The clocks went back this weekend, and for the next five months most after-work viewings will happen under a streetlight. That suits a seller with something to hide: darkness flattens dents, blends mismatched panels and hides a puddle of oil under the engine. You can still view a car well in the dark — but it takes a plan, and some things can only be judged in daylight.

Ask for Daylight First

A weekend morning viewing is the single best fix. A genuine seller will usually agree; one who can only ever do 7pm on a weekday is worth a second thought. If evenings are the only option, treat the first visit as a test drive and paperwork check, and make any deal conditional on a second look — or a professional inspection — in daylight.

The Dark-Viewing Kit

• A proper torch (not just a phone): for under the engine, inside wheel arches and the boot floor
• A tread depth gauge or a 20p coin: tyres are hard to judge by eye at night
• Kitchen roll: wipe the dipstick and check fluids — oil should be honey-to-brown, not black sludge or milky
• A magnet wrapped in a cloth: it won't stick well where there's thick filler

How to Read Bodywork in the Dark

• Torch held low and flat along each panel: raking light shows ripples and dents that face-on light hides
• Panel gaps: run a finger along the gaps between doors, bonnet and wings — uneven gaps suggest past repairs
• Paint colour: streetlights distort colour, so mismatched panels often only show in daylight. If something looks off, say so and come back
• Overspray: look for paint on rubber seals and window trims — a sign of respraying

Check What Darkness Doesn't Hide

• Every light, inside and out: evening viewings are the perfect time — headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights (use a reflection in a window), fog lights, number-plate lamp
• A cold start: ask the seller not to run the car before you arrive, then feel the bonnet. Listen for rattles in the first few seconds and watch for smoke in your torch beam
• Damp: windows that steam up instantly, a musty smell, or wet carpets under the mats point to leaks — worse in winter
• Drips: after the test drive, look under the car with the torch for fresh drips on dry ground
• Heater and demister: both should clear the screen within a few minutes; a sweet smell inside can mean a heater-matrix leak

Paperwork Doesn't Need Daylight

Use the evening to go through the V5C (the name and address should match the seller and the place you're viewing), the service invoices and the last MOT certificate. Read the MOT history in advance so you can ask about specific items: "the last test flagged a corroded brake pipe — was it replaced?"