Is there any demand for a mobil PPI inspecton?

[steve930t]

Just thinking out loud... I'm thinking about starting some type of small business. I have extensive auto body and mechanical experience with all types of cars, new and classic and I've been working for an insurance company managing direct repair body shops for the past 13 years. It's a job that I thought I could retire from but things have changed and the company is awful to work for. I was going to open a collision repair shop, but the more I run the numbers I'm not sure it's such a good idea in this economy. Anyway, I was trying to think of something I can do with fairly low start up costs that I can actually make money doing what I like. One thought was inspecting cars for potential buyers. So many cars trade owners over the internet and so many people get burned buying junk. Can it be done? I can even go as far at transporting in my enclosed car trailer. Any ideas/thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Zeke]

Yes. The problem is marketing the business. You need steady clients. Contact Kaisen.

[pavulon]

and lift access to do it well.

[stomachmonkey]

Ask the Lemon Detectors and Lemon Busters franchises. They've been doing it for a decade as far as I recall.

[Porsche virgin]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Ask the Lemon Detectors and Lemon Busters franchises. They've been doing it for a decade as far as I recall.

I did a quick search for those two businesses. Lemon Busters said "website coming soon." This turned up for Lemon Detectors:

I was defrauded by Auto Lemon Detectors of San Antonio.
Provided by YP.com

Posted by samantha888 on 10/03/2009
My mother and daughter scheduled a pre-purchase inspection with Auto Lemon Detectors of San Antonio. Michael Dickinson, the owner of Auto Lemon Detectors, performed the inspection (he was 1 hour late). The vehicle he inspected had 47,000 miles. After Mr. Dickinson’s inspection, he stated that “the engine and transmission were in good condition” and that we should purchase the vehicle for my teenage daughter. We purchased the vehicle and after driving only 15 miles, the engine started smoking and emitted a burning smell, and then stopped, and would not start again. We towed the vehicle to a repair shop and were told that the engine blew a piston and the repairs would be over $7000.

My mother, daughter and I contacted Auto lemon Detectors and talked to Mr. Dickinson. He would not do anything, was never apologetic, and was extremely rude to each of us. He informed me that the car’s engine failure was “my problem” and that I had a “bad attitude.” He failed to return our subsequent calls and would not accept responsibility for his inadequate and improper inspection, nor would he offer any assistance in helping to correct the matter, or offer to refund us the $150 inspection fee paid to him.

I had the repair shop and an independent ASE Master Technician re-examine the vehicle and they both found sludge and varnish buildup in the engine, which is an indication of very poor maintenance. Mr. Dickinson also failed to document that the master cylinder was leaking with fluid on the brake booster, and the vehicle had previous accident damage.

I have discovered that Mr. Dickinson has been advertising for years that he is an ASE Certified Master Technician (the highest certification for automotive technicians). However, if you contact ASE (ASE - Certifying the Automotive Professional | Home), you find that he was NEVER a Master Technician. In fact, he has NONE of the 8 automotive certifications that are needed to be Master Certified.

Auto Lemon Detectors and Michael Dickinson are defrauding the general public by posing as automotive technical experts. I ‘m alerting the public so no one has to go through the stress and costs that I and my family had to go through.

[john70t]

I was once an ASE Certified Master Technician, but was still a green idiot mechanic.
Still, I was teaching other union slugs new tricks while I was learning their's. I had the luck to have excellent teachers in scholl.

Those ASE tests are needed to show a basic knowledge of systems, but there is no substiute for real experience.

Some quick tricks of the trade using basic tools are:
1). Know how to read a manifold vaccuum gauge. An engine is an airpump.
2). An injector noid light quickly shows whether it's fuel or ignition/sensor.
3). Carb cleaner and listen to rpm change to find vacuum leaks(be careful).
4). Mityvac to check vaccum solenoids.
5). DVOM to check voltage reading, change and drop across a wire.
6). Look, smell, listen, ask. A chocolate malty dipstick is water in the oil. A dipstick with a burn line is an overheated engine.
7). Saftey first always. Buy glasses and a light. Keep fingers/jewelry/hair away from moving parts.