Repairable write off ban

[hsv-maloo-R8]

So whats going on about the repairable write off ban in NSW? lm down ln melbourne, so dose that mean insurence companys are going to ship and sell there cars here? if insurence companys are not going to get there money for there cars, that will mean your preniums will go up? lm sure most of the NSW panel beaters will be happy with that :( They are saying, it will stamp out car rebirthing, l thought the viv stopped most of that, the inspections are very thorough down here in VIC,,,what are your thoughts?

[vxcalais]

MEDIA RELEASE
David Campbell MP
Minister for Transport and Roads
BAN ON ‘REPAIRABLE WRITE-OFFS’ TO HIT CAR RE-BIRTHING RACKETS
Thursday, 8 April 2010
The NSW Government will introduce legislation to ban the re-registration of all ‘repairable
written-off’ vehicles to clamp down on car rebirthing, Minister for Transport and Roads
David Campbell announced today.
Mr Campbell said the legislation will mean that write-offs will no longer be able to be sold at
auctions, where the vehicles can then be re-birthed and on-sold to unsuspecting
consumers.
“There is a black market for purchasing written-off vehicles at auctions, then using stolen
parts to rebirth and register the car, to be sold for a tidy profit,” Mr Campbell said.
“This isn’t being done by licensed repairers - in most instances it’s not financially viable for
genuine repairers to repair these cars using legitimate parts.
“In many cases, it’s being done by unscrupulous operators in backyards and workshops
using stolen parts, who then sell the vehicles to unwary motorists.
“Some consumers are being taken for a ride - motorists might be driving around in what’s
effectively a stolen vehicle.
“More importantly, many of these vehicles have had dodgy repairs which can mask major
structural damage. It’s extremely unsafe.
“Car re-birthing is a significant problem which has been known to have links to organised
crime syndicates.
“Today’s announcement will put a massive dent in these illegal operations.
“It’s estimated that as many as six out of ten of the 20,537 repairable written-off vehicles
presented for re-registration in 2009 posed serious questions about the origin of the parts
used to repair them.
“Around 19,000 vehicles were stolen in NSW in the 2008-09 financial year – of these,
around 5,700 have not been recovered.
“Today’s announcement means any car which is written off will not be able to be reregistered
even if it can be repaired.”
Mr Campbell said the NSW Government made the decision to ban repairable write-offs
after a discussion paper was released for consultation in August last year.
“What we found was that consumers – as well as legitimate car dealers and repairers –
wanted better protections in place,” he said.
“NSW is the first state to introduce this ban on repairable write-offs, and we would
encourage other states to follow our lead and implement similar laws.
“There will be very limited exemptions to the new laws – for some vehicles written off
because of hail damage, and for some classic antique cars.
“We will also strengthen written-off vehicle notification requirements – for example, vehicles
currently being sent to a scrap yard for crushing are not required to be registered on the
Written-off Vehicle Register (WOVR) and this presents an additional opportunity for
rebirthing.”
Mr Campbell said the new laws are on top of the RTA’s Vehicle History Check service
launched last year.
“The RTA’s Vehicle History Check service allows potential buyers to check whether a used
car has ever been written-off anywhere in Australia,” he said.
“The service also provides customers with details of a car’s history including the number of
previous owners, when it was first registered in NSW and odometer readings.
“All you need is the car’s registration plate details, vehicle type and the last four digits of the
VIN/chassis number,
“It’s a simple check you can do on the RTA website for under $20.”
The new laws will be implemented following stringent legislative change and will take effect
in August this year.

[HARMSY]

I think it's a good thing, you just don't know what you are getting when you buy a write off, i never would and think it's a good thing that they will be used for parts only....just my 2c

But who's to say they aren't just gonna ship them all interstate now with the bans...

[hsv-maloo-R8]

Ok,,l have read,the press release.. l know that. but what really going to happen,, is the insurence companys, going to repair more of there own cars now? are they going to ship them interstate? l also heard that some NSW inspection stations has been fire bombed, by cirtain middel eastern groups, is is alot easyer to get your VIV car inspected in NSW,,is there going to be only Stat-write off car auctions in NSW? how is this going to affect back yard car repairers in NSW,, anyone doing this? :)

[pmac]

probably see insurance companies doing less write offs and instead doing some shortcut repairs to get the repair price under the write of value

[AiRHeaD]

It will be interesting to see the affect of this change.

One of my biggest concerns is how the insurance companies will handle it. I personally can see a large increase in insurance costs which will be passed on to us and due to the amount of money they will lose in the wrecks they will try and repair everythink no matter what.

As for the repairable write off scheme it seems to work well i have had bikes/cars through the process and find it hard to believe that a dodge vehicle could get through unless the there is a dodge RTA VIV and / or blueslip station (if this is the case these guy need to be cracked down on, otherwise it will continue regardless).

For people information the process requires you show proof of all repair and all parts orgins otherwise you will not be able to register the vehicle end of story.

The opinion that it must be dodge because its cheaper that the insurance company is a load of BS. The reason the cost is so high is all parts are replace with new if you shop second hand or buy another wreck the prices are dramatically less but with the same quality.

Ah well lets see

[Dreamerdan63]

Nice if you've spent heaps on modifying your car and your insurance doesnt cover it!! And insurance companies write off cars that are fully repairable all the time. Repairable write offs also supply a lot of spares in the industry too. Buy 2 cars make 1 good one etc. Its more about governments getting more licensing cash than rebirthing. If they run the licensing system properly in the first place there would be no rebirthing problem...and hey if a rebirthed car cant be picked at an inspection..SO WHAT!!! It means its been repaired decently.

[ova400]

and hey if a rebirthed car cant be picked at an inspection..SO WHAT!!! It means its been repaired decently.

I think they are reffering to stolen cars with vehicle tags from a repairable write off, therefore they didn't get repaired just found a way to sell it.

[Mungrel]

Working in this industry, in my opinion this is fantastic news!
I've seen some less than reputable repairs done to vehicles purchased cheap at auction to repair and sell. I'm not referring to rubbish paintjobs and bogged up dents either.

From a business perspective there is concern that recycled parts sales will drop off. However, and again this is merely my opinion, i believe a lot of what we lose in private sales, we will gain through trade sales to panel beaters performing insurance work.

I look forward to this being implemented in QLD and nationwide, hopefully before too long!

[sickzau]

what the ????:flipoff:

[sickzau]

isnt there a law once the car is 15 years plus the write off status on a car is removed.

[JJW501]

There is a big problem here.

An insurance WRITE OFF does not mean that a vehicle is damaged beyond safe repair!

All it means is that the insurance company has determined that the repair cost is higher than the payout figure on the premium minus the cost of what they can sell the damaged vehicle for!

EG if you run a key around a car worth $5000, and it is going to cost $6000 to respray it, the insurance company will write it off. the car is not necessarily unroadworthy.

The trick is how to stop punks buying the write off and stealing another car for the parts. Yes the damaged vehicle trade fuels theft of vehicles, but maybe the police need to get off their arses and hang around the damaged vehicle auctions and dodgy smash repairers and throw the crooks in jail.

my old man was a damaged vehicle dealer and he got out of the industry because he couldn't compete with the thieves. They would steal a mercedes, strip the seats, some panels, wheels etc and leave it on the side of the road. of course the insurance company writes it off. the thieves go to the auction and buy the car, take it home and bolt it back together with the parts they stole in the first place! crazy. try bidding against them at an auction.

the rebirthing thing was slowed with the introduction of statutory write off.....that is if a vehicle was damaged beyond safe repair, it could not be re-registered. this was a great idea, as the compliance plate can't be put on a stolen vehicle to re-birth it.

data dots would work if all vehicles had them, AND people actually looked at them. Has anyone here actually had a used vehicle inspected for data dots to see if it had stolen parts on? I am guessing no one, or at least very few.

There is a legitimate purpose for written off vehicles, but it needs cleaning up. We are all paying for the crooks through higher insurance premiums.