RAC Inspection

[metricspaces]

I'm looking to buy an S3 and thinking of getting an RAC inspection done on it first http://www.rac.co.uk/web/vehicleche...s;jsessionid=69F2BA537A46432ECC1765FFB2415A64

Has anyone here ever used the RAC inspection?

If so, how would you rate it?

Would it catch most problems that would crop up with an S3?

Assuming that everything else appears ok (service history, mot's, receipts for work) and the car looks good would you buy an S3 on the weight of the RAC inspection to let you know if the car is mechanically sound?

 

[bantam1]

I had an RAC inspection before buying my S3 nearly 3 years ago, as I would not know a lemon if I saw it and so wanted at least some peace of mind. I was impressed with the service - comprehensive report on the car and had a long chat with the guy who inspected it who reasurred me that the car seemed sound. 3 years and 60K miles later the car has not missed a beat. So it gave me the confidence to spend what was for me a lot of money.

To be honest another important aspect was the person I bought it off. I think you can get a very good feel from the seller. If they have a genuine reason for sale, know about the car, and can tell you how they have looked after it and back it up with history, receipts etc. I think this is invaluable.

Good luck with the search.

Regards,

B

 

[mrj0ey]

hey

I have recently bought an s3 and was tempted by one of these checks. However i decided against it as i had a good feeling about the seller and the car drove really nice.

When i was hpi checking there was a mileage discrepancy but this was sorted by phoning audi and cross checking services and work carried out...it turned out that the dvla had put up a forecasted mileage for some reason, apparantly they do it quite a lot.

If you have a good feeling and like the car it should be ok. I kind of know what to look for and so just gave it a good once over myself.

Since the purchase i have had to replace arear bearing costing £160, but that was obvious upon the test drive.

If you dont know what to look for and are unfamiliar with the cars get it checked out, worth it for the peace of mind alone.

Just driving afew s3's will give you a fell for what is a good one and what is not, there are some real dogs out there.

 

[metricspaces]

Yes my main reason for getting it checked out with an RAC inspection would be because I wouldn't spot the kind of things a mechanic would.

Also, I am in Ireland and hoping to buy one from the UK and bring it across - I'm looking for a 1999/2000 S3 so I have to import one from the UK as there are virtually none in Ireland of that age.

So, I would basically have to

1. Give the seller a call - suss them out, ask a few questions
2. Do a HPI and History check
3. Assuming all is ok then get an RAC Inspection done on the car
4. If all is ok after this - then I'd put a deposit on it, fly across, and buy it.

I think the RAC inspectors email you the report and will also phone you to give you an overview of what they found.

What you guys think of this? Is it a big risk?

I'm banking on the paper work and RAC inspection showing up any problems - as the first time I will see the car is when I'm buying it!

I don't mind some minor scratches on the outside or scuffs in the interior as they can all be sorted out quite cheaply. My main worry is if there is a problem with the car mechanically - or if there was one in the past.

Also, I won't be there when the RAC guy is inspecting the car - what's to stop the garage giving the RAC guy a little sweetener to give it a good report?

 

[madvw]

blimey - how paranoid?

personally, i wouldnt trust any of these inspections... they list it as "xxxx points checked!" - but have you actually seen the list of items that they check? None of the ones i've seen actually do anything like a compression test, or anything like that...

cars go wrong... if you can't afford to fix it, dont buy it. If your going to be paranoid about it going wrong all the time, dont buy it.

 

[metricspaces]

personally, i wouldnt trust any of these inspections... they list it as "xxxx points checked!" - but have you actually seen the list of items that they check? None of the ones i've seen actually do anything like a compression test, or anything like that...

Here

http://www.rac.co.uk/web/vehicleche...t;jsessionid=90FF8D2A46AC998206AC9E36CE316F7E

is a full list of what the RAC inspection checks.

These guys are doing this everyday - it's their job. I'm no mechanic - so I'm guessing that they'll spot more than me.

When you say you wouldn't trust them - is it that you wouldn't trust the engineer to spot the problems?

Can you recommend anyone else that would do this check?

cars go wrong... if you can't afford to fix it, dont buy it. If your going to be paranoid about it going wrong all the time, dont buy it.

I'm in Ireland and looking to buy one in the UK. I'll have to fly across to buy it so I need to be able to do as much as possible on this side of the water before going across to buy.

Buying a car is just like any other investment - it makes sense to do as much as possible to check out your purchase before buying. Would you buy a house without an engineer carrying out a structural survey?

 

[madvw]

to be honest, that looks like an improved list on when i was last looking for one. It depends on the length of the road test I guess, and if the road test is performed straight from a cold start, or after it's been left to warm up.

If you're looking to import from ireland without personally inspecting it yourself, then your going to have to trust somebody else to look at it.

Cars are no investment though. They're a waste of money. If you want peace of mind, buy one from a dealer or get a warranty. Just because it gets ticks in a box on an inspection, it doesn't mean it's not going to break.

if they'll honour the uk audi approved warranty, can you buy from an audi dealer in the UK and get them to deliver it to an irish dealership?

 

[Stewart]

I would get an inspection done by a local VAG specialist who will know to look for VAG/S3 specific issues, RAC wouldnt have a clue about issues that plague an S3.

 

[nky_84]

The previous owner of my car got one done for her peace of mind when selling the car, bonkers if you ask me, but i wasnt going to refuse a £225 test for free!

It was perfect for me becuase i was going down to London from Edinburgh and spending time and money going to see a bin was not something I had in mind. Even if you get it RAC'd and you have some personal worries about the car, you can always walk away losing £100 flights money rather than 10k!

On my sheet it said the roadtest took 30 miles, stating max speed acheived, condidtions, traffic etc.

I can attach a page of my test for you to see if you like, think photobucket is down at the mo though.

 

[jedwa115]

I would get an inspection done by a local VAG specialist who will know to look for VAG/S3 specific issues, RAC wouldnt have a clue about issues that plague an S3.

Agreed, although easier said than done if you are not buying a car local to yourself. At least with the RAC you are dealing with a known quantity and have some comeback...? No way of knowing whether A.N.Other Audi specialists are telling you the truth, unless you have prior experience of them.

I think that check looks good. They have no agenda do they, unlike dealership multi point checks. The RAC coupldn't care less if the car sells or not.

 

[jedwa115]

So, I would basically have to

1. Give the seller a call - suss them out, ask a few questions
2. Do a HPI and History check
3. Assuming all is ok then get an RAC Inspection done on the car
4. If all is ok after this - then I'd put a deposit on it, fly across, and buy it.

I'd think nice and careful before putting a deposit down. As a buyer you may think you are one of many many buyers trying to get in there first to secure the one decent car available. As a recent seller, my view is that you are in a strong position as one of very few S3 buyers around and you can call the shots a bit more than you think. Just a thought.

 

[nky_84]

The battery cover has a scratch on it and the rear of the drivers seat at the bottom has a scuff and the rear wiper needed replaced.

 

[jojo]

Has anyone had their car inspected by a prespective buyer? I was selling a MINT and owned from new Golf Cabriolet and the buyer that bought it had the RAC inspection done on it! These RAC guys really do put the car through it's paces, almost like deliberately trying to break something, like slamming the doors close and turning the fan switch from off to max in one quick motion etc, then came the paint thickness detector, he made a few marks on the immaculate paint work also, but what was I to say? The guy bought it off me of course, as it was perfectly mint! Money wasted on the inspection from my point of view, I told him I was a ClubGTI member and I had a shiny S3 and Passat on my drive, but he had piece of mind I guess...

 

[rodenal]

I've had an RAC inspection done on my car and was not impressed at all.

Issues that i knew about, and should have been obvious to any idiot were not picked up on.

All that came back was 'headlights out of alignment and bonnet is a bit stiff'

i mean wtf - how about the fact that the abs is goosed, needs one of the rings straightened - the abs light is on, and the car needs a new steering column mr RAC - do they not matter?

I had already told the buyer about these btw, he wanted the check to see if the car had any other problems, i know it doesnt so i advised against it but he went ahead anyway - total waste of his money.

 

[metricspaces]

The battery cover has a scratch on it and the rear of the drivers seat at the bottom has a scuff and the rear wiper needed replaced.

That's great thanks.