What we found last week
Every week we open our inspection files and share what the cars actually told us — the good, the bad and the hidden. Real, anonymized data from CarOK doorstep inspections. No plates, no names, no places — just the findings.
13
inspections last week
6.7/10
average condition score
244
body defects logged — about 18.8 per car
1 car
scored 0/10 on mechanicals despite a spotless body
Suzuki Cultus · 2017
35,000 km · manual
4/10
overall
0/10
mechanical
10/10
exterior
The body looked perfect — a full 10/10 exterior. Under the bonnet it was a different car: a rock-bottom mechanical score from stacked engine and driveline faults. The single clearest lesson of the week: you cannot judge a car by its paint.
Suzuki Alto · 2026
21 km · manual
9.8/10
overall
9.6/10
mechanical
10/10
exterior
Practically untouched — 21 km on the clock and a near-perfect score across the board. Even so, we inspected every checkpoint: “brand new” is a great start, but a report is what actually proves it.
What kept showing up
Across 13 cars we logged 244 individual body defects. Paint problems led the list by a wide margin — resprays and sun-fade are everywhere in this market.
Actual photos from last week’s inspections
Real defect shots pulled from the week’s reports and anonymized — no number plates, faces or locations, just the damage. This is the kind of thing that never makes it into a seller’s listing.
The things buyers would have missed
Engine vibration or noise
10 of 13Most were minor, but nearly every car had some engine roughness a short test drive would miss.
Worn suspension / off alignment
8 of 13Ball joints and steering alignment flagged — cheap items individually, a strong negotiation lever together.
Accident tells (pillars / boot floor)
3 of 13Pillar or boot-floor areas flagged “needs attention” — the classic signs of a repaired hit hiding under trim.
Stored ECU error codes
3 of 13These cars threw 3–5 electronic fault codes on the scanner — the dashboard light was off, the codes were not.
Bad or missing spare tyre
4 of 13Easy to overlook, real money to replace on day one.
What last week teaches your next buy
Never judge by the body.
This week’s worst car had a spotless exterior (10/10) but scored 0/10 on mechanicals. Shiny paint tells you nothing about the engine underneath.
Get a paint-depth reading.
A meter catches resprays and filler in seconds — and a resprayed panel is often covering a repaired accident, not just a scratch.
Lift the boot carpet, check the pillars.
Rear-end and structural repairs hide exactly where buyers never look. Three of this week’s cars were flagged there.
Scan for error codes.
Sellers reset the dashboard light, not the stored codes. A scanner surfaced hidden faults on three cars this week.
Even a near-new car deserves a check.
Our best car had 21 km on it — but “brand new” and “problem-free” aren’t the same promise. Verify, don’t assume.
Don’t become next week’s worst car
Before you pay, let CarOK inspect it — 70+ checkpoints, paint-depth check, structural scan, photos, an AI risk score and estimated repair costs in one digital report. Doorstep in Lahore, from PKR 2,500.
See the bigger picture: our field study of the first 100 inspections and the 70+ point checklist you can run yourself.
About this report
Data source: CarOK's live inspection database — 13 completed doorstep pre-purchase inspections in the week ending 13 July 2026. Method: each car scored across 70+ checkpoints plus a panel-by-panel body map with paint-thickness metering. Anonymization: aggregates only; example cars use make/model/year, and every photo is screened and cropped to remove number plates, faces and locations. Updated: 13 July 2026, refreshed weekly. Limitation: one week is a small, Lahore-weighted sample — figures move week to week.
Frequently asked questions
Is this real inspection data?
Yes. Every figure is computed directly from CarOK's inspection database — the 13 real doorstep pre-purchase inspections we completed in the week ending 13 July 2026. Nothing is estimated or copied from other markets. We publish aggregates only: no registration numbers, owner names or identifiable photos.
What was the most common problem last week?
Body and paint issues by a wide margin — 244 exterior defects across 13 cars (about 18.8 per car), led by paint fade and resprays. Mechanically most cars were healthier than their bodies, but nearly every car showed some engine vibration or noise on the test drive.
How many cars would you tell a buyer to avoid?
It varies week to week. This week the worst car scored 4/10 overall and 0/10 on mechanicals despite a flawless body — a clear walk-away. The best scored 9.8/10. Most cars land in between: buyable, but only at a corrected price once you know the faults.
Can I get my own car inspected?
Yes — CarOK does doorstep pre-purchase inspections in Lahore, covering 70+ checkpoints with photos, a paint-depth check, an AI risk score and estimated repair costs in a full digital report, from PKR 2,500. Book on WhatsApp and we come to the car.