Car Inspections

LSPIII · 28 Jan 2008 at 11:05

Good morning forum dwellers

I'm in the process of purchasing myself a new car, but having been caught out before with cars, I have decided to have an inspection done on this one. Can anybody recommend which inspection company I should consider. I have seen mention of the AA inspections from previous threads and wondered if they are any good? I have also found from the Autotrader website, a company called Car Checkers. Has anybody had any experiences of these companies to suggest who to recommend / avoid?

Cheers for your help guys.

P.S. I will let you know what the car is, if I buy it

Brando · 28 Jan 2008 at 11:18

I used an RAC check on my Elise and it was a total waste of time. The guy was an idiot. He ragged the crap out of the elise, couldn't comment on much of the car due to the it have covers that he wasn't allowed to remove.......

These covers are standard on all elises and I couldn't believe they could charge £200 and just effectively give the car a visual inspection. My advice would be save £200 and take it for a £40 M.O.T, also take a friend or someone who knows about cars to view it! Also do an HPI check to check for cleared finance and any reported accident damage!

LSPIII · 28 Jan 2008 at 13:32

Brando said:
I used an RAC check on my Elise and it was a total waste of time. The guy was an idiot. He ragged the crap out of the elise, couldn't comment on much of the car due to the it have covers that he wasn't allowed to remove.......

These covers are standard on all elises and I couldn't believe they could charge £200 and just effectively give the car a visual inspection. My advice would be save £200 and take it for a £40 M.O.T, also take a friend or someone who knows about cars to view it! Also do an HPI check to check for cleared finance and any reported accident damage!

My biggest problem is I don't really have any friends who know even more than me about cars! The bodywork and electrics are easy enough to check for sure, but I'm lost when it comes to the mechanics of the car.

An HPI Check will be completed as suggested but I would just feel more comfortable if I could get someone "who knows cars" to look at it, more for peace of mind, hence the inspection. I guess I'm just wondering if there is likely to be any company that will be better than someone else.

Brando · 28 Jan 2008 at 13:46

What car is it and how old. You could always try ringing a dealership and asking them if they would mind giving it a once over. They may charge 1/2 an hour to an hours labour for this. But that will be cheaper and more efficient. If you use the garage the car was purchased new or the garage you intend to service it (dealership or specialist) you may be able to negotiate a better deal.

Just my 2p. The AA and RAC checks are the same spec, the thing for me is there is no comeback. That is a tailored part of their contracts. If the wheels fall off tomorrow you will get nothing from the RAC or AA.