Car Inspection Sydney | Vehicle Inspection | Stateroads

Money well spent. Quick response to my online enquiry and they set up everything with the seller on my behalf. The inspection report I received over the phone and then via email from John was extremely thorough and helpful and allowed me to make my vehicle purchase at a price point I was happy with.

Living in Melbourne, when I found a car I was interested to buy in Canberra, I turned to Stateroads to conduct an inspection. Setting up the inspection was simple and I was courteously treated by Stateroads staff. After the inspection, I received a comprehensive report on the vehicle’s condition and had the opportunity to speak with the inspector. I was reassured and purchased the car. I traveled to Canberra and collected the car a few days later. When I arrived, the vendor told me that the boot latch did not work and that the boot could only be opened using the key fob. The vendor had not repaired the latch because the spare part was prohibitively expensive, which I subsequently confirmed. The Stateroads report failed to disclose this defect. Upon return to Melbourne, I sought a Victorian Roadworthy Certificate from a registered provider. The mechanic phoned me and noted he planned to fail the car as he regarded the brake discs and pads as excessively worn. This surprised me and I phoned the Stateroads inspector who offered the view that the inspector was unreasonable and perhaps seeking to conduct unnecessary repairs. I am not a mechanic and can make no judgement but upon telling the RWC provider that the vehicle had cleared a Stateroads inspection just days earlier, he agreed to pass the car on the basis that I soon return it for the required attention. He noted that the vehicle was likely to fail if inspected by Vicroads officials. I successfully registered the vehicle in Victoria (no inspection was conducted). I had need to use the air conditioning (AC) in the car for the first time on the 4th day of ownership. It did not work. I contacted the Stateroads inspector who expressed surprise at this development, noting he found it was slow to cool but worked at the time of inspection. We agreed I could conduct further investigations in Melbourne. The professional advice I received was that while the AC may have been working at the time of inspection, it was unlikely to be the case. The Stateroads inspector undertook to locate and supply the required part which I was to have fitted in Melbourne. We had two long conversations about this and I made close notes of the discussions which I summarised and shared with the inspector via texts, asking him to advise me if there was anything in them that was not an accurate representation of what we had discussed and agreed. Crucially, we agreed that the costs of the required unit would be borne by Stateroads via a claim under their ‘insurance’ which I understood to mean their professional indemnity cover. The inspector raised no objections to my interpretation of our conversations. However, several days later when I followed up on progress, the inspector denied he had made any commitments to me. From there I took up the matter with Stateroads directly who informed me that the part was not covered by the warranty provided. I pointed out more than once that the claim was not against the warranty but rather their professional indemnity cover as the AC was likely not working at the time I purchased the vehicle. As noted, I am not a mechanic and could only rely on the professional advice I had been provided. As far as I was concerned, it was for Stateroads’ insurer to adjudicate liability. I recognise that disagreements arise in the transaction of business, hence the need to involve their insurer to arbitrate. At this point, Stateroads accused me of dishonesty in arguing that no commitments had been made to me and that my record of conversations with their agent were worthless because they were not voice recordings. I was dismayed by this turn of events and so supplied Stateroads with the texts I had shared with their inspector, the content of which he had endorsed by not contesting my interpretation of the conversations. Stateroads withdrew from further communication and in so doing refused to submit my claim to their insurer leaving me with legal action as the only available recourse. Proceed with great care if using the services of this company.