How to Read a PPI Report

Published 2026-10-28 · Updated 2026-10-28

What a usable report contains

Start with the header. You want the date, the car’s identity (VIN if the inspector recorded it), who inspected it, where, and whether the engine was cold or already hot. Identity matters because a report for “the gray sedan” is hard to tie to the car that shows up on a truck later. The VIN also lets you compare the report with a title history and with any campaign a dealer can look up.

Then look for three kinds of statements, kept separate:

• Observations. What the inspector saw, heard, or measured, and the photo that matches it.
• Interpretation. Why the inspector thinks it matters on this model. That judgment should say what it is based on.
• Next step. What the inspector could not finish, and what would be required to know more, such as a borescope, a pressure test, or removing a panel.

If those three are blended into one sentence like “needs attention soon,” ask for the observation underneath it. You cannot compare shops, or talk to the seller, from an adjective alone.

Photos and measurements

Every leak, crack, mismatched panel, and odd wear pattern should have a picture that shows location. A close-up with no wider shot is hard to place. A wider shot with no close-up hides the defect. Paint-meter readings, if they were taken, should list the panel and the number, not a single “paint is original” line. Thickness varies by panel and by factory process. The useful question is whether one area is inconsistent with the rest of that car, and whether the inspector explained the pattern.

Fluid comments need condition, level, and location. “Coolant looks old” is different from “coolant is low and there is residue at the housing.” “Transmission fluid is dark” means little without the car’s service history and without a road test. BMW service bulletin SI B01 21 18, the N63 oil-consumption class-action procedure, defines a leak as clearly visible oil, such as drops, and says black wetness marks do not qualify. Ask the inspector to make that distinction on the car in the report, with a photo, including on cars that bulletin does not cover.

How to read the scan

A generic code reader and a factory-level tester are not the same tool. For a European car, ask whether the printout includes the modules that car actually has, not only the engine controller. You are looking for four separate facts:

• Stored diagnostic trouble codes.
• Pending codes that have not yet matured into a stored fault.
• Whether the malfunction indicator lamp is commanded on. Under the federal onboard-diagnostic inspection procedure in 40 CFR § 85.2222, a lamp that is commanded on fails an emissions inspection, and the codes tied to that lamp are recorded. If the lamp is not commanded on, the same procedure says the vehicle passes that OBD check even if some codes are present.
• Readiness monitors. 40 CFR § 85.2222(c)(2) allows an exception when the car would otherwise pass: up to two unset readiness monitors on model years 1996 through 2000, and one unset monitor on model years 2001 and newer. More unset monitors than that fail the check. A malfunction lamp that is commanded on still fails.

One unset monitor on a model year 2001 or newer car is within that exception, and two unset monitors are within it on a model year 1996 through 2000 car. More than that is not. “No codes” after someone cleared the computer is still an incomplete report, because clearing codes also clears the evidence that monitors had run. If the printout shows more unset monitors than the exception allows, or the seller just had the car “checked out,” ask when the faults were last erased and whether there was a road test long enough for monitors to set. A PPI printout is not a state emissions certificate. The regulation describes an official inspection sequence. The report should say what the inspector actually queried.

Permanent codes, freeze-frame data, and mileage stored with a fault are extra context when the tool provides them. Ask the inspector to explain a code in words. A number without a description is not a finding you can act on.

Road test, underside, and the things left blank

Read the road-test paragraph for conditions: cold start, hot restart, highway speed, a stop-and-go section, and whether the inspector or only the seller drove. Noises should be tied to speed, gear, or steering input. “Normal for this model” is acceptable only if the inspector names the noise and why it fits. A refusal to drive the car because it is unregistered, uninsured, or on a non-transferable plate should be written down. The blank is the result.

The same rule applies to a car that never saw a lift. The report should say so in the first pages, not in a footnote. Bushings, lines, the exhaust, and structural rust live under the car. A photo of four corners in a driveway does not replace that.

Sections that say “not inspected” are part of the product you bought. Use them when you decide whether to pay for a second visit, to narrow the purchase, or to walk away. They are not a suggestion that the unchecked area passed.

Estimates, severity, and what to ask next

If the report ranks items, ask what the ranks mean. “Safety,” “monitor,” and “maintenance” are more useful than stars. An estimate of repair effort is a planning aid. It is not a quote, it may not include parts availability, and another shop can disagree after it opens the job. Do not add the estimates into a single number and treat that number as the cost of owning the car. Use the list to pick the items you want a specialist to confirm.

• Which findings did you see yourself, and which are inferences from a code or a noise?
• Which photos show the worst example, not a representative clean area?
• Did anyone clear codes before the scan, and how can you tell?
• What would you recheck on a second visit if the seller agrees to a lift or a longer drive?
• Which items would you want documented in writing before money changes hands?

Red flags in the writing

• The report is a checklist of pass marks with no narrative and no photos.
• Findings are phrased as “seller states” with no independent observation.
• Codes are described only as “minor” or “common.”
• The VIN, the date, or the name of the person who did the work is missing.
• The summary says the car is “solid” while the body of the report lists items the inspector could not test.
• You cannot tell whether the inspector works for the seller.

A careful report can still be wrong. Use it to decide the next question, not as a certificate. If the car is a BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, or collector car, read the matching guide and ask the inspector which of those published checks this report actually covers.

This is buyer guidance from PPIFinder Editorial. It does not certify a car or a provider, and it is not legal, insurance, or appraisal advice. Confirm what a specific inspector will actually do before you pay.