RACQ inspection vs Mechanic inspection

[black8thgen]

Hi all,

I'm about to purchase an s2k from qld (im in sydney) but would of course first want to do a professional check on it.

Anyone had experience with RACQ over in QLD before? Do they actually perform a decent check or are they just taking people's money?

And would you rather an RACQ check or get the car looked at by a mechanic/garage that has experience with the type of car? (I'm thinking Hondacare, Centrax, 101 in Brisbane).

[euromandeluxe]

I had an S2000 checked by RACQ a couple of years ago, mainly because I didn't know where else to go. An experienced member on s2ki had checked out the car for me prior and said he couldn't find anything particularly wrong with it. The RACQ inspection was thorough enough to pick up minor panel defects, but most importantly broken diff and tranny mounts which were a red flag. However any decent mechanic should be able to do this. As far as I remember RACQ inspections don't include engine testing (compression tests etc) so I don't know how much more was probably wrong with the car. The S2000 is getting on so a thorough inspection is important.

If I could do it again I'd take my time to find a recommended mechanic to do a proper inspection, as they should be able to pick up on broken mounts and so much more. I was backed into RACQ testing because of time constraints - it was a GPW and I was the first of many interested buyers so I needed to make something of it.

My 2c.

[black8thgen]

thanks for the insight.

so the RACQ inspector DID or DIDN'T pick up on the broken diff and tranny mounts? Sorry not sure how to interpret what you said haha.

But yeah i am trying to find a recommended mechanic in the area - annoying that the car is in another state

[manolii]

thanks for the insight.

so the RACQ inspector DID or DIDN'T pick up on the broken diff and tranny mounts? Sorry not sure how to interpret what you said haha.

But yeah i am trying to find a recommended mechanic in the area - annoying that the car is in another state

Sounds like it did pick up those issues, where in brisbane is it located?

[infurNOS]

http://www.stateroads.com.au/

I used this place for an interstate buy. They sent me a report including an engine check which they marked, 'compression tested ok'

Highly recommend.

[black8thgen]

Sounds like it did pick up those issues, where in brisbane is it located?

Toowong. I had someone from s2ki take a quick look at it but he didn't get much time - just a brief test drive and says the body has few minor scuffs nothing serious but mechanically feels good. And it gets serviced at a place he goes to as well so has confidence in its maintenance. But of course i'd like to do a full proper inspection.

infurNOS: did they actually report the numbers back to you? I suspect they just did a 'Relative Compression Test' where I believe they just compare the numbers to a 'standard' and say its 'OK'. I'll look into them though have also heard of stateroads from others, thanks

[Philip Lee]

http://www.stateroads.com.au/

I used this place for an interstate buy. They sent me a report including an engine check which they marked, 'compression tested ok'

Highly recommend.

x 2. these guys checked my car (requested by the buyer) when i was selling and i think they did a good job.

[PHO]

http://www.stateroads.com.au/

I used this place for an interstate buy. They sent me a report including an engine check which they marked, 'compression tested ok'

Highly recommend.

x3, state roads are really detailed.

racv is just like a dumbed down RWC mechanic

[black8thgen]

Thanks for the info guys. I called stateroads they said they do a 200+ point check which sounds pretty thorough.

[PHO]

Thanks for the info guys. I called stateroads they said they do a 200+ point check which sounds pretty thorough.

It costs a bit. But you really do get a piece of mind type of feeling when buying it.

[infurNOS]

Thanks for the info guys. I called stateroads they said they do a 200+ point check which sounds pretty thorough.

Cost me $250. They go through your paint with a mico meter to see if it has been resprayed or patched up in any areas. Very handy if you suspect the car has been repaired for some reason.

[black8thgen]

yeah the lady went through the whole checklist i almost fell asleep mid-way it was that long... but i did pick up many interesting things such as 'compression test' and 'mico meter' as you mentioned so stateroads seem to be the go.

she quoted me $279 however... but that is maybe because its on an s2k? Actually now i think about it... it shouldnt really make a difference should it lol

[infurNOS]

yeah the lady went through the whole checklist i almost fell asleep mid-way it was that long... but i did pick up many interesting things such as 'compression test' and 'mico meter' as you mentioned so stateroads seem to be the go.

she quoted me $279 however... but that is maybe because its on an s2k? Actually now i think about it... it shouldnt really make a difference should it lol

Inflation. Mine was done over a year ago. Just pay it, great piece of mind!

[euromandeluxe]

Sorry, should have made it clearer, RACQ DID pick up on the broken mounts.


x3, state roads are really detailed.

racv is just like a dumbed down RWC mechanic


Having had cars checked by RACV and RACQ I can definitely say RACQ's service was far better. The test was more thorough and included a few pictures of the car. The RACV inspection (that the owner had had done) seemed to have been done at some random RWC approved mechanic who filled out the standardised inspection form to the bare minimum. Definitely won't be using an RACV service again.

[9large]

Hey black8thgen, I think it's you that I've checked that BB 2003 vehicle for :wave: I think I was also the one that checked out a white S2000 for euromandeluxe a couple of years ago. I didn't want to drive the car for too much - I've never had an at-fault accident, but it was uninsured. The exterior could be better, but mechanically, the car feels like it's in reasonably good condition. It appears the car has hardly been used recently, so don't worry too much about how long the last service was (although the car has been regularly serviced).

It sounds like others have had a good experience with State Roads, and it sounds like you're leaning towards them anyway. I say, just book them in :thumbsup: But if you go with RACQ, you should be okay as well.

Don't wait around too long though; a good condition S2000 is hard to find these days ;)

[black8thgen]

Yeah 9large appreciate all your assistance :). Yup, I am booking it in for early next week, and if all is good will be putting down a deposit.

[euromandeluxe]

^9large did check out the S for me, and he sent me a great writeup! Thanks again Mike =)