Forensic Vehicle Inspections for NCAT & Legal Proceedings

Please note that roadworthy inspection is completely different from roadside inspection. Roadside inspection of a third party’s vehicle is limited to a visual check with no hoist facility, equipment, proper lighting, or permission to work on the vehicle, but roadworthy is the opposite.

In roadside inspection, we jack the vehicle up from one side where the vehicle is parked only to go under the vehicle with limited access to the suspension and underbody. Even if the vehicle is high enough and jacking is not required, still the suspension is under pressure of the body weight and no minor cracks or imperfections can be seen. We also cannot take all the wheels off anyone’s vehicle and have no permission to work on the vehicle so inevitably small and minor issues such as a cracked boot or suspension issues, brake routers and pads thickness, bad light bulbs especially when we have full daylight as well as minor leaks and seepages especially when under the engine is covered cannot be detected.

Roadside pre-purchase inspection finds major mechanical issues in the vehicle such as bad engine, gearbox and electronics or major previous collisions, which is the best decision before purchasing any used vehicle. It saves people from buying a bad vehicle, but it cannot guarantee that it passes roadworthy tests, especially interstate.

Roadworthy and changing registration is however different and its focus is mainly on vehicle safety. This is a meticulous job, needs a hoist facility, FULL PERMISSION to work on the vehicle and open parts if needed and needs to be done at an authorised service centre. To do this the vehicle needs to go up on a hoist with all the wheels hanging to see the majorly cracked suspension bushes and every inch of the underbody needs to be seen by the technician. The wheels must also be taken off and discs and pads will be carefully inspected and measured for thickness. Lights will also be checked undercover to ensure they all work.

Although a vehicle with a bad powertrain, failed electronics, rusted body, poor paint and bad cosmetic status or a vehicle that has been involved in a major crash which can be mostly picked up during pre-purchase inspection, can easily pass roadworthy as long as the roadworthy items are checked out, a mechanically sound vehicle cannot necessarily pass roadworthy especially interstate.