How would you define the best vehicle inspection? The cost? The convenience? The comprehensiveness? Let’s take a look at some of the best options you have for making sure that car, truck, SUV or van is in the condition that you expect.
- Canadian Tire: A large, Canada wide business that’s been around for years. Now some will say the mechanic work at Canadian Tire hasn’t always been consistent or reliable, but in recent years they seem to have gotten their stuff together. What about the 3 “C’s”?
- Cost: Prices for inspections were consistent across Canada at right around $180 + taxes.
- Convenience: As with all traditional automotive shops you must schedule an appointment and bring your vehicle to them, then wait or come back to pick it up. After calling a few locations in different provinces we found wait times on the phone ranged from 5 minutes to about 15 minutes, and wait times for an inspection appointment ranged from same day (in less busy areas) to almost 4 weeks.
- Comprehensiveness: As a full mechanic shop with vehicle lifts, licensed automotive technicians and all the tools they’ll ever need, they are properly equipped to discover and diagnose any and all mechanical issues on nearly all makes and models of vehicle.
- Small (or “mom and pop”) independent auto shops: These independent shops are everywhere and vary greatly in quality and reliability. Let’s throw the 3 “C’s” at them and see how they do.
- Cost: Prices for inspections ranged from about $180-$450, depending on the location and the shop.
- Convenience: Again, similar to Canadian Tire you must schedule an appointment, over the phone, and bring the vehicle to them, then wait or come back to pick it up. We called a few different shops in a few different cities in Canada and we had some pickup the phone right away, some we waited on hold for 5-10 minutes and some we were forced to leave voicemails (a few of which never called back). Wait times for inspection appointments were somewhere between a few days to just over a month, and some couldn’t get us in at all.
- Comprehensiveness: Similar to Canadian Tire most independent shops will have vehicle lifts, licensed automotive technicians and access to most tools required to work on most makes and models of vehicles. The quality and consistency of the work will vary greatly from shop to shop so try to find one that has good reviews.
- iNeedaPPi: A mobile pre-purchase inspection company that covers most major cities in Canada. A newer company that has some fresh ideas on how vehicle inspections can be used to help the consumer, but how do they fare against the 3 “C’s”?
- Cost: The price for their inspection report & vehicle score is $129.
- Convenience: Now here is where iNeedaPPi really sets itself apart from the alternatives. Booking is done online quickly and easily. Once the booking is made you will almost always receive your detailed report & vehicle score via email within 24 hours(!). Not to mention there is no need to deal with bringing the vehicle anywhere, they go to the vehicle. You can literally have a vehicle inspected across the country from the comfort of your own home.
- Comprehensiveness: As a mobile (go to the vehicle) business with knowledgeable and experienced inspectors, though not all are currently licensed technicians, their inspections aren’t going to be quite as thorough as a physical shop. Their vehicle inspectors focus on the condition of the vehicle, going over the exterior and interior with a fine-tooth comb including mechanical checks like tire depth measurement, visual inspection of the engine area/undercarriage, oil fill/level, undercarriage, brakes. Beyond this, they also include some checks that brick and mortar shops may not, like reading fault codes, testing coolant quality and checking brake fluid moisture levels. They provide a detailed report including 50+ pictures of every vehicle in a format that is easy to share and compare against other vehicles.
| Canadian Tire | “Mom & Pop” Shop | iNeedaPPi | |
| Cost | $180 | $180-$450 | $129 |
| Convenience | 😔 | 😔 | 😁 |
| Comprehensiveness | 😀 | 😀 | 🙂 |
So after running these different options through our 3 “C’s” test it’s clear that each option has its benefits and its drawbacks. Now it’s up to you to decide which one suits your particular needs and is the best vehicle inspection for you.
