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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Husband very angry I would like an AA PRE PURCHASE INSPECTION. AIBU?

65 replies

borettacar · 15/12/2024 18:00

Husband is very angry that I would like an AA pre purchase inspection on a car following a near miss with buying a car that had a visible issue on the test drive. Thick, white smoke billowing out of the exhaust could have been signs of blown head gasket.

He wants to bring a friend who is car enthusiast to check over it - not a trained mechanic. The car is 4 hours away and he says it comes with a warranty etc but we all know the terms and conditions and small print make a lot of these not worth the paper they are written on.

I want it to be safe for my 17 year old son. He says if it's a dud we will have to keep paying the AA pre purchase inspection and it will cost a fortune.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 18:02

To clarify this is a new car he has found not the car that luckily had smoke coming out of it!

OP posts:
Pandasnacks · 15/12/2024 18:03

How much does the inspection cost and what is the value of the car? Who's paying for it all?

samarrange · 15/12/2024 18:16

he says it comes with a warranty etc but we all know the terms and conditions and small print make a lot of these not worth the paper they are written on.

This sounds a bit handwavy. I don't "know" that at all. A warranty is a contract and it's enforceable in civil law. Obviously you need to check the credibility of the seller, but it sounds like you are set on the AA inspection even with the warranty.

I also wouldn't expect too much from the AA inspection report. Does it come with a promise that if something does go wrong, the AA will pay for it to be fixed? I suspect not.

I want it to be safe for my 17 year old son.

The MOT is meant to do that. Brakes and tyres are 90+% of car safety. A blown head gasket is an expensive repair but it's not a safety issue as such.

following a near miss with buying a car that had a visible issue on the test drive.

In other words, the test drive — which is an essential part of any car purchase, and free of charge — found the problem? I don't call that a near miss.

The AA is a great brand, but their inspectors do not have a magic capability to see inside the car and tell you if the clutch will fail in 500 miles or the head gasket in 2000, unless those components are already in the late stages of wear — in which case the symptoms can be picked up in two minutes on a test drive.

So if the car is not very expensive and the friend knows his stuff, it might not be a great investment to have the AA inspection. As an absolute minimum, let the friend look at it first — if he says it's a dud then you won't buy it and you've saved the AA inspection fee (on this car, anyway).

canyouletthedogoutplease · 15/12/2024 18:18

He says if it's a dud we will have to keep paying the AA pre purchase inspection and it will cost a fortune.

I was on the fence til I saw this, which makes less than no sense at all. He doesn't want to pay for an inspection in case the car is a dud and he might have to pay for an inspection on another one? Surely that's the point!

ExceededUsefulEconomicLife · 15/12/2024 18:20

The MOT is meant to do that. Brakes and tyres are 90+% of car safety. A blown head gasket is an expensive repair but it's not a safety issue as such.

It is @samarrange but I would be concerned that a lot of car garages do ghost MOTs. I've seen it in groups online and it's terrifying how easily available they are and how little some garages do not care.

However, OP, I actually don't think they're worth much salt. I've had a cat with a broken turbo and the AA came out to it and said it was fine with zero issues when they came out to it. I would actually ask a local trusted garage if they could come with you.

orangewasp · 15/12/2024 18:20

YANBU - it's your kid's safety at stake ffs

Mischance · 15/12/2024 18:27

Now come along OP - cars are men territory! - are you daring to question his judgement!!?? This is not an area in which you can have an opinion without shrinking his balls!! 😂

SabbatWheel · 15/12/2024 18:32

I’ve owned many cars over the years and it’s only on the last two (a BMW and a Hyundai) have I trusted the dealer, a test drive and my own judgment. Previously I had AA inspect and it was useful for two cars where brake disks were on their limit and needed replacing.

These days a lot of dealers will give you a presale inspection and that has worked well for my Beemer, the Hyundai, DH’s Ford and DD’s VW.

samarrange · 15/12/2024 18:35

canyouletthedogoutplease · 15/12/2024 18:18

He says if it's a dud we will have to keep paying the AA pre purchase inspection and it will cost a fortune.

I was on the fence til I saw this, which makes less than no sense at all. He doesn't want to pay for an inspection in case the car is a dud and he might have to pay for an inspection on another one? Surely that's the point!

Hence why I suggested getting the friend to look first, as a minimum. If the car is obviously a dud it will then have cost nothing to throw it back. If the friend says it looks OK then the AA inspection will just be extra piece of mind for OP (assuming that both the friend and the AA inspector are competent, of course).

Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:03

Pandasnacks · 15/12/2024 18:03

How much does the inspection cost and what is the value of the car? Who's paying for it all?

£200 for inspection iirc, £7,600 for car and all 3 paying for the car.

OP posts:
Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:05

ExceededUsefulEconomicLife · 15/12/2024 18:20

The MOT is meant to do that. Brakes and tyres are 90+% of car safety. A blown head gasket is an expensive repair but it's not a safety issue as such.

It is @samarrange but I would be concerned that a lot of car garages do ghost MOTs. I've seen it in groups online and it's terrifying how easily available they are and how little some garages do not care.

However, OP, I actually don't think they're worth much salt. I've had a cat with a broken turbo and the AA came out to it and said it was fine with zero issues when they came out to it. I would actually ask a local trusted garage if they could come with you.

Ok perhaps buying a car then, getting it checked and if there's a serious issue hand it back within the 30 days consumer rights.

OP posts:
ExceededUsefulEconomicLife · 15/12/2024 21:12

@borettacar what sort of place will you be buying it from? I wouldn't buy it without the check first. I've purchased a lot of cars and a few with issues - sometimes they're a dream and others really do cause a lot of stress and commotion despite it being your legal right to return it.

There is usually a local mechanic that you can pay £100 to check it over. Ask on Facebook local page and you'll get loads of responses.

Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:13

@samarrange I see your point but a blown head gasket is a massive issue in my book! You may not think it's a safety issue, but to me it is and a massive financial issue. I think that's a bit hand wavy!

My cynicism comes from the last dealer getting annoyed that we didn't take their word for it that thick white smoke was a bit of Vapour and was mad we wanted to get it checked over.

I've seen and heard too many horror about warranties and last time I asked for the small print they didn't have it to view. Only the pamphlet that makes it sound like it's worth it. Luckily after buying it one for a different car, there was a cooling off period so we got the money back.
People being ignored, garages not calling back, stalling tactics, shady underhanded methods to not pay up.

OP posts:
Pandasnacks · 15/12/2024 21:13

£200 seems pretty reasonable! Your DH is BU

Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:18

ExceededUsefulEconomicLife · 15/12/2024 21:12

@borettacar what sort of place will you be buying it from? I wouldn't buy it without the check first. I've purchased a lot of cars and a few with issues - sometimes they're a dream and others really do cause a lot of stress and commotion despite it being your legal right to return it.

There is usually a local mechanic that you can pay £100 to check it over. Ask on Facebook local page and you'll get loads of responses.

Exactly stress and commotion that I have heard from others and want to avoid by getting a professional to check.

Just dealerships seen on auto trader really. The latest one has good reviews, but the attitude when we wanted to get the thick white smoke checked was questionable. It was trust us it's nothing!

Paying a local mechanic is a good idea, thank you.

OP posts:
Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:19

Mischance · 15/12/2024 18:27

Now come along OP - cars are men territory! - are you daring to question his judgement!!?? This is not an area in which you can have an opinion without shrinking his balls!! 😂

This!

OP posts:
Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:20

@Pandasnacks I agree a neutral qualified professional at the very least!

OP posts:
ExceededUsefulEconomicLife · 15/12/2024 21:21

This is the problem for me. You buy from a corporate giant and you know they don't care but you buy from a small garage that may even be AA approved and you see the obvious faults and wonder what else they're hiding.

It's honestly potluck nowadays and there's more dodgy than aren't. I'd also put a post on the local Facebook about reliable garages.

Tumbler2121 · 15/12/2024 21:26

You say the car you’re looking to buy is four hours away … so if you have any problems you’ve got to get it there for inspection/repair even under warranty?

Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:43

@Tumbler2121 with inspections a local mechanic or AA can do them anywhere, but yes repairs from their warranty I presume they would need to be 4 hours away. Hence why I was trying to get a pre purchase inspection done in the first place.

OP posts:
Duckingella · 15/12/2024 21:47

I wish we'd had a pre inspection on a car we brought;we're now pretty sure they'd had a friends garage ghost a mot on it.It was 4.5k down the drain and we had to take out a loan to buy another car as we had to sell it at scrap value.

Our current car is my DH's former company car so we knew that was sound went purchasing it from my DH's former employer.

Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:48

ExceededUsefulEconomicLife · 15/12/2024 21:21

This is the problem for me. You buy from a corporate giant and you know they don't care but you buy from a small garage that may even be AA approved and you see the obvious faults and wonder what else they're hiding.

It's honestly potluck nowadays and there's more dodgy than aren't. I'd also put a post on the local Facebook about reliable garages.

Oh I'm inclined to agree with this, definitely more dodgy ones than not! Reviews are suspect too!

As soon as the guy got us in the car in the last dealership; he started slating the valet guy which really disgusted me. It's a well heeled area and he came across as a huge, cruel snob. I also thought it was a distraction technique, as we were asking questions about the car and how many previous owners etc. he said he didn't know without looking at the paperwork!

OP posts:
Original poster
borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:53

@Duckingella Oh no that's awful to hear. I'm sorry that happened to you. It really is a gamble out there. This happened way too much.

I'm not really sure what a ghost MOT is, but I'm sure it must be rife.

OP posts:
Caroparo52 · 15/12/2024 21:56

Garage told me the 100 point AA Inspection is almost same as a MOT. I asked for new MOT by garage before purchase and car needed new brake pads and discs which garage paid for... look at latest MOT on gov website. MOT is legal requirement but AA inspection is not

ExceededUsefulEconomicLife · 15/12/2024 22:00

borettacar · 15/12/2024 21:53

@Duckingella Oh no that's awful to hear. I'm sorry that happened to you. It really is a gamble out there. This happened way too much.

I'm not really sure what a ghost MOT is, but I'm sure it must be rife.

I second what @Caroparo52 has said. Search check mot history and you'll get a .gov site that lists previous passes and if any fails, what on. This gives you a general view of how well kept the car is and how many miles it did each year. If there's a lot of work required to pass, it suggests that the car only sees a garage when it's legally required to.

Ghost MOT is where a dodgy dealer gets a fake MOT from a dodgy mechanic that's never seen the car. They're so brazen. They'll send a list of 40 cars and they'll be passed.