Know Where Your Vehicle Stands.

Vehicle Inspection Packages in Edmonton — Pick the Depth You Need

Four levels of inspection, from a $29.95 quick check to a $99.95 front-to-back comprehensive, plus inspections built for a purpose — a road trip, a used-vehicle purchase, or the change of seasons. Every one ends the same way: a written report and a straight conversation about what matters now and what can wait.

Nobody in Alberta makes you do any of these. That is worth saying plainly, because some shops write about inspections as though they were an obligation. They are not — a private vehicle in this province is never due for a routine inspection. The only reason to buy one is that it tells you something useful, so the job of this page is to help you pick the one that will.

The Four Levels at a Glance.

Prices include the inspection and the written report. If we find something, you get a quote before any work is done, and no work is done without your say-so.

Which One Should You Book?

Match the inspection to the question you are asking, not to the size of the number. A newer car with a service history has a different question than a fifteen-year-old truck you are deciding whether to keep, and the right inspection for each is different.

25-Point — when you want the essentials looked at

$29.95. This is the look-over: the items that matter most for safety and the things most likely to leave you stuck, checked and written down. It is the inspection for someone who is not worried about anything in particular but has not had the car looked at in a while, or who is about to lend it, sell it, or hand it to a new driver.

At this level you can expect the basics: tires and pressures, brake condition as far as it can be seen through the wheels, every exterior light, wipers and washer, fluid levels, a battery test, and a look for anything visibly leaking or hanging. [CONFIRM against the shop's 25-point sheet — trim anything not actually on it.]

One thing to know before you book it: every oil change here already includes a check of the basics while the car is up. If you are due for an oil change anyway, book that and you will get most of this for nothing. The 25-point is for when you want the look without the oil change. [CONFIRM — how the 25-point relates to the oil-change inspection; see notes.]

50-Point — the routine-maintenance check

$49.95. This is the one most vehicles with a regular service history should have once a year. It goes past the look-over into the major systems — brakes measured rather than glanced at, steering and suspension components checked for play, belts and hoses for cracking, the cooling system, the exhaust, and the underbody for leaks, rust and damage. The question it answers is 'is anything wearing that I should be planning for?' [CONFIRM item groups.]

On an Edmonton vehicle the underbody part of this matters more than it would almost anywhere else. Road salt gets into caliper slides, brake lines, exhaust hangers and suspension bushings, and none of that shows up from the driver's seat until it is a repair rather than a note on a report.

75-Point — for older and higher-mileage vehicles

$74.95. Past about ten Edmonton winters, the questions change. It is no longer 'is anything wearing' but 'what is going to fail next, and is this vehicle worth spending on?' The 75-point takes a closer look at the things that decide that: the condition of the frame and suspension mounting points, the state of every fluid rather than just its level, seals and gaskets that have started to weep, and components that are developing a problem rather than already broken. [CONFIRM item groups.]

The report from a 75-point is a planning document. It tells you what the next two years of ownership probably look like, which is exactly what you need to decide whether to keep a vehicle, sell it, or put the money toward something newer.

100-Point — the full picture

$99.95. Front to back, top to bottom, 100 components and condition points. This is the annual checkup for a vehicle you intend to keep, the baseline on one you have just bought, and the report to have in hand when you sell — a recent 100-point on the seat of a private-sale vehicle answers most of a buyer's questions before they ask them.

Everything in the 75-point, plus the systems the deeper inspections do not reach: [CONFIRM — the items that distinguish the 100 from the 75. Typical candidates: interior electrical functions, heating and defrost, body, glass and mirrors, driveline and drivetrain components, and a full underbody corrosion survey. Trim to the actual sheet.]

Inspections Built for a Purpose

The four levels above are about overall condition. These five are about a specific situation, and each has its own page.

What You Get With Every Package

A written report. What is fine, what is worn but has life left, and what needs attention now — with an estimate against anything in the last column so the numbers are real rather than a vague sense of unease. The middle column is the useful part, and it is the one most inspection reports leave out.

A conversation. The report tells you what we found. The conversation tells you what it means — whether the item at the top of the list is a this-week problem or a next-year one, and roughly what each is worth spending on.

No pressure. We do not sell the repair with the inspection. If the report says you need brakes, you can have us do them, take the report to another shop for a second quote, or do nothing — and the report is still yours. We would rather be the shop that told you the truth than the shop that turned an inspection into an invoice.

A quote before any work. Nothing on the report gets done without you saying so, and the number we quote is the number on the invoice.

An Honest Word About Which Level to Choose

Do not buy more inspection than the question you have. A well-maintained five-year-old car with a full service history does not need the 100-point every year; the 50-point will tell you what you need to know. A fifteen-year-old truck you are deciding whether to keep is a 75 or 100-point decision, because the expensive question is the underside, and that is where the deeper inspections spend their time.

And if the vehicle has a specific problem — a noise, a warning light, a pull to one side — book a diagnosis, not an inspection. An inspection is a survey of the whole vehicle. A diagnosis chases one fault to its cause. They are different jobs, and paying for a 100-point to find out why the check engine light is on is the wrong tool.

If you are not sure, call 780-468-3052 with the year, the mileage and what you are trying to find out. It takes a minute, and we will tell you which one — or that an oil change with its included check is all you need this time.