A mini specialised shop wants to charge $200 for a thorough inspection. He said he will inform me of any repairs that need to be done. Is this worth doing? Car has 70K miles and I want to keep it for long so trying to be pro active. Does the dealer do the same during oil changes?

 

There's an inspection warning built into the car, just like front and rear brakes, oil changes, and brake fluid. You can access the service menu to see how many miles you have left on those (there's a sticky about accessing the service menu). Try starting there. I private shop may be OK, but by the same token they may suggest a bunch of stuff that could cost you money too. When the dealer does oil changes they should also access the service menu and tell you what's coming up. $200 sounds a bit steep for an inspection IMO.

 

Depends on what's included in the thorough inspection. If time-consuming items like a leak-down test and an alignment check are included, $200 could be a real bargain.

 

dealer gonna do it as part of oil change.