Mechanic to come and view a car with me in Dublin

Monkeybudgie

My girlfriend wants to buy an Opel Astra and has found one to view. Neither she nor I has much of a clue about cars so we're looking for a mechanic to come with us today or tomorrow to look at it. Obviously we're happy to pay whatever a fair rate is for this service, anyone interested

readytosnap

i think the AA do that for you but it aint cheap check out their website for a quote, i have never used them but it is supposed to be comprehensive check.

http://www.aaireland.ie/AA/Vehicle-checks/Vehicle-Inspections.aspx

Limbo123

readytosnap wrote: »

i think the AA do that for you but it aint cheap check out their website for a quote, i have never used them but it is supposed to be comprehensive check.

http://www.aaireland.ie/AA/Vehicle-checks/Vehicle-Inspections.aspx

I've use AA every time. Great service.

Limbo123

Monkeybudgie wrote: »

My girlfriend wants to buy an Opel Astra and has found one to view. Neither she nor I has much of a clue about cars so we're looking for a mechanic to come with us today or tomorrow to look at it. Obviously we're happy to pay whatever a fair rate is for this service, anyone interested

Careful. How do you know the mechanic will be any good?

Limbo123

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056708337

bazz26

Anyone else think €300 to inspect a used car is very expensive?

TestTransmission

bazz26 wrote: »

Anyone else think €300 to inspect a used car is very expensive?

Yup

bazz26

And totally financially unsustainable for most folks if the first car they inspect turns out to be a dud.

readytosnap

bazz26 wrote: »

Anyone else think €300 to inspect a used car is very expensive?

two ways to look at it
1. if he finds nothing wrong with the car then you do have some peace of mind
B. if he finds something major wrong with the car then you will still be the better off for it imo, better to part with 300 now as opposed to 3k later.

obviously that 3k figure is just for arguments sake, i think 300 is too expensive, i would want a warranty with that!!

but it depends how much the op wants the car/risk

kildare.17hmr

I was selling an old car a year or so ago and a young fella from tallaght came to look and brought a mechanic who he met on here to look at it and was charged €70 for the pleasure. This lad had looked at 3 cars with the same mechanic before mine and spent €70 each time!! I was asking €1,200, the mechanic reckoned the car was grand but only worth about €700 so the guy walked away because i wouldnt accept that offer. I felt sorry for the guy because he hadnt a clue and was getting shafted by this mechanic to the tune of €280 by the time he looked at my car and who knows how many more he looked at after that.

My point is be careful because there are people who just want to take your money, if you use a mechanic yourself or your parents or a friend use the same mechanic all the time ask them to have a look

Limbo123

Each time I've paid that sum of money, it's been for a motor costing between €15-23k so in the scheme of things, no I don't find it expensive as I don't know of any genuine reliable mechanics.

If I knew a decent mechanic, I would use them for an inspection. Until such a time, I will use a tried, tested and trusted company.

Nissan doctor

Limbo123 wrote: »

Each time I've paid that sum of money, it's been for a motor costing between €15-23k so in the scheme of things, no I don't find it expensive as I don't know of any genuine reliable mechanics.

If I knew a decent mechanic, I would use them for an inspection. Until such a time, I will use a tried, tested and trusted company.

So who maintains your cars?

Limbo123

Nissan doctor wrote: »

So who maintains your cars?

Main dealer garages.

If I buy a Toyota, I go to Toyota. When I buy an Audi, I go to Audi.

dgt

Limbo123 wrote: »

Main dealer garages.

If I buy a Toyota, I go to Toyota. When I buy an Audi, I go to Audi.

You must be minted :eek:

dar83

Limbo123 wrote: »

Main dealer garages.

If I buy a Toyota, I go to Toyota. When I buy an Audi, I go to Audi.

Jaysus.

I'd trust them less than a reputable independent. They're generally Mechanics by numbers a lot of the time. (not saying they're all like that, some are of course very good mechanics))

Limbo123

Always prefer a car with a full dealer service history. From the uk- tend to take care of my cars. After all, it's the second biggest spend in your life next to buying a house.

Limbo123

dar83 wrote: »

Jaysus.

I'd trust them less than a reputable independent. They're generally Mechanics by numbers a lot of the time. (not saying they're all like that, some are of course very good mechanics))

But how do you know if someone is reputable?

At least with a main dealer I have some form of protection in the event something goes wrong.

dgt

Limbo123 wrote: »

Always prefer a car with a full dealer service history. From the uk- tend to take care of my cars. After all, it's the second biggest spend in your life next to buying a house.

It doesn't have to be.

I've had all sorts of cars over the last few years and I still have my most expensive car, which set me back €600. Tiny cars to big saloons, slow to fast

I trust no one (apart from inhouse and a very select few) to work on any of my cars. Some of the work I've seen over the years would make you think twice about main dealers

Henry Ford III

Limbo123 wrote: »

Always prefer a car with a full dealer service history. From the uk- tend to take care of my cars. After all, it's the second biggest spend in your life next to buying a house.

Try getting divorced!

dar83

Limbo123 wrote: »

But how do you know if someone is reputable?

At least with a main dealer I have some form of protection in the event something goes wrong.

You do your homework. I was planning on having a main dealer service my car this time around as I'd heard good things about them. I chatted to them one day and asked a few questions, turns out they had never worked on the model of car I have so had no real experience of it.

I did some research and found another guy, as close to a specialist in the engine my car has as you can get in Dublin, and have given him my business since (apart from the stuff I can do myself).

You'd have come back with any garage worth their salt. The prices you pay in a main dealers are that high because you're paying for other peoples comeback all the time anyway.

Nissan doctor

Limbo123 wrote: »

But how do you know if someone is reputable?

At least with a main dealer I have some form of protection in the event something goes wrong.

This has been done here before, reputable independent garages operate in exactly the same way as dealers just without the name of your car over the door....and with generally cheaper labour rates for exactly that reason.

Big Nasty

Nissan doctor wrote: »

This has been done here before, reputable independent garages operate in exactly the same way as dealers just without the name of your car over the door....and with generally cheaper labour rates for exactly that reason.

On top of that the Indy could have 10; 15; 20 years experience while in a main dealer an apprentice could well be doing the work and you're being charged €100 an hour for the pleasure.