Case studies — Real Sydney pre-purchase inspections

Case studies

What our inspections actually find.

Real Sydney inspections, anonymised. Battery degradation a buyer would never have seen. Accident repair the seller didn't disclose. And the occasional perfect car that earns a clean report.

$19,400 saved · buyer walked away

A 2021 Tesla Model 3 with a quietly degraded battery

2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range — 78,400km · Balmain

Private seller. Asking $42,990. Listing claimed 'genuine 480km range'. Our AVILOO flash test put the pack at 71.8% SoH — well outside warranty and a known precursor to module failure.

71.8%

Battery SoH (vs 91% expected)

$19,400

Replacement-pack quote

90 min

Onsite inspection time

Read full case study

$7,800 negotiated off · buyer purchased

A 'one-owner' Ranger that had been hit hard at the rear

2022 Ford Ranger XLT 3.0L V6 — 41,200km · Blacktown

Dealer listing, 'no accident history'. Our paint-depth gauge read 380μm across the tailgate and rear quarter — twice the factory thickness. The dealer eventually disclosed a Cat 3 repairable write-off.

380μm

Tailgate paint depth (factory: 140μm)

$7,800

Negotiated off asking

Cat 3

Repairable write-off (undisclosed)

Read full case study

Approved · buyer purchased at asking

A 2023 BYD Atto 3 that genuinely was as good as the listing said

2023 BYD Atto 3 Extended Range — 22,400km · Chatswood

Not every inspection finds a problem. About 18% of our PPIs come back clean. Here's what that looks like — and why the report is still worth every dollar.

94.2%

Battery SoH (model-year expected: 95–96%)

150/150

Checkpoints passed

Findings of any severity

Read full case study

$6,400 negotiated off · buyer purchased

A Mazda CX-5 diesel with a blocked DPF the seller called 'just a warning light'

2019 Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport 2.2L Diesel — 96,800km · Parramatta

Private seller. Asking $28,990. 'Warning light just needs a reset.' Our scan tool showed 14 failed regen attempts, soot loading at 142% and a torque-converter shudder under load — a $6,400 fix on the horizon.

142%

DPF soot loading (limit: 100%)

$6,400

Negotiated off asking

Failed regen attempts in log

Read full case study

Approved · buyer purchased at asking

A first-car Hyundai i30 that earned a clean Essential report

2018 Hyundai i30 Active 2.0L Auto — 64,300km · Liverpool

Mum buying a first car for her P-plater son. Asking $14,990. Private seller. Our Essential Inspection found no faults of any severity — and gave her permission to pay asking with confidence.

85/85

Essential checkpoints passed

Findings of any severity

5.2mm

Front pad thickness (new: 10mm)

Read full case study

$5,200 saved · buyer walked away

A 'cheap' VW Golf GTI that was 30,000km from a $5,200 engine job

2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk7 2.0 TSI — 124,600km · Newtown

Listed $4,000 below market. Cold-start at 7am revealed a 4-second timing-chain rattle. The scan tool confirmed cam-position deviation at the upper tolerance. A known failure on EA888 Gen3 engines — and a $5,200 bill the seller wasn't willing to acknowledge.

Cold-start chain rattle

$5,200

Quoted timing-chain job avoided

8.4°

Cam-position deviation (limit: 10°)

Read full case study

Walked away · fraud reported

A 'low-km' tradie HiAce with a service book that didn't add up

2019 Toyota HiAce LWB 2.8L Diesel — 'displayed' 87,400km · Penrith

Trader-private sale. Asking $46,990. PPSR clean. Service book showed 87,400km. The windscreen oil-change sticker said 271,800km. The ECU engine-hours counter agreed with the sticker, not the dash.

184,400km

Hidden mileage

$14,000

Realistic over-valuation

5,210hrs

ECU engine hours (≈260,000km)

Read full case study

$4,800 negotiated on-site · buyer purchased

An MG ZS EV with a single bad cell — and a senior inspector who renegotiated $4,800

2022 MG ZS EV Essence — 31,200km · Hornsby

Dealer listing in Hornsby. Pack SoH was a respectable 92.4%, but module 7 was 4.2% below pack average — a known precursor to a single-module warranty replacement. Our senior inspector negotiated on-site and got it in writing.

92.4%

Pack SoH (healthy)

4.2%

Module 7 below pack average

$4,800

Negotiated on-site by inspector

Read full case study

Want this on your next car?

Same inspectors, same methodology, same report format. Booking takes 90 seconds.

Book inspection See a sample report