Comprehensive Vehicle Inspections

Can't speak for the AA on this, sadly, even though I'm a member, because I wanted an urgent inspection and the AA couldn't manage it for five days: make of that what you will.

So I stumped up £160 for a different company (I'll not give the name) to have a look at a 206 Hdi I was having misgivings about and fair enough they went along to the dealer the day after I 'phoned them.

The inspector 'phoned me after the exam and later e-mailed a report. The gist of it was that faults a,b and c needed attention and that the dealer had agreed to fix them at no extra cost; that I should be aware that d,e and f weren't perfect but weren't areas for immediate concern and finally that I shouldn't worry about the car as it was otherwise fine.

So I went along to have one last drive of it, and took a mate for a final opinion. As I drove, he had a serious poke around in the manual and found something I'd missed: a folded-up copy of the last MOT certificate which advised of a couple of things which wouldn't pass the *next* MOT and which added up to maybe £200worth of expense. Adding this extra work to the price of the car made it less of a bargain so I underwent a lengthy period of negotiation with the dealer: knowing that I'd gone to the expense of the inspection, dealer-man was confident that I was going to buy the car and refused to budge - and the upshot was that I walked away from it.

The point of this post isn't to whinge about Crap Inspectors or Dodgy Dealers: it's to point out that the inspection isn't *much* more than an MOT and that even the most diligent inspector (OK maybe not *the most* diligent but you get my drift) can miss something among a 166-point check.

Yes I'm pissed off that I paid that much for a check which said Yes, Buy It whereas I believe the correct summary should've been No, Unless He Drops The Price, obviously I am - but the point is that had I opted instead for putting the car through an MOT I'd at least have had something to show for a lot less money.

So if you're considering a Vehicle Inspection I'd urge you to leave it. If you can't get the car tested at a garage you know, find one agreeable to both you and the dealer and cross your fingers.

Oh and by the way: the dealer *hadn't* agreed to fix faults a,b and c at all.

Posted By: Sugbad The Bad on June 3rd 2007 at 19:32:47

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