A mechanic takes viewers behind the scenes of a 2015 Honda Civic inspection. By the end of it, he draws a conclusion about whether the new owner got ripped off or not.
TikTok user Concept 3 Performance (@concept3performance) is an auto shop located in Santa Fe Springs, California. In a video posted on March 22 with 687,000 views, the Concept 3 Performance team takes us behind the scenes of the inspection. The Civic is an LX, manual transmission with 140,000 miles on it.
At the start of the video, the technician doing the inspection reveals the owner’s notes. According to the notes, the new owner bought the Civic used in January, and so far, it isn’t displaying any codes. However, the owner wants to know if there are any necessary repairs, in particular, the transmission, which they say grinds on second gear.
What does the mechanic find in the 2015 Honda Civic inspection?
As the mechanic walks around the vehicle, he points out several minor issues, such as a lack of buffing on the door. Then, he spots something even more disturbing. “So, I’m pretty sure something happened to this door,” he says.
Why does he think that? Well, for one, the passenger side front window is tinted, but the back one is not. The mechanic also demonstrates opening the passenger side door, which seems a bit sticky. He fiddles with the lock, which doesn’t seem to respond. He points out that he can’t get the window to go down either. “This whole door is from another car,” he speculates.
What else is wrong with the car?
The next shot finds the technician under the vehicle with a flashlight. “If this thing has 144,000 miles on it, I wanna say it’s the original clutch,” he says. Looking at it from the other end, he confirms his suspicion. “Clutch is still original. All the bolts in the transmission and the mounts? Untouched,” he says.
The mechanic’s theory is that the original owner of the vehicle got into a wreck, and whoever fixed the damage did a poor job. Therefore, the previous owner decided they didn’t want the Civic anymore and decided to unload it, presumably on this unsuspecting new buyer.
“This thing needs a lot of love, and there’s more,” he says. “I’ll guarantee you he overpaid for this car. Ten years, 144? That’s not bad. Original clutch, wasn’t abused—but someone knocked the [expletive] out of this [expletive] on the right side.”
And there’s more?
At the end of the video, the mechanic reveals his final recommendations to the client. Essentially, his notes state that the original owner likely disregarded some routine services, which means a few things, including spark plugs, need to be replaced in the vehicle. Beyond that, he suggests that the passenger front door is from a donor car and, therefore, none of the technology inside works.
The kicker, though, is that “the car has rollback miles on it.” That refers to the odometer scam, which is when someone sells you a vehicle that has been manipulated to look like it has been driven fewer miles than it actually has. According to the notes, the Civic actually has 211,000 miles on it—not 144,000.
How can you avoid used car scams?
There are a number of scams to avoid when buying a used car. According to NerdWallet, the scams include title washing, odometer rollbacks, curbstoning, and VIN cloning. You can ensure you avoid these scams by getting a vehicle history report from a place like Carfax. The site also recommends getting used cars inspected by your own trusted mechanic before purchasing or just going with a certified preowned dealer.
@concept3performance Damn scammers 🤬🤬 – – – #rx #s #mazda #jdm #fd #r #rotary #mazdarx #b #fc #supra #gtr #drift #turbo #cars #jdmcars #nissan #skyline #z #toyota #rotaryengine #jz #mazdaspeed #jdmgram #rotarypower #stance #sx #jdmculture #japan #evo ♬ original sound – Concept 3 Performance
Viewers react
In the comments section, viewers expressed surprise at the condition of the car after everything it has allegedly been through.
“Transmission is never serviced but it got 211k miles. Dang that is one survivor,” wrote one viewer.
“I sat my phone down when I heard the mileage rollback. My guy got scammed,” wrote a second viewer.
“10 years and 144k miles on it? That’s horrible,” wrote a third person.
Someone else stated, “Got over 300k on a clutch and still looks new. Trick is knowing how to drive. My clutch is used only for taking off from a dead stop. Otherwise I float gears. And yes it’s a synchronized transmission.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Concept 3 Performance via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.
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