Qualifications

Qualifications, do they matter? of course they do and there should be a good reason why there is a number of levels when it comes to qualifications. For example, a Cert II, Cert III, Cert IV or a diploma etc. obviously that high education the more knowledge you should obtain, at least the theoretical part which don’t get me wrong learning the theory behind automotive systems operations are important because it is the first step towards being able to either repair or diagnose any mechanical system or problem.

To find the problem you should be able first to you really understand the system! So, qualifications do matter, so do seminars or any other way to obtain knowledge so when it comes to hiring an inspector of the vehicle you are interested and about to purchase it will be most preferred that the person inspecting the vehicle on your behalf would have the highest possible standard of knowledge and he is always trying to be up to date because when it comes to technology or Vehicles technology it changes fast…

Reputable company

Has the company been in the market for a while, or has it just been started been in business? one thing that you can do is probably on Google what if you do a search, you should be able to see how many years the company has been operating for?

It is always a good idea to check what other people have to say about the business.. One way that it would be possible to gain some information is to have a look at their online reviews. Obviously, the more reviews the better it is or at least it would help us paint a better picture as there is more people sharing their experience which gives us the opportunity to actually read what previous customers have liked or disliked about that business.
Bare in mind that of course the star rating counts but the really is more to it. If we are just looking at the star ratings in some cases it might throw us of course, here is an example:

In this scenario we would compare two businesses which business ‘A has (1) 5-star review and the business ‘B has a 4.9-star rating out of (100) reviews. At first it looks like Business ‘A is better due to the fact it has a better rating but if have a better look we would see that Business ‘B has been used by many more people and has a lot more 5-star reviews even though the end results are different as it looks at the average. Not to say business ‘A isn’t any good! it might or might not be better, the key is that if the total amount of reviews is higher than the more opinions, we get about that business.

Either positive or negative reviews could be genuine or fake, so read through what the issue was and what the business has respond to it.

Do I get to speak with inspector prior booking a job?

Who would do the inspection on the vehicle you are interested in? is it a one-man band and when you call them are you speaking with the inspector? or is it company that has a few inspectors? if it’s a one-man band you are directly speaking with inspector so you can ask key questions to find out the level of experience, qualifications or the ability to diagnose automotive faults, that way you get your questions answered directly.
If that isn’t the case than it is probably worth asking if you could have a chat with the person that would be inspecting the vehicle you are interested as if it’s a company and you are speaking with the receptionist it would be fair to say that it’s not part of her role to know every person’s resume that works in the company so that’s what we say it’s worth asking if you could have a chat with the inspector.

Experience?

when it comes to hiring someone’s expertise’s you really hope that they are well experienced we have probably seen or heard about a person visiting a two or three mechanics and their problem hasn’t been solved neither close to be found and they recommended or somehow, they decide to try another mechanic that within the hour has put an end to the drama…

OK so asking if they are a qualified mechanic is not enough? of course not! there is more to it… How long have you been qualified? would it be 2 years or maybe 20 years? Now that is something that will make a difference in the inspectors’ experience, also did they get to work at one dealership or multiple workshops that do all makes and models? So, are you saying that it is bad to work at a dealership? of course not! Just keep in mind that nearly new cars visit dealerships mainly that are still under warranty which means that the vehicles that go visit the dealerships hardly ever have problems due to the fact they are fairly new cars so, it would be harder to gain experience in diagnosing or finding any issues in cars because you don’t really get to see any… on the other hand, local workshops work on all makes and models the ideal inspector would probably have been the head mechanic a workshop or even mobile mechanic for a few years because the head mechanic is usually the one that carry out any diagnosis or at least the hardest… He’s the person with the most knowledge and experience out of all the other mechanics and when a mechanic or apprentice will stuck that will be the man that solves their problem.

Inspection points

what is included in your inspection? could you please run me through the list? do you have different packages and what are the differences?

For example, in your list you mention that you check the engine, does that mean check if the engine is in its place so you actually lift the bonnet and take photo? or do follow a number of checks? and what would they be? Do you check if the vehicle is written off and the reason why? Or do I have to do that?

Price/ Cost

Is price and cost the same thing? definitely not!
price would be what you pay the inspector to go out and check the vehicle for you and cost would be what would you pay in long run… For the example let’s say you have hired an inspector and have paid him might pay $300 for inspection the price is clearly $300. The report has come through everything seems to be okay, so you feel happy and hand the seller the asking amount and off you go with your new buy. A week or two later you decide to go and get it service by your trusted mechanic, and couple of hours later you receive a call by your mechanic say ” I have your v8 Land Cruiser on the hoist and we have just completed all our checks… There is no easy way of saying this, but your car needs 8 injectors and will cost you approx. $10.000” The price of the inspection was $300 but it has cost $10.300!

Then I’ll grab my phone and ring around and asking how much for an inspection..
that is a great idea as long as you get explained what exactly you are paying for! what is included and what is not! If you not, it would be like ringing a builder and asking how much for a house? would you image if he just answers $700.000 He would start asking questions like how many bedrooms? bathrooms? Sigle or double garage etc.
or like calling a dealership and asking how much will it cost to buy a car? Ok than it would be fair to ask let’s say how much for a comprehensive inspection? That would be like calling a dealership and asking how much for a Toyota Corolla wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, Not exactly… even though they a called the same in many cases it would not be the same service which sadly you could say in some cases it is misleading, for example: comparing two deferent comprehensive inspections they would cases which inspection A’ includes a ppsr check, odometer rollback, paint thickness, full computer scan and inspection B’ does not include them

Warranty

When it comes to purchasing a product or a service warranty is definitely a factor that would insure our piece of mind. Seeing no warranty always made me wonder why…
Is the inspection backed up with any type of warranty?
If yes” for how long will my vehicle be covered? Could I have in writing what is covered and what is not?
Is there an additional cost for the warranty or is it covered by the inspection cost?