Is Inspection II sufficient in place of a PPI?

[Eddie916]

Inspection II was performed only 4k miles ago for a car that I am looking at.
Do you think I still need a PPI at a shop?
Or would a check from me alone work?
It's a '99 M3 with 70k.
Female owner.

[ryanlong01]

I would feel pretty confident with Inspection II given the mileage on the car, but it all depends on how sure you need to be. I'm sure there are a handful of things that could be expensive to fix that *aren't* checked in the Inspection (nor do you know how thorough the dealer/tech that performed it was). If you know how to check out common E36 trouble spots yourself, then you should be OK. If you want 100% peace of mind for the cost of a nice dinner, then get a PPI from a trusted independant mechanic who KNOWS these cars (anything less and you're throwing your money away, they miss one thing and the repair will cost far more than the PPI did).

[Ron97M3]

Since I have done my own inspection II in essence I have questions for
those that have had a BMW dealership do one.

1. How much did you pay for the base inspection II.

2. Do you receive a printed statement saying this is the results of
the inspection? Like these things should be fixed?

So somebody saying they had an inspection II done, doesn't mean they
show you what was needed to be fixed or what was fixed right?

[JamesM3M5]

Yeah, it does make a difference WHERE you get an Insp 2 done, and many times even the same place will have techs with different levels of scrutiny. If you want to be sure the car is straight, a PPI is CHEAP insurance to avoid buying a car that could potentially have problems down the road. Most independent shops and dealers are pretty picky when it comes to the pre-purchase inspection, so you will get the highest level of scrutiny when you specify the PPI.

[Eddie916]

Since I have done my own inspection II in essence I have questions for
those that have had a BMW dealership do one.

1. How much did you pay for the base inspection II.

2. Do you receive a printed statement saying this is the results of
the inspection? Like these things should be fixed?

So somebody saying they had an inspection II done, doesn't mean they
show you what was needed to be fixed or what was fixed right?

Inspection II was performed at Palo Alto BMW (Stealership).

Reciept shows mileage and date, and that the actual inspection was performed. LCABs were replaced as the invoice states. No checklist of inspection, but I can call and see what was incuded, though I already know. I can probably call the dealer to see services recorded to the VIN.

Most PPIs just have everything Inspec I or II have, just without any fluid flushes.

[Ron97M3]

So they don't list what needs to be fixed as discovered by the inspection?

If true somebody saying they got an inspection II is really saying I had the big
service done, but it doesn't really say the car has no problems per BMW.

[Eddie916]

So they don't list what needs to be fixed as discovered by the inspection?

If true somebody saying they got an inspection II is really saying I had the big
service done, but it doesn't really say the car has no problems per BMW.

It does say what was replaced. I would assume that this is all that was needed. If something WAS needed, why would they only fix one thing?

[JamesM3M5]

Customer can decline to get other things fixed, but RTABs are common enough that the customer probably OK'ed them. I'd be more confident buying a car without PPI but with a recent Insp 2 from a dealer.

[Eddie916]

^ So the fact that this car has had a recent I2 done should give me at least a little reassurance, right? I've gotten, in writing, from a shop that all a PPI is is an inspection sans the fluid changes.

Thanks James.

[Ron97M3]

99 m3 Female owner with 70K miles.
That sounds good to me.

Is she the original owner if so I really like it!

At 75K you are supposed to replace spark plugs, do you see that on the parts
in service 2? If so I really like it. If still has it's original plugs here I am not so
happy. Not that they cost that much but I would think a service 2 should have
replaced those here. How are brakes/rotors? They must be replaced right?

[Eddie916]

99 m3 Female owner with 70K miles.
That sounds good to me.

Is she the original owner if so I really like it!

At 75K you are supposed to replace spark plugs, do you see that on the parts
in service 2? If so I really like it. If still has it's original plugs here I am not so
happy. Not that they cost that much but I would think a service 2 should have
replaced those here. How are brakes/rotors? They must be replaced right?

Brakes were replaced about half a year ago.
Tires have 12k on them.
The only "bad" thing is that explicitly, she is the third owner. Here's how it all clears up and makes it ok to me though:

First owner was a 3 year lease.

Second owner (also a woman) owned it until a divorce, who held it as a memory of her ex. She cried as the current owner drove it off.

And finally, our current owner. Had it for almost two years. She seems to be a very honest woman. Good type of person. She has a motorcycle and a truck for her other commuters and is just making room.

I spoke to her mechanic today and his shop is really reputable from what I see. Turns out it's not a dealer, but indy shop. Palo Alto Bimmer. From what I saw on google, it was good. Most recently, a tune up/major service (Inspection II equivalent) just performed, so it wasn't bs. 4k miles ago as previously stated.
Plugs, air filter change, oil change, fluid flush, bumper to bumper inspection.

He also offered another B2B inspection for a discount off the normal rate of $120 an hour, for $89.

I'm sold. Unless one of you has something absolutely cruicial to stop me or advise me of.

[ryanlong01]

Sounds pretty good to me. The good thing (speaking very generally here) about a female owner who has money and takes her car into a shop for a full workup is that they will probably pay to have anything fixed that the mechanic says needs fixed...so you're probably OK. $89 is CHEAP peace of mind, though -- if he finds even one thing that needs fixed, you can negotiate the price of that repair off of the price of the car, and the PPI was essentially free.

[Ron97M3]

If you can use the same shop it's a good thing for sure to spend the $89
just for good will. Sounds like the car has been well taken care of by the ladies. With just 70K I sold too!

Plugs were changed, I like that as it shows all that has needed to be done was
done spot on time! So go buy it and shows us some pictures if you can!

I agree with the Ryanlong001 statement about ladies taking good care of the car.

[Eddie916]

Thanks!
Would her shop be biased if I did the PPI there?

[Ron97M3]

Question is what is your recourse if the car proves to have a problem they
don't catch? What liability does any shop take for the PPI.

If I were you I would want

1. A cooling system pressure test.

2. A statement about the condition of clutch or automatic transmission.

----------

If the seller is willing to have you get a PPI that is a big plus in it self.
Really I think I am sold here. $89 is nothing I say have her shop do it and
get the results in writing. They want to see your new future business and they
will take a risk with you if they aren't truthful.