Playbooks

Beginner · short stepsExpert · spec · code · mm

Pick the situation. Read the left column. Say that at the window.

Twelve owner scenarios. Beginner script + genius measurements. SaferCar patterns — not a pirated TSB book.

WhoAudience: Owners in a named jam — brakes, noise, a light, a quote.Anyone who wants both altitudes on one card.
ClickControl: A playbook card. Then the beginner script.Playbook → steps. TSB desk and counter card live next door.
SayCounter: The left-column sentence. Then ask for the number on the right.Measurement first. Campaign lookup second. Parts last.

Playbooks · PPI · Buyer / PPI

A walk-around before money moves

Used-car 30-minute PPI

Thirty minutes will not replace a lift inspection. It will catch the lies you can still walk away from: mismatched tires, a cluster full of lamps, a wet bay, and a VIN that does not match the ad.

Private party, dealer lot, or a “as-is” Facebook car. You have a half hour of daylight and a phone. You are not a licensed inspector. You are building a folder so a shop — or you — can say no.

Beginner steps

What you do

0 / 6 beginner steps

01Four corners, both sides, the roofStand back. Gaps, height, overspray, tape lines, a rocker that does not match. Photo front and rear three-quarter in the same light.Say: I am photographing the car as it sits. I am not accusing you of a wreck. I am keeping a file.
02VIN, door sticker, plate, odometerWindshield VIN vs door sticker vs the ad. All 17 characters readable. Cluster miles with the key on. If two VINs disagree, you are done.Say: The ad VIN and this windshield have to be the same 17.
03All four tires + date codesTread close-up and the DOT week/year on each sidewall. Mismatched brands or a 2018 tire next to a 2024 tire is a story. Spare too.Say: I want the date codes in the folder even if the tread looks fine.
04Cluster lamps: key on, then runningKey on, engine off — watch the bulb check. Then running. CEL, ABS, SRS, TPMS, 4WD. A “I just cleared it” is a walk-away unless they scan it in front of you.Say: Please turn the key and leave it so I can see the lamps. Then start it.
05Scan screen, not a thumbs-upPhoto the tool’s code list: stored, pending, permanent. A green light on a cheap reader is not a PPI. Translate anything you see on /obd.Say: I need a photo of the code list, including pending. I do not accept ‘it passed.’
06Engine bay wet vs dry + a short driveWhole bay, then the wet spot. Battery age if the sticker is there. Drive it: cold start, a hard stop, a 40 mph sweep for a shake. If they will not let you drive it, that is data.Say: I need a drive, not a start-in-the-spot. If the lift is free later, I will pay a shop for the underside.

Do not

Do not wire a deposit before you have the VIN in a photo.
Do not accept “Carfax is clean” as a substitute for looking under the car.
Do not treat this 30-minute card as a lemon-law opinion or an appraisal.

Expert notes

What the number means

DOT date code · week/year
The last four digits on the sidewall are week and year (2319 = 23rd week of 2019). A tire can have 8/32 and still be a six-year-old carcass. Many shops start the replace talk at six years regardless of tread.
SRS lamp · on/off
An airbag lamp after the bulb check is not a fuse. On a 2000s Honda, run the VIN for Takata before you fall in love with the paint. Unused passenger inflators sit for decades and then fail on a hit.
Permanent codes · DTC
A permanent DTC survives a clear until the monitor runs clean. That is why “I reset it this morning” still shows on a real scan. Pending codes are the early warning. Photo the screen.
Panel gaps · mm / eyeball
You do not need a paint meter for a first pass. A headlight that does not match, a trunk that sits high, overspray in a door jamb — those are accident tells. A shop PPI with a lift still wins if the number is large.

Open a live desk

SaferCar buckets this card answers: airbags · powertrain · suspension · structure · restraints · not CR

Related patterns

Common failures by symptom. SaferCar pointers — not pirated TSB PDFs.

Next playbooks