AA inspection, is it worth it?
Discussion
hey
should be getting a new car soon and was just wondering if you guys would recommend an AA vehicle inspection? some of my friends have said i should get it just to be sure and i was wondering if anyone on here has done it and thinks its a good idea. the car is a clio 197 if that helps.
cheers
(sorry if this is the wrong place)
should be getting a new car soon and was just wondering if you guys would recommend an AA vehicle inspection? some of my friends have said i should get it just to be sure and i was wondering if anyone on here has done it and thinks its a good idea. the car is a clio 197 if that helps.
cheers
(sorry if this is the wrong place)
Someone I knew was buying an Exige. As he was coming from a background of some limited car knowledge and due to the car being something he'd wanted for a while, he got a 200 point (or something like that) check done by the RAC who gave him a full report. The RAC guy was used to looking a sports cars for this kinda thing. It cost a bit (iirc £250?) but it was money saved in the long run as the car my mate had looked at, had quite a few issues that needed sorting. Unfortunately the seller honestly thought that his Exige was in pretty good nick :s
So I'd say it's worthwhile if you're buying a niche car.
So I'd say it's worthwhile if you're buying a niche car.
McSam said:
It won't be as useful as having a genuinely knowledgeable friend come along, but if you don't have one of those handy, it can be better than nothing.
Some AA guys are very good, some.. less so. Not sure how that ratio is among those that do the vehicle inspections.
"Mmmmmmmaybe..."
Sharky86 said:
Someone I knew was buying an Exige. As he was coming from a background of some limited car knowledge and due to the car being something he'd wanted for a while, he got a 200 point (or something like that) check done by the RAC who gave him a full report. The RAC guy was used to looking a sports cars for this kinda thing. It cost a bit (iirc £250?) but it was money saved in the long run as the car my mate had looked at, had quite a few issues that needed sorting. Unfortunately the seller honestly thought that his Exige was in pretty good nick :s
So I'd say it's worthwhile if you're buying a niche car.
hmm yeah, well its just a clio 197and ive done a lot of research into it and it felt nice when i drove it. its got a good service history too with lots of time spent at ktec. just not sure wether to get the check. So I'd say it's worthwhile if you're buying a niche car.
Looking at it from the other side, I've had several AA/RAC inspections done on cars I've sold and I tend to find the report will tend to always pull up issues which are not really that serious
This will usually mean you will look at another car and pay for another inspection
Also, i think its RAC, outsource their inspections to a third party so you won't always get an RAC guy doing it.
I would probably recommend taking the car to a decent mechanic and, maybe a bit extreme, but getting an MOT done and getting him to take a good look at it.
This will usually mean you will look at another car and pay for another inspection
Also, i think its RAC, outsource their inspections to a third party so you won't always get an RAC guy doing it.
I would probably recommend taking the car to a decent mechanic and, maybe a bit extreme, but getting an MOT done and getting him to take a good look at it.
Not sure I see the value in these services. Yes, they could save you from buying a car needing a lot of work, but then you will be £100-200 out of pocket for the pleasure.
Might be worth it if looking to spend 10k on a second hand car but I fail to see the point when looking at anything sub 3k.
Why not just ask the seller if you can take it for an MOT. £40 and will show up anything not making it road worthy and a decent garage will point out anything they think will need sorting (brakes, tyres, leaks etc).
Might be worth it if looking to spend 10k on a second hand car but I fail to see the point when looking at anything sub 3k.
Why not just ask the seller if you can take it for an MOT. £40 and will show up anything not making it road worthy and a decent garage will point out anything they think will need sorting (brakes, tyres, leaks etc).
For an every day run of the mill car then yes it might be worth doing unless you can give it a decent check of the basics yourself.
However, for a specialist/rare car, Id suggest getting on an enthusiast/owners forum and asking if there was a knowledgeable local owner who could have a look with you, as they would know more of the issues specific to that car than Mr average AA man
However, for a specialist/rare car, Id suggest getting on an enthusiast/owners forum and asking if there was a knowledgeable local owner who could have a look with you, as they would know more of the issues specific to that car than Mr average AA man
Check owners club forums and websites (such as this one!) for common issues. Look for the usual signs of clocking, be slightly suspicious, meet at the persons home, check V5 etc and unless its something that has a very high level of impending bork then I wouldn't bother. A quality independent garage, maybe even one that knows a great deal about the car in question might be a better bet.
I got the AA to check over my Alfa 156 before I bought it.
The report was pretty detailed and positive.
They didn't spot one problem though, a problem that first happened on my way home from picking up the car.
When accelerating reasonably hard (e.g. when overtaking), the engine would cut out for a second or so. Pretty scary sometimes.
My Alfa garage traced the problem (Pressure boost valve/sensor or something) was about £120 to sort.
When I contacted the AA to find out why they didn't spot this problem, they couldn't have been more unhelpful.
I was repeatedly told it had noting to do with the AA (Even though my credit card statement said 'AA', it was an AA man who came out to do the report in an AA van)
I was told to contact another company, who the AA gave me another phone number for. They just said it was the AAs problem.
Went round in circles till I gave up.
The AA just weren't bothered. They were pretty rude several times too.
With this in mind, I can't recommend the service.
The report was pretty detailed and positive.
They didn't spot one problem though, a problem that first happened on my way home from picking up the car.
When accelerating reasonably hard (e.g. when overtaking), the engine would cut out for a second or so. Pretty scary sometimes.
My Alfa garage traced the problem (Pressure boost valve/sensor or something) was about £120 to sort.
When I contacted the AA to find out why they didn't spot this problem, they couldn't have been more unhelpful.
I was repeatedly told it had noting to do with the AA (Even though my credit card statement said 'AA', it was an AA man who came out to do the report in an AA van)
I was told to contact another company, who the AA gave me another phone number for. They just said it was the AAs problem.
Went round in circles till I gave up.
The AA just weren't bothered. They were pretty rude several times too.
With this in mind, I can't recommend the service.
C2james said:
hmm yeah, well its just a clio 197and ive done a lot of research into it and it felt nice when i drove it. its got a good service history too with lots of time spent at ktec. just not sure wether to get the check.
Some thing far away, yes I probably would. But as you've driven it and seen the history etc I wouldn't bother. I'm guessing you checked the car over thoroughly though....got underneath as best you can etc etc.Waugh-terfall said:
McSam said:
It won't be as useful as having a genuinely knowledgeable friend come along, but if you don't have one of those handy, it can be better than nothing.
Some AA guys are very good, some.. less so. Not sure how that ratio is among those that do the vehicle inspections.
"Mmmmmmmaybe..."
Parabola said:
I got the AA to check over my Alfa 156 before I bought it.
The report was pretty detailed and positive.
They didn't spot one problem though, a problem that first happened on my way home from picking up the car.
When accelerating reasonably hard (e.g. when overtaking), the engine would cut out for a second or so. Pretty scary sometimes.
My Alfa garage traced the problem (Pressure boost valve/sensor or something) was about £120 to sort.
When I contacted the AA to find out why they didn't spot this problem, they couldn't have been more unhelpful.
I was repeatedly told it had noting to do with the AA (Even though my credit card statement said 'AA', it was an AA man who came out to do the report in an AA van)
I was told to contact another company, who the AA gave me another phone number for. They just said it was the AAs problem.
Went round in circles till I gave up.
The AA just weren't bothered. They were pretty rude several times too.
With this in mind, I can't recommend the service.
You can't hold that against the AA. It developed an issue afterwards.The report was pretty detailed and positive.
They didn't spot one problem though, a problem that first happened on my way home from picking up the car.
When accelerating reasonably hard (e.g. when overtaking), the engine would cut out for a second or so. Pretty scary sometimes.
My Alfa garage traced the problem (Pressure boost valve/sensor or something) was about £120 to sort.
When I contacted the AA to find out why they didn't spot this problem, they couldn't have been more unhelpful.
I was repeatedly told it had noting to do with the AA (Even though my credit card statement said 'AA', it was an AA man who came out to do the report in an AA van)
I was told to contact another company, who the AA gave me another phone number for. They just said it was the AAs problem.
Went round in circles till I gave up.
The AA just weren't bothered. They were pretty rude several times too.
With this in mind, I can't recommend the service.
It's a vehicle inspection. At the time of inspection the vehicle was ok. Unfortunately they can't predict future electrical faults that haven't occurred yet.
Although I do believe some AA vehicles are now fitted with crystal balls to prevent your situation reoccurring.
Stedman said:
Some thing far away, yes I probably would. But as you've driven it and seen the history etc I wouldn't bother. I'm guessing you checked the car over thoroughly though....got underneath as best you can etc etc.
Yeah, it didn't feel funny and it seemed like a nice car when I drove it so I don't think I'm that concerned really. Mister3man said:
You can't hold that against the AA. It developed an issue afterwards.
It's a vehicle inspection. At the time of inspection the vehicle was ok. Unfortunately they can't predict future electrical faults that haven't occurred yet.
Although I do believe some AA vehicles are now fitted with crystal balls to prevent your situation reoccurring.
does the AA perform a test drive? If so it should have been picked up as it happened on the way home from picking the car up and was obviously an existing fault.It's a vehicle inspection. At the time of inspection the vehicle was ok. Unfortunately they can't predict future electrical faults that haven't occurred yet.
Although I do believe some AA vehicles are now fitted with crystal balls to prevent your situation reoccurring.
Mister3man said:
You can't hold that against the AA. It developed an issue afterwards.
It's a vehicle inspection. At the time of inspection the vehicle was ok. Unfortunately they can't predict future electrical faults that haven't occurred yet.
Although I do believe some AA vehicles are now fitted with crystal balls to prevent your situation reoccurring.
I'm not sure the car 'developed an issue afterwards'. I noticed it the first time I drove the car, on the way home from picking it up.It's a vehicle inspection. At the time of inspection the vehicle was ok. Unfortunately they can't predict future electrical faults that haven't occurred yet.
Although I do believe some AA vehicles are now fitted with crystal balls to prevent your situation reoccurring.
The guy who inspected the car told me the issue may have been there when he inspected the car.
He said he drove very gently throughout the inspection, as the seller was in the car with her new baby.
My main problem is with the AAs 'Not our problem, phone someone else' attitude.
I got the AA to inspect the car as I thought it was a company I could trust. When there was an issue, they couldn't have been more unhelpful.
Stedman said:
Some thing far away, yes I probably would. But as you've driven it and seen the history etc I wouldn't bother. I'm guessing you checked the car over thoroughly though....got underneath as best you can etc etc.
Concurring with this ^ my mate was a 500 mile round trip away from the car so that's also why he used the RAC. valiant said:
does the AA perform a test drive? If so it should have been picked up as it happened on the way home from picking the car up and was obviously an existing fault.
Who says this was obviously an exsisting fault? Could you prove the vehicle had a fault beforehand? Presumably if this fault had occured beforehand, the specialists laptop would tell him when the fault first occured, and this would have given you a valid arguement with whoever inspected the vehicle (as long as you have screenshots).
All i'm getting at is; the inspections are a good idea if you're buying privately or you're worried about the general condition of the suspension/brakes and other components that can be checked visually or on a short roadtest, but don't expect the car never to break down or ever develop another fault again.
They are machines, they go wrong.
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