The car inspection API

GET /v1/checklist

The assembled inspection checklist: base groups, the fuel-specific module, and the known-defect group when the make and model match a curated rule. Two levels of grouping, 1–5 scoring, critical items flagged.

{
  "lang": "en",
  "car": { "make": "Volkswagen", "model": "Golf", "fuelType": "diesel" },
  "itemCount": 33,
  "groups": [
    {
      "id": "ext", "order": 0, "title": "Exterior", "aggregation": "average",
      "children": [
        {
          "id": "ext.body", "order": 0, "title": "Body & paint",
          "items": [
            { "id": "ext.body.panels", "order": 0,
              "prompt": "Panel gaps even, no misalignment", "critical": false },
            { "id": "ext.body.rust", "order": 2,
              "prompt": "No rust or corrosion", "critical": true }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "attribution": { "source": "Elgarde", "url": "https://elgarde.com",
                     "license": "CC-BY-4.0" }
}

GET /v1/defects

Curated, model-specific weak points — the DQ200 dry clutch, the PureTech wet belt, the N47 timing chain. Critical entries are the ones that make a car worth walking away from.

{
  "matched": true,
  "ruleId": "psa-known-issues",
  "label": "PSA known issues",
  "defects": [
    { "id": "puretech.wetbelt", "critical": true,
      "text": "PureTech 1.2 wet timing belt — degrades into the oil pump" },
    { "id": "ep6.chain", "critical": false,
      "text": "1.6 THP (EP6) timing chain + carbon build-up on valves" }
  ]
}

An empty result is not a clean bill of health. It means nothing is curated for that model yet.

POST /v1/score

Rolls a sheet of answers into per-group scores and one overall verdict. Answers are 1–5, or -1 for not applicable and -2 for not inspected. A failed critical item clamps the verdict down regardless of the average — a car can average 4.9 and still be a 1.

curl -X POST "https://api.elgarde.com/api/v1/score" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"make":"Volkswagen","model":"Golf","fuelType":"diesel",
       "scores":{"docs.all.mileage":1,"ext.body.rust":4}}'

{ "overall": 1.0, "overallBeforeClamp": 2.5,
  "clampedBy": ["docs.all.mileage"],
  "answered": 2, "total": 33 }

GET /v1/vin/{vin}

Normalises the free NHTSA vPIC dataset into a usable shape: make, model, year, fuel type, body style, engine. vPIC is US-centric and thin on European models, so partial results with nulls are normal rather than an error. Responses are cached for 24 hours.

curl "https://api.elgarde.com/api/v1/vin/WVWZZZ1KZAW000001"

{ "source": "nhtsa-vpic",
  "car": { "vin": "WVWZZZ1KZAW000001", "make": "VOLKSWAGEN",
            "model": "Golf", "year": 2015, "fuelType": "diesel",
            "bodyStyle": "estate", "engine": "2.0L 4cyl" } }

GET /v1/meta

Canon version, supported languages, how many defect rules and entries are curated, and the attribution block. Useful as a health check and for cache invalidation.