Roman Avto Ekspertizası

Roman tries to follow halal rules in their personal life.

The type of service they provide rests on the principles of "Wakala" (acting as the buyer's agent) and "Amana" (trust). This service reduces the risks of "Gharar" (uncertainty) and "Tadlis" (concealing a defect) to zero.

• Principle of Trust (Amana): The expert acts as the buyer's agent and ensures that the car the buyer points out is properly assessed.
• Protection of Rights: It prevents the seller from over-praising the goods or the buyer from trying to talk the goods down below their value; it establishes the fair market price.
• Transparency: Knowing about a defect in a car and hiding it is a serious responsibility in Sharia terms. By uncovering this "hidden defect", the expert protects both parties from haram.
• Hidden Defects: Every minor fault found in the car (even if the customer would not understand it) must be reported without concealment.
• Avoiding Exaggeration: A car must be neither praised beyond what it is nor artificially disparaged. Objectivity is the greatest halal.
• Dealing with the Seller: The seller may say to the expert "don't mention this defect, let me show you respect" or "I'll pay you, praise the car". This counts as haram earnings in Sharia terms and completely destroys the halal status of the service.
• Neutrality: The expert must not accept any gift, tip or service fee from the seller. The expert's fee is paid only by the buyer (the customer).
• Admitting What One Does Not Know: If there is a part of the car the expert does not fully understand, the expert must say so honestly to the customer. Giving a wrong opinion by claiming "I know everything" harms the customer's property and therefore creates "Daman" (liability for compensation). According to halal rules, a person who undertakes a job must be competent in that job.
• The service fee must be fixed precisely before work begins.
• Vague agreements (containing Gharar) such as "we'll see, you'll show respect" must be avoided.
• If travelling a long distance, the travel costs and other additional costs must be agreed in advance.
• Conflict of Interest: The expert must not like a car they have inspected, tell the customer it is "bad", and try to buy it themselves. This is a breach of trust.
• If the seller turns out to be an acquaintance, the customer must be informed of this.

Roman has provided services in this field in Russia for many years.

In modern trade language this service is "Pre-Purchase Inspection" (technical check before purchase), but in a broader and more professional sense it is called "Car Expertise and Consulting". This field is highly developed in Russia (the well-known "Avtopodbor" school).

This service is a trust mechanism that eliminates the information asymmetry between buyer and seller.

• Engine Diagnostics: Using modern OBD scanners, we access the car's electronic brain (ECU) and check for erased errors and the real mileage. We analyse all fault codes (DTC) and uncover hidden faults. We establish whether the engine has been opened before, whether the bolts are damaged, and whether maintenance (lubrication, etc.) has been carried out properly.
• Accident and Body Analysis: We create a fully transparent picture of the car's past. The body paintwork, traces of rust and rot, and the integrity of the chassis (side members) and load-bearing structure are checked. Replaced parts, later-installed glass and the condition of factory welds are analysed with special sensors.
• Interior and Cabin Inspection: We fully check the car's internal functionality. We test that the air conditioning, alarm, seat belts, door locks and all warning lights on the instrument panel work correctly. We check that the cabin's visual condition matches the mileage.
• Mechanical Expertise: The current condition of the engine, transmission (gearbox) and suspension (running gear) is analysed, along with the costs that will be required in the near future.
• History Research: The car's past accidents, replaced parts and conformity with the factory specification (original vs. retrofitted) are documented. We check information from official service centres, regular maintenance records and the accuracy of the odometer readings. We obtain detailed information on insurance events and earlier repair work.
• Test Drive: We test the car in real road conditions. Braking efficiency, engine sound under load, exhaust smoke colour, steering control and suspension (running gear) performance are assessed at this stage.
• Tyre Assessment: The overall condition of the tyres, tread depth, wear pattern (wheel alignment and balance problems) and manufacture dates are checked. This is important both for safety and for determining additional costs the buyer may face in the near future.

Worldwide, this field exists both as individual experts and as large corporate networks.

Global Companies:

1. Lemon Squad (USA): The largest "on-site inspection" (mobile inspection) network in the USA. They provide a full report - lemonsquad.com
2. DEKRA (Germany): One of the world's most reputable technical inspection bodies. They provide a "Seal of Quality" service for used cars - dekra.com
3. RAC Inspection (United Kingdom): One of Britain's oldest and most trusted motoring clubs - rac.co.uk/buying-a-car/vehicle-inspections
4. Ildar Avtopodbor: Russia's best-known expert. The system they created (Avtopodbor.rf) is regarded today as the standard in the CIS - авто-подбор.рф