Click Mechanic pre purchase inspection
- Thread starter SteveJ
- Start date
Spaldingski
No but used RAC once. The mechanic was excellent and found many, many things which the seller hadn't disclosed. He pretty much told me not to buy the car (although they won't actually say that). The seller was not at all happy as I didn't buy it and threatened to sue the RAC ( :lol: ).
To be fair, though, he did give me my deposit back.
Not a cheap hobby; paying to have cars inspected that you don't buy, though! :wink:
To be fair, though, he did give me my deposit back.
Not a cheap hobby; paying to have cars inspected that you don't buy, though! :wink:
raymond.harper
Senior member
The chap that bought my SLK had an inspection done on the car. He was very thorough, read the ECU for codes, and checked just about every electrical function. If you see a car you want, place the details up on this site, the members do not hold back on any faults they see!
Not used the company above or any other's
My advice would be
Check for a clean MOT history repeated advisories would be a moment of thought it depends what it is, if it is headlights need adjusting not a big issue but if it was rear brake pipes are corroded year after year it shows the owner was not too keen on spending a bit of money for piece of mind
As said above check every electrical switch does what it should window auto up and down is a simple fix most of the time though
Check the air con if fitted, only useful to either de mist the inside with the hood up, to cool you in traffic when the hood is down.
Check tyre wear is even if buying an M or the more powerful ones I would like to see a set of tyres all the same make etc all round again owner prepared to spend a bit to keep it right
On the subject of tyres if they are worn out run flats just knock some money off and put NON run flats on it they are doing you a favor
If you have a code reader and the owner lets you read the codes but you also need to know what they mean as some are almost standard issue for the cars and a lot will be due to the battery being low at some point since the last time the codes where re set
Then after that it is general condition and a box full of invoices for work carried out to keep it up to standard.
Drive it if you are insured to, some tram lining is to be expected until you sort it out
Check wheels for weld repairs, there could be an invoice for the repairs so check out the company that did the repairs if concerned
Handbrake will be rubbish
My advice would be
Check for a clean MOT history repeated advisories would be a moment of thought it depends what it is, if it is headlights need adjusting not a big issue but if it was rear brake pipes are corroded year after year it shows the owner was not too keen on spending a bit of money for piece of mind
As said above check every electrical switch does what it should window auto up and down is a simple fix most of the time though
Check the air con if fitted, only useful to either de mist the inside with the hood up, to cool you in traffic when the hood is down.
Check tyre wear is even if buying an M or the more powerful ones I would like to see a set of tyres all the same make etc all round again owner prepared to spend a bit to keep it right
On the subject of tyres if they are worn out run flats just knock some money off and put NON run flats on it they are doing you a favor
If you have a code reader and the owner lets you read the codes but you also need to know what they mean as some are almost standard issue for the cars and a lot will be due to the battery being low at some point since the last time the codes where re set
Then after that it is general condition and a box full of invoices for work carried out to keep it up to standard.
Drive it if you are insured to, some tram lining is to be expected until you sort it out
Check wheels for weld repairs, there could be an invoice for the repairs so check out the company that did the repairs if concerned
Handbrake will be rubbish
Thanks for that fella,yeah I have concerns
1.Small oil leak advisory for the last 5 years and brake pipes corroded
2.The wheels are knackered and will need a full refurb(the dealer has agreed to this if/before I buy)
3.Only 2 Service stamps in the book,one at 23,000 and one at 44,000
4.No receipts for any work done(it must have had issues as it’s 18 years old?)
On the plus side the bodywork is in great condition as is the interior,only 2 previous owners the last one for 16 years and it’s only done 49,000 miles.I test drove it yesterday and it seems fine.Left it with dealer as MOT is due this week he’s going to MOT it and fix any advisories and finally I was going to shell out £130 for a Click Mechanic to give it a once over.What do you think?should I walk away now or spend the money on the mechanic???…also he’s not offering any kind of warranty as it’s 18 years old?..
1.Small oil leak advisory for the last 5 years and brake pipes corroded
2.The wheels are knackered and will need a full refurb(the dealer has agreed to this if/before I buy)
3.Only 2 Service stamps in the book,one at 23,000 and one at 44,000
4.No receipts for any work done(it must have had issues as it’s 18 years old?)
On the plus side the bodywork is in great condition as is the interior,only 2 previous owners the last one for 16 years and it’s only done 49,000 miles.I test drove it yesterday and it seems fine.Left it with dealer as MOT is due this week he’s going to MOT it and fix any advisories and finally I was going to shell out £130 for a Click Mechanic to give it a once over.What do you think?should I walk away now or spend the money on the mechanic???…also he’s not offering any kind of warranty as it’s 18 years old?..
Obviously then he has done no prep work on it whatsoever.
Is he proposing a "sold as seen" or "trade sale" type receipt?
He's not allowed to do that.
https://www.car.co.uk/car-warranties/faqs/used-car-warranties/what-is-statutory-warranty-on-a-used-car
It also needs a new bonnet badge!
Its not an old car these days by any means and its hardly a cheap one either so it needs to be of reasonable quality:
"This Act provides statutory protection for the purchase of new and used cars bought from a dealership. It states that items bought must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described.
Cars should be roadworthy, reliable and able to be used as you would expect, such as for short or long journeys."
Is he proposing a "sold as seen" or "trade sale" type receipt?
He's not allowed to do that.
https://www.car.co.uk/car-warranties/faqs/used-car-warranties/what-is-statutory-warranty-on-a-used-car
It also needs a new bonnet badge!
Its not an old car these days by any means and its hardly a cheap one either so it needs to be of reasonable quality:
"This Act provides statutory protection for the purchase of new and used cars bought from a dealership. It states that items bought must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described.
Cars should be roadworthy, reliable and able to be used as you would expect, such as for short or long journeys."
SteveJ said:
All depends on how much it is IMO.
I am willing to bet many pounds it is relatively expensive as it has really low mileage? It's the ONLY thing dealers seem to base prices on nowadays.
The lack of service history would be a worry for me. It may have had 18 services, but without proof you have to presume it has just had 2.
There will always be others! Quite a few E85/86 cars are being listed on the forum, which (in general but not always) be decent cars which have been looked after.
Usel said:There's a sepate section in the service book for brake fluid changes. These are mandated by BMW at 2 year intervals.
BMW don't mandate the oil service on time, only mileage.
Ask the dealer how many brake fluid stamps the book has
I thought it was 18k or 24 months. What ever comes first
Usel
Senior member
j3nks79 said:Usel said:There's a sepate section in the service book for brake fluid changes. These are mandated by BMW at 2 year intervals.
BMW don't mandate the oil service on time, only mileage.
Ask the dealer how many brake fluid stamps the book has
I thought it was 18k or 24 months. What ever comes first
On my 2004 3.0i the service book is broken into 2 parts.
Confirmation of time-based maintenance: brake fluid (only)
Confirmation of use-based maintenance: Oil service, inspection 1 & 2, air cleaner element.
I questioned all this with BMW when I was going to buy my car because it was under 60k and I was considering taking out extended warranty with BMW. Brake fluid changes were spot on but the oil services had 3-4 year gaps. BMW said that was correct and it would be covered under their warranty.
SteveJ said:
The advert claims the car has a comprehensive service history.
The last owner had the car for 16 years. Not having any proof of servicing would be strange. Even with the small mileage the oil would have gone off if it wasn't changed for years.
The oil leak concerns me. For five years the owner hasn't got that addressed. The oil leak has been significant enough that it has been spotted every time. I doubt it's a small leak.
The dealer is selling the car at a strong price. He's not selling it cheap on a spares or repairs basis. He has legal responsibilities.
It would not surprise me if the dealer has a friendly MOT tester who will pass the car without advisories, but they won't be fixed.
There are too many warning signs going into this sale.
The oil leak could be nothing more than a light misting, if it was actually constantly dripping then it'd be a fail. Things like that tend to be picked up by Halford's style MOT places.
I think I know where he gets his MOT's (i work opposite his unit), I get my car MOT'd there as well.
If the dealer bought the car from auction and it'd got there via WBAC then any pack of receipt's would have gone straight in the bin, they never leave anything in the car that could identify the previous owner. Dealer's are really only interested in a stamped up book.
I think I know where he gets his MOT's (i work opposite his unit), I get my car MOT'd there as well.
If the dealer bought the car from auction and it'd got there via WBAC then any pack of receipt's would have gone straight in the bin, they never leave anything in the car that could identify the previous owner. Dealer's are really only interested in a stamped up book.
I think I'd give a 2006 car that only came with evidence of services at 23K and 44K a miss, unless it was cheap as chips! That would be a hard car to sell when the time eventually comes.
Even after a service none of my BMWs has ever shown more than 18K miles until the next one. Although my 2006 Z4 only displays mileage until the next service, the service book says "if you only drive very low annual distances, you should have the engine oil changed every 2 years at the latest" which is probably why my 2005 E90 displays mileage and date for the next service.
Anyway the oil leak is a common issue on older BMWs when the gaskets get brittle, usually the cam-cover and/or oil filter housing ones. It shouldn't have been driven low on oil as I would expect it to have a low oil level warning light - even my 2002 E46 had one.
Corroded rear brake pipes are quite common too, but will cost a few hundred at least to get replaced, preferably in kunifer so they don't corrode again.
I'd rather buy one with more miles but better history as the M54 in pre-facelifts and N52 in facelifts both seem to shrug off 6 figure mileages - assuming it's a 6 cylinder model.
Even after a service none of my BMWs has ever shown more than 18K miles until the next one. Although my 2006 Z4 only displays mileage until the next service, the service book says "if you only drive very low annual distances, you should have the engine oil changed every 2 years at the latest" which is probably why my 2005 E90 displays mileage and date for the next service.
Anyway the oil leak is a common issue on older BMWs when the gaskets get brittle, usually the cam-cover and/or oil filter housing ones. It shouldn't have been driven low on oil as I would expect it to have a low oil level warning light - even my 2002 E46 had one.
Corroded rear brake pipes are quite common too, but will cost a few hundred at least to get replaced, preferably in kunifer so they don't corrode again.
I'd rather buy one with more miles but better history as the M54 in pre-facelifts and N52 in facelifts both seem to shrug off 6 figure mileages - assuming it's a 6 cylinder model.
And you can buy those from eBay!Rockhopper said:
I have a car with a fully stamped service book, going back 23 years. And yet when I got it the air filter was stamped as 2001 and was absolutely clogged solid and minging. The garages' stamps are all for ones that no longer exist (or never did)!
I think my service history was 'invented'. If it was then it was done very well TBH.
Bloody GDPR is now a good excuse for people to make up loads of stuff, as the paperwork proof can be legitimately binned (quoting GDPR).
A 2001 dated air filter could have sat on the shelf for ten years before it went into the car.
