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Fees

What a measurement session costs

All figures are indicative and in rand. They cover our time, the fuel for the loop and the written sheet that follows. We do not take money from dealerships, importers or hire companies, so the fee is the only thing paying for the work.

A hire desk counter with keys and an agreement on it, a vehicle waiting in the bay through the glass behind.
Photograph

A hire desk counter with keys and an agreement on it, a vehicle waiting in the bay through the glass behind.

Six sessions, one at a time

Session What it covers What is included Indicative fee
Single test session Ninety minutes on the town circuit and the N1 stretch in a car you have access to, with the full comfort and noise sheet written up and sent within three working days. The usual starting point.
  • Tyre pressures set cold against the door placard with a dial gauge
  • Seat base, cushion angle, H-point and door aperture measured in millimetres
  • Cabin noise read at 60, 100 and 120 km/h on the same stretch
from R950 indicative
Comfort fitting For a specific body rather than a specific car. We measure you, then measure two candidate cars against those figures and tell you which adjustments to ask for. Useful after a hip or knee replacement.
  • Reach, step-in height and head clearance measured for the driver who will own the car
  • Two cars assessed against those figures, with the seat settings written down
  • A note on which optional seat adjustment is worth paying for and which is not
from R640 indicative
Long-run measurement The full 450 km return to the Colesberg turn-off with brim-to-brim fuel at both ends, cruising revs at a true 120 km/h and a seat-fatigue note taken at the second and third hour.
  • Fuel taken brim to brim at the same pump, with the trip-computer error recorded
  • Engine speed and noise at a satellite-measured 120 km/h on level tar
  • Range on one tank, calculated rather than estimated
from R1 480 indicative
Second-hand sanity check We come with you to the seller. Cold start, underbody look, glass markings, panel-gap taper, service-book arithmetic and a frank view on whether the asking price survives what we find.
  • Cold-start observation before the engine has been warmed for you
  • Glass markings and door-shut gaps checked at a low angle in daylight
  • Service record compared with the odometer and with the severe-duty schedule
from R1 150 indicative
Written note to order You name a car. We arrange access to one, put it through the full loop and write the note. If it is of general interest it goes on the hub as well, with nothing about you in it.
  • Full loop, including the gravel section and the laden ride-height measurement
  • Running cost worked out over 20 000 km a year at current pump prices
  • Three things we would not accept about the car, stated plainly
from R890 indicative
Winter and gravel assessment Built for the plains. A start at first light with frost on the glass, demister timing, the gravel section at 60 and 80 km/h, and a hail-exposure note on paint, glass and roof panels.
  • Time to clear a frosted windscreen and to warm the cabin to 20 °C
  • Rattle count on 11 km of corrugated district gravel, aircon off
  • Dust ingress checked at the boot seal, spare well and rear door shut lines
from R1 320 indicative
Fees

Three combined packages

Shortlist of three

from R2 850 indicative

For the buyer who has nine candidates, a budget and no way of choosing between them.

  • A telephone conversation about how you actually drive, kilometres and passengers included
  • Nine candidates reduced to three on measured grounds, with the reasoning written out
  • Short sessions in each of the three, with the comfort figures side by side on one page
  • Running cost for all three over 20 000 km a year, including tyres and the service plan
  • A ranked recommendation and the one question to put to each dealership

Full comfort file

from R4 400 indicative

For a driver with a back, hip or knee that sets the terms, who intends to keep the car eight years.

  • Full body measurement session at the desk in Westdene, with the figures written down
  • Four cars measured against those figures, including rear bench and boot access
  • Long-run session in the leading candidate, with fatigue notes at the second and third hour
  • A specification list: which seat, mirror and wheel options matter and which are decoration
  • A plain statement of what will still be uncomfortable, because something always is

Touring readiness

from R5 900 indicative

For the owner of a car who wants it ready for long Free State and Karoo runs rather than a new one.

  • Full loop in your own car, with every figure recorded as if it were a new-car note
  • Laden ride-height measurement with the load you actually travel with
  • Tyre, pressure and load-index review against your real passenger and luggage weight
  • Cabin noise, demister and aircon performance measured, with cheap fixes identified
  • A written run plan for the N1 south and the N6 to Aliwal North, stops included

Prices are indicative and move with the fuel price. A session booked for a car we must travel to collect carries the running cost of that trip at an indicative R6.80 a kilometre. We will tell you the figure before you agree to anything, and we will tell you when a session is not worth your money.

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