It’s not every day that an average Indian consumer buys a car, so when they do, they could use the assistance of an expert to ensure what they bring home is free from imperfections and defects. Enter pre-delivery
inspection or PDI. A Reddit user recently took to the car community, sharing a gentle reminder about why car inspection was important before bringing a brand-new car or even a pre-owned vehicle home.
The inspection is typically done at a car dealership before the vehicle keys are handed over to the customer.
What Is PDI?
Pre-delivery inspection, or PDI, is a meticulous inspection performed by an expert at a nominal fee. The car expert comes armed with a checklist of tasks to be performed on the four-wheeler. Defects found during a car inspection can range from minor issues, such as scratches, to major problems, such as mechanical failures.
For instance, unused stocks and previous year models are often offered at a steep discount by a dealership. These vehicles usually sit undriven for a long time, often collecting dust, developing rust or in extreme cases, even being subjected to flooding in the car inventory area. At a time when a customer is already negotiating for discounts and free accessories, it’s plausible to skip PDI to save a few rupees during their hefty purchase. But the car experts and enthusiasts advise that this fee, ranging from Rs 1500 to Rs 3000, could avoid a substantial headache for the buyer.
What Checks Are Done During PDI?
From transmission to paint quality to engine performance, all the major and minor components are checked.
During a physical check, the expert looks for possible defects in the paint, including dents and scratches. Body panel replacements or imperfections caused during repainting can also be discovered. The exterior or physical inspection also assesses the health of tyres and head and tail lights.
In an electrical check, the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) is inspected. ECU is the brain of the car that controls the engine. Transmission, climate control, ABS, airbags, fuel injection, idle speed, sensors, etc, are checked during the inspection.
During an engine check, several components, including engine performance, oils, fluids, battery, brakes, suspension, are thoroughly checked.
There is an interior check which focuses on the components that are in the periphery of a driver, including the car infotainment system, climate control, seats, and physical buttons, which are closely looked at to identify flaws or imperfections.
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In some cases, the “flaw” can be as minor as a manipulated odometer reading, suggesting the dealership has tinkered with the kilometres registered on the car. This could suggest that the car was previously driven or used as an undisclosed test vehicle. However, purchasing a test vehicle with no mechanical or cosmetic issues isn’t necessarily a bad decision, as dealerships often offer them at a discounted price.
Has PDI Helped?
Many car buyers have documented their experiences of opting for PDI and how it safeguarded them in varied scenarios.
“I was about to take delivery of the Kia Seltos in 2 days, and today was the PDI. I don’t have a lot of automobile knowledge so I had booked a professional PDI service. As the inspection is going on, the engineer informs me that there is an issue. The odometer reading has been manipulated to show that it is driven only a short distance, whereas the actual running is much much higher. The difference is more than 250 km!” user kzar07 wrote on Reddit.
“Today I went for PDI and was shown the car, after some inspection found it as a display demo car. Sales person didn’t accept at first but after pointing out the fingerprints, scratch guards missing, dirty seats and paint scratches, sales person accepted it, so rejected the car,” a second user, sharing their experience, wrote.
In this particular case, a user discovered cosmetic flaws and shared pictures of the same.
A buyer can reject the car delivery and approach other dealerships if they are not satisfied with the product they are being offered.
Zekardo, CarCID, CarVaidya, and CARS24 are popular PDI services available in India.
