Why it is worth checking the register of decommissioned vehicles

Checking the registry of decommissioned vehicles can save you from buying a car written off as a result of an accident

Buying a car that has been officially scrapped can cost you a lot of money, but a few minutes spent checking the scrapped vehicle registry (WOVR) can save you some heartache and save your hard-earned cash.

A vehicle is declared scrapped when it is so badly damaged that it is unsafe or uneconomical to repair. The registration is then deregistered and his demise is recorded in WOVR.

The Retirement Vehicle Registry is a national initiative to end the dodgy resurfacing practice of buying a badly damaged vehicle with the intent of using its identification to give stolen vehicles a new identity.

What is the register of decommissioned vehicles?

While WOVR is a national initiative, each state complies with its own legislation that requires businesses such as insurance companies, auctions, dealers, tow trucks, and recyclers that appraise, buy, sell, or repair decommissioned vehicles to notify the appropriate state. , government agency when decommissioning a vehicle.

The information they provide is then recorded in WOVR, which can be accessed by anyone looking to buy a used car.

The register applies only to cars, motorcycles, trailers and caravans up to 15 years old, cars older than this age are not included.

What is a scrapped car?

Decommissioned vehicles fall into two categories: decommissioned by law and decommissioned for repairs.

What is a legal write-off?

A vehicle is considered to be completely scrapped and is declared legally scrapped if it is deemed to have sustained significant structural damage that cannot be repaired to a condition safe enough to be returned to the road, or if it has been damaged. in a fire or flood, or was undressed.

Once a vehicle has been registered as legally scrapped, it can only be used by a tow truck for parts or scrapped by a metal recycler and will be identified as such by a prominently displayed label; it cannot be repaired and put back on the road.

What is a repairable write-off?

A vehicle is deemed to be written off if it has been damaged in such a way that its salvage value plus the cost of repairing it exceeds its market value.

An older car can be considered scrapped even with relatively minor damage, simply because the cost of repairing it is higher than it is on the used car market.

But a vehicle deemed scrapped may be repaired and returned to the road, provided it has been repaired to the manufacturer's standards, has been inspected by the appropriate government inspector, has passed inspection, and has proven its identity.

How do I know that the car is written off and repaired?

In New South Wales, after a vehicle has been approved for re-registration and declared safe to return to the road, a note is added to the vehicle's registration certificate that it has been scrapped.

In other states, you must contact the registration authorities to check the status of the car.

Why is it important for me to know if the car is decommissioned?

Thanks to the current state write-off register, you can be sure that you are not buying a car declared for write-off in the manner prescribed by law.

But you don't know if it was sent back on the road after it was declared a write-off for repair. While a vehicle must be repaired to an accepted standard and inspected by the government, the very act of scrapping it can have a huge impact on its value.

Logically, a car with a write-off history will not sell easily if it is known to have been scrapped.

The value of a retired vehicle, even if it has been properly and professionally repaired and has passed all the tests to ensure its safe return to the road, will not be as high as a car that has been lovingly cared for. life and is in pristine condition.

Make a check

With so much at stake, it's important that you take the trouble to check the decommissioned vehicle registry to make sure you're not buying a puppy that you're paying too much for or that will be hard to sell later.

To check the registry, go to the appropriate website in your state:

New South Wales: https://myrta.com/wovr/index.jsp

Northern Territory: https://nt.gov.au/driving/registration/nt-written-off-vehicle-register/introduction

Queensland: http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Registration/Registering-vehicles/Written-off-vehicles/Written-off-vehicle-register

South Australia: https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/driving-and-transport/vehicles/vehicle-inspections/written-off-vehicles

Tasmania: http://www.transport.tas.gov.au/registration/information/written_off_vehicle_register_questions_and_answers

Victoria: https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/registration/vehicle-modifications-and-defects/written-off-vehicles

Western Australia: http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/written-off-vehicles.asp

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