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[NSW, ACT] Free Car Health Check at Home for Members @ NRMA

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Preventative maintenance :) Best part is they come to you. Nice when you already pay for NRMA membership to get an extra service instead of just when things go wrong.

Just got mine done. Really good, the guy knew his stuff and now I have some idea of how much my next service/pink slip fixes will be and can plan ahead to save costs (maybe get some parts myself).

Just ring them and book in a time.

What you get:
- Test your vehicle’s battery condition, battery charge rate and starter motor operation with a print out of test results.
- Check tyre pressure, condition and tread depth to make sure they’re road worthy.
- Check fluids levels under bonnet including engine oil, coolant and windscreen washer reservoir.
Inspect windscreen for chips or cracks.
- Check the condition and operation of windscreen wipers.
- Ensure fuel and temperature gauges are operating correctly.
- Make sure all lights and indicators are working correctly.
- Visually check your fan/drive belt for signs of wear.
- Visually inspect all hoses and pipes for leaks and wear.

For people who can't do all that themselves, or don't have the time to.

Related Stores

NRMA (National Roads and Motorists' Association)
NRMA (National Roads and Motorists' Association)

closed Comments

  • Any other states providing similar services?

  • Says the page doesn't exist for me. Any clue why?

    • Whoops sorry, link fixed.

  • +7

    They have stopped doing pre-purchase checks (which you pay for) due to Covid …. but are doing these for free, not sure there is much logic here.

    • Strange.
      I was asked to wear a mask, and he was too, but yeah strange.

  • +1

    OP the link has an extra 'y' in it at the end it appears

    • +1

      Thank you Jase1, fixed now

  • Indirect check to valuate the car ?

    • +1

      Yeah thats what I was thinking too, its a good way for them to check your car and find reasons to bump up your insurance costs.

      • +1

        I guess you're referring to comprehensive insurance.. I only have their roadside assistance and its price is fixed every year so this logic won't work there.

      • +1

        NRMA and IAG are different entities. IAG use the "NRMA Insurance" name under license.

        • National Roads and Motorists' Association Limited, ABN 77 000 010 506, trading as NRMA, is a separate and independent company from Insurance Australia Limited, ABN 11 000 016 722, trading as NRMA Insurance.
      • While NRMA roadside assistance and NRMA Insurance share the NRMA name, they are completely different companies with completely different owners. So this will not affect your NRMA insurance in anyway as NRMA Insurance will not get any information from this service.

      • Also pointing to the time when a claim is made . Their is already history available with the insurance .

  • What's in it for them?
    I get my local Motorserve to do this - they do quite a bit of work complimentary.
    They're great guys BTW and look after me.
    NRMA insurance is another matter for (not) helping customers.

    • +1

      Yeah, I don't know. It is on their list of benefits for membership, so maybe an incentive to go with then… but I only just noticed it the other day, so mustn't have been around for too long.

  • +3

    If only they would do a NSW pink slip for me while they're at it.

    • +1

      (I know hey)

    • That would be a real great deal then. Mine is due very soon.

    • You can get mobile pink slips done in nsw

  • It's only in NSW/ACT.

    "*Vehicle health check is available to all NRMA Members in NSW and ACT with a valid subscription package until the 31st January 2021. Offer is not redeemable for cash. NRMA reserves the right to terminate this offer at our discretion. Standard NRMA Membership terms and conditions apply."

    I have a valid membership but can't obtain this deal because I'm in VIC.

    • Oooo thanks, I thought nrma was just for nsw so assumed. Will add.

      • No worries.
        I got the membership together with simplyengergy. Still trying to figure out what benefits I have/ can access.
        I was excited when I read the deal, a bit less when I read the fineprint ;-)

        • Ah yep I see. Can you get the 3-5c off caltex/woolies?

          • +1

            @Embaloo: I still have my 11-7 helecopter.
            Most of the time this is better than 3-5c.

  • Thanks OP

    Got it booked for tomorrow. There was just 3min call wait time..

    • Np, hmm wonder if roadside assistance peak time or ozb peak time..

  • +1

    I booked and the guy came out within 10 mins and did it instantly

    • Do they give some sort of a report?

      • +1

        No, all verbal. The only thing they gave me on paper was the results on the battery capacity etc.

  • +2

    I wonder how they check fuel gauge… does he sip out half a tank? 😄

    I guess great for people that know nothing about cars, however it's really basic check.

    • Yeah I was wondering that too. Unfortunately wasn't around the whole time.

    • +1

      The indicator is near console display. lol That's how it is.

  • +3

    Hand in your man card

    • But I’m a lady you know

  • +5

    Had an "experience" with NRMA when they offered free stuff.

    At one time, NRMA offered a pink slip check for free. I have just bought a second hand car and it is up for its first pink slip check. I did not have my regular service station yet at that time as this is my first car in Australia. So i thought this is great, free pink slip check!

    Took it to NRMA for the pink slip check and it failed the check due to two reasons:
    1. Child seat not secure according to them. Need to purchase extra part from NRMA called buckle clip and labour cost for installing them. Normally this is required for older car where the seat belt does not have ALR or ELR (Automatic Locking Retraction, or Emergency Locking Retraction) mechanism. Guess what my car has it yet they said I need to purchase that part to secure the child seat. It is like when our front door has a lock and someone said you will need to install a second lock to make it "safer". It is true that the second lock would make it a bit safer? Yes of course any additional securities is an additional safety measure. Is it necessary?
    2. Both of the front car wheels need to be replaced as it was not roadworthy according to the NRMA technician as one of the outer tread fall below 1.5mm (the main tread is measured at 3mm). I posted a question about this 3 years back and there were pro and cons about this in that discussion:
    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2680151

    The bottom line from what I learned is, nothing is free in this world. They can check it for "free" and they can pick up a grey area and ask you to fix/replace it. Well in my case my pink slip is on the line, so I have no option but to replace them once they call it out.

    Ps: I ended up taking it back to one of the mechanics to get the new tyres (who initially gave the opinion the tyres does not necessarily need to be replaced yet and NRMA just seems to try making money out of it). However, since NRMA has called them out and put it on the report, its not worth for them to argue with NRMA over what potentially could be a grey area. So he advised for me to just replace them and get the pink slip passed. He has been my mechanic since.
    I bought a buckle clip (for a fraction of what NRMA quoted me) and installed them myself in minutes, again just because NRMA has called them out and put them on the report as one of the failure items.

    Now does this "free car check at home by NRMA" potentially fall into the same category of "free"? I will let you be your own judge. :)

    • Yep :) it's free :)
      Pink slips you have to fix issues before you can register your car.
      This check is literally that, a check. Nobody telling you you actually have to change anything they find, just recommendations.
      Sucks for your story though man, they mucked around!

  • Is this only if you have Road side assistance with NRMA? As I only just do the insurance with them so wondering if I’m eligible?

    • Different Companies

    • Hmm not sure, sorry, did you try anyway?

      • nah i didn't after "steptoe" said different companies. guess no harm trying.. ? lol

  • +1

    I had mine done recently. Turns out my car was in great shape except it needed flushing and refilling of blinker fluid.

    It seemed expensive at $750 all inclusive. But mech explained that my Camry had a HUGE 2.5L engine so it does need that much blinker fluid. He didn't even charge me labour, but to be fair it was only a two minutes job for him. Very happy.

    • +3

      Man lucky you had it done! If that blinker fluid ran out you’d be up for a new turbo. Not cheap!

      • +1

        Thanks mate, the dealership usually charges $3500 for the same work, so this was a bargain to be honest. The car runs noticeably smooth after the work. Best Christmas ever.

        PS: I find the naming conventions here ridiculous. Shock absorber does not absorb shock, radiator does not dissipate heat by radiation, and blinker fluid has nothing to do with the blinkers lol. It's rather a vital engine fluid that keeps the car running and the turbo (car is a stock Camry) in good condition.

    • Was this an actual pink slip check, or the free check?

  • +1

    Lol this is just purely fishing for work - they will tell you a bunch of stuff “you need” then Charge like a wounded bull

    • +1

      The thing is,they don't charge you anything, you can get the work.done anywhere. They don't do any maintenance themselves, just all of the checks and give recommendations.

      • A lot of people feel pressured to buy something from the person offering the freebie.

        Just like photo studios that offer a FREE* photoshoot for your family - once people feel like effort has been made on their behalf, they feel compelled to provide something in return - ie. paying for the photo package that they wouldn't have considered otherwise.

        I'm sure there's a proper psychology term for this phenomenon.

        • True. The free photoshoot trick is very infamous - they desperately lure you into a photoshoot and then you realize that all they provide is physical photo/s and not the digital ones. Physical photos aren't of much use these days. If you ask for any digital copy, a great dollar invoice awaits you.

        • +1

          I know what you mean, I have been in a similar situation, and I try to avoid that, but i genuinely found no pressure from them, more that it was just informative, and no pressure to go to them for parts/fixes either. Thankfully. A bit like laser's experience —> BUT maybe people will have different experiences.

    • Pedders come to mind. I have a number of experiences with them, but they can sometimes be good to get diagnosis done, then go somewhere more sane.
      My record is $7k of work urgently required, including needing to replace 1 month old shocks and brake pads.

      • Wouldn't even start about Pedders🤣

        I have rear air locker, so when he started that my rear limited slip diff isn't working, I just took my keys and drove away..

      • Oh Pedders, how I despise them. Went in for a $20 safety check, came back with a $4k quote for numerous fixes. Took my keys, went to my mechanic who assessed each item on the quote and laughted hard stating not a single thing needed fixing. Drove the car for another three years without any issues whatsoever before my brother sent it to car heaven.

  • This reminds of Bridgestone's free tyre checks every 6 months. The sad thing is, people will fall for it.

  • +4

    I had this done today. Very professional and the check was good for peace of mind. There was no pressure to use any of their other services apart from information that they have a mobile mechanic service.

  • +1

    Thanks OP, Finally got to it today. Have booked it in for tomorrow,

  • +1

    Just got mine done today. Called in the morning and the CSR said they'd come in 90minutes and they literally did. It was great, super professional, no selling of anything by any means so I was definitely happy about a freebie truly being a freebie.

    • +1

      Woo hoo! Glad!!

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