02 8320 1246 Book inspection

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 future-cost exposure flagged · buyer walked away

A 2021 Tesla Model 3 with a battery-health concern

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

Private seller. Asking $42,990. Listing claimed 'genuine 480km range'. The case records an 82.4% SoH result. That is a test-time assessment, not a prediction of when replacement will be required or what it will cost.

Battery SoH (vs ~90% expected)

Degradation in 4 years (norm: ~6%)

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 the vehicle was a recorded repairable write-off.

Tailgate paint depth (factory: 140μm)

Negotiated off asking

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.

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

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.

DPF soot loading (limit: 100%)

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.

Essential checkpoints passed

Findings of any severity

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 creeping into the upper tolerance. A documented EA888-family wear pattern on Mk7 GTIs that have run extended oil intervals — and a $5,200 bill the seller wasn't willing to acknowledge.

Cold-start chain rattle

Quoted timing-chain job avoided

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.

Realistic over-valuation

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.

Pack SoH (healthy)

Module 7 below pack average

Negotiated on-site by inspector

Read full case study

$8,900 saved · buyer walked away

A 2017 Outback with a CVT that was 'just a software update away'

2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium CVT — 142,800km · Bondi

Family seller in Bondi. Asking $17,990. A subtle shudder at 50–70km/h was dismissed as 'a known software thing'. Our stall-speed test, a magnetic plug check and a 30-second fluid sample said otherwise.

CVT fluid smell + dark colour

Quoted reman CVT replacement

Stall speed above spec

Read full case study

Approved · buyer purchased at asking

A 2023 Kia EV6 that genuinely deserved its asking price

2023 Kia EV6 Air RWD — 18,600km · Hurstville

Dealer demo car in Hurstville. Asking $52,990. Buyer wanted the confidence to pay full retail on a near-new EV without second-guessing herself for the next five years. We gave it.

Battery SoH (expected: 95–97%)

Comprehensive checkpoints passed

Repair estimate in report

Read full case study

Walked away · structural failure risk

A 'country-owned' Navara hiding chassis rust under a fresh underseal

2018 Nissan Navara ST-X 2.3L Twin-Turbo — 168,400km · Campbelltown

Private seller in Campbelltown. Asking $32,500. 'Always garaged, lifelong country ute, never near salt.' The underseal looked suspiciously fresh. A pick through it found rust scale you could lift off in flakes.

Chassis rail sections flagged

Recently re-applied underseal

Chassis repair estimate

Read full case study

$1,400 negotiated off · buyer purchased

A Camry Hybrid with a tired 12V aux that masked itself as a 'flat key fob'

2018 Toyota Camry Ascent Hybrid 2.5L — 89,300km · Burwood

Private seller in Burwood. Asking $24,490. 'It just needs a new key battery — the car wouldn't wake up this morning.' A scan tool, a load test and a glance at the hybrid SoH told a different story.

Hybrid traction-battery SoH

12V aux measured (rated 410CCA)

Negotiated off asking

Read full case study

$4,800 negotiated off · buyer purchased

A 2016 Hilux SR5 that was 'just doing a burn-off' every morning

2016 Toyota Hilux SR5 2.8L Diesel — 134,200km · Castle Hill

Private seller in Castle Hill. Asking $42,990. 'It does a burn-off every morning — totally normal for these.' Our scan tool showed 14 failed regens in the rolling log, 168% soot loading and pressure-sensor readings that pointed straight at Toyota's well-documented 2.8L DPF program.

DPF soot loading (target: under 100%)

Negotiated off asking

Failed regen attempts in log

Read full case study

$6,200 saved · buyer walked away

A 2017 X-Trail with a CVT that whined like a dentist's drill

2017 Nissan X-Trail ST-L 2.5L CVT — 98,400km · Maroubra

Dealer in Maroubra. Asking $22,490. 'CVTs are always a bit noisy.' Our stall-speed test showed 295rpm of converter slip and the belt-slip ratio was outside the relearn window — a known T32 failure pattern.

Converter slip above tolerance

Quoted CVT rebuild avoided

Belt-slip ratio (limit: 2.5%)

Read full case study

$5,800 saved · buyer walked away

A 'bargain' BMW 320i that was 10,000km from a $5,800 engine-out job

2015 BMW 320i Luxury Line F30 LCI — 112,600km · Mosman

Private seller in Mosman. Asking $24,990. Listed $3,000 below RedBook. Our 7am cold-start caught a 3-second timing-chain rattle, and the underbody inspection found fresh oil weeping from the filter housing onto the exhaust heat shield.

Cold-start chain rattle

Quoted timing-chain + housing job

Vanos cam offset (BMW spec: under 4.0)

Read full case study

$3,600 negotiated off · buyer purchased

A family Everest that towed too hard and paid the price

2015 Ford Everest Titanium 3.2L Diesel — 156,800km · Gordon

Private seller in Gordon. Asking $38,990. 'Tows our caravan every holidays, never missed a beat.' Our scan tool showed DPF ash accumulation at 187% and a torque-converter lock-up shudder at 80km/h — both common on 3.2L Everests that have done serious towing.

DPF ash accumulation (limit: 100%)

Negotiated off asking

Converter shudder speed

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