Buying Used Garage Equipment: What to Check

Used garage equipment can be a sound buy. Lifts are built to work for decades, and a well-maintained machine from a closing workshop may have years of service left at a fraction of the price.

It can also be an expensive mistake, because the things that make a lift unsafe are largely invisible from across a workshop. This guide sets out what to check and where the real costs hide.

Start with the paperwork

Ask for these before you look at the equipment. If they do not exist, that is itself the answer for most buyers:

• Reports of thorough examination. The full history if possible, and certainly the most recent. This is the single most informative document about a lift's condition.
• Service records, showing a maintenance regime rather than repairs after failure.
• The declaration of conformity and the manufacturer's documentation.
• The original installation certificate, if it has survived.
• Model and serial number, so you can check parts availability before committing.

A lift with a clean recent examination report and a run of service records is a very different proposition from one with no paperwork at all. Our LOLER guide explains what those reports contain.

What to inspect

Ideally see it working, under load, before it is dismantled.

Check	What you are looking for
Column bases and anchor points	Corrosion, distortion, elongated bolt holes. Serious findings.
Structural corrosion	Anything reducing section thickness on load-bearing steel. Walk away.
Cables or chains	Broken strands, corrosion, uneven tension. Replaceable, but cost it in.
Safety locks	Clean audible engagement through the full travel, both sides.
Arm restraints	Arms should not move by hand under load.
Hydraulics	Weeping seals, scored rams, tired hoses. Check it holds height.
Carriage movement	Both sides rising level and without rocking.
Slide pads	Wear causing play in the carriage.
Arm pads	Perished or oil-soaked rubber. Cheap to replace.
Controls and electrics	Clean operation, working emergency stop, sound cabling.
SWL marking	Present and legible. Its absence hints at general neglect.

The costs that are not in the price

This is where used purchases go wrong. Budget for:

• Decommissioning and removal from the seller's site.
• Transport, which is not trivial for a two-post lift.
• Installation at your site, by a competent installer.
• New anchors. Fixings are not reused.
• Floor work, if your slab does not meet the requirement — see concrete requirements.
• Thorough examination before first use. Required, since safety depends on the installation.
• Immediate remedial work arising from that examination.
• Wear parts — cables, pads, seals — which are prudent to replace on an unknown machine.

Add those up before comparing with a new price. A cheap lift with a new slab, transport and a cable set can land close to a new machine that arrives with a warranty and a known history.

Parts availability decides everything

Before anything else, establish that the model is still supported. An obsolete lift can be structurally perfect and still be a liability, because a routine failure becomes weeks of downtime. Ask a service engineer directly whether they can get parts for that model. If the answer involves sourcing second-hand components, the equipment is a short-term purchase whatever its condition.

When used makes sense

Reasonable when the model is current and supported, the examination history is available and clean, you can see it working under load before purchase, the seller is a garage rather than an unknown intermediary, and your floor already meets the requirement.

Poor value when there is no paperwork, when it has already been dismantled, when the model is obsolete, when it needs a new slab anyway, or when it does not comfortably suit the vehicles you work on — capacity is not something to compromise on to save money, as our guide to lifting capacity explains.

Ancillary equipment

Tyre changers and balancers carry less risk than lifting equipment, since a failure is an inconvenience rather than a hazard. The questions are different: does the machine handle current wheel sizes, are consumables and protective inserts still available, and is it accurate? For a balancer, spin the same wheel twice and see whether it repeats — see our wheel balancer guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth buying a used vehicle lift?

It can be, where the model is still supported, the examination history is available and clean, and your floor already meets the requirement. Add removal, transport, installation, new anchors and a pre-use examination before comparing with new.

What paperwork should come with a used lift?

Reports of thorough examination, service records, the declaration of conformity and manufacturer documentation, and ideally the original installation certificate. Missing paperwork is a significant warning.

Does a used lift need a thorough examination before use?

Yes. Where safety depends on how equipment is installed, LOLER requires thorough examination before it is put into service — and a relocated lift is a new installation.

Can I reuse the original anchor bolts?

No. Anchors are not reused. New fixings are part of the installation, into concrete that meets the requirement.

What should make me walk away?

Structural corrosion on load-bearing steel, distortion or elongated holes at the column bases, no examination history, or a model no longer supported for parts.

Comparing with new

If you are weighing a used machine against a new one, work out the total installed cost of both — the gap is usually smaller than the headline prices suggest. We are happy to talk it through either way. See our vehicle lifts, book a free site survey, or request a quote and we will reply within one working day.