Artarmon is two suburbs in one: quiet residential streets east of the railway, and the industrial and light-commercial pocket west of it around Reserve Road and Whiting Street. Cars are sold out of both, and where the car sits changes what we can assess without moving it.
The rail line splits Artarmon into a residential half and a working half, and an inspection runs differently on each side of it.
Around Reserve Road, Whiting Street and Hotham Parade, vehicles are often parked on hard stands or in commercial units. That is good ground to work on — flat, open and clear — but access is business-hours only and units are frequently gated. We confirm the gate arrangement and a contact on site before the booked time so the inspector is not standing at a roller door.
East of the railway, kerbside space is tight and many streets are one-way or heavily parked. Doors that cannot open fully make hinge, sill and door-card assessment unreliable, and there is no room to sight along a panel for ripples. Where that is the case we move the car a short distance to somewhere with clearance rather than declaring the panel sound.
The freeway and the Lane Cove Tunnel approach are minutes away, so the road test can carry sustained speed and a loaded climb. Driveline vibration, wheel balance, steering pull, brake shudder and torque-converter lock-up behaviour show up under those conditions and rarely at suburban speeds.
The commercial pocket means a proportion of cars offered here are ex-business vehicles. That is not a problem in itself, but it makes the paperwork more important: we compare the VIN and build plate against the listing, check the service record against the odometer reading, and the PPSR check on Comprehensive and Elite confirms whether a financier still has a registered interest.
You don't need to be there and you don't need to move the car. Timing depends on inspector availability in your area and on when the seller can make the vehicle available — we confirm a time with you once we've spoken to them.
Send the listing and the address of the car. Tell us if there is anything specific you want checked.
We contact the seller or the dealership directly and lock in a time that suits both sides, based on inspector availability in your area. You don't need to be there.
A qualified mobile inspector attends the vehicle where it is and works through the full checklist, including a road test.
Comprehensive and Elite reports are issued on site. Essential reports are delivered the same day. Every report ends with a plain-English recommendation and a phone call if you want to talk it through.
Every price below includes travel within our Sydney service area, so there is no surcharge for Artarmon. All prices include GST.
Visual and mechanical safety check, OBD-II scan, measured brake and tyre life, battery and charging test, and a road test.
Written photo report the same day
with code SAVE10
Everything in Essential plus a full mechanical assessment, an undertray-off leak-source check where safe and permitted, every suspension bush inspected, PPSR history and repair-cost estimates.
Report issued on site, before the inspector leaves
Everything in Comprehensive plus a senior inspector, paint-thickness readings on every panel, cold-start assessment, advanced history deep-dive and on-site price negotiation.
Report issued on site, before the inspector leaves
Adds a measured state-of-health assessment of the high-voltage battery on any EV or hybrid, issued as a separate certificate.
Certificate issued with your report
If we miss a major fault that was present at the time of inspection on an Elite Buyers' Protection inspection, we contribute up to $3,000 toward the repair within 30 days. Essential and Comprehensive do not include this cover.
A pre-purchase inspection in Artarmon removes most of the risk in a used-car purchase. It does not remove all of it, and you should know where the edges are before you book.
Yes. Hard stands and commercial units are good ground to inspect on — level, open and well clear of traffic. The only real constraint is access: most units are gated and staffed only during business hours, so we confirm a site contact and a time when you book.
$199 Essential, $329 Comprehensive or $449 Elite, with the EV and hybrid battery health assessment available as a $199 add-on to any tier. All prices include GST and cover travel — Artarmon 2064 is inside the standard Sydney service area.
No. A service confirms that certain maintenance items were carried out; it does not assess crash repair, structural condition, fault codes stored in modules, brake and tyre remaining life, or whether the car matches its paperwork. We check the service record against the odometer as one input among many.
Where the car is registered and insured and the seller consents, yes. Sustained speed is the only reliable way to assess wheel balance, driveline vibration and gearbox lock-up behaviour. If a road test is not permitted, the report states that rather than leaving the section blank.
Yes. Light commercials are inspected on the same tiers, with the load area, rear suspension, tow-bar mounting and any fitted racking assessed as part of the body and underbody work.
Artarmon sits inside our North Shore coverage. If the car you're chasing is a few suburbs over, it's the same service and the same price.
Tell us where the car is and we'll arrange the inspection with the seller. Written repair cover on Elite (30 days / up to $3,000).
Inspection in ArtarmonBook a same-day inspection in Artarmon
At the seller's address · from $199
