RedBook Inspect
Verified699 reviews
RedBook Inspect was previously trading as Auto Inspect and underwent a re-brand in 2015.
Pre car sales inspection should be done today, was cancelled by the car inspector via mobile SMS less than an hour notice to the car owner (seller). Due of sudden sickness reason, He could not be able attend the car inspection and unable to re-arrange the booking in the later day . called the RedBook company and just easily sorry can't make… Read more
another appointment and cancelled the inspection order then refunded the money. I made pre car sales inspection booked through my NRMA mobile apps on last Friday.
Terrible Customer Service and Inconsistent Reporting Red flag not Redbook. Don’t be fooled, just because this is endorsed by a large company like Carsales, does not mean it is reputable. I am extremely disappointed and regret purchasing their services. This service seems to be for burned out mechanics who want to get off the tools simply tick… Read more
boxes and get paid. The only solace is the copious amount of photos which for an interstate buyer or someone who cannot physically inspect the vehicle, may benefit from but even then to a very limited capacity.
Main points:
1) Terrible Customer service: The mechanic responsible for the pre-purchase inspection was rude, unprofessional and provided inconsistent reporting. Upon arranging the appointment, the seller reported that he verbatim stated on the phone - “ I’m coming tomorrow. Take it or leave it”. The seller was forced to take a day off work to cater for HIS schedule. Upon arrival, he was rude and dismissive to the seller, often rushing to finish quickly. 2) Reporting: Every category but one had a “3/5" rating and the only comment left was “Consistent with the age of the vehicle”. As a buyer, this is completely illogical and provides no confidence when considering the purchase. If you had two vehicles of the same age, features and mileage, how would the buyer differentiate between the two? A more constructive usage of the rating system should be to assess the EFFICIENCY of each individual component. 1 = running poorly/dysfunctional to 5 = running smoothly/no immediate mechanical issues. Age of the vehicle should be treated as a separate category and should be included in the final tally of scores to influence the overall rating of the vehicle. This gives the buyer a more objective, empirical rating resulting in real data that they can use to compare between potential vehicles wanting to be purchased. Not a completely subjective and ambiguous opinion that's been copied and pasted in every category. 3) No phone call and “limited test drive”: I paid $100 extra for the middle tier package which should have included a phone call. The mechanic called twice and left 2 voicemails. I called him back 3-4x and all calls went to his voicemail straight away. There wasn’t even a phone call attempt the following day by him as I re-attempted to call but again straight to voicemail. He also conveniently put “Limited road test due to local speed limits, road conditions and/or traffic at the time” in the report. The inspection appointment was at 11AM, therefore no school traffic. I checked with the seller and there were no roadworks or restrictions to local speed limits and very limited traffic. The seller also lives next to a freeway with a speed limit of 100km/hr. There was absolutely no excuse for a “limited road test” especially after forking out an extra $100 from the base package to have this assessed. Just another red flag.
Summary (TL/DR version): 1) Extremely disappointed as a buyer and also for my seller for having to take a day off work to accommodate for this extremely unprofessional and quite frankly, dodgy service. I regret paying for this inspection and want to warn others before they consider this. 2) If you’re a buyer, I’d recommend saving your money and buying a Vicroads online report (if in Victoria or a similar one for your state) for <$90 that gives you the critical info for accident and theft history. Then invest the rest of the money in a physical garage that can get the car up on a hoist either through RACV or even MyCar. The quality in mechanics may still vary largely but at least they’ll have better access to the vehicle and if you were physically present, be able ask more thorough questions to give you actual confidence. If you’re seriously worried about a vehicle mechanically then I’d suggest thoroughly vetting a local mechanic and enlist their services to properly test the vehicle. DO NOT rely on this service as it gives you no real objective data to make a rational decision when purchasing a vehicle.
Get an independent mechanic to conduct your pre-purchase inspection, one who has pride in their business and offers proper customer service. Redbook is such a large company; they do the bare minimum and don’t care. While I understand that a five-year-old car will naturally have general wear and tear, such as minor scratches etc., there were… Read more
several significant defects missing from the report. The inspection missed a large chip in the windscreen, located directly in the driver’s field of view, a very loud, constant rattle at high speed, four significant dents, a broken air vent, a broken console, and a damaged badge.
I contacted Redbook with my feedback and they pretty much said tough cookies, denied the chip in the windscreen and said they couldn’t see any dents because it was raining. They referred me to the “photographic evidence of the vehicle’s condition”, however the images they send are low resolution so it’s not possible to see details. THAT is why you pay for an inspection! I could have asked the dealer to send me pictures.
I’ve had a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic before, and they recorded every detail and defect. I would have thought Redbook would do the same purely for due diligence. As an interstate buyer, I relied on Redbook’s inspection to decide whether to travel from Melbourne to Sydney to view the car in person (which I did). What a waste of my time and money.
Reviews with attachments
- +2
I had my worst experience with this kind of inspection fraud company few days back and would like shade some lights, so that good people like Stephan do not fall into their trap and lose their hard earnings. I was the owner of Hyundai I30 hatchback. I kept and maintained my car with outmost care (Please refer to the first Photo). Last week, I put… Read more
my car on sale. Stephan came with his partner to see my car and they loved it. As they don’t know much about car, so they asked whether they could inspect the car with a professional mechanic. To this I said, yes as I know my car very well. Therefore, they decided to book an inspection with RedBook inspection. A guy came to do the inspection last Tuesday. From my observation, I can tell that this company outsource jobs to third party as there was no logo on the car of that company (Redbook Inspection), nor the guy was wearing any company’s uniform. He took an hour to look around the car and took 128 photos of my car (Please refer to the fourth photo). Honestly, I have been dealing with cars since 2001, and I can tell you that I know better than that guy about the mechanical side of a car. Though, I must give the guy credit as a professional photographer. After the inspection, he told me that there are two things that need attention. Firstly, my battery is completely dead and need to replace, and there might be a possibility of engine oil leaking (Please refer to the second & third photo). After getting the report, Stephen called me and said these things and was asking to reduce the price. I told him I know my car and there is nothing wrong with the car. Finally, we came to a conclusion of having a second opinion and take the car to a proper mechanic who has workshop. So, Stephen booked an inspection with a mechanic for Thursday. On Wednesday, I took my car to my mechanic to see whether those findings were true or not. It was not true. But I wanted Stephen to see and hear it from an independent professional mechanic. Yesterday, we both went to these mechanic workshop, and guess what those things were all wrong. My battery is in excellent condition and there were no oil leaking whatsoever (Please refer to the Last photo). These Redbook Inspection are fraud and scam. They will charge you heaps of money and give some false information so that you can do further investigation with them. They gave my car 3 stars rating I am attaching some photos here and leave this up to your discretion to decide what level of fraudulent activities this kind companies are doing. Finally. Stephen bought the car with ease knowing that there is no problem in the car. One free advice, if you want to buy a car, but do not know much, then inspect the car through a proper mechanic who has a proper workshop. It will cost much less and give you right information rather than inspecting the car with this fraud company.
- +1
major faults not detected – No issues with the booking process or mechanic organizing the inspection with the seller. Report seemed good. One issue and unfortunately it is major. On the website it states a scan of faults are included in the inspection. The mechanic could not conduct this as he had no scan tool for a jaguar (why would you not have every type?) I've had a… Read more
local workshop conduct a scan (funnily enough they have scanners) and more than 90 faults were detected. If I had known that at the time of purchase I would have run to the hills however it now looks like I will have a lemon on my hands. I'm not sure what my next move is but it might involve a lawyer.
Licensed to rip you off with a vehicle inspection report! – I chose Redbook Tullamarine over a VicRoads-licensed tester to save money on a Vehicle Inspection Report. The 10-minute inspection resulted in a FAIL due to front window tint visibility being measured at 23%. What’s puzzling is that just a year ago, this same car—purchased from a reputable Melbourne dealer—came with tinted windows and a valid… Read more
roadworthy certificate, with no mention of tint issues.
Despite this, the Redbook inspector flagged the tint as a defect and suggested a $40 rebooking fee. To clarify, I sought a second opinion from a highly regarded professional tinter, who confirmed there were no visibility issues. He even questioned whether the Redbook inspector’s equipment was properly calibrated—or whether the assessment was accurate at all.
Thank you for your service, Redbook Inspect.
My advice: if you’re confident in your car’s condition and want a fair, reliable RWC/Vehicle Inspection Report, go to a VicRoads Licensed Tester.
Bad brakes – Looked at a vehicle in Breakwater today. I drove 2 1/2 hours to get to the car yard. I looked at the Redbook report on Carsales before I went. The report said the brake discs are in good condition which is not true at all. The discs are badly rust pitted and not roadworthy. I'm a qualified Motor Mechanic with 15 years experience carrying out… Read more
roadworthy inspections and issuing certificates. The photo is from the Redbook inspection report of this vehicle.
Hi Sam, Thank you for your feedback. We take… Read more
Latest follow-ups
We were buying a vehicle interstate and had only seen photos on a web site. Booked the Standard RedBook inspection. The photos and report from them were excellent. Josh also rang and gave an overview of the written report so we were able to ask… Read more
questions. It ended up saving us thousands of dollars as the vehicle was not as mechanically sound as we thought. Highly recommend RedBook Inspect.
Follow-up · The photos were such good quality that we were easily able to see and issue with the cooling system ( potentially oil in the coolant reservoir) showing the milkshake effect which some vehicles are renowned for. This can cost thousands to repair. The inspector was not able to say exactly what the cause was but advised further inspection/service. From our own research we decided it was not something we wanted to pursue.
Positive reviews
My Redbook Ultimate Inspection Headline: Exceptional Customer Service Recovery - Thank You, George! I initially experienced significant dissatisfaction with the Ultimate Package pre-purchase car inspection. However, my entire experience was transformed by speaking with George Y. From the moment I connected with George, his communication and… Read more
genuine human touch were phenomenal. He listened attentively to my concerns and addressed them with remarkable professionalism and empathy. George's outstanding customer service truly turned a very unhappy customer into a very happy one. It's a pleasure to now be able to write a positive review. George's dedication and care deserve the highest compliments and have completely shifted my perspective. Thank you, George, for your exceptional support and for making this a positive resolution. It’s so much better to share this light and joyous energy! I wholeheartedly recommend Redbook Car Inspections, especially knowing they have individuals like George who are committed to ensuring customer satisfaction. Five stars well-deserved! Kind Regards
Excellent – Jason G's pre-purchase inspection was super thorough, with a ton of photos. He even followed up with a call to answer a few questions I had about the report.
Excellent service - very impressed – Just wanted to say how thoroughly impressed I was with this service. I have had a vehicle inspected in Perth by Luke. The report was thorough, clear and professional and the inspection was done the next business day after I booked the request. Luke called me shortly after the inspection and was professional whilst sounding knowledgeable and… Read more
honest. This gave me the confidence I needed to buy a used car and I will certainly be re-booking for any future car purchases. Cheers.
Negative reviews
My inspection included the wrong vehicle kilometres on the report & neglected to note sun damage on. vehicle.Noting only average wear & tear. Stated that air conditioning fixed & servicing of vehicle. Vehicle hadn't been serviced for 2 years & air cond fixed 5 years ago. Waste of money Better off paying more for ATA inspection Show details
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Wish I read the reviews before I spent money on getting a car inspected. I paid for the lite and I got lite, it didn't include trying the air con and that was the one thing that was not working. The dealer was not gonna cover cause i came under a category that didn't include air con repairs. The whole thing with cars and insurance and inspections is a whole scam just a scam. Money grabbing no conscious evil industry.
After a scheduled inspection, the RedBook Inspect representative left my car improperly secured on a slope. As a result, it rolled away and collided with another vehicle, causing damage. Shockingly, the company refused to accept any accountability. In my view, this reflects a serious lack of professionalism, responsibility, and basic safety protocols. I would strongly caution others against using their services.
Recent reviews
Wouldn't recommend. I paid for a RedBook pre-purchase inspection on a 2014 VW Polo, thinking it would give me peace of mind before buying the car. Less than two weeks later, I took it to a mechanic for a routine service, only to be told the car wouldn't even pass a roadworthy due to the condition of the engine and some external things like a… Read more
cracked tyre. It is also riddled with other serious mechanical issues which were also not picked up.
While I understand an inspection can’t catch every mechanical issue, a car that fails a roadworthy so soon after a paid inspection should raise serious questions about the thoroughness of the service. That’s exactly why I chose RedBook - to avoid this kind of situation.
When I raised a complaint, they were completely dismissive and didn’t even ask to see the mechanic’s report before denying any responsibility. For the price I paid, I would have been far better off just taking the car to a proper mechanic. I won't be using RedBook again and wouldn’t recommend them to anyone buying a secondhand car.
Guys, it's not worth it. Don't risk using them. RedBook Inspect have terrible customer service, they don't give a damm what and how they make their customers feel. I had roadworthy test failure today for having a tint in front windows. Which is fine as I understand laws in Vic. The issue was they following removal of tints within an hour, I… Read more
couldn't get a Pass as they required me to book another inspection and pay fee for that. Not only that, the next inspection was only available after 2 weeks. Talked to their customer care but they can't do anything. How ridiculous is that?
I finally paid again to another mechanic and got that done same day.
Please avoid these guys completely.
Saw a car at a dealership in Ringwood. Dealer suggested Redbook for an ‘independent’ review of the car. First red flag - suggested he book it as apparently it will be quicker. - Second red flag, we will pay them for it and it will come off the deposit we paid to put a ‘hold’ on the car - Third red flag, car dealer calls me and asks me which… Read more
email I want the report to be sent to - Fourth red flag, the report gives the car 4 out of 5 stars for every category with the a standard line ‘for the age of the car’ - Fifth red flag, the review states that various aspects were NOT reviewed due to inaccessability I should have stuck with my gut instinct and not paid for a review that meant nothing.
Stressful – If you have a nice car, don’t even bother going. The staff are petty envious, and if you pull up in a Maserati or Bentley, they’ll find any excuse to make your life difficult. They’ll nitpick unnecessary details just to assert control, with ultimatums like, “You have 24 hours to change the tyres, or I’ll fail you.” It’s less about safety and more about a superiority complex.
Redbook's Overpriced 'Inspection' – A Scam That Rideshare Drivers Can't Afford!" – I feel compelled to share my disappointing experience with Redbook and their seemingly exploitative practices. It's concerning how much money they are extracting from ride share drivers without providing any meaningful service in return. Their process is nothing more than capturing a few photos from different angles and driving the car around… Read more
their warehouse – hardly the “inspection” they advertise. In reality, they are just collecting pictures of your vehicle, not performing any thorough checks.
Given the current financial strain many of us are facing, it's disheartening to see services like Redbook charging excessive fees without offering any value. This isn't just about the money; it's about fairness and transparency. With the growing cost of living, it’s time for governments to step in and regulate such companies to prevent them from exploiting hard-working individuals.
To make matters worse, we're expected to pay over $114 each year for this service. It's infuriating to know that all they're doing is putting a jack under the car and snapping photos. This feels like a blatant money grab, and it’s incredibly frustrating. Drivers deserve better and should not be forced to pay for a service that offers so little in return.
NOT GOOD – With very little done except 150 photos and a battery test , the pictures didn't show the damage to the interior and the battery terminal was loose. Stick with RAC instead.
Redbook waste time and money – I recently purchased a vehicle from a dealer and I thought for peace of mind I'll get a pre purchase inspection done before I hand over my hard earned. It cost me around $320 to have a so called mechanic from Redbook to give the vehicle an once over. In the Report the mechanic sent me, had photos of his scan tool showing no fault codes, one… Read more
week after purchasing the has fault codes displaying. Also he said in the report that the air conditioning system was in good working order. It's not working at all, the compressor is stuffed. Don't waste your time and money getting a pre purchase inspection from Redbook.
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Worst experience ever – Read book was booked in to do a vehicle inspection on a Friday never showed up on a Monday never showed up on a Tuesday thing called to say that they were too busy then was booked for a Thursday at 10 AM showed up at nearly 11 AM was rude. Arrogant wasn’t explaining the Examination to what they were doing no insurance provided for a road test so… Read more
the dealer wouldn’t allow them to drive the car Michael, the inspector An Irish sanding inspector Was rude uncooperative and I don’t even think he’s a qualified mechanic Stay clear
Not worthwhile – Overall would not recommend. Report and scoring system was too general and vague. Minor stone chips were photographed but minor collision damage on driver fender not reported at all (it was the first thing I noticed on seeing the car in person). Recommend having a roadworthy check done instead of Redbook as they are more thorough (and cheaper: … Read more
$220 vs $320). Had to spend thousands on brake and suspension issues that weren't detected by Redbook. Almost everything was reported as 3/5 stars when there was such a diversity of condition within each category (eg brand new drive belts and timing belts given same score as body which had a lot of marks etc). Overall would not recommend Redbook Inspect.
Uber share ride inspection – I booked an Uber share ride inspection with Redbook Inspect on Friday, 07/06/2024. As of today, 11/06/2024, I still have not received the inspection report. I have called their customer service numbers (1300 373 992 and 1800 907 871) over ten times, but no one answers, and the automated message keeps saying, "nobody available at this time, try… Read more
again." This is extremely frustrating as a customer.
I also contacted the inspection location directly, but they informed me that they cannot resubmit the report and that it must come from the head office. However, it seems impossible to get in touch with anyone at the head office. This lack of communication and customer service is unacceptable.
How much longer do I need to try to get a response? How much more time should a customer be expected to spend chasing up a service they paid for? This experience has been very disappointing.
Considering a class action – Terrible… paid for a report that is useless. Report stated that the vehicle had no issue and inline with expectations of the age and Kms of the car. Zero oil leaks etc, car full of oil leaks and radiator needs replacement, Unless Redbook are prepared to cover costs of repairs, do not use. I would not have purchased this car if I was aware of the issue. Used this Redbook in good faith.
Great customer service - very ethical – great site to use and prompt customer support. I booked a redbook inspection for an insterstate car purchase. Subsequently found out something about the model car which was incompatible with my needs, so contacted redbook and with no fuss they refunded. VERY HAPPY
Looking for a pre purchase car inspection....what a joke they are!!! – WHAT A JOKE THEY ARE !!!! if you want customer service avoid them. Nowhere does it tell you their operating hours so keeps going to message, then they don't return your calls, their talk info on website goes around in circles and doesn't answer any questions....finally get onto them and 2 weeks wait for a pre purchase car inspection....
Hi Maree, Thank you for your feedback. We take… Read more (+2 replies)
Uber driver AVOID this inspector, fake issue make up by inspector to fail your inspection – Uber drivers attention: AVOID this inspection place. Inspector from Redbook Osborne Park will make up a few fake issues about your car to have you do reinspection, if you already in their trap do not go back, reinspect at another place!!! (We passed reinspection in the same condition at another inspector, we’ve been told Redbook failed our… Read more
inspection on purpose !!!) When you are reading my feedback, you might already in their trap, do the right thing, find another inspection immediately and make your complaint / report to Commerce WA, 1300304054, Redbook inspection had already got certain amounts of red flags from previous reports. Further advice: inspector with goatee will blame you did not bring the form first, he discriminate [Content Removed] drivers, do not argue with him, do not give him your car key, if you hear he is abusing you, leave immediately otherwise he will fail your car inspection and let you pay thousands dollars to repair the make up fake issues.
Hi Ali, Thank you for your feedback. We take… Read more (+2 replies)
Eyesight is better than listing photos! – Jason G alerted me to poor condition of tyres. I had not noticed with sidewall photos of glossed over tyres. Jason jacked up car to view and photograph underside. Test drove to test ProPilot features. Photographed imperfections visible with his eyesight but I don't notice any imperfections after zooming in to photos. Has responded to queries. Show reply
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Hi There, Thank you for your feedback. We take… Read more