Mobile vehicle inspection passes a used car that others would've found not road-worthy

Gian Zsombor speaks to CTV News Edmonton about the vehicle her son purchased (CTV News Edmonton/Alison MacKinnon).

Editor's note: This story was originally published using information provided by AMVIC, indicating businesses that conduct inspections need to be licenced. After a review of the business in this story, AMVIC ruled it does not need to be licenced. The story has been updated to reflect that.

An Edmonton woman hopes others can learn from her experience after she bought a used car that turned out to be a lemon.

Gian Zsombor's 18-year-old son saved money for years to buy his first car. He found a private seller offering a 2009 Mazda 3 on Facebook Marketplace.

"[The seller] was super responsive," Zsombor told CTV News Edmonton. "He gave us the VIN right away."

She thought they had done their due diligence by checking the car for any liens and viewing its history.

"Everything seemed okay, so we went out there and took it for a test drive," Zsombor recalled. "We know that because it was an older vehicle, there was probably going to be a few things that had to be tweaked."

Zsombor found a mobile inspection company online that contacts the seller and meets them to do a test drive and visual inspection. She thought it would be a convenient service that would help provide the last piece of feedback before making the choice to buy the car.

"I don't know anything about vehicles, so we got the report back. It had a rating of great, 76 out of 100," she said. "We went through the report. There were some things to be expected, some mechanical things that we thought, for sure, we would bring it in and get them taken care of."

Her son bought the car, but after a few weeks of driving, he noticed something wasn't right.

They brought it to Bruce Stewart's Auto Repair Centre. Almost immediately, they got a call from one of Stewart's mechanics.

"They weren't even able to put it up on a hoist because the right-side panel had just started to disintegrate," Zsombor said. "My son just turned white. He was just sick about the state of the vehicle."

Bruce Stewart showed CTV News Edmonton the extensive rust damage, including "gaping holes" and crumbling bodywork along the Mazda's support structure.

"It's pretty rough," he said. "The report that the purchaser got doesn't say bad rust, it says moderate. Well, this is a little more than moderate when you can put your hand right through the body of the car."

Some of the 'deep rust' underneath a car that an Edmonton woman bought after having a visual inspection completed (CTV News Edmonton/Alison MacKinnon).

'A BIG RED FLAG'

Had Stewart or one of his mechanics done the inspection, he says they would've stopped the buyer in their tracks.

"We would've actually started that inspection. We would have stopped at this point," Stewart said as he pointed to the rust affecting the structure of the car.

"We would call the purchaser and said this car ain't worth purchasing," he added. "That's like a big red flag, stop right now."

Some of the 'deep rust' underneath a car that an Edmonton woman bought after having a visual inspection completed (CTV News Edmonton/Alison MacKinnon).

Zsombor used iNeedaPPi, a national company that says it offers quick and inexpensive pre-purchase inspections backed by its "internal review process."

"We aren't really telling people this is a good buy or not a good buy," said Joe O'Reilley, the company's founder. "We're just presenting the condition to them."

O'Reilley adds that his business doesn't do "full mechanical inspections," but inspectors do a test drive and visual once-over to give customers a better idea of the car's condition.

"And this situation is particularly unfortunate where there was some rust deep underneath where we weren't able to see it," he added.

Zsombor says iNeedaPPi has been responsive to her situation and has presented some options for her son to consider. She just wishes she knew the differences between a visual inspection and a comprehensive vehicle assessment.

"There's been a lot of learnings this past week," she added. "Yes, they are offering a service that I know nothing about, but we put our faith in a lot of that report. And that report swayed the purchase of this vehicle."

A portion of the 'deep rust' on the car Gian Zsombar's son purchased (CTV News Edmonton/Alison MacKinnon).

TYPES OF VEHICLE INSPECTIONS

Stewart recommended that anyone purchasing a car ask for a comprehensive inspection.

"You can't inspect a vehicle properly without lifting it up on a hoist," he said. "My opinion on curbside inspections is it's just a roll of the dice. You are going to get what you are going to get."

"Another 69 bucks, and this vehicle would arrive here and get a 300-point inspection."

Bruce Stewart speaks to CTV News Edmonton about the different types of car inspections prospective buyers can ask for to inform their decision (CTV News Edmonton/Alison MacKinnon).

A comprehensive inspection includes a check of the vehicle mechanically, externally and internally, Stewart explained, as well as a test drive and visual check to determine its roadworthiness.

Another option is to check for an Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council (AMVIC) mechanical fitness assessment, which in Stewart's view, is not as thorough, but still covers most basis and requires a technician to be licensed.

"On that inspection that was brought in that was done on the driveway, there's no signature, there's no licence for any technician," Stewart said.

An AMVIC or comprehensive inspection requires the identification of the technician who completed it, their ticket number, and the company name.

"They are held responsible for that inspection," Stewart said. "Get it into a reputable shop that has a good reputation and get it inspected."

"If the seller goes absolutely not, it's got no insurance, it's got no this or that, then you know very well to turn around and walk away," he added.

AMVIC RESPONSE

In February, AMVIC senior communications officer Laura Meador told CTV News Edmonton inspections are a service that falls under Alberta's Consumer Protection Act, which means the business that offers them would have to be licenced.

In April, however, after a "careful review" prompted by this story, Meador said:

"Our manager of licensing has determined that an AMVIC service and repair licence is not needed in this specific case as the inspection is visual only (not mechanical), the vehicle is never put on a hoist, and no parts are added to or removed from a vehicle.

"The service and repair class of the AMVIC licence categories covers performing mechanical inspections and providing a Mechanical Fitness Assessment (MFA) or inspecting an out-of-province vehicle, as required by Alberta Transportation and under the Vehicle Inspection Regulation, Section 15(1). These tasks must be conducted by certified automotive service technicians who are employed by AMVIC-licensed businesses.

"As per the Automotive Business Regulation (ABR) Section 3(5), this particular business is not adding or removing parts to the vehicle. If they were adding or removing parts, or putting vehicles on hoists, they would require a licence.

"We encourage consumers to get a complete vehicle inspection from a licensed service and repair business that would cover all aspects of a vehicle, including the full mechanical condition of the vehicle. Licensed service and repair businesses have the appropriate technicians that can perform a full inspection that includes all parts of a vehicle."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson