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Pre-purchase inspectionBuy the car, have me do the work, the inspection fee comes off the repair.
Every mechanic says something like this and almost nobody says what it means. So here it is bounded: what comes off, off what, inside what window, and what it doesn't cover. If it isn't on this page, it isn't the deal.
A pre-purchase inspection is $120–$250 flat, at the seller's location, and the number is confirmed in writing before the visit. That's the whole price whether you buy the car or walk away from it. But if you do buy it, and something in the report needs fixing, and you have me fix it, you shouldn't pay twice for the same hour of my time. So you don't.
The terms, in five lines
- What comes offThe exact inspection fee on your invoice, all of it, not a percentage, not "up to". The published band is $120–$250 flat and whatever you actually paid is the number that comes off.
- Off whatA repair on the same car you had inspected, for something written in your report. Not a job that appeared later, not a different car.
- By whenThe repair is booked within 30 days of the inspection date.
- How bigOne repair job priced at $400 or more, once per inspection. Below that, the credit would be most of the bill.
- How you claim itYou don't. No code, no coupon, it's written on your report. Say it when you book and the flat quote comes back with it already taken off.
These terms as of 17 August 2026. They can change for future inspections, but never for one already booked. The terms printed on your report are the ones you get, and this page is the only place they live.
Why I can do this without it being a gimmick
Because the second visit is genuinely cheaper for me. I've already been to that car. I measured the pads in millimetres, read the codes and the readiness monitors, photographed the leak, and worked out what's actually wrong. On a normal repair a chunk of the job is figuring out what the job is, and on your car that part is already done and written down. I'm crediting time I no longer have to spend. That's why the promise can be flat and specific instead of a "valued customer discount".
There's a second reason and I'd rather say it than hide it: a pre-purchase inspection is how a lot of my repair work finds me. You get a $120–$250 inspection that pays for itself in the negotiation, I get the chance to do the repair. Both sides win, and neither side has to pretend.
Which repairs it applies to
The driveway jobs I actually do, the ones a used car usually needs. Every band below is straight out of the published rate card, the same file the negotiation numbers in your report come from:
| What the report found | Published GTA range, installed |
|---|---|
| Brakes, pads and rotors, per axle | $200–$700 |
| Suspension, struts, control arms, bearings, links | $350–$1,500 |
| Battery, alternator or starter | $180–$1,100 |
| Cooling, thermostat, water pump, hoses | $250–$900 |
| Serpentine belt and tensioner | $150–$650 |
| CV axles | $350–$750 |
| Oil leaks, valve cover and gaskets | $250–$900 |
| Tune-up, spark plugs, coils, filters | $250–$700 |
| Exhaust, flex pipe, resonator, muffler | $150–$800 |
Those are market context ranges, not your quote. Your quote is one flat number for your exact car, confirmed in writing before anything is touched, and then the inspection fee comes off it.
A worked example, using the published sample
The published sample report ends with three findings: rear pads and rotors ($350–$700), a tired battery ($180–$450) and a cracked serpentine belt ($150–$350). Together that's roughly $680–$1,500 of published-range work, comfortably over the $400 floor, so the whole inspection fee comes off the repair quote. You paid for the inspection once, it gave you a negotiation number to hand the seller, and then it came off the bill. That's the entire idea.
What it doesn't cover, said plainly
- Work I turn down. Timing chains and belts, clutches, head gaskets, internal engine work. I say that publicly on my trust page and I'm not going to quietly contradict it here to win a booking. If your report finds one of those, the honest offer is a second-opinion diagnostic, $100–$250 flat at your location, so you know whether the shop's number is real, or a pre-purchase inspection, $120–$250 flat, on the next car if you walk from this one.
- A different car. The credit belongs to the car I inspected. Inspect two cars, buy one, the credit follows the one you bought.
- Not buying it. If the report talks you out of the car, good, that's the fee doing its most valuable work, but there's no repair for it to come off.
- Repairs under $400. Still happy to do them, still one flat number, just no credit on top.
- Anything I didn't write down. If it wasn't in the report, it isn't part of the credit. That keeps both of us honest about what was actually found on the day.
Questions, answered straight
Do I have to decide right away?
No. You've got 30 days from the inspection to book the repair. Take the report to the seller first, use it to negotiate, sort the sale out, then book the work.
What if the seller does the repair instead, as part of the deal?
Then you don't need me and that's a fine outcome, the report just saved you the whole amount instead of a fraction of it. Get it in writing from the seller, and get proof it was actually done before money changes hands.
Can I split the credit across two repairs?
No, one repair, once. Splitting it turns a simple promise into arithmetic neither of us wants to argue about later. Bundle the work into one visit and it usually costs you less anyway.
Is the price different because of the credit?
No. The repair is quoted the same flat way it would be for anyone, then the fee comes off. There's no padded number waiting to absorb the credit, the rate card is public specifically so you can check that.
What if the inspection finds nothing?
Then you buy a car you're not worried about, which is the outcome worth paying for. Nothing to credit, nothing to fix, and you stop second-guessing a five-figure decision.
Where does this apply?
Mississauga, Oakville, Milton, Brampton and Etobicoke, the same five cities as everything else. If the car is outside that, I'll tell you straight instead of taking the booking and disappointing you.
Book the inspection, you don't wait on a callback
A pre-purchase inspection has a published flat price, no parts and no unknowns, so nothing about it needs a phone call first. Pick a real window below and it's held. All 150 points are published and numbered, and the sample report shows you the format before you pay a cent.
Already have the report? Price the findings and book the work
Tick what was found and you get the negotiation number built from published ranges, a message you can send the seller, and a real window for the repair afterwards.