If you're a professional car buyer, you would know that vehicle appraisals can have serious miscalculations due to human error, vehicle conditions, market supply, market demand, and incorrect OBD diagnostics. The advances in technology, however, have minimized the scope of error. A brilliant testament to that is CarDr.com's Vehicle Appraisal App. Equipped with the world's most powerful palm-sized OBD adapter and integrated with several industry valuation services, this powerful tool can offer a vehicle's appraisal report within minutes.
What happens in the Vehicle Appraisal Process?
Vehicle appraisal is an essential step before any used car is bought or sold. Nobody wants to get less than or pay more than the car's actual valuation. However, the vehicle appraisal process is a little complex. So let's break it down.
Condition
From the paint to the engine, every physical aspect of the car needs to be assessed through different tests and scans. Here are a few of the most critical aspects that need to be investigated.
Engine Check Light: If the engine check light is on, it's not too big a deal. If it's been on for a very long time, it affects the valuation of the car. Any tampering with the engine check light can result in an even lower valuation.
Care: If there has been consistent care and upkeep of the vehicle, it will be noticeable during an appraisal. Everything is noted during an appraisal, from oil changes, tire rotations, and alignments to when your engine is checked when the light is on.
Mileage: How much had the car driven? How good is the mileage? Has the necessary maintenance been done on the car as it climbed in miles?
Brakes: What are the conditions of the brakes? Maintenance and upkeep of the brake system are noted during appraisal.
Checking the condition of a car involves checking how well the car continues to drive.
The appearance on the outside matters, but what's under the hood matters more. There will be a test drive to check the engine and for any idle noises that could be concerning.
OBD Adapter 2.0
Demand And Supply
A large part of the appraisal value depends on the demand and supply of the car in question.
If the car is in perfect condition, the appraisal value is bound to be a lot higher. On the other hand, a car that is barely together will not have a high valuation.
Another important aspect is the rarity of the car. Many luxury or vintage cars can be appraised higher than even the best kept typical car. However, even the rarest vintage car should be kept in the best value for the highest dollar.
OBD Data Example
Customizations
If you are getting a luxury or high-end car appraised, then the car's mileage may not matter as much as the customizations you have added to the car. Any premium features, upgrades, or customizations, including excellent paint jobs, help raise the car's valuation.
Photos & Appraisal Notes
OBD Diagnostics
OBD or On-Board Diagnostics refer to the vehicle's ability to self-diagnose and report. The OBD system in any vehicle provides precious information for the technician appraising the car.
There are over 220 OBD parameters that a system keeps track of, and using an OBD scanner gives a technician all the access to this necessary data.
A technician can access important information such as Engine RPM, Engine load, Vehicle speed, Throttle position, Fuel pressure, Fuel trim, Fuel system status, Coolant temperature, Intake air temperature, Intake manifold pressure, Air status MAF, airflow rate, and more through the OBD scans.
The OBD diagnostic is one of the most critical steps in assessing the value of the car. While it does evaluate the condition of the car, it also prevents fraud. Since the system provides a whole range of data about several diagnostic trouble codes, it also includes information on anything that has been tampered with or replaced.
One example is the VIN, which, when replaced, can skew the valuation of the used vehicle. An OBD diagnostic test can point out such fraud and prevent any errors in calculating the value.
OBD scans can't be read by themselves; more often than not, the scans are compared with the owner's manual and another repair manual. Other online resources will also work as a comparison for the original OBD scans. Using a comparison can help a technician find the issues in the used vehicle.
Appraisal Report
How Can CarDr.com's Vehicle Appraisal App Help?
One of the world's smallest (44x28x22mm) form factor that easily fits into most vehicles
It takes hours of data collection and years of expertise to check a used vehicle and accurately estimate its value. Over time, there have been several tools to help with the process of vehicle appraisal. However, there's been none like CarDr.com's Vehicle Appraisal App. This revolutionary Vehicle Inspection system and app creates appraisal reports in no time to the credit of its exhaustive database. The integrated OBD Bluetooth device helps identify the problem areas in the form of trouble codes. This device is well-equipped to read codes in multiple modules like SRS and ABS.
This detailed assessment provides data and numbers to help create an accurate valuation for the used vehicle.
Vehicle History
The vehicle history is an essential indicator of the condition and lifetime of the car. Signs such as rust, peeling paint, and a check engine light on, all point to misuse and lower the vehicle's valuation.
CardDr.com's vehicle appraisal app makes sure to consult a CarFax Damage and Flood report for every vehicle. This helps to identify any previous problems and calculate the value of the vehicle accordingly.
Additions or subtractions from the car can significantly lower the valuation of the car. Unfortunately, many try to scam mechanics by fiddling with the check engine lights, odometer, and other essential vehicle parts.
The real-time data integration achieved by CarDr.com's technology allows for VIN fraud to be detected as well! The mechanic needs to scan the VIN with the CarDr.com Inspector app, and the Carfax reports pop up on the screen.
Vehicle History Report Partners
OBD Diagnostics Of The Vehicle
These tests generally require thousand-dollar machines. However, with the CarDr.com's Bluetooth OBD adapter, things get a lot easier and cheaper.
OBD data is necessary to assess the condition of the car. All the data that can point to the healthy inner working of a car is collected during the RPM and test drives. However, it requires the vehicle sellers' permission.
The OBD Data contains information about diagnostic trouble codes and over 200 OBD parameters, including fuel pressure, engine RPM, coolant temperature, fuel trim, torque, VIN, vehicle speed, and more!
OBD Adapter 2.0
Multiple Valuation Services
The app runs the data through several industry valuation services, such as Manheim MMR, Kelley Blue Book, JD Power, and Black Book.
Manheim MMR, JD Power, and Black Book provide estimated pricing for trade-in and retail. The pricing is also categorized for clean, average, and rough vehicles.
Market Valuation Partners
Why Is It Good?
Data is the King
Whether it be the data received from the OBD scan, the VIN scan, or the Carfax report, a massive amount of data is being used by the CarDr.com appraisal app to come up with a valuation that is relatively accurate and reliable.
Report
The app does not leave the customers wondering how it concluded the valuation. Instead, it supplements its valuation with a solid report with all the details about the make and model of the car, the performance of the car, what requires repair, and how much the repairs might cost in total.
Ease Of Use
Even a beginner can use the appraisal app and CarDr.com Bluetooth OBD adapter with ease.
Doesn't Skip A Step
Supervised by a specialized AI, the mechanic and the app cannot skip a single test that needs to be conducted on the vehicle. This way, the app and the customer get the best results.
Endnotes
The CarDr.com's Appraisal App is a brand-new technology that maximizes the resources while reducing the overall costs.
This app keeps track of appraisals, gathers data, and provides a reliable valuation, thus saving time and human error.
