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Inspection report analysis

Inspection Report Analysis: How to Read the Risks

Upload the pages of the inspection report you were handed: it lays out the panel table, mechanical findings and damage record in plain language, and tells you which item should change your buying decision and how much negotiation room it leaves. Most of the risk in a report is not in the individual codes but in where each finding sits: a welded panel, a mileage figure that doesn't add up, or a clean-looking fault record can each turn the decision on its own. The five questions below are the ones actually worth asking when you read a report.

What does a painted or replaced panel mean?

A painted panel has been repainted; a replaced panel has been unbolted or cut out and swapped for a new one. What changes the buying decision is not the number of painted panels but how the part is attached to the car: a replaced bolted part is routine repair, a replaced welded part points to a serious collision.

Some people walk away from a report with ten painted panels; others buy a car with a weld on one. Both are the same mistake from opposite ends: counting rows instead of reading where the findings sit. Findings clustered in one corner of the car tell one story; findings spread across four sides are separate events, usually parking damage.

Local paint and a full repaint are not the same thing either. Local paint covers one area of a panel; a full repaint covers all of it. What matters is whether the metal underneath shows filler or straightening marks: paint is the top layer, the real information is the shape change below it.

How should engine and gearbox findings be read?

The mechanical section shows the condition on the day of the measurement; the fault record shows the error codes sitting in the car's computer at that moment. A clean fault record does not mean there is no fault: codes can be cleared before the ignition is turned on, and some return only after a certain distance is driven.

In brake, suspension and shock measurements, the difference between the two sides matters more than the absolute value. A clear left-right imbalance says more than a single low reading: one side may be new, or the impact may have been concentrated there.

The biggest thing a report leaves out is the known chronic fault tied to the engine code. The report says "the engine ran that day"; it does not say "this known fault on this engine has not started yet". Vetto carries that second piece as separate data — alongside the report, not instead of it.

How do you read mileage and damage history?

Mileage is read against the other traces: steering wheel, pedals and upholstery wear, service records and tyre age should tell the same story. Damage history is read together with which parts were replaced rather than by the size of the amount; a low recorded figure does not prove the car is clean.

A high damage record alone does not make a bad car: a bumper and headlight replacement can look large on paper. The real question is whether the record matches the panel findings in the report. If the report shows a replaced front right wing while the damage record mentions only the rear bumper, the two documents may not be describing the same car.

If the mileage does not add up, treat it as a question, not a bargaining chip. When different sources show different mileage for the same car, do not run any numbers until you have asked the seller; the whole repair-cost and value-gap calculation rests on mileage.

What makes up the repair cost?

Repair cost is the sum of parts, labour, paint and calibration; in a report it should be read as a range, not a single number. The lower bound rests on the official labour tariff, the upper bound on market parts prices; the gap between them depends on where the work is done.

The items people overlook are often dearer than the parts: airbags and seat-belt tensioners, radar and cameras, parking sensors, headlight calibration, trim pieces after paint. When a panel replacement brings those along, the total can run several times the price of the part.

  • Parts: original, aftermarket or used — the estimate follows whichever is written.
  • Labour: removal and refitting, panel straightening, welding.
  • Paint: per panel, local or full.
  • Calibration and electronics: sensors, cameras, airbags.

Repair cost and value loss are two separate items. Repair cost is what it takes to bring the car back; value loss is what a damaged car is worth below a clean equivalent. Adding them into one negotiation number double-counts — in the negotiation they are discussed separately.

Does a report replace a lawyer or an inspector?

No. An inspection report is a snapshot of the condition on the day it was written; it is not a legal opinion and it carries no warranty. Vetto's report analysis is a pre-evaluation too: it simplifies the findings in the document, but it does not replace a physical inspection, an inspector or a lawyer.

A report has limits: a panel nobody looked at, a point nobody measured and a cleared fault record do not show up. That is why "nothing in the report" and "nothing wrong with the car" are not the same sentence. When you see a serious finding, the right next step is not negotiation but a second opinion.

In a legal dispute, a seller's liability claim or an insurance process, a report alone is not enough; that is where a lawyer and an official inspector come in. This page and Vetto's output are there so you know what you are walking into before you enter that process.

What else do people ask about inspection reports?

What do I need in order to upload a report?
Photos of the report's pages. Put each page flat on a surface and shoot it without shadow; some tables run onto later pages, and a missing page means a missing read. The pages are sent for analysis only and are not stored.
I don't understand the codes in my report. What should I do?
Upload them anyway. There is no shared vocabulary between companies; the same condition may read "S/T" on one report and "removed and refitted" on another. The analysis maps the codes it recognises to a common meaning and does not guess the ones it doesn't; unreadable rows are flagged separately.
If the report looks clean, is the car definitely fine?
No. A report is limited to what the inspector saw that day: an unexamined panel, an unmeasured point and a cleared fault record all look clean on paper. A clean report says the risk is low; it does not say the risk is zero.
Does this analysis replace an inspection?
No. Vetto is a pre-evaluation tool; it does not perform a physical inspection and does not issue a document. It helps you understand the report you already have; the decision stays yours.
What happens if part of the report can't be read?
The analysis does not hide it: it flags how many panels could not be read and which mechanical rows are missing. If rows are missing, the reading is attempted once more; if it is still incomplete, the result comes with the flag attached.

If you want to see how a report reads in a concrete output, look at a sample built from a real analysis; if you want the whole process, read how it works.

See the sample reportHow it works

This is not a vehicle expertise report and does not replace a TSE-certified inspection service.