Vehicle inspection services

When I was running a busy Land Rover repair workshop, one of the most miserable tasks I had to face was calling a customer to tell him that his new vehicle, which he had just brought in for a service, needed so much work just to make it safe and usable that it was not really worth repairing. This happened more times than I can remember: I saw vehicles with the chassis so rotten and badly repaired that it was about to snap in half. Vehicles with worn out engines that barely ran, brakes that pulled to one side, bulkheads packed full of filler around the air vents, clutches that slipped or juddered, the list goes on. I had one vehicle delivered to me on a trailer direct from the seller: it had a brand new MoT certificate, but the rear brakes were not even connected to the rest of the system.. A Range Rover, bought at auction, turned out to have had the bulbs removed for the oil pressure, ABS, traction control and airbag lights. I replaced the bulbs and the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. I had to replace the chassis on a Series III for which the new owners had paid big money (£12,000 from memory) just a few weeks previously.

There are more bad Land Rovers out there than good, and selling a vehicle brings out the dishonesty in far too many people. (To be fair this is nothing new: horse dealers in Victorian England had much the same reputation as car dealers today.) Unless you know these vehicles well and are prepared to crawl around underneath and poke into dark corners, your best chance of not ending up with an absolute slavering hound of a Land Rover is to have it independently inspected before you hand over the money.

This is where I come in. I will travel out to see the vehicle and spend a couple of hours giving it a thorough visual inspection and (where possible) a road test. I will then give you, within twenty-four hours, a comprehensive written report detailing what I have found, a list of works likely to be needed to bring the vehicle up to scratch, and my own opinion on whether the vehicle is worth buying at the price being asked. It is then up to you to walk away, haggle or bite the seller’s hand off, depending on what I find.

Already bought a vehicle and having doubts about whether it is quite the bargain it seemed? Again I can help. Same process, same report. You might be able to get your money back (although this is tricky with old vehicles): at the very least you will know what you are up against and can make an informed decision - put some more money into the vehicle to make it good, or cut your losses and get shot of it before it drains your wallet and breaks your heart.

If you are new to classic Land Rover ownership and used to driving a modern car it can be very hard to tell whether your Land Rover has something badly wrong with it, or whether “they are all like that”.I have had vehicles come into the workshop with almost no brakes, a quarter-turn of free play at the steering wheel and a top speed of about 37 miles and hour, and the owner just shrugs and says “I thought that was just how old Land Rovers are”. I have driven hundreds of these vehicles: let me take a drive in yours and I’ll soon tell you whether it is up to scratch. I call this “benchmarking” and it is a very useful exercise. You accompany me on the drive and I’ll give you a few useful tips on the best way to drive one of these old beasts.

Cost depends on how far I have to travel: contact me with your needs and we’ll work something out. Now that I’m no longer running a workshop full time I have a flexible schedule and can usually move quickly if needed.