# Daylight inspection — what to check on a used car in natural light

Live version: https://autoscout.fyi/guides/daylight-inspection

Never inspect a used car under forecourt lights at night. Showroom lighting hides swirl marks, bad paintwork, filler, and rust. Everything you see on a cloudy day is what a buyer of that car sees two years from now. Visit the dealer on a dry daylight appointment.

## Paintwork

- Stand at each corner and sight down the side — ripples, waves, or a mismatched sheen means the panel has been repainted or filled after an accident.
- Mismatched orange peel texture between panels is a giveaway for body repairs.
- Check panel gaps — consistent on all four corners? Anywhere they're tight or wide suggests the shell was distorted and re-squared.

## Under the car (phone torch + mirror)

- Look under the engine for wet or crusty oil — a small weep is common, a pool is not.
- Brake discs should have a mirror finish in the pad track and a thin rust band at the edge. Deep grooves mean pads past their prime.
- Check the inside of the wheel arches for rust bubbles around the seam welds — expensive when they spread.
- Sills and jacking points — poke gently. Any crunch means structural rust.

## Under the bonnet

- Check the oil dipstick. Amber and clean = recent service. Black and sooty = overdue. Frothy or beige = head gasket (walk away).
- Coolant reservoir should be the right colour (pink, blue or green — matching the cap) and between min/max when cold.
- Battery terminals should be clean, not powdery. Green/white crust means a slow leak.
- Look for recent part replacements — new hoses, new parts in an otherwise weathered engine bay can mean recent trouble.

## Tyres

- All four tyres should be the same make and model. Mismatched pairs are a bargaining chip: matching quality tyres cost £400–£600 a set.
- Tread wear should be even across the width. Cupping, uneven wear, or a feathered edge means suspension trouble.
- Date codes on the sidewall (the 4-digit DOT code) — tyres over six years old perish even with tread left.

## Interior

- Sit in the driver's seat and check wear on the bolster, steering wheel rim, and pedal rubbers. Heavy wear on a "low-mileage" car is a clocking red flag.
- Work every switch: windows, mirrors, heated seats, air con (cold in under a minute = good), DAB radio, reversing camera.
- Warning lights — start the car, nothing should stay lit. An ABS or engine light that "comes on intermittently" is usually a fault waiting to become expensive.

## Test drive

- Drive for at least 20 minutes, including a motorway stretch.
- Brakes: pedal firm, no pulling to one side, no grinding or vibration.
- Steering: centred, no wandering, returns to straight after a bend.
- Gearbox: smooth through every gear. Manuals — no baulking into 2nd. Autos — no jerky changes or flared revs.
- Listen with the radio off.

If anything feels wrong, trust that feeling.