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Standards

What we check: That the registered keeper matches the seller, and that the mileage is consistent with the full MOT history.

What we do not check: We have not driven or inspected this car. Condition is the seller's disclosure and your own inspection.

Want a professional opinion before you buy? Arrange an independent inspection. You contract and pay the inspector directly; OpenHood takes no commission and carries no liability for the inspection itself.

The shot list

Eighteen required photos and one video, plus the rear seats if the car has them. Every required one must be present, and pass an automated quality check, before a listing goes live.

Exterior

  1. 01Front three-quarter, level with the car, whole car in frame
  2. 02Head-on front, square to the car, both headlights in frame
  3. 03Rear three-quarter, level with the car, whole car in frame
  4. 04Straight-on rear, square to the car, both rear lights and the plate in frame
  5. 05Full left side profile
  6. 06Full right side profile

Wheels

  1. 07Front left wheel and tyre, close, with the DOT date code readable
  2. 08Rear left wheel and tyre, same
  3. 09Rear right wheel and tyre, same
  4. 10Front right wheel and tyre, same

Underside and engine

  1. 11Underside front, phone placed on the ground, flash on
  2. 12Underside rear, same
  3. 13Engine bay with the bonnet open, the whole bay in frame

Interior

  1. 14Driver's seat bolster, pedals, and steering wheel in one frame
  2. 15Dashboard with the ignition on: mileage and any warning lights readable
  3. 16Front seats and dashboard from the open door
  4. OptRear seats, if the car has them

Identity and paperwork

  1. 17VIN plate, readable
  2. 18Service book, the latest stamps

Video

  1. 19Cold start, 30 seconds minimum

The cold start: engine stone cold, filmed from key-in to a stable idle, with the exhaust in frame for the first 20 seconds.

The V5C document reference number must be obscured in any public photo. If it is visible, we ask for a replacement before the listing can go live.

The questionnaire

Every seller answers the same questions, on the record. We publish what they choose and what they write on the listing, as written: nothing edited, tidied up or removed. A "no" that turns out to be untrue is a misrepresentation by the seller and grounds for removal.

History

  1. 01Has it ever been in an accident?
  2. 02Has any panel been replaced, resprayed or repaired?
  3. 03Has it been off the road for three months or more?

Mechanical

  1. 04What will need doing in the next twelve months?
  2. 05Any warning lights?
  3. 06Has the cambelt or chain been done?
  4. 07Any oil, coolant or fluid leaks?

Condition

  1. 08Is there any corrosion?
  2. 09Any interior damage, or electrics that do not work?

Use

  1. 10Has it been tracked, raced or rallied?
  2. 11Has it been stored outside?

What we reject

Automatic rejection

  • Car built before 1980
  • Seller is not the registered keeper, and cannot document why not
  • Mileage inconsistent with MOT history
  • Refusal to complete the shot list
  • Refusal to answer the questionnaire

Rejected on review

  • Trade sellers posing as private sellers
  • Cars listed simultaneously elsewhere at a different price
  • Photos that are not of the actual car
  • Photos so poor that the required items are not actually visible
  • Descriptions we judge to be actively misleading

Allowed if disclosed prominently

  • Category N or S write-off, disclosed and evidenced
  • Imported vehicles
  • Significant modification
  • Known active faults
  • Outstanding recalls

We turn away roughly a third of what is submitted.

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