lcaller Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Afternoon all, Has anyone used either the RAC or the AA to do a pre purchase check on a 2nd hand 350? The RAC is £100 cheaper then the AA and i can't seem to find a list of comprehensive differences in the service but the AA do charge on engine size. Both services drive the car for at least 10 miles, put it in ramps etc. Ideally i want to get this done as the car is 250 miles from me and the train fair alone is the same as the RAC fee. Any pointers would be most appreciated. Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I would get a local member to give it a once over too. We tend to know what to look for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I would get a local member to give it a once over too. We tend to know what to look for. +1 you may not get a nice shiny report but it's free and probably would highlight any of the 'gimme' problems that we all know about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350Chris Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I had an AA inspection on a previous car...they were able to tell me that the paint on one wing was quite thick and the seat adjuster didn't work - very thorough I thought... ...what they managed to miss was that the front brakes were shot, one of the rear tyres was illegal and there was an interesting electrical 'opportunity' that put the head lights on every time you pressed the brake pedal As above - a local member is an excellent suggestion and it will only cost you a case of beers or a bottle of something potent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacW Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I had one before on a Land Rover that blew a head gasket less than a week later, not worth the paper they're printed on. First port of call would be a helpful member having a nose and if you're near one of the recommended garages I'd give them a bell and pay them to have a nose instead of the RAC/AA/etc if you want a professional opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14N Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I thought about getting one when I bought my Zed. But when I looked into what was actually involved for a few hundred quid, I decided against it. If you look through the list of what's included ("upto 206 seperate checks per car"), most of those checks are just visual e.g. "Fuel filler cap and seat upholstery" which can be done easily yourself. Take a look: http://www.theaa.com/vehicle-inspection ... iew%3Dtab2 Other things are covered by an MOT - so if it's got a fresh MOT, they 'should' have been checked. I know an MOT doesn't validate a vehicle's mechanical state, but I wouldn't pay £300+ for someone 'just to have a good look'. Your best bet really would be a local forum member. Alternatively, print the list off, pay for a train ticket and go take a look yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Either pay for a specialist to take a look, or save your money IMHO. Generic checks like the AA and RAC are too obtuse to be of any real help, no-one can be a specialist on every single make and model of car so you can't really expect them to know exactly what to look out for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Yep, had one done once and found a good few things that hadnt been checked or were missed, got to know a bit about cars and wouldnt bother at all now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14N Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Ideally i want to get this done as the car is 250 miles from me Sounds like you may have already found a potential car. Post a link up on here if you can. We (well, the forum guru's) can maybe give you some advice just by looking at the ad. It's been done many times before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMetal Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I had a report done with the car before my Z, was from a top notch guy who'd already listed the problems and the fixes, the report confirmed them, never had any issues with the car. Following that experience I got one with the Z, waste of money didnt spot any of the issues with it (2nd hole in the exhaust, discs needed changing, clicky axel issue, petrol cap release faults etc etc) utter waste of money and of course they cover themselves so theres nothing you can do. Older and wiser now, Id probably still get one just in case there was something serious i missed as im not technically minded, but id pour over all the details on the car myself, press every button, wiggle every bit. In the end i spent a few 100 on fixes which werent a big deal but the idea that you'd trust purely the report isnt believable to me anymore. If your interested, get someone local to peek, get the cheaper of the reports done, make sure theres no serious issues then have a good look yourself. How the dealer treats you when you ask about all this will tell you if he's a decent trust worthy guy or someone who just wnats to shift the car hes got and hasnt really looked at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcaller Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thank you so much for all the info. Where would be the best forum to post to see if there is someone local that would do a look over for petrol and beer money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 On a side note, don't ever put a deposit down subject to a car passing an AA/RAC inspection. I did this once, I even got them to right that it was subject to me being happy with the inspection on the receipt. The inspection said the synchro meshes were failing and would need a new gear box, they refused to return the deposit or change the box. Admittedly they turned out to be a bit of a dodgy garage but hey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcaller Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 On a side note, don't ever put a deposit down subject to a car passing an AA/RAC inspection. I did this once, I even got them to right that it was subject to me being happy with the inspection on the receipt. The inspection said the synchro meshes were failing and would need a new gear box, they refused to return the deposit or change the box. Admittedly they turned out to be a bit of a dodgy garage but hey. Agreed the plan isn't to put down any cash until i go to drive and possibly buy the car. The guy seems very genuine , private seller and the communication and willingness to accept an inspection has been excellent. The only real problem is Newcastle is a bloody long way and i either buy 2 return tickets or if i can be as sure as possible then i can save on the train ticket and that'll be the petrol home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posidrive Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 On a side note, don't ever put a deposit down subject to a car passing an AA/RAC inspection. I did this once, I even got them to right that it was subject to me being happy with the inspection on the receipt. The inspection said the synchro meshes were failing and would need a new gear box, they refused to return the deposit or change the box. Admittedly they turned out to be a bit of a dodgy garage but hey. Hope the garage owner enjoyed a few months of drinking his food through a straw But more seriously, I bought mine before finding this web site so had an AA inspection done. There weren't any faults and from my 3 years of ownership they didn't miss anything so can't really comment on whether or not it was worth it. But it did give me peace of mind because they jacked up the car to check for any hidden damage underneath (this was the more expensive option) as well as checking the bodywork for any repairs which might not have been obvious. If you don't go for an inspection, at least take someone esle along who knows something about cars who can if necessery prevent the heart from taking over from the brain if there is anything wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plummerman Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Hiya Matey, I know there's a few horror stories out there but after being sucker punched by what seemed to be a very prestigious garage.. I decided to get a veichle inspection done by these fellas http://www.scotiavehicleinspection.com/ And I can only say it was top notch from start to finish, constant updates throughout. And not just a quick hour, spent over 3 hours . Fine tooth combing the car. 15 page report. They had it up on ramps at a local garage, the works.. The report even came back with details of a very slight reverbaration from the engine at a certain point in the rev range god knows what they used to listen.. But it gave me the piece of mind that I wouldn't be driving down the motorway again and the brake lines snap on me.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 On a side note, don't ever put a deposit down subject to a car passing an AA/RAC inspection. I did this once, I even got them to right that it was subject to me being happy with the inspection on the receipt. The inspection said the synchro meshes were failing and would need a new gear box, they refused to return the deposit or change the box. Admittedly they turned out to be a bit of a dodgy garage but hey. Hope the garage owner enjoyed a few months of drinking his food through a straw Even after filing in small claims etc etc they just didn't give a toss! For the £250 deposit I decided it wasn't worth the effort in the end as there was no way they'd pay up even if I won. Sadly I can't remember the name of the garage now as it was a long time ago, it was in Southampton though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E15-Zed Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Had an inspection done on my Z by a private guy who does AA inspections too, if nothing else it helps non-techies like me identify issues that will need attention and can be reflected in a price reduction on the vehicle as well as giving piece of mind that you aren't getting a cut and shut or something with a proper mechanical issue that I might well miss. I spotted quite a few things that he picked up, but it was worth getting the expert opinion for a couple of hundred quid when you are spending ten grand if you don't really know what you are looking for..... Mind you if I'd known before that I could get a Z guru to look it over for price of a crate of beer I'd have probably taken that option! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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