23 Jan 2014
Posted by Miriam O'Neill 
Dodgy Motors – Our Vehicle Inspections Engineer, Brian Ross, talks dodgy second hand cars
Q. First things first, what’s an AA Vehicle Inspection?In a nutshell our AA Vehicle Inspection service provides detailed pre-purchase inspections of second-hand cars. Customers come to us to make sure the second hand car they’re buying is what it seems and that there are not expensive repairs lurking under the surface. It’s such a big purchase and a lot of customers can find it a bit daunting.
Q. How can customers enquire about getting one done? They can click here or call us 01 6179104.
Q. The 2nd hand cars you inspect, are they typically being sold by dealers or private owners? It’s a mixed bag to be honest, although there tends to be more problems with cars being sold privately.
Q. How long does an AA Vehicle Inspection take? Roughly 3.5 hours as its extremely detailed. It’s comparable to being a detective, I’m trying to find out the story of each car, and they’ve all had a different history. During each inspection I do a full mechanical and electrical check, we look for evidence of major accident damage and provide a full under-body inspection to ascertain any structural problems. We also do an extended road test as it’ll tell us another piece of the story.
Q. You mentioned searching for evidence of major accident damage, what kind of clues do you look for? We look for signs of repair and structural damage. Some things won’t show up by sight alone that’s why we have tools such as a paint dept gauge. Using this gauge we can see whether the car has been repainted which could be indicative of accident damage. Some customers are happy enough to purchase a car that has had repairs given its age or mileage but it’s important for them to know that the repairs have been carried out to a high standard.
We’ll also look for under carriage damage, something which again can be very hard to spot if you’re not equipped or don’t know what to look for. It’s not unusual for us to see damage and corrosion under there. Oil leaks are pretty common too.
Q. What about the brakes, do you every come across worrying faults? Yes quite commonly particularly if the car hasn’t been serviced for a while. Brake pads and discs are often worn to the point of needing replacement which means vehicle control and overall handling is affected. It varies from car to car but generally they cost hundreds of euro to replace.
When we report on such repairs customers are well equipped to negotiate the repairs or a reduced price with the seller.
Q. When you road test the vehicles what are looking out for? When I road test a vehicle it’s mainly all about my sense of hearing. I’m listening to the engine and transmission to see if they’ve got anything to tell me. I’m also checking the general feel of the steering, handling and braking. Believe it or not some people will buy a second hand car without road testing it. Beauty is only skin deep as they say!
Q. With the decline in new car sales over recent years and the knock on effect on the second hand market in Ireland do you inspect many imported cars? I do yes.
Q. And do you notice anything different about them? Yes quite commonly. Second hand cars which have been imported from the UK for example tend to have more under body corrosion than Irish vehicles. It’s a by product of the amount of salt they use on the roads over there.
