Woman Goes On Test Drive. Then She Takes The Car Straight To AutoZone: ‘I Need A Full Diagnostic’

A woman took a car she was test driving to AutoZone for a diagnostic. She may be on to something.

TikTok creator Deidra (@deidraxoxo03) posted the story and her reasoning behind the decision in a recent video.

“It was a time I test drove a car and I took it right up to AutoZone,” she says. “Y’all not finna trick me and be hiding codes and it’s gonna appear again after I buy the car.”

Gallery: Watch Hyundai Smash Dealership Window And Hit Other Cars

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Getting Diagnostics During A Test Drive

Deidra went to see a vehicle at a dealership, and the saleswoman asked if she would like to take it on a test drive. When Deidra replied in the affirmative, the saleswoman gave her the keys and told her she could go alone.

Before she even left the dealership parking lot, Deidra says she noticed cosmetic damage to the interior of the vehicle, including the seats and radio buttons.

As Deidra drove the vehicle, she started to notice a concerning squeaking sound from the trunk and says she had difficulty staying in her lane due to an issue with the alignment.

That’s when Deidra decided to reroute to AutoZone so that she could get an independent diagnostic run on the vehicle.

What Did AutoZone Find Out?

When the AutoZone employee got the results from the Fix Finder Service, he looked shocked. After printing out a long list of codes, he gave Deidra the paperwork. “I said, ‘So they’re trying to play with me?’” she says. “I looked at the employee and said, ‘This a [expletive] fool, ain’t it?’ He said, ‘I wouldn’t buy it.’”

Not only did Deidra not purchase the vehicle, but when she returned to the dealership, she warned another potential customer who was waiting to look at the same car. “What’s done in the dark comes to the light and I’m the light,” she says.

In the comments section of the video, viewers couldn’t believe the story or how Deidra decided to resolve the situation.

“You just taught me to test drive to AutoZone,” said one viewer. “That’s so smart.”

“You did 100% of your research correctly,” a second person wrote. “As a car girly, if you’re gonna buy from anywhere—dealer or private—you wanna check all these things and more. I’d also recommend getting a cheap Bluetooth OBD2 scanner with an app that lets you see live data. It’s saved me before the best drive before.”

OBDI and OBDII scanners are available at retailers like Harbor Freight, and they are designed to identify issues with the vehicle and give the driver a code that they can look up or deliver to the technician doing the repair work on the vehicle.

The main difference between the two is that OBDI readers are designed for older vehicles, and OBDII readers work on newer vehicles and give the driver additional information. A mechanic on this Reddit thread posted to r/askcarguys recommended making sure the reader you purchase has the specific manufacturer codes you need.

Motor1 contacted Deidra via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also contacted AutoZone via email for comment. This story will be updated if either responds.