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Mon 23 Jun 2008 23:27

Vehicle inspections. - grumbler

Buyers should be very careful about paying £200 for a vehicle inspection unless they are sure the vehicle is 100% perfect. My daughter paid for an inspection of a vehicle being sold by a dealer. The dealer had a current MOT dated 2/12/07. Being the Xmas season it had spent most of its time standing on his forecourt until the inspection was carried out on the 3/01/08.

The examiner did not road test the vehicle because, he alleged, one of the tyres was worn below the legal limit. He did not mention this to the vendor, who would have changed the wheel, but went on counting stone chips and marks on the trim. The result was an examination that was virtually worthless. The brakes, perhaps the most important aspect of a vehicle were not tested at all.

When I took the matter up with the inspection company they would not say why the vendor had not been informed about the tyre problem, but tried to say there was a coolant leak that also prevented the vehicle being road tested. This was total rubbish as the coolant level was checked as ok and in the final check coolant leaks were ticked as satisfactory. The examiner had noted however that one heater hose showed "signs" of coolant leakage. I had ridden in the vehicle just before the test and there were no leaks. (No doubt 50% of vehicles on the road will show slight seepage at one of their joints and another 50% will show oil seepage.) Oil leaks were not considered a problem by the inspection company .

So be warned, an MOT will only cost you £45 and at least they will test the brakes

Company name removed in accordance with the name and shame policy

Edited by Pugugly on 23/06/2008 at 23:31

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