Test Australia tests cars, caravans, motorhomes and boats for methamphetamine residue. It does not clean or decontaminate them, and it does not recommend cleaners. Testing before cleaning shows whether residue is present and where. Verification sampling after cleaning reports the results against the criterion named in the report.
“A car cabin is a small enclosed space, so residue from smoking settles over a much smaller surface area than in a house. Our suitably qualified occupational hygienists test cars, vans, caravans and boats, and vehicle results can be higher than those we find in residential properties.”
— Dan Neil, Principal Occupational Hygienist and Chartered Chemist, MRACI CChem
A vehicle cabin is small, enclosed and full of fabric, so residue from smoking settles over a much smaller area than in a house.
Methamphetamine residue can come from smoking in the vehicle, from handling or transporting the drug, or, less often, from manufacture. Residue settles on hard surfaces, and fabric such as the headliner, seats and carpet can hold it.
Vehicle samples can return results well above the 0.5 µg/100 cm² investigation level. No concentration on its own shows that a property or vehicle was used for manufacture. An opinion on manufacture rests on manufacture-specific markers and site evidence, assessed together, and the report states its limits.
0.5 µg/100 cm² is the residential indoor-surface investigation level for methamphetamine in the Australian Government’s Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Guidelines (2011). A result above it triggers further investigation or remediation. It is not a line between safe and unsafe, and it applies whether residue came from use or manufacture.
Test Australia has found no Australian criterion written for vehicles. The report states which criterion results are compared against and why.
Cars and SUVs, vans, utes, campervans, caravans, motorhomes, hire and fleet vehicles, and boats.
A caravan or motorhome used as somewhere to live is sampled more like a small home, with more sample locations than a car.
Want to screen first? A DIY meth kit is a presumptive screen, and positives should be confirmed by laboratory testing.
The same method and the same report, whoever commissions the work.
Used cars, private sales and auction purchases. Vehicle history checks do not record drug residue, so testing gives you evidence before you commit.
Testing rental and fleet vehicles between users documents their condition.
If a vehicle is the subject of an insurance claim, any party to the claim can commission the assessment, and the report is the same whoever commissions it.
A vehicle recovered after theft may have been used by others. Testing documents its condition before it goes back into use.
Caravans and motorhomes used as somewhere to live are sampled more like a small home, with more sample locations than a car.
Testing repossessed vehicles before resale documents their condition for the next buyer.
Testing trade-ins and auction purchases before resale provides documented results for buyers to review.
Owners of vehicles released after a police investigation can commission an independent assessment of the vehicle’s condition.
Five steps from enquiry to a signed report: Test Australia samples, a NATA-accredited laboratory analyses, and you receive a signed report.
Tell us the vehicle, where it is parked and the decision the results will inform. Every assessment is scoped to the question being asked, and we reply with the scope, fee and available dates.
Test Australia in your city records the make, model, odometer and photographs, then samples touched and settled surfaces in the cabin, using the NIOSH Method 9111 wipe technique over a measured template area, with blank and quality-control samples and chain-of-custody records.
Samples are analysed by LC-MS/MS at an independent NATA-accredited laboratory. Results are reported in µg/100 cm². Test Australia itself is not NATA-accredited.
Signed report, interpreting the laboratory results, including where results were highest and an opinion on manufacture only where the evidence supports one. Our reports set out the method, chain of custody, results, uncertainty and limitations so that any party can test them. Whether a court, tribunal or insurer relies on a report is a decision for them.
If the vehicle is cleaned by others, verification sampling afterwards reports the results against the named criterion. Decisions on cleaning and replacement are for the remediator, insurer and owner.
Sampling is planned around the vehicle and the question being asked.
Test Australia samples touched and settled surfaces in the cabin. The number of samples is set for each vehicle and recorded in the report, so the results describe the vehicle as a whole rather than one surface.
A caravan or motorhome used as somewhere to live is sampled like a small home. The number of samples depends on its size and layout. Contact us for a fee proposal for a caravan or motorhome.
The contents of each report are agreed in your fee proposal.
You receive a signed report that sets out the vehicle details, the method, the results, the criterion each result is compared with, and the limitations.
Results describe only the surfaces sampled, on the day they were sampled. A test cannot show who caused the residue or when, and no concentration on its own shows manufacture. Panels, ducts and fabric that were not sampled are not covered. Whether a vehicle is bought, kept, cleaned or claimed for is a decision for the owner, buyer or insurer.
A DIY kit is a 5-minute lateral flow presumptive screen with a cut-off of 0.5 µg/100 cm². It gives a positive or negative for one surface. It does not measure a concentration, is not laboratory analysis and comes with no report.
A professional test has Test Australia collect wipes to NIOSH Method 9111, a NATA-accredited laboratory measure each sample by LC-MS/MS, and a Chartered Chemist review and sign the report. Choose it for a purchase, a claim, a dispute or a check after cleaning.
The type and size of the vehicle (a caravan or motorhome used as a home needs more samples than a car), the purpose, such as a pre-purchase check, a claim or verification after a clean, and travel outside the metro area. Every assessment is scoped to the question being asked.
What the report covers, and what it leaves to others.
Each result is reported in µg/100 cm² with its sample location. Test Australia has found no Australian criterion written for vehicles. The report states which criterion results are compared against and why. We do not label a vehicle “use” or “manufacture” from a concentration band.
The report states the results against the named criterion and the verification sampling that would be needed after decontamination. Decisions about cleaning, replacement and cost are for the remediator, insurer and owner.
Test Australia does not clean, detail or remediate vehicles, and receives no income from cleaning, remediation or referral arrangements.
If a vehicle is the subject of an insurance claim, any party to the claim can commission the assessment, and the report is the same whoever commissions it.
Our reports set out the method, chain of custody, results, uncertainty and limitations so that any party can test them. Whether a court, tribunal or insurer relies on a report is a decision for them.
A PPSR search covers matters such as finance owing and whether a vehicle has been reported stolen or written off. It does not record drug residue, so testing is the way to find out.
Test Australia attends in all eight capital cities: Adelaide (SA), Brisbane (QLD), Sydney (NSW), Melbourne (VIC), Perth (WA), Darwin (NT), Canberra (ACT) and Hobart (TAS). Regional areas outside each metro area are by arrangement. Each city page, listed below by state and territory, covers local rules and how we work there.
Ready to arrange testing, or want to discuss your specific situation? Contact us to request a fee proposal or arrange an assessment. We do not provide free telephone consultations — all advice is grounded in site assessment and laboratory data.
Reviewed for Test Australia by Dan Neil, Principal Occupational Hygienist and Chartered Chemist (MRACI CChem). Dan has 25 years in industrial chemistry and forensic science experience and has been a member of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists for more than 13 years. Last reviewed .
Whether you are buying a used car, managing a fleet or dealing with a claim, request a fee proposal.
