A Real 95-Point Inspection, Start to Finish
This is an actual inspection report from our shop — a 2013 Hyundai Sonata that came in for an oil change and a brake check in July 2026. Customer details removed; everything else is exactly what our technician documented.
The car, and what it came in for
A 2013 Hyundai Sonata, booked for an oil change, a front-and-rear brake check, a tire inspection, and our 95-point inspection. Routine visit — the kind we see every day.
The inspection flagged 16 technician concerns. Every one got a photo, so the owner could see exactly what we saw before approving a single line of work. Below is that report — the real photos, the technician's real notes.
Brakes
Needs attention now: Front brake pads — 1mm left
1mm of brake pad friction material remaining. Pads are very, very worn out. Manufacturer recommends changing at 3mm — 2mm is the legal minimum safe friction material.
Needs attention now: Front rotors — worn, grooved, out of spec
Rotors worn, grooved and out of spec — grooves forming in the friction surface that lead to noise, vibration, and premature pad wear.
Needs attention now: Front calipers — stuck
Front left and right brake calipers are hard to retract / stuck — the pads can drag, overheat, and wear unevenly.
Needs attention now: Brake fluid — contaminated
Contaminated and/or high moisture content. Contaminated fluid makes the car take longer to stop, can cause a soft or squishy pedal, and eventually rusts the braking components from the inside.
Coming due: Rear brakes — worn, some life left
6mm of pad friction material remaining — worn but still has some life. Recommended change is at 3mm.
Under the hood
Needs attention now: Engine oil — not registering on the dipstick
No oil registering on the dipstick. The engine oil is VERY low and should be changed/replaced immediately.
Needs attention now: Oil leak — valve cover gasket
Engine oil leaking from the valve cover gasket(s) — and from the timing cover.
Needs attention now: Oil leak — timing cover
Second leak point at the timing cover — the two leaks together explain how the oil level got this low between changes.
Needs attention now: Engine air filter — very dirty
Very dirty with a lot of debris — replace immediately. Engine air filters should be changed every 12–15k miles for clean airflow, fuel economy, and engine life.
Needs attention now: Evaporation hose — completely off
The evaporation hose was found completely disconnected.
Coming due: Coolant — near the end of its service life
Moderate condition — boiling point and pH are near the point of needing a change, but okay for now.
Coming due: Cooling system — inspected
Water pump and pulleys visually inspected while the belt service was evaluated.
Coming due: Drive belt — due by schedule
Recommended per the manufacturer maintenance schedule — no record of it ever being done on the CARFAX history report.
Coming due: Tune-up — due by schedule
Ignition/tune-up recommended per the manufacturer schedule, no service record found. The plug we pulled confirmed it.
Coming due: Cabin air filter — due
Due per the maintenance schedule (every 12–15k miles or 24 months) — this is the air the HVAC blows at you.
Tires
Needs attention now: Front left tire — 2/32, at the legal minimum
2/32 tread depth remaining — replace now. Recommended change depth is 3/32; 2/32 is the legal minimum.
Coming due: Rear tires — healthy (for contrast)
7/32–10/32 remaining — plenty of life. Same gauge, same day. This is what the front should look like.
Coming due: Tire size — 205/65R16
Size confirmed off the sidewall so the replacement quote is for the exact tire — no guessing.
What happened next
The report went to the owner's phone. They reviewed the photos, approved the work, and we got started: front brake pads, rotors and calipers, a brake fluid flush, two new tires, drive belt, spark plugs, engine air and cabin filters, a coolant service, the valve cover gasket, and a full-synthetic oil change.
Total turnaround: about 2½ days — and most of that was waiting on a part to arrive, not the car sitting on the lift. A real list, knocked out in one visit instead of five surprise breakdowns spread over the next year.
A week later, the owner left this on our CARFAX page:
"Excellent service! Car was in bad shape and turn around time to fix the needed items took around 2 1/2 days! Car runs like new now!"
What the report actually looks like on your phone
The findings above are pulled from the real report. This is the report itself — the exact format that lands on your phone as a private link: the Vehicle Health summary up top, then every finding with its photo. (Identifying details removed; the report link itself only ever goes to the customer.)
Questions About This Report
What you're looking at, and what your own report would look like.
Is this a real inspection?
Will my car's report look like this?
Do I have to fix everything the inspection finds?
What happened to this Sonata?
Updated
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