Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) Checklist for New Cars

Posted on: Nov 21, 2024 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) Checklist for New Cars

It can be quite difficult to contain excitement when it comes to taking the delivery of your new car. With the idea of owning your favourite four wheels, uncountable trips that await and many memories that you will build with the car, emotions usually run quite high. However, it is crucial not to get carried away with the emotions. Performing a PDI of new car is important and will help you in the long run. Here is all that you need to know about PDIs.

What do you mean by Pre-delivery Inspection?

PDI in car or pre-delivery inspection is a crucial step of car ownership. As the name suggests, it is the final inspection that you will carry out on the car, before you sign the papers and take delivery of the car. A thorough inspection would include checking the mechanicals, interiors, exteriors, electricals, and accessories.

Usually, a car dealer does most of the inspections prior to delivering the car. However, inspecting various elements by yourself will give you complete peace of mind and you can even find out issues, that can otherwise be missed by the car dealership. The next obvious question would be, what does PDI of new car contain? Well, we have prepared an exhaustive checklist for each category, that will aid you in the process.

Car PDI checklist for physical inspection

An important aspect of pre-delivery inspection is the physical verification of the car. Here is how you can approach to inspect the exterior of your brand-new car.

1. Request for the car to be presented in daylight and with adequate space so that you can move around freely to inspect the car.

2. The first point of inspection should be to look for dents, scratches or marks on the car.

3. Make it a point to open and close all the doors, hood and the boot of the car to ensure smooth operation.

4. Open the hood of the car and inspect the engine bay, which should be tidy and devoid of any dust or dirt.

5. Make sure to compare the VIN of the car, usually on the bottom of the windshield with the one mentioned by the dealership.

6. Look for the spare wheel provided with the car, it should be brand new and in good shape.

7. Check all the glasses in the car for any cracks or chips.

8. Check all the tyres on the car to ensure they are brand new and do not have any deformities.

9. Open the boot to inspect the tool kit, jack and spanner and look for general tidiness. There should not be any damaged plastic parts or loose wiring.

10. Inspect the paint for body parts from different angles to see any difference and look closely for any bubbles in the paint.

Car PDI checklist for interior inspection

The next part of the pre-delivery car inspection includes the inspection of the interiors. Here is all that you should be looking for.

1. Look at the dashboard closely for any scratches or damages. If the car has one or more screens, they should have a protective layer on the top.

2. Look for fit and finish of the overall cabin.

3. There should not be any stains either on the seats or the dashboard.

4. Make sure to quickly check all the seatbelts, including those in the rear.

5. Check the glove box, and illumination if it has any.

6. Lift the carpet or mat of the car to inspect for any leakages.

7. Look at the roof of the car for any stains or damages.

8. Check if the steering moves freely and the tilt and telescopic nature of the steering, if available.

9. The odometer of the car should not have a reading exceeding 100 kilometres.

Car PDI checklist for inspection of electrical components

The next phase of your car's pre-delivery inspection includes checking the various electrical components. Here is how you should go about them.

1. Start the car in neutral and check if the AC is working properly.

2. Check if the different controls on the stalks are working fine, such as wiper, indicators, etc.

3. Check if the infotainment system and speakers are working as expected.

4. Check all the lights in the car, including headlights, foglamps, tail lights, brake lights, cabin lights and ambient lights, if available.

5. The ac vents should be clean without any specks of dust.

Car PDI checklist for inspection of essential fluids

There are a lot of moving parts in the car and they need essential fluids for optimum operation. Here are all the fluids that you must check during PDI of new car.

1. Open the bonnet and check the engine dipstick for engine oil levels. It should be between the two dots on the stick.

2. Check if the coolant levels are as per the manufacturer’s recommendations.

3. Check the brake fluid levels in the engine bay.

4. Lastly, you check the windshield washer fluid levels.

Car PDI checklist for a test drive

Once done with the above checklists, taking your new car for a test drive is the next part of the car pre-delivery inspection. Here is what you should be looking for.

1. When you drive your car, look at the acceleration and braking of the car. It should be smooth without any jerks or unwanted noise.

2. Make sure to drive for a few kilometres to ensure there is no noise from the suspension or chassis.

3. Check if the gearbox is smooth and you are able to slot into the gears without any issue.

4. You can also check the wheel alignment of the car by leaving the steering wheel, when safe, to check if the car continues in a straight line.

Car PDI checklist for inspection of a duplicate key

The last step of the PDI of a new car is to check the duplicate key provided by the dealer.

1. Ensure to lock and unlock the car using the duplicate key.

2. Ensure to start the car using the duplicate key.

Make sure to get your copy of the car insurance before you take the delivery of the car. In the excitement of driving a new car, quite a few new owners tend to commit small errors in judgement or mistakes leading to minor accidents. The lack of car insurance in such times can hurt car owners financially.

Conclusion

The above pre-delivery car inspection checklist will help you take the delivery of the car without any hassles. Following them will make the process easy and ensure quick resolutions if you do encounter some issues. It is always a good idea to take someone else along for the PDI of new car, as an additional pair of eyes will make it faster and better. Though the law mandates third party car insurance for your new car, a comprehensive zero depreciation car insurance will mark for a much better ownership experience.

FAQs

1. What are some must-check items on PDI?

Make sure to check the exterior for any dents, scratches, various electrical components, VIN, chassis number and engine number of the car.

2. How long does a PDI usually take?

You can complete all the checks within an hour.

3. Is PDI mandatory?

No, it is not. However, it is highly recommended to do one.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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