Scotia Inspections Reviews 

Good experience so far. James and Angela kept me up to date with the status of inspection.

We bought a car from V12 and the had a massive leak of Adblue which after speaking to V12 they would not take responsibility for. They wanted us to pay a £13.5k bill to fix. They asked us to use Scotia as an independent Assessor to see what actually was wrong with the car. We have been without our family car for over 2.5 months with nothing coming back from V12.

Scotias report has said that the amount of damage that has occurred looks like it was preexisting from when we bought the car. V12 had subsequently now sent an email to Scotia trying to put the blame back on to us and asked Scotia to verify as such.

I will keep update but at the moment Scotia have been very helpful and forthcoming.

My husband bought a car on finance and it started going wrong after 6 days. After a lot of back and forth and the RAC estimating a total of £3k worth of repairs that the warranty company wouldn’t cover it was said to return the car after 30 days. Scotia were asked to do an independent report which states The vehicle presents with multiple serious mechanical and safety-related defects, including fractured wheel, excessive suspension wear, CV joint damage, and DPF efficiency issues. These faults render the vehicle dangerous and unroadworthy in its current state. These defects are consistent with long-term wear, poor maintenance. The suspension and drivetrain defects exhibit clear signs of progressive deterioration, which would have developed post-sale in our professional opinion.

And then they concluded with We do not consider the noted defects to have prematurely failed relative to the mileage covered. These issues would not have been present or developing at the point of sale. Based on our inspection and experience, the selling agent cannot reasonably be held liable for rectification.

Completely biased report in favour of the dealership! If the fault is long term damage and then he had notified them of the issues after just 6 days of owning the vehicle then how do you deem the customer responsible? Your report is not easy to read and you contradict your own statements!

I think they get paid by the dealership to write fake reports and to always side them in every instance.

I would rate 0 if I could. I am in dispute with my dealership after my 10000 used car broke down after 4 months of use. Warrantywise also terrible company, I paid extra for Gold Standard warranty which should cover 'all engine parts' as stated on their terms. However, my garage stated they were unsure of the fault and would need to take the engine apart. My finance company arranged for Scotia to perform and independent 'expert' inspection. What I got after dragging the whole thing out another 2 weeks is that the car was not running therefore they could not diagnose the fault. They could not confirm that the engine fault was present at the point of sale. Finance company said that therefore it was my responsibility. Not only will I be paying almost 15000 including interest on the finance, I am now having to get a loan to pay 6000 for a new engine. So altogether 21000 for an est value 8000 car! Thanks guys! Single mum working full time as a midwife for the NHS and you have royally screwed me over! No clue what your doing, can't even tell me what's wrong with the car. Stay away from these companies. I've never felt so devastated and ripped off in my whole life.

Would rate 0 if I could, I was told they would be here in the afternoon around 2-3 and then early morning get a call to say he was 5 minutes away and be ready when I had made plans for the morning… I was then met with Rude man who tried to intimidate me and belittle me throughout the full inspection, any young women or anyone who doesn’t really know much about cars please have someone there with you so you do not have to feel the way I did during my inspection.

Told me one thing in person and wrote another thing on the report, when my finance company recommended me to use these I didn’t think twice about having to check them I thought they would be reputable but no absolutely not, it’s like they are working for the finance company and doing everything they can to ensure the report goes against you regardless of what they say to you in person.

Only 1star because i can’t put a zero.
Promised me an inspection would be done in-time for me getting home.
A week later no one had showed up & when i called i was told it only going to be done after i had already agreed to collect the car. Total waste of time full of bad promises.

I was skeptical about Scotia after my finance company assigned them for my car inspection, especially after reading some of the reviews. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the service I received. Rod was punctual, polite, and highly professional when he came to my property. He was clearly knowledgeable, having already researched the issue, but he also took the time to understand the specific background of the faults with my car. The report was completed and available to the finance company within a week. Thanks to Rod's clear explanation of the fault, I now have the information I need to reject the car.

Go get an independent specialist to check this and pay it - under no circumstance use this company. They are crooks and lie through their teeth - all of which is being documented against them and I am spreading awareness online.

Without the help and experience of James and his team I would have faced a very hard battle against LV .
But with their report my vehicle was finally writing off and the claim brought to an end.
Many thanks 👍

Absolutely amazing. Very thorough, extremely knowledgeable and super friendly. I’m not an expert in cars, but each member of staff broke down each step of the process and provided information in customer friendly language so that I could understand all the information being provided which highlights their outstanding customer service - they are worth every penny.

I had an excellent experience with Scotia. The engineers were really helpful and reports were impartial, supportive and assisted with the finance company accepting return of the vehicle. The engineers were patient and exercised professionalism despite the car dealership (Auto trade southwest) refusing inspections a few times. Car was a Mercedes c250. First report written by David Thomas. Best regards, Nicholas.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY

Can’t believe this company is still in business.

Nigel Heaton is an absolute fraud and should be completely and utterly ashamed of himself. Claims to of been 40 years in the industry but doesn’t know the difference between a wheel nut rattling in the glove compartment and an actual fault noise

This particular gentleman lied on an official legal document about my vehicle’s condition.

Claimed a metal rattling noise was a fault within the car however it was a wheel locking nut rattling within the glove compartment when driving. This was one of multiple cover ups this gentleman produced on a vehicle inspection report to stay on the finance company’s side to prevent me rejecting a vehicle and to side with the dealer.

My vehicle once recovered from the dealership produced not a single fault that was produced on his report.

He is a disgusting man and deserves any licences he holds stripped.

Nigel if your reading this you are a joke mate

I had an excellent experience with Scotia. Their process was incredibly easy from start to finish. I first spoke to an agent, who then connected me with an engineer. The report they provided actually worked in my favor, and as a result, the dealership I purchased my car from has accepted liability for the necessary repairs.

I had only owned the car for a year, so I trusted my gut feeling that the issue might have been present at the time of purchase. Regardless of the outcome, I want to commend Scotia for their professionalism throughout the entire process. The engineer provided a detailed report, complete with clear pictures, explaining the findings in simple yet thorough terms.

I would absolutely recommend Scotia. Additionally, like with my dealership, there's a good chance that the dealership would refund the cost of the report if it comes back in your favour. I also believe the charge for the report is quite reasonable, given the thoroughness of the service provided.

I had Mark inspect my vehicle, lovely man, very helpful and insightful. The report was in my favour thankfully due to an engine issue at the time of purchase. Still disputing it 2 months later with the dealer (The Trade Centre)! The prices are a bit expensive however, the report was very detailed and easy to read and documented proof of everything you might need.

Thank you Angus for attending for my vehicle inspection. He was very thorough and knowledgeable whilst conducting the inspection. Thank you for the report, would highly recommend using scotia for reports.

Customer service was great. They were communicative, inspected my car and wrote the report very quickly. Very happy with their service! 5 stars

Back in April 2024, my daughter purchased a well-known named brand second-hand car from a used car sales company in Stevenage having paid £14K cash for it. Towards the end of July 2024, we noticed there was white smoke coming from the exhaust, so I brought it to the attention of the used car sales company where the vehicle was purchased from. They told us to get it inspected by an independent garage mechanic and to forward the vehicle inspection report to them. However, there was no mention of them paying for the inspection to be carried out and subsequent report submitted. As the underlying issue with the vehicle wasn’t happening all the time, coupled with my daughter’s personal circumstances, we didn’t get an inspection report done. Then back in December 2024, the problem was more evident/persistent as there was car oil coming from the exhaust. We got it looked at by a local garage mechanic who thought it could have something to do with the turbo, but he was only speculating following his own inspection. He advised we should get it checked by a certified brand manufacturer garage and obtain an inspection report. Again, I reported it to the used car sales company whom arranged for a representative working on behalf of Scotia Vehicle Inspection to attend our postal address to inspect the vehicle at a date in January 2025. Prior to the visit I requested the vehicle be inspected by a certified garage or dealership to that of the manufacturer of this used car. However, I was told by the used car sales company that they are not independent, which I profusely disagree with what they were saying. They arranged for Scotia Vehicle Inspection to attend instead. Immediately after the vehicle inspection had been completed, I was told one thing by the mechanic who attended, which gave me a lot of hope in this case, but on receipt of the completed vehicle inspection report which was forwarded to me by the used car sales company after I requested to see a copy, it totally contradicted what he had told me. Based on the findings of the report, the used car sales company have insisted they are not culpable and are closing the case at their end. Needless to say the fault (root cause) of the white smoke/oil coming from the exhaust is yet to be established as a more comprehensive investigation/check is required as suggested by the mechanic at the time of the visit as he wasn’t able to identify the problem. I am extremely wary of Scotia Vehicle Inspection as a company based on our own recent experience. Are they really an independent vehicle inspection company? I think not! Moreover, I have to question whether they have any affiliation to this used car sales company? If I could give Scotia Vehicle Inspection a zero rating in this review, then there would be no hesitation on my part. Finally, my fight continues with the used car sales company as £14K is a great amount to lose for less than 8 months usage of a product.

Ray Dunkley, spent 5 minutes and said all positive to me and on the report put everything opposite. Because of his report towards the dealership and finance company I have been affected a lot. This has affected my health and face me financial difficulties. I have the right to return the dangerous vehicle back is within 6 months but ray dunkley and scotia they have received payment to act behalf of finance company. Ridiculous you all who is involved in this will one day face all the stress I have faced. I pray you all will do that. Learn to live and don't play with other peoples hard times.

If I could put zero I would they tell lies I had a guy called Aaron he didn’t do all the checks as he took pictures of checks I payed to have done he told me what the issue was asking side a garage had already told me plus other things I felt positive until he did his report utter lies so they are definitely getting back handers from finance company’s utterly sly company i would never recommend these cowboys .

James was spot-on with identifying the problem over the phone long before inspecting my vehicle that it wasn’t as claimed by Nissan for 5 years (!) that it was my handbrake module causing my car to jam, but in fact it was my callipers! I can’t fault this company for their expertise who are clearly mechanics and not rip-off technicians like Nissan who only know how to work a diagnostic computer according to their handbook. James even liaised with the Motor Ombudsman and a 3rd Nissan technician to highlight my callipers WERE the problem. Now to get the money back from Nissan via a small claims court as Nissan continue to play hard ball with not paying me the long overdue £1600 refund despite the Motor Ombudsman supporting the case in my favour…!

CHEATING company. Don’t trust, you will get stressed. They work together with broker and dealership so they won’t help. Car didn’t start and they done a fake inspection. How can they do inspect a car without even starting the car? The person came over to only spend 5 minutes, inspected my vehicle and could see the errors and said he will mention all this, but what he wrote down on the report was opposite and favour to the dealership. I won’t leave this matter and will go to the court and proof all with evidence.