BC Safety Inspection... where to not get ripped off?
I'm buying a car out of province. It is being shipped to me in a couple of weeks. I knew that getting a Safety Inspection was a required part of the process, but until I started Googling for a place to go and seeing some horrific stories... I thought it was just a formality!
It seems there is a LOT of anecdotal evidence that shops large and small routinely pad the report to force you to pay for unnecessary repairs. Is that just people bitching and moaning about having to fix legit things? Or is there really that many unscrupulous shops?
The car I'm buying is pretty new (2015) and still under full manufacturer warranty. It is coming from out of province rather than out of country, so there's no compliance worries (eg. cars from the US may not have the right kind of seatbelts or DRL or whatever... that won't be the case with a domestic car). There's been no accidents, no repairs, etc. There's legit no reason for this to not pass with flying colours... so is a shop really going to invent things?
The worst stories seem to be about Canadian Tire, which is where i was planning on taking it because it is literally in the same parking lot as the insurance agent I use. Also, I figured a large corporate shop like CT would be the least likely to invent things.
Any recommendations? CT? Budget Brake or guys like that? Small local shop?
No matter where I take it, it is likely that this will be the first of this kind of car they've inspected. There aren't many in BC that have been imported. Maybe I should call the local dealer for advice? I already know they aren't on the BC approved list of inspectors.
It seems there is a LOT of anecdotal evidence that shops large and small routinely pad the report to force you to pay for unnecessary repairs. Is that just people bitching and moaning about having to fix legit things? Or is there really that many unscrupulous shops?
The car I'm buying is pretty new (2015) and still under full manufacturer warranty. It is coming from out of province rather than out of country, so there's no compliance worries (eg. cars from the US may not have the right kind of seatbelts or DRL or whatever... that won't be the case with a domestic car). There's been no accidents, no repairs, etc. There's legit no reason for this to not pass with flying colours... so is a shop really going to invent things?
The worst stories seem to be about Canadian Tire, which is where i was planning on taking it because it is literally in the same parking lot as the insurance agent I use. Also, I figured a large corporate shop like CT would be the least likely to invent things.
Any recommendations? CT? Budget Brake or guys like that? Small local shop?
No matter where I take it, it is likely that this will be the first of this kind of car they've inspected. There aren't many in BC that have been imported. Maybe I should call the local dealer for advice? I already know they aren't on the BC approved list of inspectors.
so I really wasn't expecting personal shopping services. But in case... I live near Kelowna.