Car Inspection VS Car Evaluation: What’s the Difference?
Are you familiar with the terms ‘car evaluation’ and ‘car inspection’? In this article, we’ll breakdown the differences between the two.
Everyone knows that a car inspection is mandatory for all vehicles on the road. For car owners, it is required by law to send your vehicle for inspection once every two years from the 3rd year, or yearly if it is above the age of 10.
As for a car evaluation, it is a special inspection that is performed on a pre-owned car before purchase. Although it is not mandatory, customers are strongly encouraged by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) to send any pre-owned car for an evaluation first before it is bought.
A car evaluation will not only safeguard your interest, but also ensure that the used car is roadworthy and defect-free. Afterall, you wouldn’t want to purchase a “lemon”.
To further highlight their differences, we will list the different checks and tests that are performed for both car inspection and evaluation.
Car Inspection
As mentioned earlier, car owners are required to send their cars for a mandatory inspection. This is to ensure all vehicles meet strict roadworthiness and emissions standards, thus minimising vehicle breakdowns and accidents.
According to VICOM, the following components will be checked at every inspection:
|
Stage 1
Above Carriage Check (Visual Check) |
- Vehicle identity (including number plate, engine and chassis numbers) - Lighting equipment (including headlands, stop lamps, front and rear lamps and direction indicators) - Bodywork - Vehicle modifications and accessories - Road wheel and tyres - General items (including seat belts, horn, windscreen, safety devices and windscreen wipers) |
|
Stage 2
Alignment test Brake Test |
- Front wheel alignment - Brake performance, efficiency and drag force. |
|
Stage 3
Headlight Test
Exhaust Emission Test Sound Level Test
|
- Alignment and focus of headlamps - Luminous intensity - Horizontal and vertical aim of each headlamp at high beam - Exhaust emission levels - Collection of gas samples - Noise emission test |
|
Stage 4
Under Carriage Check (Visual Checks) |
- Chassis - Exhaust system - Suspension system - Steering system - Brake system - Leakage |
If your vehicle passes all four stages, you will be presented with an inspection certificate. Those that fail the inspection will need to return for a re-inspection on a later date.
Car Evaluation
According to our previous article, a car evaluation is a more thorough and rigorous inspection. Performed prior a used car purchase, it gives car buyers a better understanding of the quality and condition of a used car.
VFIT is the vehicle evaluation arm of VICOM. It follows the strict Standard and Functional Evaluation Checklist set by CASE. The dealer should complete Part A of the checklist, while Part B should be completed by a professional evaluation centre, like VFIT.
Base on this checklist, the following components will be checked by the professional evaluation centre:
|
Engine |
- Visual inspection to identify oil seepage, overheating, abnormal engine noise, and condition of the drive belt |
|
Engine Mounting |
- Checks to identify abnormal vibrations resulting from defective engine mounting |
|
Fluid Level |
- Dipstick and visual checks to ensure there is sufficient engine oil, power steering fluid, transmission oil, brake fluid, cooling system coolant level, clutch fluid, and visual inspection for the contamination of fluids |
|
Transmission Box |
- Road tests and checks to identify abnormal noises during engine operation and gear transmissions |
|
Chassis Frame |
- Visual inspections to identify possible cracks or damages to the chassis frame, including welding and corrosion |
|
Bodyworks |
- Visual inspections for scratches, dents, and signs of touch-up of the bodywork |
|
Suspension System |
- Inspection of shock absorbers for seepage and defective components - Observation of the performance of the suspension and condition of suspension linkages |
|
Air-conditioning |
- Temperature measurement of cooled air for a specific period |
|
Cooling System |
- Checking of engine temperature, cooling fans, hoses, and radiator cap for leakages to ensure that the cooling system is operating within the normal operating parameters as indicated in the car instrumental panel |
|
Electrical System |
- Checks on the working electrical system to ensure all lights, air conditioning, *battery and alternator are working. * Hybrid battery and EV battery are not |
|
Brakes and Alignment |
- Inspection of brake rotor and brake pad, measurement of brake efficiency using roller brake tester - Alignment test conducted on side slip tester to check for misalignment of wheel(s) |
|
Rims and Wheels |
- Visual inspection for damaged, uneven wear and missing nuts on rims and depth of all tyre threads |
|
Road Testing |
- Observation for engine misfiring, proper gear transmission, steering wobble, vehicle swerving and abnormal noises |
|
Visual Inspections |
- Includes visual inspection of body works, accessories (if any), tinted film, spoiler, additional lamps for compliance with the relevant Land Transport Authority regulations. |
As you can probably tell, a car evaluation is more in-depth than an inspection. It does involve the exchange of your hard-earned money after all.
For those of you who aren’t aware, the motorcar industry has seen the highest number of complaints among all industries since 2012.
If you don’t want to find yourself in a bad position, please do consider getting a car evaluation before a used car purchase. It is after all a small price to pay for a peace of mind.
With 38 years of experience in the automotive industry, VFIT by VICOM provides one of the most comprehensive evaluation reports in the industry.
To set a car evaluation appointment, simply head over their online booking system. Each evaluation takes approximately two hours to complete.
In our next article, we will be highlighting several key things that car owners will need to pay attention to when reading their car evaluation report.
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