$19,400 exposure · buyer walked#01
A 2021 Tesla Model 3 degrading twice as fast as it should
2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range · 78,400km · Balmain
Private seller asking $42,990. Listing claimed a 'genuine 480km range'. Our battery health test put the pack at 82.4% SoH — well below the ~90% expected for the age and kilometres, on a trajectory pointing at an out-of-warranty replacement the next owner would inherit.
- Battery SoH
- 82.4%
- Degradation (4yr)
- 11.6%
- On-site time
- 90 min
$7,800 off · buyer purchased#02
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 — nearly triple factory thickness. Under pressure the dealer eventually disclosed the vehicle was a recorded repairable write-off.
- Paint depth
- 380μm
- Off asking
- $7,800
- Status
- WOVR
Approved · buyer purchased#03
A 2023 BYD Atto 3 that genuinely was as good as advertised
2023 BYD Atto 3 Extended Range · 22,400km · Chatswood
Not every inspection finds a problem. Roughly one in five of our reports comes back clean. Here's what that looks like — and why the report is still worth every dollar for the peace of mind of paying asking.
- Battery SoH
- 94.2%
- Checkpoints
- 150/150
- Findings
- 0
$6,400 off · buyer purchased#04
A Mazda CX-5 diesel with a blocked DPF the seller called 'a warning light'
2019 Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport 2.2L Diesel · 96,800km · Parramatta
Private seller asking $28,990. 'The 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 five-figure fix on the horizon.
- DPF soot
- 142%
- Off asking
- $6,400
- Failed regens
- 14
Approved · buyer purchased#05
A first-car Hyundai i30 that earned a clean 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 inspection found no faults of any severity — and gave her the confidence to pay asking without second-guessing herself.
- Checkpoints
- 85/85
- Findings
- 0
- Front pads
- 5.2mm
$5,200 saved · buyer walked#06
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. Our 7am cold-start caught a 4-second timing-chain rattle. Scan-tool logs confirmed cam-position deviation creeping into the upper tolerance — a documented EA888 wear pattern on Mk7 GTIs that have run extended oil intervals.
- Chain rattle
- 4s
- Avoided bill
- $5,200
- Cam deviation
- 8.4°
Walked away · fraud reported#07
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. The 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.
- Hidden km
- 184,400
- Over-valued
- $14,000
- ECU hours
- 5,210
$4,800 negotiated on-site#08
An MG ZS EV with a single bad cell caught before handover
2022 MG ZS EV Essence · 31,200km · Hornsby
Dealer listing. 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 renegotiated on-site and got the discount in writing.
- Pack SoH
- 92.4%
- Module 7 vs pack
- -4.2%
- Off asking
- $4,800
$8,900 saved · buyer walked#09
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 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 — the fluid was dark and burnt.
- CVT fluid
- Burnt
- Reman CVT quote
- $8,900
- Stall speed
- +340rpm
Approved · buyer purchased#10
A 2023 Kia EV6 that genuinely deserved its asking price
2023 Kia EV6 Air RWD · 18,600km · Hurstville
Dealer demo car, asking $52,990. The 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 — every checkpoint passed, no findings.
- Battery SoH
- 96.1%
- Checkpoints
- 150/150
- Repair est.
- $0
Walked away · structural risk#11
A 'country-owned' Navara hiding chassis rust under fresh underseal
2018 Nissan Navara ST-X 2.3L Twin-Turbo · 168,400km · Campbelltown
Private seller 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 across three of four chassis rail sections.
- Chassis rails
- 3 of 4
- Underseal
- Fresh
- Repair est.
- $11,500+
$4,800 off · buyer purchased#12
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 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
- 168%
- Off asking
- $4,800
- Failed regens
- 14