RAC or AA check worth it?

salmanhamid

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Hi all

I am looking to get another car however I am not a technical person at all and looking to buy privately as its cheaper, do you think its worth getting RAC or AA fully comprehensive check done, it cost about £200 but do they diagnose the problem, if any?

Looking to get either CLK or E class 2005+

Awaiting feedback.

Thanks
 

Steve@Avantgarde

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I would contact your local indie to see if he would inspect it for you. You are more likely to get a better opinion from someone who knows the product.

I have done that twice in the last 4 months for people and only charged them £40 for doing so. The sellers were also happy for me to plug in Star and have a good poke round
 
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salmanhamid

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Also someone mentioned that if RAC or AA miss diagnose something it is covered under there warranty if that not the case then indie is a good idea.

I would contact your local indie to see if he would inspect it for you. You are more likely to get a better opinion from someone who knows the product.

I have done that twice in the last 4 months for people and only charged them £40 for doing so. The sellers were also happy for me to plug in Star and have a good poke round
 

drdre78

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hi you wasting your money on rac/aa cos the dont check anything,best thing to do is get main dealer to check it over for you probley cost same
 

jberks

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Also someone mentioned that if RAC or AA miss diagnose something it is covered under there warranty if that not the case then indie is a good idea.

but check the smallprint. This one is a minefield at best so I suspect they have themselves well covered and the 'warranty' isn't worth the paper it's written on.
Personally I'd go with an indie. They can drive the car and will know how it should drive, and will know the common issues to look out for. A star check is worth the £40 alone!!
 

DSB SL AMG

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Indie everytime....like the rest said dont waste your money on AA/RAC check...
 

drmw

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Afraid I completely disagree with the prevailing view

Sure, an indie is going to be more aware of individual manufacturers and if it it breaks down that's the place to take it to get repaired rather than roadside with RAC / AA

However, just say something goes wrong that they missed - a scenario I suspect that would be kind of difficult to resolve because the indie is an expert and there will always be at least two reasons for most failures, one of which no doubt couldn't be seen in advance.

The RAC/AA - without a doubt not as knowledegable as the indie but as they offer the service then there is a reputation to maintain and sure, there will be some small print, but bottom line, they will be pretty thorough
 

The Hooded Claw

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Firstly to give you a "Bear Bones" idea of what your buying get either the V5 Doc ref No OR the Ref No of the current MOT cert and enter that + the reg No into the Direct.gov "MOT History" check site


THAT will give you the "Bear Bones" of what (If Anything) its Failed it MOT's on + list any "Advisories" its had .....

THEN (as the others say) go to yer local Indie & get him to check out the rest

Taint no point Paying an indie to look it over if its got say Duff wheel bearings or a HUGE Oil leak ect ect
 

coventryslk

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Hi all

I am looking to get another car however I am not a technical person at all and looking to buy privately as its cheaper, do you think its worth getting RAC or AA fully comprehensive check done, it cost about £200 but do they diagnose the problem, if any?

Looking to get either CLK or E class 2005+

Awaiting feedback.

Thanks

they just do simple checksthat an idiot could do with a clip board. local workshop or independant would be my choice and take for a long drive before that
 

television

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I think that it is a matter of knowing the faults that the different models can have, the indie would know these
 

Rappey69

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I would have thought an indie could give it a star check but AA/RAC will not be able to do that. An electrical problem could cost a lot more to fix than a mechanical one.
the indie will be familiar with the weak areas of that model and know what to look for, a test drive will tell you everything else.
 

antijam

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Which have just submitted cars with six key faults to the inspection services of the four nationally available providers - Dekra (who offer their own inspections but also do the AA ones), Auteco, the RAC and Used Car Checks (subsidiary of Warranty Direct).

They got very variable results - for example, the only company that found all six faults on one car (Used Car Checks) only found one on another. Inspections cost between £100 and £200 and Which wasn't too impressed with any of the providers; they suggest that with some homework, the DIY approach could be just as effective.

If you're not familiar with the potential problems specific to the car you're interested in, then a knowledgeable indie might well be the best choice.
 

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