When vtnz does a pre purchase inspection, and check the radiator do they take the radiator cap off and actually look?
mm12345,
Nov 27, 3:42am
Do you mean look hard enough to find the leak that didn't happen until after they looked?
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 3:47am
We have purchased a car 6 days ago and took it to be serviced today to find out we have to replace the radiator. When our mechanic took the cap off there was light brown stuff sort of like mud round the cap, and a very small amount of water, I'm just curious to know why this wasn't picked up in inspection
2sheddies,
Nov 27, 3:48am
^^^^^Because you took it to vtnz that's why.
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 3:56am
I really had no choice, The car was brought from a dealership 6 hours away from me, I thought paying for a vtnz inspection they would actually do the job. Plus I have no idea about car's or what to look for.
intrade,
Nov 27, 3:59am
i did not even know they did pre purchase inspections , the AA are no better just so you know you should have had your mechanic do the inspection
2sheddies,
Nov 27, 4:04am
I agree, you would expect them to see you right, and credit to you for taking the right steps. But if at all possible in future, it's always best to use your own, trusted mechanic as intrade suggests.
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 4:07am
I went with AA years ago and I found the guy who did it then was great, This time we chose Vtnz as we wanted photos and thought they would check everything. As we had to have the car transported our local mechanic has now looked and found crap in the radiator the dealership man is sorting with mechanic the problem but did I pay for someone at vtnz to just look at what they wanted on the day?
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 4:10am
I think ill ring vtnz tomorrow and find out what I actually paid for, We are just lucky the car dealer is going to hopefully repair at their cost
franc123,
Nov 27, 4:12am
Without knowing where you bought the car from you probably did have choice, the best course of action with PPI's on late model vehicles is to get the closest dealer or service agent for that make to either do a standard used car check or else get their top workshop guy to spend an hour going over it at whatever hourly rate, or, in the case of an older vehicle an independent specialist, or failing either of those options, any reputable workshop. The reason for this? They see more of them, have access to far more information, and have a better idea of what to look for and what doesn't look or feel right for its age and kms.
mm12345,
Nov 27, 4:13am
No - I doubt it. I doubt whether a dealer these days would knowingly sell a car with a known fault like that. Private sellers will - for sure. I'm confident VTNZ would have picked this up on a PPI - if there was low level or oil in the coolant. Not saying I have any real confidence in them - but that's a very basic part of a check that I doubt they'd miss. You can probably guess that it happened after the check - bad luck. Inconvenient for you, but sounds like the dealer is going to wear it, so keep things civil.
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 4:17am
The car was purchased in Dunedin but I have never been there, I thought paying for a inspection no matter who does it, If that's what I'm paying for then it should be checked. All I can do is ring them tomorrow and be thankful that the dealership is helping us
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 4:20am
All I can do is ring and discuss with vtnz what they checked, And wait to hear back from the dealer. Inconvenient yes, But I'm glad we found the problem 6days after purchase before any serious damage has happened. We live very rural so a breakdown wouldn't be fun.
mm12345,
Nov 27, 4:49am
I'm sorry to say that the description you gave of brown "mud" around/under the cap, and low fluid level is an indication that serious damage has happened already. Hopefully not - but be prepared for more inconvenience. Good luck.
tamarillo,
Nov 27, 12:59pm
Hi jobie, sounds like you did best you could getting check. Question; was car over heating? Or losing water? If not then a good radiator flush should suffice normally. Maybe it's just been too long since last serviced properly. If it genuinely needs replacing STOP that happening and contact dealer again. cga Applies but you must talk to them and allow them a chance to see it and make it right. Sounds like you are in contact with them so maybe this warning is not needed. Just in case!
kazbanz,
Nov 27, 1:38pm
So you drove the car for 6 hours after you purchased it? Ie based on the inspection you drove the car the 6 hours home THEN a mechanic looked at it? A LOT can and does happen in 6 hours of driving.
trad,
Nov 27, 1:51pm
Wouldn't the CGA cover that?
bjmh,
Nov 27, 5:49pm
if a business undertakes to do a pre-purchase inspection and they miss a major fault. is that business liable for the repair ?
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 8:37pm
If it causes inconveniences then we can't help it. I'm just glad someone picked up on it and now things can be fixed. I'm hoping its nothing to serious but if it is it should be covered under cga
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 8:39pm
No over heating that's something we looked at first time we drove the car, We checked the oil and did everything we could but I guess the mud stuff was missed by a lot of people . All we can do is wait to hear from dealer and see the outcome
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 8:44pm
Don't be silly, If you read the post correct. We got the inspection as the car wasn't near us (6 hours away) We then got it transported to us after the car came back great from vtnz ppi. We have done everything we could possible to protect ourselves from buying a dodgy car. 6 days old driven very little there is no way we have caused this fault. We are just very lucky it was picked up so fast and we should be cover under the Cga.
cheapy11,
Nov 27, 9:00pm
100% Correct.
tamarillo,
Nov 27, 9:22pm
I'm wary of this needing a new radiator -it's not leaking or overheating but is dirty. A full flush and clean and replenish would be my first call personally. I'm not a mechanic, but surely one treats it before one replaces it.
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 9:58pm
I have no idea about car's but the mechanic said it's better to replace and it should be covered. When he noticed the mud substance there was very little water in radiator and none in container. I'm just going off what the mechanic is saying. I don't know what has caused it or if it's a more serious issue someone has tried to hide. I'm just confused as to why vtnz didn't pick it up, They did a head gasket check and that came back good, So that's good I guess.
jobiez053,
Nov 27, 10:01pm
It's a Toyota surf petrol 1996, No signs of it being used off road, No serious issues brought up in PPI, No issues from the short amount of time we have driven it, No over heating or anything from exhaust . Just a mud substance on radiator cap and no water in coolant.
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