AA inspection result

[Orca Brody]

Hi all. I need a bit of advice if anyone has any. I'm close to buying a 2012 Rapido after agreeing a price I'm happy with. I just had the results of the AA inspection. Can anyone please share they're thoughts on this? I'd be really grateful. For the experts out there, what would you do?

 

[Silver-Fox]

Thanks again for all the input. It's all really helpful. The owner has responded with surprise and has never noticed any blue smoke but he only has very small drives here and there. I've sent him some of the photos AA sent over which are just photos of the underside. I've put in a complaint with AA. Not sure how that'll go.

I don't have anyone that I trust enough with vehicles to have a look at it so would have to go the pro route again and now I'm £200 lighter, not sure if I'd do that. I'll have to have a think about it all. Thanks again. I'll leave some of the photos AA sent in case they are of interest to anyone.

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Is that it for the corrosion, only thing there that would bother me is the exhaust.

I wouldn’t want to comment on the blue smoke without seeing it.

 

[Raul]

That’s some corrosion no doubt, specially on the exhaust. The lower ball joint nut, it’s not even hexagonal anymore, you need a professional to have a look at this serviceable, parts and give a informed opinion about replacement costs. The sump it’s rusted badly to, that’s classic salt corrosion there. Some will impact on mot.

 

[Raul]

Is that it for the corrosion, only thing there that would bother me is the exhaust.

I wouldn’t want to comment on the blue smoke without seeing it.

The strut, sump, lower ball joint, sure I can dig more.

 

[Northernraider]

Thanks again for all the input. It's all really helpful. The owner has responded with surprise and has never noticed any blue smoke but he only has very small drives here and there. I've sent him some of the photos AA sent over which are just photos of the underside. I've put in a complaint with AA. Not sure how that'll go.

I don't have anyone that I trust enough with vehicles to have a look at it so would have to go the pro route again and now I'm £200 lighter, not sure if I'd do that. I'll have to have a think about it all. Thanks again. I'll leave some of the photos AA sent in case they are of interest to anyone. There were other photos but these ones relate more to the amber and red items reported. It was a green tick for anything else. Happy to email a copy to and experts that might want a look over ...

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You look under practically any van a few years old and you will see rust like this. It's surface corrosion because none of these components receive any sort of proper paint or rust protection when new . It's a fairly light dusting of undercoat really. . None of that rust is serious but if you wanted to protect it from further corrosion then it requires treating. I've cleaned up and painted all of my vans in these areas.

The exhaust is just a typical exhaust on a vehicle that age ...

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[donkey]

Hi

Obviously does not help with regard to the smoke issue, but those photos indicate nothing untoward to me. The rust on suspension is irelevant as those components are solid steel, so surface rust is not an issue. The exhaust is corroded on the outside and could last another couple of years, even if it does not, a new main silencer and tail pipe will only be about £120.
What it clearly indicates is a very dry engine, not what I would expect to see from one worn to the extent of burning loads of oil.
The first check I would carry out is to carefully check the engine oil level, level ground, leave to stand for 15 minutes or so. An overfilled engine will burn off excess oil and while it does there will be copious amounts of blue smoke. This should cease when the level gets back to normal.

Geoff

 

[Northernraider]

Reading some of these replies explains why I've got some really good buys in my time and made good profit selling them

 

[Northernraider]

That’s some corrosion no doubt, specially on the exhaust. The lower ball joint nut, it’s not even hexagonal anymore, you need a professional to have a look at this serviceable, parts and give a informed opinion about replacement costs. The sump it’s rusted badly to, that’s classic salt corrosion there. Some will impact on mot.

You must be looking at different photos from me lol .


Half a day with a wire brush and some hammerite and that would look like it came out the factory.

 

[Raul]

0

You must be looking at different photos from me lol .


Half a day with a wire brush and some hammerite and that would look like it came out the factory.

I must be, it’s stuck in my brain, as last week I spent good 5-6 days on a horse box with the grinder, welder and few lengths of iron to repair structural elements. The tailgate ramp was half hanging.

 

[Orca Brody]

With regards to the oil level, if I am to believe AA, it is fine. It was also reported there was no smoke on idle. The exhaust doesn't bother me, I have no issue with general wear and tear. Thanks guys for the help.

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[vkr15s]

Smoke and corrosion time to make a sharp exit

 

[Northernraider]

Hi

Obviously does not help with regard to the smoke issue, but those photos indicate nothing untoward to me. The rust on suspension is irelevant as those components are solid steel, so surface rust is not an issue. The exhaust is corroded on the outside and could last another couple of years, even if it does not, a new main silencer and tail pipe will only be about £120.
What it clearly indicates is a very dry engine, not what I would expect to see from one worn to the extent of burning loads of oil.
The first check I would carry out is to carefully check the engine oil level, level ground, leave to stand for 15 minutes or so. An overfilled engine will burn off excess oil and while it does there will be copious amounts of blue smoke. This should cease when the level gets back to normal.

Geoff

Thank god there's someone else who hasn't condemned this van to the scrapheap for what are very minor issues.


The blue smoke is the only thing I'd have any concern about but even then it could be something very simple.


I remember selling a car once that someone paid for one of these checks on and the one fault they highlighted and made a big deal about was badly corroded rear brake discs. In truth they werent badly corroded , it had passed an mot just a few weeks before with no mention but it hadnt moved since so there was some surface rust on them ....but in truth The potential buyer paid more for the inspection than it would have cost to buy and fit replacement discs.

 

[Northernraider]

0

I must be, it’s stuck in my brain, as last week I spent good 5-6 days on a horse box with the grinder, welder and few lengths of iron to repair structural elements. The tailgate ramp was half hanging.

Having spent months on rusty vehicles the minor surface rust on that would be a pleasure lol

 

[Silver-Fox]

The strut, sump, lower ball joint, sure I can dig more.

I don’t think they are that bad.

Mainly surface rust, I’ve seen a lot worse than that on older vehicles.

 

[chaser]

Having spent months on rusty vehicles the minor surface rust on that would be a pleasure lol

We don't know how much is being asked for this van, and remember it is 10 years old, it could be going cheap which makes a big difference and even if it's not there is now a chance of getting a lot knocked off it, probably not for someone who isn't very mechanical but could be a bargain for someone.

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[Landy Andy]

I’m not seeing anything to worry me in those photos. The only nasty thing is the exhaust and that is due to small drives. As said it isn’t a new vehicle.

Why not go and have a test drive. That way you can see for yourself if it smokes.

 

[Dazzola]

All normal stuff underneath that van, mines pretty much the same, most are, it's just cosmetic.
The smoke is an entirely different matter.

 

[Lenny HB]

Nowt wrong with the suspension just surface rust, the sump looks better than a lot of Ducato's that are only 4 or 5 years old, known problem on Ducato's cheap & easy to change a sump pan.
Blue smoke would worry me but more worried that the AA guy did the inspection while it was getting dark makes you wonder if he knew what he was doing.

 

[Fdhadi]

Why not put the van through an mot. If you don’t like surface rust, buy a brand new van.
From experience, cheap super market fuels often give off blue smoke.
Might need a good motorway run to give it a clean out.

The Burstner we had, had a split outer casing on the exhaust for years, sometimes it was mentioned on the mot and sometimes not but never changed it (2004 model sold in 2021)

Coastal Motorhomes, if needed have all of the suspension parts and are very reasonably priced, think we also get a discount and not a big job. If the wheel bearings are original, probably will be ready for a change.

50k miles on these vehicles is nothing.

 

[mitzimad]

How would you do a compression test on a 2012 assume its a diesel.
I thought you would have to start to dismantle the engine .i.e injectors.
No one would surely want that responsibility when injecters cost £350 each and sometimes break when being removed

they can do compression tests using a ampmeter and osiloscope now cylinders with low compression draw less amps through the stater motor theb scope shows it as a graph they use a sensor to label cylinder one and work out which cylinder is low

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[Silver-Fox]

they can do compression tests using a ampmeter and osiloscope now cylinders with low compression draw less amps through the stater motor theb scope shows it as a graph they use a sensor to label cylinder one and work out which cylinder is low

That’s bloody clever

 

[mitzimad]

That’s bloody clever

u tube diagnose dan very interesting fault finding with diagnostic tools cars are just to clever now one episode shows a merc failing to start because of a faulty door handle be fair if a garage told you that youd be tempted take it somewhere else

 

[Silver-Fox]

u tube diagnose dan very interesting fault finding with diagnostic tools cars are just to clever now one episode shows a merc failing to start because of a faulty door handle be fair if a garage told you that youd be tempted take it somewhere else

Mate of mine has spannered a lot of Land/Range Rovers.

Some of the stuff he’s told me what he did/had to do to get over problems

 

[Don Campbell]

Blue/gray exhaust smoke means there's likely an oil leak and your engine is burning oil. Time to have a qualified technician check things out. The leak could be caused by several issues like leaking valve seals, damaged piston rings, or worn cylinder walls.

Why pay for any more checks? Don't even consider it, and count yourself lucky you decided to have an inspection.

 

[Northernraider]

Why pay for any more checks? Don't even consider it, and count yourself lucky you decided to have an inspection.

A rushed aa inspection done in the dark is not worth the paper it's written on to be honest.

I'd be getting a refund and getting a proper mechanic to look at it.

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[chaser]

Why pay for any more checks? Don't even consider it, and count yourself lucky you decided to have an inspection.

If it's THE van he wants and it is at the very right price, what's the harm in checking it out, because all we are looking at is blue smoke, all the other things are what you are going to find on any 10 year old van.
If it was me I would go for a run in it and see for myself what happens when you give it a bit of boot.

 

[Orca Brody]

Thanks again. All great input. The seller has messaged to say that it is booked in with a mechanic this week. He'll keep me in the loop.

Yes, Chaser, I do like the van and I had agreed a price that I'm happy with which was based on a few internal things that needed sorting...ie replacing/tensioning a couple of blinds, sorting reversing camera and sorting the habitation door not locking properly from inside which was my main issue before the blue smoke. I've attached a photo in case anyone knows what may have happened.

I'll be contacting AA today to file a complaint. Not sure how much good that will do though.

Thanks again all.

 

[Just smiffy]

Thanks again. All great input. The seller has messaged to say that it is booked in with a mechanic this week. He'll keep me in the loop.

Yes, Chaser, I do like the van and I had agreed a price that I'm happy with which was based on a few internal things that needed sorting...ie replacing/tensioning a couple of blinds, sorting reversing camera and sorting the habitation door not locking properly from inside which was my main issue before the blue smoke. I've attached a photo in case anyone knows what may have happened.

I'll be contacting AA today to file a complaint. Not sure how much good that will do though.

Thanks again all.

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From that picture it looks like the lock catch has been taken out/off..? There appears to be no mechanism in there….

 

[chaser]

Btw, don't let all this talk of blue smoke take away from the more obvious faults like damp in the actual living quarters, potentially just as expensive as engine repairs.

 

[Orca Brody]

Btw, don't let all this talk of blue smoke take away from the more obvious faults like damp in the actual living quarters, potentially just as expensive as engine repairs.

Had hab check last August and was fine then. I've also got a decent meter and it came up dry.

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[chaser]

Had hab check last August and was fine then. I've also got a decent meter and it came up dry.

When did it last have a MOT,? Surely it wouldn't have passed that with excessive smoke.