The roadworthy certificate tends to pop up at the worst possible moment. One minute you’re in the middle of a private sale, or a vehicle’s registration has lapsed and suddenly a whole heap of paperwork and hassle comes out of the blue. And it’s not like you’re expecting it. For drivers in Hoppers Crossing and the outer western suburbs of Melbourne, this is all too common. And to be honest a lot of people are left scratching their heads about exactly what this certificate is all about, what it leaves out and how the whole process works. Getting clear on the details before it becomes a problem doesn’t cost you anything but getting it wrong can end up costing you a lot more.
When Victorian Law Throws Up a Roadworthy Certificate Requirement?
There are a few situations where Victorian law says a roadworthy certificate is a must. The first is when you’re selling or buying a used vehicle privately in Victoria you need a current roadworthy certificate to complete the sale. Next up is re registration: if the vehicle has been unregistered or its permit has expired, you’ll need a certificate before you can get it back on the road.
The third scenario is often a bit of a grey area some specific types of defect notices from Victoria Police or VicRoads might need to be cleared with a roadworthy certificate rather than just fixing the problem. The fourth one is easily overlooked brand new vehicles being registered for the first time in Victoria don’t need a roadworthy certificate… unless you’re registering a new taxi. According to VicRoads, most vehicles do need a certificate when being sold or re registered, although new vehicles straight from the manufacturer are an exception.
A roadworthy certificate Hoppers Crossing inspection like any Victorian roadworthy inspection needs to be done by someone who has been specifically certified by VicRoads to do the job a Licensed Vehicle Tester, who has a separate accreditation to a general mechanical check.
What Inspectors Actually Look At?
When you hear people say a roadworthy inspection covers brakes and tyres you get a pretty watered down idea of what’s actually involved. But in reality, a proper inspection covers a lot more than that like the condition of your tyres including wear on the tread and how they’re looking generally, the performance of your brakes and the state of your brake pads and discs, and then the condition of your steering and suspension, not to mention your lights and indicators all working properly and meeting up with the rules.
Inspectors also check the condition of your seatbelts, and whether the anchor points are up to scratch. And of course they’ll take a close look at your windscreen for any chips or cracks that might be in your line of sight when driving. And then there’s the structural integrity of the whole vehicle things like corrosion and panel integrity get looked at in terms of how they’d hold up in a crash rather than just how they look. Surface rust on a door is one thing, but if it’s rusting through a structural part of the vehicle that’s a different story altogether.
The 30 Day Rule
A Victorian roadworthy certificate is only good for 30 days from the date it was issued. If you can’t transfer the vehicle within that time then you’ll need to get a new certificate. For people selling cars privately, this 30 days can sneak up on you fast, especially if finance approval is taking a while to come through or there are some other delays.
What Most Often Fails a Roadworthy Inspection?
A lot of the time its tyre wear and the depth of the tread that’s the main reason for a failed roadworthy inspection in Victoria. Drivers often let tyre wear get a lot worse than they think it has, and to be honest, the inspection threshold for tread depth can be pretty strict. Right behind those two is brake pad wear and the usual lighting problems, headlights that don’t work, reverse lights that are shot and indicators that are on their way out.
It’s also common for suspension components to need some work on older vehicles, especially ones that are over 10 years old and are probably found in the outer western suburbs. Another thing that consistently causes problems is windscreen chips that are in the zone where the driver can see them, owners tend to underestimate the impact of this.
When a Licensed Vehicle Tester needs to do some repairs after a failed inspection, it makes life a lot easier if they do the work on the spot rather than having to send the car to some other workshop. That way you don’t have to worry about getting the car moved around and you can get your cert a lot sooner.
Getting Your Vehicle Ready Before the Inspection
- Take a look at the state of your tyres, including the spare and check the tread depth for yourself.
- Test all the lights out on your own: check the headlights, indicators, brake lights and reverse lights.
- Have a good stare at that windscreen and make sure there are no nasty chips or cracks in the driver’s line of vision.
- Check the wipers are working okay and clearing the screen without just streaking all over it.
- Make sure the seatbelts are working properly and the buckles are drawing back in smoothly.
- If your car is on the older side, take a look underneath for any obvious signs of rust in the structural bits.
All of this only takes a short 20 minutes to do and it can save you a whole lot of time and money by avoiding a failed inspection if you’d already have the car booked in for a sale or something.
