Narellan and its roads
Where The Northern Road ends
The Northern Road runs 62.6 km from Windsor, through Penrith and Bringelly, meets Camden Valley Way at Narellan, then carries on as Narellan Road to the Hume Motorway at Campbelltown. The last of its four-lane upgrade opened in December 2021.
The car does the work
Trains last called at Narellan in 1963, on the old Camden line. Without a station, school runs, shopping and the commute all fall to the car, and that can add up to a lot of short trips.
Off the register
An older ute or car that's been sitting on a property with its rego expired for more than 3 months needs a blue slip before it can go back on the road. The blue slip, officially an AUVIS, lasts 42 days from the inspection.
Pink slips
A registered car more than 5 years old needs a pink slip from an AIS station each year before the rego renews, and the report holds for 6 months.
New cars and the warranty
If your car is still under the maker's warranty, you don't have to go back to the dealer for servicing. Servicing by a qualified independent mechanic, done to the maker's schedule and specifications, does not by itself void the warranty on a new car. The consumer guarantees aren't affected either, according to the regulators' guide to the Australian Consumer Law.
Ask for a logbook service, have the book stamped and keep the invoices. Short trips count as harder driving, so check whether the book lists a shorter schedule for them.
Our take
For a newer car from the estates, we'd ask a local mechanic for a logbook service done to the maker's schedule, with the book stamped and the parts listed on the invoice. It keeps the paper trail clean if a warranty question ever comes up, and it saves a drive to the dealer.