Multipoint Inspection in Dayton, OH at Evans Volkswagen

Multipoint Inspection at Evans Volkswagen in Vandalia, Ohio

Routine maintenance is important to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape, but what about the components of your vehicle that aren’t covered regularly in routine maintenance? Many service centers offer multipoint inspections to help cover all of your bases. These can help check all of the components of your vehicle that you don’t normally check but can still affect your vehicle’s performance.

Why a Multipoint Inspection is Important

A multipoint inspection will check your vehicle from top to bottom and inside out to create a comprehensive picture of its health. If you stay on top of routine maintenance and take excellent care of your car, there might not be much to find in a multipoint inspection. Even then, they are good to get to assess the components of your car that aren’t covered by most traditional routine maintenance, such as interior and exterior lights, fluids, engine components, and more.

When You Should Get a Multipoint Inspection

Most service centers recommend that you get a multipoint inspection every 1-3 years. The Owner’s Manual for your vehicle might have a specific timeline recommendation for multipoint inspections that is unique to your vehicle. Many people, however, get them done every couple of years to get a good assessment of their vehicle’s health. However often you get one done as a part of your maintenance routine, there are other times that a multipoint inspection is helpful.

Before a long road trip, it is a good idea to get one done to ensure that your vehicle is in the best shape possible with a multipoint inspection. This allows you to fix any problem parts before the strain of a long road trip on your vehicle.

Additionally, when the seasons change, many people take their car in for a check, especially with the transition from fall to winter or winter to spring. Most importantly, it is a good idea to get a multipoint inspection before you buy a new car or when you’re looking to sell your old one.

The Multipoint Inspection Process

While the specific steps of a multipoint inspection change from service center to service center, these are the general steps you can expect.

Step 1 A service technician will start by checking under the hood of the car. This can include examining the motor oil and filter, coolant, brake fluid, brake lines, power steering fluid, cabin air filter, drive belts, hoses, battery, windshield washer fluid, and more. In other words, all the parts of your engine will be inspected in this step.

Step 2 Next, the service technician will examine the inside and outside of the vehicle, as well as all of the safety equipment. This includes interior lights, headlights and taillights, windshield wiper blades, floor mats, AC, seat belts, airbags, horns, brakes, and more.

Step 3 The next step is for the service technician to check the drivetrain and suspension, including engine performance, transmission, clutch, differential and transfer case, driveshaft, U-joints, CV joints, exhaust system, shocks, struts, springs, ball joints and bushings, tire alignment, tires, and more.

Step 4 After the service technician has had a chance to inspect your whole vehicle, they will make sure they have documented every component that they inspected. Many service centers will give a rating or a color code to each component to let you know the condition of that part. Red-labeled components might need to be repaired or replaced as quickly as possible, while green-labeled parts are in good shape. You can use this rating system to plan for repairs and budget appropriately.

Cost of a Multipoint Inspection

While specific pricing information can be found through our Service Department, there is a wide range of costs associated with a multipoint inspection. Some service centers offer a complimentary multipoint inspection at no cost to you. But while these offers are nice because they are free, they don’t often inspect the vehicle nearly as thoroughly as one that you would pay for.

When paying for a multipoint inspection, you can expect to pay $200 or more for the upper range of inspections. While they can get pricy depending on the diagnostic testing you opt for, most inspections aren’t quite that expensive. These multipoint inspections, however, are very thorough and detailed and often take hours to complete, giving you a fully comprehensive picture of your vehicle’s health.

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Questions to Ask Your Service Technician

What are the greatest areas of concern with my inspection?
What would you recommend repairing or replacing as soon as possible?
For the items that don't need immediate repair, how long do I have before they need to be repaired or replaced?
What is the expected cost for the repairs for the areas of concern on my inspection?

Signs of a Quality Multipoint Inspection

Detailed diagnostics should be complete.
You should know what components need to be repaired soon or immediately, as well as what components are in good shape.

Caring for Your Vehicle After a Multipoint Inspection

A multipoint inspection is incredibly helpful for identifying potential areas of concern in your vehicle, but the inspection doesn’t include the repair or replacement of necessary parts. With the results of the multipoint inspection, you will want to break up components by what needs to be fixed immediately, what needs to be repaired or replaced soon, and what components are in good condition.

Contact Our Service Department in Vandalia, Ohio

Our Service Department is here to provide high-quality service by trained professionals at an affordable price. If you want exceptional service, Evans Volkswagen is happy to help! Call us at 864-479-6676, stop by in person, or go online to schedule your service appointment today.