I had a house built a couple of years ago. Its now sold and I'm building another. Before the final hand over by the builder I had an inspector go through it. he came up with only a few minor items that needed snagging, best of all these same items were pointed out to me by the builder as requiring attention during pre hand over and they were duly fixed prior to final handover. Was I lucky? No, I did a lot of research, read a lot of reviews before choosing the builder. Even then I took the precaution of using the services of a building inspector. Not so the young Policeman who built directly across the road from me. No professional inspection (different builder to mine) and he is still fighting to get things done, despite the fact the builder is a member of the Master Builders association.
I had every car I bought in the last 20 years inspected by the RAC. On the couple of occasions I bought new I noted on the Offer To Purchase that it was subject to inspection after the pre delivery service but before registration. Most of my cars were bought from and serviced by the same dealer. I trusted them and they've always been fair to me but I still was not taking any chances. To top it all, they were all Jeeps and I never had a moments problem with any of them.
Did all these inspection help. I would like to think so, but it gave me peace of mind and recourse if something went wrong. Nearly forgot, my new caravan was inspected by a recommended repairer and inspector. He found nothing wrong and in the two years I've owned it the only problem I had was due to my own fault.
It is not at all unusual for the RACQ, RACV etc., to carry out pre pickup inspections on new cars. It is very rare for buyers to request a pre inspection on a caravan, probably because the motoring organisations do not offer the service but I'm sure there are plenty of experienced people out there who would be prepared to do it. I'm with DMaxer.
Thanks for your enquiry Dirvine.
Each of the houses I have purchased in my life have been structurally inspected prior to purchase with other issues covered under the contract. Each car I have purchased has also been inspected including the ones purchased new. When I purchased the Dmax I informed the dealer it would be done prior to changeover at his dealership and he was more than happy to accommodate my request.
As to caravans I have only purchased two. One from a dealer and one privately. Both were inspected prior to payment.
Does that answer your question?
DMaxer so if we use some common sense we could stay out of trouble , But then we would have anything to complain about and no one to lay the blame on when we do something dumb .
Judging by some comments here, we could do away with trade qualifications and Standards. Anyone now permitted to do anything, with just a nice little inspection afterwards if you're so inclined. And to those that don't... tough?
The Govt should bring in an insurance policy same as house builders where if the builder shuts shop because of an issue like this then the consumer can go elsewhere and get it fixed and paid for .
Theres not a lot on a van that cant be fixed , with maybe the chassis being the exception .
In the video the chap talks about the brakes and electrical , they can both be fixed , the manufacturer should have had their name exposed on national tv .
The Govt should bring in an insurance policy same as house builders where if the builder shuts shop because of an issue like this then the consumer can go elsewhere and get it fixed and paid for .
Theres not a lot on a van that cant be fixed , with maybe the chassis being the exception .
In the video the chap talks about the brakes and electrical , they can both be fixed , the manufacturer should have had their name exposed on national tv .
The person who owned the faulty caravan took the manufacturer to the Tribunal as reported on the show.
Either he lost his claim or the manufacturer has gone out of business so the order could not be enforced. Unfortunately the program seemed to be more interested in senationalist journalism than giving us the facts.
Pffft, Caveat emptor! Moderator, please adjudicate and close!
What's wrong mate, the heat in the kitchen tooooooooo high?
Not at all. I say Pfffft because sit back and take a breath please, calm down, take a toke or a Valium, scotch or whatever is needed to cool your tubes or rubes. Caveat emptor is buyer beware I believe. We have how many caravan makers selling in Australia, local and imported? Does any one have an answer? I can't tell you.
Tell me, can anyone expect an industry such as the caravan industry with changing innovations and advancements to be compliant with any regulatory standard? The Industry is nearly as bad as the computer industry, redundancy as soon as the next Model is out!
So, who will commit themselves to sit down and write AS XXXXXXX, the next Australian Standard for Caravan Manufacture?
Aussie, I would like to nominate you, but I am afraid the frying pan may be a little too hot!
The industry needs regulation, but it needs self regulation, bring in the government and you have another total disaster that will probably be sold off to the Chinese and we will all be broken down on the side of the road!
No Lancelot Link, I get a bit bored some times and like to go off on a tangent and and try to get a bit of variation into the conversation. I'll do that now and say, I get a 50% success rate and see if I get challenged.
Have a nice day, mate.