Pre-purchase car inspection by an expert — do you really need it?

DIY or professional: what’s the difference?

Of course, checking a car yourself is possible — especially if you have some technical background or a mechanic friend. Many buyers choose this path in order not to pay a few hundred euros. In practice, however, without professional equipment and experience it’s easy to miss serious faults. Let’s look at the main differences between a DIY check and a professional car buying service.

A professional car inspector uses an advanced LAUNCH scanner for full electronic diagnostics. It reads data from all control units in the car. This reveals hidden issues that basic OBD dongles simply won’t show.

• ✔️ Diagnostic equipment. A typical buyer relies on a visual walkaround and, in the best case, a cheap OBD reader bought online for 20–30 €. These readers usually only read basic engine/gearbox codes and don’t “see” ABS, airbag, climate control and so on. A professional, on the other hand, uses a multi-brand dealer-level scanner (for example LAUNCH or Bosch) with up-to-date databases. It reads all systems and can even show live parameters. The difference is huge: the expert spots hidden deviations while a basic tool may simply say “no errors stored”.
• ✔️ Experience and knowledge of weak points. A car buying specialist inspects dozens of cars every month. Their eye is trained to notice things a novice would never pick up. Slight marks from a recently removed engine cover, uneven pedal wear suggesting mileage manipulation, subtle noises from a DSG gearbox — all this rings alarm bells for an experienced inspector. Bringing a friend with a paint thickness gauge is better than nothing, but it’s still not the same as a full professional inspection where the drivetrain, electronics and documents are all checked together.
• ✔️ Time and access to information. Doing everything yourself takes a lot of time: calling sellers, driving to viewings, sitting in traffic, sometimes for cars that turn out to be clearly bad. A professional filters the market much more efficiently: they know which questions to ask on the phone and which adverts aren’t worth the trip at all. They also have access to paid databases (CarVertical, dealer tools etc.) where you can quickly check a VIN history. Doing this on your own usually means buying separate reports for each car.
• ✔️ Legal aspects and deal safety. A proper inspection is not only about mechanics — it’s also about paperwork. Not every buyer knows what an original German Zulassungsbescheinigung should look like or where warranty limitations are hidden in the contract. An expert helps with documents and protects you from legal traps. Working with a registered company you also get a service contract and an invoice, which adds transparency: you are not paying “some random guy from a forum”, but a business that is accountable.

In short, hiring a professional gives you a comprehensive picture and significantly reduces your risk. You can of course rely on your gut feeling and luck, but statistics are clear: most serious car problems later arise with cars that were not properly inspected before purchase. Even organisations like ADAC and TÜV recommend an independent Gebrauchtwagencheck before buying, even from a dealer — and especially from a private seller. The cost of an inspection is usually tiny compared to what you’d pay for a major repair later.

Why work with Sicher-Check?

Let’s say you’ve decided that working with a professional makes sense. The next question: which company? The market is full of offers — from freelance mechanics to big service chains. Why choose Sicher-Check in particular? A few reasons:

• 💯 Clear focus on car buying. Our team specialises in used car inspections and buying support. We are not a generic workshop that “also does inspections on the side”. Our process is tailored to the risks of buying used cars in Germany: we look at technical condition, documents, history, negotiation and registration as one package.
• 💯 Advanced technical tools. As mentioned above, we use professional paint thickness gauges and dealer-level scanners. Our LAUNCH X-431, for example, handles 100+ control units and supports virtually all modern makes. This goes much deeper than the simple OBD tools used by many “backyard mechanics”.
• 💯 Transparency and responsibility. We work officially: we agree the scope, sign a service contract if needed and issue an invoice. All findings are documented in a written report with photos. You see exactly what has been done and what was discovered. Our independence from sellers guarantees that we work only in your interest — no backdoor deals with dealers, no “we’ll look the other way”.
• 💯 Extra options — all the way to “door to door”. With us you don’t just get an inspection; you can get support until the car is safely in your hands. Need to transport the car to another city or country? We help with that. Need temporary or export plates? We can arrange them. Need someone to negotiate in German? We do that every day. Our goal is to turn a potentially stressful purchase into a well-organised project with clear steps.

Each of our specialists is not only a technician but also your “local guide” in the German car market. Many clients from abroad highlight that working with us felt much safer and clearer than trying to figure everything out alone in a foreign language and legal system. We really value that trust and work hard to justify it.

If you’re in another city or country

One of the big advantages of Sicher-Check is that we can help you remotely, even if you’re far away. Buyers from other parts of Germany as well as from the EU and beyond regularly use this service, because it saves travel time and stress: you don’t need to stand on a dealer’s yard yourself while still getting a full picture of the car.

We carry out remote inspections with live video (WhatsApp/Telegram/Viber): you watch the process, ask questions and receive a detailed report with photos and videos. Once you’re ready to decide, we help with the contract, plates and transport/collection.

In practice it works like this: you send us adverts or describe what you’re looking for. We help identify promising options and organise the on-site inspection. On the agreed day our expert travels to the car, and we connect you via video call. You see the body, the interior, the test drive and the diagnostic results almost as if you were there yourself.

If you decide to buy, we can then assist with the contract, payments and number plates. For international clients we can also manage the onward journey: either by driving the car on temporary plates or organising a professional transporter. That way you may only need to travel once — to collect a ready, registered car — or you can even have it delivered to your home country.

Distance, in other words, is not a problem. Even if you cannot physically come to Germany for a viewing, the pre-purchase inspection will still be carried out to the same standard. You minimise your travel time and still get the same level of information and quality control as if you were standing next to the car.

How much it costs: service packages

Price is another frequent question. To make planning easier, we have several clear packages. Here’s a short overview (more details in the article Our prices and full inspection packages):

Several cars can be inspected in one day: each additional inspection that day is 100 € (travel conditions depend on package and route).

How to estimate the total? If the car is nearby (within Berlin or the immediate area), the total is usually just the fixed price (for example 150 € for the Berlin package). If the car is further away, the travel component is added. For instance, at a distance of 200 km one way, travel would be around 300 € (200 km × 1.5 €/km). We always tell you the final price up front — no hidden extras or “surprises”.

At first glance, the car buying service looks like an extra expense. Most clients, however, quickly realise it actually pays for itself: either through a better purchase price (we often negotiate 500–1000 € off with facts from the report) or, more importantly, by avoiding a problematic car whose repairs would have cost far more. A professional pre-purchase inspection in Germany is essentially an investment in the quality and safety of your purchase.