TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. General

These Terms and Conditions may be varied by RACQ from time to time and we recommend that you read these Terms and Conditions in full each time you book an RACQ Vehicle Inspection as they may have changed. You will be bound by the Terms and Conditions you accept at the time of booking a vehicle for an RACQ Vehicle Inspection.

In these Terms and Conditions, a reference to RACQ is a reference to RACQ Operations Pty Limited and its related bodies corporate (RACQ Group) and the contractors, agents, officers and employees of any member of the RACQ Group.

2. Inspection

  • Your Vehicle Inspection Report can only relate to the condition of the vehicle at the time of the inspection.
  • Subject to the exclusions set out below, our Mobile Vehicle Inspection and MasterCheck Inspections will cover the vehicle’s exterior, interior, engine compartment, drive train, tyres and wheels, some brake components and under body as well as taking the vehicle on a road test if the vehicle is registered and roadworthy. Mechanical Checks will cover the vehicle’s engine compartment, drive train, some brake components and under body.
  • Our vehicle inspection is based on the external examination of vehicle components. Due to the time and cost involved, it is not feasible for us to dismantle component assemblies to measure and inspect internal parts. These are evaluated by such factors as noise, operation and performance on the road test. If you wish to have an inspection of internal parts undertaken, you will need to contact a different service provider and arrange for them to undertake that inspection. We do not provide this service.
  • There are some vehicles that we either cannot inspect, or for which only a limited inspection can be carried out. This might be because of limited access, level of complexity, or specialised tools and equipment required. We will attempt to advise where this might occur prior to conducting a vehicle inspection and this will be recorded in the Vehicle Inspection Report. If we are unable to conduct a vehicle inspection or you choose to cancel the vehicle inspection if we advise that only a limited inspection can be carried out we will refund the fee paid by you.
  • Road tests will be completed within speed limits permissible within the immediate test area.
  • Some faults do not become evident unless higher speeds are tested or achieved (i.e. wheel bearings, vibrations & performance, etc) and so may not be detectable when the vehicle is driven within speed limits permissible within the immediate test area.
  • For paint and body assessment, the vehicle needs to be clean, free from water, dust and mud. Scratches and paint chips to the vehicle’s paintwork will only be recorded if they are considered excessive by the Inspector.

3. The Vehicle Inspection Report

  • All items in the inspection checklist are evaluated along with those requested by you and agreed by us at the time of the booking.
  • The Vehicle Inspection Report can only describe and/or identify defects found and/or which are reasonably capable of being found upon external visual consideration of the vehicle at the time of the Vehicle Inspection. We cannot advise of defects if we cannot see them or if they are not apparent during the Vehicle Inspection.
  • We will provide our opinion of the overall condition of the vehicle for your guidance. You should appreciate an opinion is a matter of subjective judgement based on our inspectors’ knowledge and experience, and our opinion will assist you in making informed decisions.
  • Where the inspection has been requested to assist you or a third party in deciding to purchase a vehicle, you should appreciate that the Vehicle Inspection Report is not a recommendation to purchase, or not purchase, the vehicle. That decision is the prospective purchaser’s own to make, having regard to such matters as they consider relevant.

4. Exclusions

  • Vehicle Inspection services that RACQ provide, may not be available in all areas.
  • The Vehicle Inspection Report will not tell you about hidden and concealed defects, latent or intermittent problems not apparent at the time of inspection, problems which cannot be identified on a visual inspection or unless parts of the vehicle are dismantled, or which become manifest after the inspection. Items that are not checked as part of the inspection;
    • oil and fuel consumption
    • source of oil leaks
    • oil pump strainer for any build-up of sludge
    • engine cylinder compression,
    • vehicle electrics and electronics using specific diagnostic equipment
    • bodywork water leaks or their source
    • odometer accuracy
    • timing belt/cam belt
    • brake pads, linings, and contact surfaces (Mobile Inspections)
    • brake components that cannot be easily seen without removing or dismantling parts or covers.
    • wheel alignment
    • the life expectancy of exhaust systems, clutches or dual mass flywheels
    • operation of in car entertainment or media systems
    • sound or radio reception
    • the operation of satellite navigation system
    • advanced driver assistance systems, electronic driving aids, radars and sensors
    • alarm systems or anti-theft devices
    • the accuracy of in-car computer systems
    • exhaust emissions, using gas analysing equipment, catalytic converters, LPG systems, diesel particulate filter systems
    • air conditioning efficiency using specific diagnostic equipment
    • the habitation area of motor homes or campervan section of the vehicle
    • auxiliary batteries, hybrid batteries or power, electric vehicle batteries or power and remote control batteries
    • hybrid or electric vehicle charging equipment
    • the quality of any repairs or replacements
    • any manufacturer recalls or any other recalls that have affected, or may affect, the vehicle in any way
    • non-standard or aftermarket accessories or parts as a result of personal modifications or otherwise
    • tyre pressures and tyre pressure monitoring systems
    • roof heights greater than 2.4m
    • wheels that require removal on dual wheel axles
    • age of tyres
    • any type of bearing
    • electric motors that propel the vehicle or electrics motors that are concealed
    • locking differentials (diff locks)
  • We do not remove fixed items such as baby seats, seat covers, steering wheel covers, dash mats or other types of covers during the inspection.
  • The inspection may not test the engine through the full operating temperature range of the engine, therefore some issues which are only evident when cold may not be detectable when the engine is presented at full operating temperature.
  • Any documents with the vehicle, such as the vehicle service records, vehicle owner’s manual, damage reports and repair records, are not inspected. We do not prepare those documents or verify their accuracy and so will not be making any assessment as to whether their contents are accurate.
  • 4x4 vehicles fitted with dual range transfer cases and/or centre locking differentials are checked for engagement but are not driven in these settings, to prevent damage to the vehicle’s driveline. Proper testing of these components needs to be conducted on an unsealed surface in varying conditions which is not completed as part of this inspection.

5. Risk to Purchaser

  • Due to the limitations on the detection and/or analysis of some faults, (those that are internal, concealed or hidden, and/or are not audible within the limitations of our road test) to purchase a vehicle without a warranty from the seller may expose the purchaser to significant risks.
  • Some vehicles, including older vehicles, may contain serious internal, structural or mechanical defects and/or hidden corrosion. Whilst every care is taken to identify potential problems, you acknowledge that such defects may not be detectable from an external visual assessment. Older vehicles may also prove less reliable and need more frequent repairs/servicing than more modern vehicles, and these and other disadvantages in owning such a vehicle must be understood and accepted by you.
  • By its nature, an inspection can only consider the vehicle as at the time of inspection. Defects may arise after the time of the inspection; which defects were not identifiable at the time of inspection.

6. Fees and cancellations

  • Fees and charges must be paid by major credit card at the time of booking the Vehicle Inspection.
  • We reserve the right to refuse to inspect or report on any vehicle, in which case the fees and charges paid by you will be refunded (except where our inspector attends the vehicle location and we refuse to inspect the vehicle due to it being presented at a location or in a condition where it is unsafe for our inspector to do so, in which case a $60 attendance fee will apply and the balance of the fees and charges paid by you will be refunded) .
  • If you cancel the Vehicle Inspection with more than 24 hours’ notice, you will receive a full refund.
  • If you cancel the Vehicle Inspection with less than 24 hours’ notice and we are unable to rebook the booking with another customer, or our inspector attends the vehicle location, a cancellation/attendance fee of $60.00 will apply and the balance of the fees and charges paid by you will be refunded.

7. Booking times and Delays

  • We will not be liable for any delay in performing, or any failure to carry out a Vehicle Inspection to the extent that such delay or failure results from events or circumstances outside our reasonable control.
  • Depending on location and availability, timeframes may be changed at short notice. RACQ will make reasonable efforts to get in contact with you to inform you of the timeframe change. In the event RACQ cannot get hold of you, we will get in contact with the seller/person on location and organise the inspection for an agreed time with them.
  • If a timeframe change cannot be agreed in these circumstances we will refund the fees and charges paid by you.

8. Complaints

  • In the event of a complaint or dissatisfaction, please contact RACQ Vehicle Inspections on telephone 1800 629 501. Your complaint will be passed on to our Member Relations team. We should be given the opportunity to re-inspect the vehicle and may need to do so to deal with the complaint prior to any repairs being performed.

9. Statutory Warranty

  • Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. For major failures with the service, you are entitled:
    • to cancel your service contract with us; and
    • to a refund for the unused portion, or to compensation for its reduced value.

You are also entitled to be compensated for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage.

If the failure does not amount to a major failure you are entitled to have problems with the service rectified in a reasonable time and, if this is not done, to cancel your contract and obtain a refund for the unused portion of the contract.

10. Liability

  • Certain State and Commonwealth legislation, including the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), imply warranties and conditions or impose obligations which cannot be excluded, restricted or otherwise modified. These Terms and Conditions do not purport to exclude any statutory rights available to you which cannot be excluded and must in all cases be read subject to those statutory provisions. Other than those statutory provisions which cannot be excluded, we exclude all conditions and warranties which may be implied by law.
  • To the maximum extent permitted by law, our liability for breach of any implied warranty or condition which cannot be excluded is restricted, at our option, to the resupply of services supplied or offered by us or the payment of the cost of having those services re-supplied.
  • Neither party will be liable in any circumstances for any demurrage, loss of use, prospective profits or special, indirect or consequential damages.

To the extent permitted by law, you agree that RACQ’s maximum liability to you (whether in contract, tort, including negligence or statute) is limited to the fees paid by you for the Services provided, except in relation to:

  1. damage to the vehicle being inspected to the extent caused or contributed to by RACQ’s negligence or unlawful act; or
  2. RACQ’s gross negligence in conducting the inspection in circumstances where you have bought the vehicle following our inspection, in which case, RACQ’s liability will be limited to the lesser of the cost to repair any defect not identified due to RACQ’s gross negligence and the price you paid for the vehicle.

11. Privacy

  • RACQ collects, holds and discloses your personal information (such as your name, address, email address and vehicle details) in accordance with the RACQ Privacy Policy which is available at: https://www.racq.com.au/privacy
  • If you have any questions or comments regarding your privacy in relation to RACQ, please contact us on 13 19 05 or email us at privacy@racq.com.au. If you wish to make a complaint or otherwise do not agree with a decision made by RACQ in relation to the access or update of your personal information please write to: Privacy Officer, Group Risk & Compliance, PO Box 4 Springwood QLD 4127.

12. Registration of your Vehicle

  • You understand that driving an unregistered vehicle is illegal and warrant that your vehicle is registered in accordance with Queensland legislative and regulatory requirements. Where your vehicle is not registered you will ensure that you take all necessary steps to notify us that your vehicle is unregistered.
  • Where you do not notify us in accordance with this clause 13 that your vehicle is unregistered you agree to indemnify us for any fines, penalties, loss, damage, injury or death caused to any person or property when we are driving or otherwise operating your vehicle.