know where they stand, and to hear it from someone who has nothing to sell beyond an honest opinion.
When a health check makes sense
The most common times that customers ask us for one:
- Before a long journey, a holiday or a busy stretch of driving such as race days at the racecourse
- After buying a used car privately, to find out what it needs
- When the car is making a new noise, vibration or smell you cannot place
- Before winter, to catch tyres, brakes, battery and wipers while there is still time
- When the car is getting older and you want a plan rather than a surprise
If you are still deciding whether to buy a car, a pre-purchase inspection is the better choice, because it is designed to be done before you hand over any money.
What we look at
We check tyres for tread, age, damage and uneven wear, then brakes for pad thickness, disc condition and fluid. We look at the suspension, steering joints and shock absorbers, at the exhaust for corrosion and leaks, and at the engine bay for leaks, belts, hoses, fluid levels and the battery. We check lights, wipers, washers, horn and the underside of the car for rust, damage and anything loose.
Where it helps, we plug in a diagnostic reader to see whether the car is storing fault codes. Everything is photographed or noted, so that when you read the report you can see exactly what we mean. Items are graded by urgency, with safety issues first, then things that will need doing soon, then things to keep an eye on.
How a mobile health check works
We come to you, wherever the car is. After you have accepted a quote, we book a slot between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday. We need space to look around and under the car, ideally a level drive or quiet road. A health check takes around an hour, depending on the car’s age and condition, and we explain the findings in plain language on the spot.
Nothing is repaired during the check unless you ask, and no extra work goes ahead without a phone call first. You can take the report to whoever you like, but if you would like us to carry out the work, we will quote for it clearly and you decide.
Doncaster’s wear and tear in focus
Because Doncaster is flat, brakes and gearboxes here rarely suffer the abuse that hill cities give them, so what usually shows up in our checks is a different set of things. Long fast-road commutes on the A1(M), M18 and M180 wear tyres and stone-chip the front of the car. Short cold-start trips are hard on batteries. Winter salt gets into brake pipes, exhaust fixings and underbody panels, particularly on cars that live outdoors on estates and terraced streets.
Out in the villages and farmland, rough lanes and potholes between settlements can bend wheels, knock out tracking and wear bushes. We look closely at all of these, and we are careful to tell you which findings are real concerns and which are just normal wear for the age of the car.
Getting the most from your report
Once you have the report, you might want a plan. A common first step is a full service or an interim service, depending on how long it has been. Worn pads or discs lead to brake work, and loose or noisy corners point to suspension and steering. If the battery is marginal, battery replacement is a quick fix, and any fault codes can be traced further with diagnostics. A tyre that has failed the check can be replaced by our mobile tyre fitting service.
Health checks across Doncaster
We are based around Doncaster and cover up to 20 miles, including Bessacarr, Hatfield, Armthorpe, Sprotbrough, Edenthorpe and Rossington. We also visit the villages on the edge of the borough.
Fill in the free quote form with the car’s details and how you use it, and we will give you a clear quote before booking. There is no deposit, we are fully insured and our work comes with a 12-month parts and labour warranty.