Copart Inspection Service
Bidding on a Copart lot is a gamble on photographs taken months ago. RIZQ sends an inspector to the yard to start the engine, move the vehicle forward and reverse, get underneath it, and photograph the exterior and interior, so you know what you are bidding on before the hammer falls.
No test drive. No scan tool at most yards.
We say so before you pay, and the report says so too. Everything an inspector can genuinely check at a Copart yard is listed on this page.
What we check at Copart
Exactly what an inspector does at the yard
Copart yards are not dealerships. There is no salesperson, no road test and no scan tool at most locations. What follows is what we can genuinely do, and then what we cannot. Both matter before you bid.
Start and run the engine
The engine is started and left to run. The inspector listens for misfires, knocks, tapping and exhaust smoke, and watches the idle for anything uneven. A vehicle that will not start, or only starts with a jump, is photographed and written up as a finding in its own right.
Move forward and reverse
Where the yard permits it, the vehicle is put into gear and moved forward and back, checking that it engages cleanly, moves without hesitation and stops. This is a short move inside the yard, never a road test.
Undercarriage and frame
The underside is photographed properly: frame rails, floor pans, subframe, suspension, exhaust and any sign of structural repair. This is where auction damage hides, because rust, bent components and welded sections almost never appear in the listing photos.
Exterior, panel by panel
All four sides photographed, with close-ups of every dent, scrape, crack or mismatched panel. Panel gaps and paint texture are checked for signs of previous repair that the listing does not mention.
Interior condition
Seats, trim, headliner, dashboard, controls and accessories photographed and described. Water lines, damp carpets, mould and odour are recorded where present, which is often the first sign of a flood lot.
Fluids and warning lights
Engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and washer levels checked visually, and every dashboard warning light that comes on with the ignition is noted. Glass, mirrors and lights are checked at the same time.
Real RIZQ findings from the underside of used vehicles. This is the section of the vehicle a Copart listing photo almost never shows.
What a Copart inspection cannot do
Read this before you book. Every point below is a real limit of inspecting at an auction yard, and every one of them is repeated in the report you receive.
No test drive
Copart does not allow vehicles to be driven on the road, and most lots are sold without a road test. Our movement check is a short forward and reverse move inside the yard, where the yard permits it.
No scan tool at most yards
OBD-II access is restricted at many Copart locations. Where a diagnostic scan is not permitted, the report says so in plain language and the price does not change.
No teardown
Nothing is removed, drained or dismantled. The inspector documents what can be seen, heard and reached without taking the vehicle apart.
Visible condition only
An inspection documents the condition of the vehicle at the time it is inspected. It is not a guarantee, a warranty or a full mechanical diagnosis, and it cannot find every hidden fault.
Timing
Book 3 to 5 days before the auction
Copart lots run on a fixed weekly schedule, and yard access has to be arranged ahead of the sale. Three to five days out is the window that gives us room to book the visit, complete the inspection and get the report to you while you can still change your bid.
You book and send the lot
Paste the Copart listing and the lot number. Tell us the yard, or the city and state, if you know it.
We confirm what can be arranged
We check the yard, the sale date and the access rules that apply, and come back to you with a straight yes or no.
The inspection happens
An inspector attends the yard and works through every check on this page, photographing as they go.
The report reaches you
Photographs, the RIZQ inspection score, and estimated repair cost ranges for anything found, while you can still change your bid.
Same-week lots are sometimes possible. Send the lot number and we will tell you immediately whether it can be done in time.
The report
See a real RIZQ report before you book
These are genuine RIZQ reports, exactly as a customer receives them, covering one vehicle worth buying, one worth a closer look, and one to walk away from. The photographs, the inspection score and the estimated repair costs are all the same sections you get from a Copart inspection.
See a real report before you book
Tap either report below to open it: one that passed, and one that did not.
Why RIZQ
Most inspection companies will not go to an auction yard
Auction vehicles are the hardest inspections to arrange, so a lot of national inspection services simply leave them out. RIZQ built its auction service around them.
Auction lots are the day job
Copart, IAA, Manheim and ADESA lots are routine work for RIZQ, not an exception squeezed in around dealer inspections. Yard access is slow and awkward to arrange, which is why many national inspection services do not offer auction inspections at all.
Written for a bidding decision
The report is built around the question you actually have: what is wrong with this vehicle, what will it cost to put right, and is the next bid still worth making.
Every photo taken at the yard
No reused listing images. Every photograph in your report was taken by the inspector standing in front of the vehicle, and it is yours to keep.
Questions
Copart inspection questions, answered
The things buyers ask us most before booking a lot.
Start your Copart inspection
Send us the lot you are bidding on
Paste the Copart listing and the lot number. It takes about a minute, then you go straight to secure checkout.
Auction inspection
$250 flat
Inspect the lot before you bid
Three to five days before the auction is the window. Send us the lot number and we will tell you straight away whether it can be arranged in time.
Questions first? Call or text (952) 563-7444.