RAC type check

bouicca21

I have been looking through the guides to buying a secondhand car on auto trader. I don't have enough confidence to buy privately, do people do RAC type checks when buying from a dealer? Or is that just for private sales? Would I look a complete idiot if I printed off the autotrader list of things to check and went through it?

welfayre

No you'll not look an idiot.

Dealers are probably worse than private sellers for trying to hide things.

I often do prep work for a well known national dealer and there are quite a few things they won't do to a sale car that in my opinion they should.

They won't change the tyres unless they're below 2.5mm

They won't change pads or discs regardless of how worn they are as long as they pass an MOT

They won't recharge the air con

A service is oil and filter only regardless of what is actually specified.

They won't rectify any mot advisories.

BeenThroughItAll

welfayre wrote: »

No you'll not look an idiot.

Dealers are probably worse than private sellers for trying to hide things.

I often do prep work for a well known national dealer and there are quite a few things they won't do to a sale car that in my opinion they should.

They won't change the tyres unless they're below 2.5mm

They won't change pads or discs regardless of how worn they are as long as they pass an MOT

They won't recharge the air con

A service is oil and filter only regardless of what is actually specified.

They won't rectify any mot advisories.

To be fair, why would they? Leaving alone tyres and brakes that pass an MOT, sub-optimally functioning but non-essential features, and undertaking only a basic service are all logical margin-maximising steps.


It's not like a private seller's going to do all those things either.


If an RAC report says 'tyres are at 2.5mm all round', that's not going to prompt a dealer to put a new set of boots on. He'll just fall back to "Well, the legal limit's 1.6mm. There's loads of wear left in them luv/guv."

burlington6

Do as many checks as you feel happy with.

One thing I wouldn't do though is pay for an AA/RAC style inspection.
They cost a few hundred pounds and are done by people who are that scared of giving a good report that they condem everything.

Take a trusted mechanic or one that has a good reputation and pay them if you have to

victor2

welfayre wrote: »

No you'll not look an idiot.

Dealers are probably worse than private sellers for trying to hide things.

I often do prep work for a well known national dealer and there are quite a few things they won't do to a sale car that in my opinion they should.

They won't change the tyres unless they're below 2.5mm

They won't change pads or discs regardless of how worn they are as long as they pass an MOT

They won't recharge the air con

A service is oil and filter only regardless of what is actually specified.

They won't rectify any mot advisories.

That's not true of all dealers...
I bought a car from a major dealer and it came with a new MOT with no advisories. On checking the MOT history, I saw it had passed an MOT just before the one given to me, but it had on advisory on front disc pads being worn. The dealer had changed the discs and pads then got another MOT, without even telling me.
I negotiated a major service in the deal, as one was close to becoming due. Obviously hard to tell if that was done completely, but an independent mechanic I use for servicing subsequently checked it over and said it looked like everything had been done for a major service.

However, if you're going to a dealer that uses Autotrader, there's more of a chance it could be one of the less scrupulous ones detailed above. It depends on your budget, but I will happily pay a little bit more for a car from a reputable major dealer, so that you are more likely to get a better deal in the long run. Either way, see if you can take someone a little more knowledgeable about cars with you - two sets of eyes are always better than one!

welfayre

victor2 wrote: »

That's not true of all dealers...

I never said it was. I was merely pointing out some things to look out for based on my experiences with the dealers I've dealt with.

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

To be fair, why would they? Leaving alone tyres and brakes that pass an MOT, sub-optimally functioning but non-essential features, and undertaking only a basic service are all logical margin-maximising step

I know it's good business sense to maximise your profits and I don't have an issue with them doing it. Like I said I was just giving the OP a heads up on things I know they miss out or don't address.

If I was going to be spending X thousands of pounds on a car from a dealer I wouldn't want to be having to spend money getting brakes/tyres 2 months down the line or having to get the air con re gassed on a car that will be sold as having A/C. I'd want that stuff addressed or a nice little discount.

Sam_Fallow

welfayre wrote: »

No you'll not look an idiot.

Dealers are probably worse than private sellers for trying to hide things.

I often do prep work for a well known national dealer and there are quite a few things they won't do to a sale car that in my opinion they should.

They won't change the tyres unless they're below 2.5mm

They won't change pads or discs regardless of how worn they are as long as they pass an MOT

They won't recharge the air con

A service is oil and filter only regardless of what is actually specified.

They won't rectify any mot advisories.

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

To be fair, why would they? Leaving alone tyres and brakes that pass an MOT, sub-optimally functioning but non-essential features, and undertaking only a basic service are all logical margin-maximising steps.


It's not like a private seller's going to do all those things either.


If an RAC report says 'tyres are at 2.5mm all round', that's not going to prompt a dealer to put a new set of boots on. He'll just fall back to "Well, the legal limit's 1.6mm. There's loads of wear left in them luv/guv."

OP there is your answer right there. Dealers are no more obliged to present a perfect car than someone offering a private sale. Dealers have a contingency budget built in to the price for any returns. And if it leaves the forecourt with three of the faults listed above and you return it to have one of them rectified, you can be sure they won't fix the other two on their own initiative.

Print your list out and check away. My advice on buying anything second hand is 'Always be prepared to walk away.'

s_b

hi bouicca21 i would suggest you take burlingtons advice in regard to taking your list and also getting a local indie to give the car an inspection rather than the tick box services
i get people with check sheets at my place and so long as you understand you are buying a second hand car and not new then i have no problems with any list

bouicca21

Thank you all. I appreciate your help - as you can probably tell I am as nervous as hell about this. I do know a good mechanic but he works a long way from any of the potential dealers so I'd have to take a car to him - or he'd lose a day's work - and I'm not sure a dealer would allow me to drive off like that.