MTA Vehicle Inspections

Apropos a Mini Cooper I was looking to buy privately, began seeking out parties to hopefully do a pre-purchase inspection. Contacted the NRMA which was a very unsatisfactory encounter. Ultimately ended up having exactly the opposite experience once I eventually contacted Dan at MTA Vehicle Inspections. Instant rapport which quickly progressed to… Read more

making an inspection arrangement. Next morning, 7.30, met Dominic on site at the seller's address & down to business. (Unfortunately, didn't end happily as he diagnosed probable major engine issues - potential cost into the many thousands). For $325 I got prompt service a very comprehensive report on this motor vehicle. Just as importantly, from the outset, I felt I had a clear line of communication - with no language difficulties! I have the impression that Dan's business is a standout & would not hesitate to recommend people, contemplating a vehicle purchase, to make contact with the MTA. It's worth noting that Dan makes a point of matching inspector to motor vehicle brand or type. In my case, Dominic was full bottle on Minis. That was important in the scheme of things for me. Thanks. Len.

I paid MTA to inspect my vehicle before making a purchase as Car was located in Gosford and this was my first time buying used BMW. I believed once they complete my inspection I would have no doubt putting a deposit. Upon collecting my car and driving back to Sydney I realised the gloves box lock was damaged, Which cost me $967 to fix including… Read more

parts and labour. Dealer denied any responsibility through fair trading case stating this inspection Company had my car for almost an hour so they should have picked up on the issue. Here MTA wrote me saying they forgot to check glove box. MTA negligence is cost me almost $1000. No responsibility taken by MTA. Also car was fitted with 3 different tyres brand and no mention of that. Car has multiple scratch, dents, stone chip but everything was labelled as normal wear and tear. Missing 15k services documents which was not picked up during inspection either. Front windscreen has multiple tiny cracks/stone hit but was only mentioned about the 1 big one which was of course visible to naked eye. Later I had to replaced the glass at my cost. Very disappointed in service provided by MTA. Have taken them to fair trading waiting for outcome. I informed them about glove box the following morning I noticed the issue. I wish anyone using MTA service to reconsider and take it to local nearest mechanics.

MTA Inspections missed major faults on my purchase, then manager doesn't give any customer service – A 40 page report of crap, Engine Mounts looked bad in inspection, but didn't get on the report. Had to spend another $150 on a better mechanic to show me the problems as clear as day. Not good engineers and they get repeat business from dealers, not us purchasers. These dealerships rip us off and MTA Inspection join in the ripoff.

Pointless waste of money – Please save your money. Drive the vehicle to a mechanic that you trust - if the seller won't do so then they're probably hiding something. I had a pre-purchase inspection done on an older vehicle and only a couple of minor issues were identified on the report (bit of surface rust and control arm bushes). I took the vehicle to my mechanic a week… Read more

later and he could immediately tell that the front bumper had been replaced/painted which was obvious once he pointed it out (the report said paint was consistent all over the car), gearbox reconditioned, rust had been painted over, and a rear shock was broken. The mechanic knew this within minutes of looking over and driving it.

There were also multiple broken items on the interior of the car that were missed such as broken instruments and 3/4 fan vents simply sitting there and not holding on to anything.

Nothing of value is in the report.

fast and thorough – MTA were able to inspect a car the same morning I called them for the check. It's a great help to get the inspection report so quickly as there were other buyers also interested car and I had really had enough of looking for a car. The inspection report was simple to follow and checked a lot of stuff. It picked up scratches I hadn't noticed. I… Read more

also got to call the inspector and after that was confident the car was good. Even the person who initially answered the phone to book the inspection was helpful with going through the purchase process.

MTA seem to be more expensive than other car inspections, but the report was thorough and getting it quickly is critical, so I think you get what you pay for.

Buyer Beware – My family purchased a Subaru Forester after an inspection from MTA. The day after the inspection the check engine and safety control lights both appeared on the dashboard. I called MTA to let them know and they advised my son that this happened because he used E10 petrol. It is safe to say we will never use this company again.

Easy to arrange. Comprehensive report provided – I was looking to purchase a car interstate, sight unseen, and needed to get an inspection arranged. Left an enquiry on the MTA Vehicle Inspection website and soon after I received a call from them to discuss my needs. Luckily for me they were able to arrange the inspection for the following day (which was great as I probably would have looked for… Read more

other options if this wasn't possible). Probably not the cheapest option out there (I paid $400), but you get what you pay for sometimes, and I was very happy with the comprehensive 40+ page report I received within 15 mins of the inspection having been performed, including lots of photos. The report gave me the reassurance I needed to go ahead with the purchase.

Happy to recommend MTA Vehicle Inspections to others.

Comprehensive report – Thank you Harry for your comprehensive written report which you followed up with honest, thoughtful verbal feedback. Your attention to detail was very much appreciated and made my decision to move forward much easier.

Exceptional service & report – My vehicle was booked for a pre-purchase inspection. Easy booking process. Booked for 7.30am & MTA turned up at 7.30am on the dot. Anthony inspected the vehicle & advised he would be approx 1 hr. At 8.30am he was finished. Very professional & extremely helpful with a very concise report supplied. Can’t fault MTA. Brilliant !!

Terrible Communication, Rude, Late – Friendly on first contact - if a little lacking in communication - but on the day of the inspection suddenly they changed the time - *without telling me* (I had hired a car to get there and brought a friend with me). When I rang to find out where they were, they said they'd changed the time to some time later in the afternoon - no apology. When I… Read more

questioned what was going on, the woman on the phone started yelling at me rudely about how she had too many calls coming in - then she hung up on me! The inspector then rang me himself and arranged a new time. When he finally got there he was complaining about head-office too. It was actually really expensive for a basic check, and it doesn't include a km check, which the inspector advised me to do myself with Revs for another $36. Next time I will do the Revs check which covers accidents/finance/kms/stolen etc, then take it to a mechanic! Much cheaper and hopefully better communication. Don't be fooled by the fancy MTA logo - it seems to be an out-of-home run outfit!

Highly recommend – I booked an inspection with MTA and thought it was a very competitive price considering what the detailed inspection they where going to provide and happily paid. It happened I didn’t need the inspection and canceled and I was served by the utmost pleasant and professional MTA booking lady named Alisa who understood my reasons for canceling and… Read more

promptly processed my refund. My whole experience with MTA was of the highest professional standards and if and when I do need another vehicle inspection I will have no hesitation in using MTA and would advise anyone looking for a car inspection service to go straight to MTA vehicle inspections

Great service – I recently used this service to inspect a car my mum was going to purchase. The mechanic Jason who was really friendly, provided a thorough inspection and explained everything to me. As I have limited knowledge about cars both the service and the clear report made it easier to make a decision. Highly recommend this service!!!

a bit disappointed – The MTA Inspection wasn't as though I was led to believe after I purchased the car I discovered water in the rear drivers side tail light water in the wheel arch of the boot and also the auto headlight leveling not working I will be getting someone else for my next purchase.

Best in the Biz – Not the cheapest but for $295, their mechanic Ray found a major issue with the Car after spending 2.5hrs on it. I got an extremely detailed report on the car. My finance broker “talktoabroker” ordered an inspection with Redbooks which was a 5 minute job and the price was never detailed to me in my final fianance contract. Be careful with loan… Read more

sharks and lenders suggesting they will do the car inspection. It usually means they don’t look at any of the mechanics unless specified by your broker. Without MTA I would have bought a car with problems and the broker could care less. Highly recommend taking control of your purchase and contacting MTA for a detailed car inspection. I couldn’t be happier. Finally I promised myself if I wrote a negative review elsewhere then I should also write a positive one, Thumbs up for MTA