Prestons sits in the Liverpool LGA between Camden Valley Way, Bernera Road and the M7, with a large industrial estate on its western edge. We inspect the car where it is parked — driveway, kerb or yard — and give you the written report before you hand over a deposit.
Two things shape a 2170 job: motorway access on the doorstep, and a suburb where working utes and vans are parked next to family cars on the same streets.
A ute or van that has carried weight is not automatically a bad buy, but it needs different checks: rear spring sag and bump-stop contact, tray or canopy mounting points and the corrosion underneath them, towbar attachment to the chassis, clutch or torque-converter behaviour under load, and on diesels the DPF status and any stored regeneration faults read off the scan tool. We photograph what we find rather than describing it in general terms.
Where the car is registered and insured and the seller consents, having a motorway on-ramp minutes away means the road test can actually load the driveline — sustained speed for vibration and wheel balance, a proper lock-up cycle for the transmission, and firm braking from real speed for shudder and pull. Suburban laps around Kurrajong Road would tell you very little by comparison.
Summer here is hot and the cars work. Rather than assume, we pressure-test the cooling system, inspect the radiator, cap and hose condition, check coolant strength and cleanliness, and watch live temperature behaviour under load on the road test. Heat damage shows up early in those measurements long before it becomes a head gasket conversation.
Lifts, bars, lighting, tow packs and wheel and tyre changes are common on vehicles in the area. We record what is fitted, look at how it was fitted — chassis attachment, wiring integrity, tyre load rating against the placard — and flag anything that would attract attention at inspection time. It is a description of the vehicle's condition, not legal advice.
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 Prestons. 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 Prestons 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.
Not automatically. What matters is whether the load and towing it did has already been paid for by the suspension, clutch or driveline, and whether the tray or canopy mounts are hiding corrosion or repair. Those are all inspectable, and the report tells you the condition rather than the history you were told.
Yes. We read the diesel particulate filter data the vehicle reports — soot and ash loading where the manufacturer exposes it, regeneration history and any stored or pending related faults — and combine that with exhaust condition and behaviour on the road test. We report the readings and what they indicate.
No. 2170 is inside the standard service area, so you pay the published tier price: $199 Essential, $329 Comprehensive or $449 Elite, plus $199 if you add the EV and hybrid battery health assessment. All GST inclusive.
Where the car is registered and insured and the seller agrees, yes — that is the whole point of being this close to the M7. If a road test is not possible, the report says so and explains what could not be assessed as a result.
Comprehensive and Elite reports are issued on site before the inspector leaves; Essential reports arrive the same day. Every report is photo-backed and finishes with a clear verdict.
Prestons sits inside our South West Sydney 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 PrestonsBook a same-day inspection in Prestons
At the seller's address · from $199
