Pre purchase inspections?
Discussion
Hi all!
Im looking to buy a new (used) car for myself, its going to be a bit of a fun weekend car and not used everyday but i also want reliability! The car in question is a Mercedes-Benz E63 2013 right on the face lift and being the last of the pre-face lifts fitted with the 5.5 litre V8. Is it worth having a pre purchase inspection done? I've never had one done and can never say i'd every heard of the service up until now. If so whats/who's the best to use? Any advise would be highly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Im looking to buy a new (used) car for myself, its going to be a bit of a fun weekend car and not used everyday but i also want reliability! The car in question is a Mercedes-Benz E63 2013 right on the face lift and being the last of the pre-face lifts fitted with the 5.5 litre V8. Is it worth having a pre purchase inspection done? I've never had one done and can never say i'd every heard of the service up until now. If so whats/who's the best to use? Any advise would be highly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Yes, I think it's worth it on what's presumably a relatively expensive, complex eight year old car.
I now think that the best option, if at all possible, is to identify a trustworthy marque specialist garage near the car being sold, and ask them to inspect it. The marque specialist knows all the things to look for on a complex car, and should be able to price up work that may be needed which is very helpful for any negotiation etc.
I was looking at an '07 AMG estate, managed to get the dealer to take it to MSL Southampton, who for £80 sent me back a load of pictures of a rusty underside, a laundry list of issues and a strong recommendation not to touch it with a bargepole! So a money pit dodged.
Other options are AA/RAC and Clickmechanic, however I've seen their inspectors miss non-trivial issues before. They're probably worthwhile if the car's so far away that you aren't going to view it yourself, they'll pick up bodywork issues or any obvious noises, but won't necessarily note that the brake discs are rusted on the backside and need replacing, or shot suspension bushes on both sides requiring expensive arm replacement.
The upside of the latter generalist options is that they'll travel and do the inspection at the vendor's premises, whereas a specialist will need the car taking to them. I think the former option is reasonable if it's dealer sale or if the seller is motivated to sell, but if they've got multiple interested buyers then a private seller might not want to faff around organising it. OTOH I think an on-premises inspection is a totally legit request, I'd decline any car if the seller wasn't willing to allow that.
I now think that the best option, if at all possible, is to identify a trustworthy marque specialist garage near the car being sold, and ask them to inspect it. The marque specialist knows all the things to look for on a complex car, and should be able to price up work that may be needed which is very helpful for any negotiation etc.
I was looking at an '07 AMG estate, managed to get the dealer to take it to MSL Southampton, who for £80 sent me back a load of pictures of a rusty underside, a laundry list of issues and a strong recommendation not to touch it with a bargepole! So a money pit dodged.
Other options are AA/RAC and Clickmechanic, however I've seen their inspectors miss non-trivial issues before. They're probably worthwhile if the car's so far away that you aren't going to view it yourself, they'll pick up bodywork issues or any obvious noises, but won't necessarily note that the brake discs are rusted on the backside and need replacing, or shot suspension bushes on both sides requiring expensive arm replacement.
The upside of the latter generalist options is that they'll travel and do the inspection at the vendor's premises, whereas a specialist will need the car taking to them. I think the former option is reasonable if it's dealer sale or if the seller is motivated to sell, but if they've got multiple interested buyers then a private seller might not want to faff around organising it. OTOH I think an on-premises inspection is a totally legit request, I'd decline any car if the seller wasn't willing to allow that.
Hi and thank you for your advice!!
I got in contact with a company called https://www.prepurchaseinspections.co.uk/ and asked them to go and inspect the vehicle for me, I did try the AA but they will not inspect the vehicle for me! I will keep you updated as to what they find, they have assigned me a ex-mercedes inspector so hopefully all is well!!
Thanks for the reply!
I got in contact with a company called https://www.prepurchaseinspections.co.uk/ and asked them to go and inspect the vehicle for me, I did try the AA but they will not inspect the vehicle for me! I will keep you updated as to what they find, they have assigned me a ex-mercedes inspector so hopefully all is well!!
Thanks for the reply!
Cool, a new company! Sounds like it launched 3 weeks ago, probably why I've not heard of it before. I guess it's a growth area with the increasing 'hands free' car purchasing
https://www.senmer.com/pre-purchase-inspections-uk...
samoht said:
Cool, a new company! Sounds like it launched 3 weeks ago, probably why I've not heard of it before. I guess it's a growth area with the increasing 'hands free' car purchasing
https://www.senmer.com/pre-purchase-inspections-uk...
I can't see how they'll make it pay well enough to have such qualified people doing the inspections, and provide some sort of guarantee if they miss something?https://www.senmer.com/pre-purchase-inspections-uk...
They need to charge way more.
WOW. I had the company go out today and do the inspection for me, once they finished i received a phone call to talk me through the report (i went for the premium inspection for obvious reasons!) they found things i wouldn't even know where to look but i guess thats why i employed them 
they mentioned something to do with the pipes going to the water pump being brittle and starting to leak as well as needing tyre's (obviously) sunroof needing lubricating, rear left panel had a some bit of paint, gearbox mount worn and prop shaft thingy split. This actually gave me quite a bit of negotiating leverage and managed to close a deal with the seller 
I honestly can not recommend them enough, the report was sent to my email with all photos after aswell which was good for when i showed the seller! Thank you all for your support and advice! Im one happy guy (just need to get these bits fixed) and ill be happier
they mentioned something to do with the pipes going to the water pump being brittle and starting to leak as well as needing tyre's (obviously) sunroof needing lubricating, rear left panel had a some bit of paint, gearbox mount worn and prop shaft thingy split. This actually gave me quite a bit of negotiating leverage and managed to close a deal with the seller I honestly can not recommend them enough, the report was sent to my email with all photos after aswell which was good for when i showed the seller! Thank you all for your support and advice! Im one happy guy (just need to get these bits fixed) and ill be happier Sure, shilling is when one acts as a promoter for a company/product/service, and in recent vernacular shilling usually means that the promoter is attempting to hide their involvement with said company.
I could be totally off the mark -in which case I apologise - but that's just the way your posts read to me.
Ta
I could be totally off the mark -in which case I apologise - but that's just the way your posts read to me.
Ta
Joelonghair said:
Sure, shilling is when one acts as a promoter for a company/product/service, and in recent vernacular shilling usually means that the promoter is attempting to hide their involvement with said company.
I could be totally off the mark -in which case I apologise - but that's just the way your posts read to me.
Ta
New member - checkI could be totally off the mark -in which case I apologise - but that's just the way your posts read to me.
Ta
New business recommended - check
Market leading company dismissed - check
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