Questions dealers ask

Any good-quality ELM327-compatible OBD adapter that connects over Bluetooth. It plugs into the diagnostic port under the dashboard, usually near the driver’s knee. So far Lotsure has been tested with a vLinker Bluetooth adapter.

• Buy from a known brand rather than the cheapest one on offer. Very cheap clones drop the connection or answer wrongly, and the test then can’t finish.
• Pick one with a power switch or a sleep mode, so it doesn’t drain the battery if someone leaves it plugged in.
• If you plan to use iPhones later, choose one that supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). iPhones can’t use older Bluetooth-only adapters.

TBC A short list of tested adapters and where to buy them in South Africa will follow after field testing.

No. The car test only asks the car’s computers for what they already store: VINs, kilometres, part numbers and fault codes. It never clears codes, changes settings or writes to the car. At the end it reads the fault codes again to check the car was left exactly as it was found, and says so on the report.

It works on most cars built from about 2008, when cars moved to the connection Lotsure reads. Older cars, and some models that keep the VIN in only one computer, give less to compare. The result says exactly what couldn’t be read, and you rely on the papers and the VINs on the body for the rest.

No, and that’s deliberate. Lotsure shows what doesn’t match and what could explain it, innocent reasons included. Deciding whether a car is a clone is for SAPS. A Stop result means: don’t buy or sell the car until it’s been cleared.

Android phones for now. An iPhone version is planned.

The dealership owner sees every check in the dealer portal. Staff see only the checks they did themselves. Nobody at another dealership can see yours.

The owner switches them off in the portal and they are signed out within 10 minutes. Every check they did stays on file.

We let the owner know straight away. Car tests keep working for 3 days, then pause until the account is paid. Saved reports stay readable and downloadable, and checks done offline still upload.

They are coming, as a vehicle history lookup that shows on the same check. Until it’s switched on, keep using your usual provider for them. It will cost R 299 a lookup.

The VINs, registration, kilometres, photos and findings of each check, and the name of the staff member who did it. Read the privacy notice for how this is handled under POPIA.