Buying a used car? 'Peace of mind' comes at a price

It is sold as a "peace of mind" service for car buyers who know little about engines or mechanical matters. But one Guardian Money reader who relied on an AA inspection before buying a used Land Rover Discovery says he ended up with a car riddled with faults.

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Bristol-based software engineer Andrew Vinall's story is complicated – he bought on the basis of a verbal recommendation from the AA before the written report arrived – and the AA hotly disputes his claims.

But Vinall says the AA and Dekra, the company subcontracted by the AA to undertake the inspection ">Auto diagnostic tool, have washed their hands of the matter, leaving him with a bill of up to £2,000 to put right faults he claims should have been spotted at the inspection.

Vinall's saga began when he and his wife, Tamara, decided they needed a car big enough for their four children. They found a 10-year-old Land Rover, which had 115,000 miles on the clock, for £4,500 – a top-end price for a car of this age and mileage.

"Not knowing anything about cars, we thought it was prudent to get it checked out by an expert. My wife has been a loyal member of the AA for many years, so we thought we could trust them to do a good job," Vinall says.

The couple paid the AA £260 for the report. "We were keen to get on with the purchase, and the engineer agreed to ring us with his verbal findings. He said there was some rust on the chassis and went on to list what sounded like some other minor problems. He stated very clearly that the car was a fair and reasonable example of the type. I asked whether it was a good car and whether it was OK to buy it, and he said yes, assuming you like the colour," Vinall says. Based on the telephone conversation, and rather than wait for the report, the couple went ahead and bought the car.

However, a rather different picture soon emerged. When the AA sent through the report it still clearly stated near the top that the car was in a "generally reasonable condition and generally considered to be consistent with the type for the age and indicated recorded mileage in most areas". However, it went on to list a series of problems, and warned that further investigation was recommended. In particular, it stated that the coolant had been too low to check properly, but claimed it had been pressure tested to 0.7 bars and that no pressure leaks could be seen.

Growing alarmed, Vinall took the car to a Land Rover specialist recommended by a friend, where the mechanic declared that contrary to the report, the car was in fact in a poor condition for its age. He pointed out four leaks from the coolant system, and said the rust was significantly worse than described.

Vinall says he has since learned that these cars should not have any rust, and the low coolant level could be a precursor to an expensive head gasket failure.

"I'd expected to have to spend some money on the car as I knew it was at least 10 years old. When an AA-appointed engineer says it's OK to go ahead and buy it, you assume he know's what he's talking about."

Vinall complained to the small dealer who'd sold him the car who, he said, told him in no uncertain terms where to go. Interestingly, he did offer to buy the car back – for £2,500, £2,000 less than he had received and probably around its true value.

"We have complained to the AA, but because they subcontract the work to Dekra they will not deal with the complaint even though we paid the AA. Dekra has just shrugged off the complaint with a 'no guarantee/warranty' statement and I've been left wondering what we paid for."

Vinall confesses he should have waited for the written version of the report: "In hindsight we would have acted more slowly. But we still feel ripped off and extremely let down by an organisation that is supposedly the champion of motorists."

A look on the internet shows Vinall is not the only unhappy vehicle inspection customer. One of the problems is that the terms and conditions of such policies have get-outs that mean the inspector won't be held liable in cases such as these.

A spokesman for the AA says the engineer has denied saying the car was fine to buy. Vinall will now have to take his case to the small claims court if he want to pursue the matter ">Auto diagnostics. He may have a reasonable case, particularly concerning the leaks to the coolant system, which were missed, but that will be for the court to decide.