I follow David Bell, the owner of Dave’s Auto Center in Centerville, Utah, for his informative and interesting reels. Yesterday, he posted a quick Q&A from another follower: What is the biggest problem you’ve seen from people buying used cars? He immediately thought of a nightmare car inspection.

“This is the worst.”

Dave explains that one time, a customer brought in a car that was misfiring. The guy had just purchased the vehicle, a “customer states” scenario that Dave finds particularly deflating.

It turned out the “check engine” indicator light had been disabled. Dave confirmed it wasn’t running well and started looking it over.

His inspection ultimately led to a cylinder compression test, which revealed a dead cylinder. Then, he noticed a bit of an oil leak on the floor.

“I kid you not…”

Dave lifted the car overhead. He was shocked when he went to inspect the source of the oil leak.  Someone had put duct tape on the side of the motor. A faulty connecting rod had blown a hole through the block. Since the rod was shot out of the block, it didn’t interfere with the other cylinders.

Unfortunately, the used car inspection results proved the customer purchased a vehicle with a not-so-discreetly toasted engine.

In some states, sellers are required to disclose known mechanical issues to buyers. However, other states have “buyer beware” car sale laws, which leave the buyer 100% responsible for a vehicle’s condition after its sale.

During my shop days, we had a few of these tragedies, too, including disabled check engine lights. Once, a guy brought in a VW sedan he’d just bought. The suspension was making a thumping sound. Turns out the small-town dealer he got it from had installed replacement steering components upside down. Before seeing it ourselves, we didn’t even know that type of backward R&R (that’s “remove and replace”) was possible.

The lesson here is simple: if you’re shopping for a used car, get it inspected by a trusted mechanic before buying it.