Written-off vehicles FAQs

Bookings are randomly allocated within a radius according to your geographic location. Once assigned to an inspection centre, the vehicle cannot be moved to another location.

Once the vehicle has been allocated to a VIV Inspection centre, you will be sent back to the centre that you were originally booked into at the next available date.

Section 16A -16F of the Road Safety Act 1986 and Regulation 85 - 100 of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2009 is the governing legislation for WOVR and VIV.

The vehicle must be presented at 8.30am sharp as the inspection process takes at least 4 hours to complete. The vehicle will be available for collection no earlier than 4.00pm, unless agreed otherwise with the centre on delivery of the vehicle. On occasion, the inspection can take more time and the VIV inspector may contact you to request the vehicle be retained to complete the inspection the following day. If you are unable to present the vehicle at 8.30am, contact the VIV inspection centre to discuss alternatively arrangements to avoid any complications.

The VIV Inspection Centre may charge a fee for providing this service. The fee is set by the VIV Inspection Centre.

If you have lost the original receipts you will need to obtain duplicate copies from the business where you purchased the parts from and obtained repairs. In instances where you cannot provide evidence of repairs and replacement components and there is clear evidence the repairs have been conducted, the vehicle may fail the VIV inspection.

If the vehicle fails for identity reasons, Victoria Police will contact you to make a time to inspect the vehicle and investigate the matter further. You must ensure that all receipts for major components contain legitimate donor vehicle VIN details and that you provide original tax invoices for components and repairs made to the vehicle. 

The VIV inspector may not disclose the reasons why the vehicle failed for identity reasons. It is recommended that you do not do any further work on the vehicle until its identity is confirmed.

If the vehicle fails for structural reasons, you are required to complete all the actions as instructed by the VIV inspector. Possible actions could range from:

• re-repairing or replacing components in a poorly repaired area
• getting manufacturer’s specifications to confirm the repair method is valid
• getting photographic evidence of a donor vehicle
• getting an independent assessment of the repairs to the vehicle
• getting a measurement report, and
• getting a Supplementary Restraint System report [PDF 122 Kb].

You have 20 business days to complete these actions and pay a VIV re-inspection fee.  Provided the VIV inspectors concerns have been satisfied, the vehicle will be issued a VIV certificate.

If the vehicle is not re-presented in the 20 business day time frame, the VIV inspection will be cancelled and you will have to repeat the inspection process and pay another full booking fee.

The vehicle is required to be presented in a roadworthy and ready-to-register condition on the day the vehicle is presented for inspection. It is not mandatory to present a Certificate of Roadworthiness at the time of the VIV inspection. However a Certificate of Roadworthiness is one way of determining that a vehicle is roadworthy.

Please contact the Licensed Vehicle Tester that issued the Certificate of Roadworthiness to discuss your concerns. If you cannot resolve the matter, please contact VicRoads Vehicle Fitness Section on 1300 360 745.

The Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2009 require a person selling a written-off vehicle to provide the purchaser with written advice if the vehicle is recorded on the Victorian or an interstate WOVR. As a buyer of a vehicle, you should always check the details of the vehicle with VicRoads prior to purchase. In the event you did not check with VicRoads, you should contact Consumer Affairs Victoria or get independent legal advice to establish what action you can take.

The price for the VIV inspection is established by the ‘trade’ as a reasonable cost for the provision of a VIV service. The physical inspection of the vehicle forms part of the verification and the cost is based on the whole inspection process. As well as checking the vehicle identifiers, inspectors check that the repairs carried out are consistent with the damage that caused the vehicle to be written-off originally.

In the event the vehicle does not pass the initial inspection and you need to complete additional actions for the VIV certificate to be issued, and the vehicle is required to be re-inspected, a re-inspection fee applies, as the VIV Inspection Centre is incurring a cost in providing this service.

Please contact your insurance company for further information.

Regulation 90 of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2009 requires you to disclose that the vehicle is entered on the WOVR when selling or transferring a vehicle. While you may sell a registered vehicle that requires a VIV certificate, the registration will be cancelled on the date as advised in writing to you, if these requirements are not met.

A vehicle may be entered on the Written-Off Vehicles Register as a repairable write-off when an insurance company makes a determination that the cost to repair the vehicle and its salvage value exceeds its market value. A vehicle does not necessarily have to be structurally damaged to be entered on the WOVR.

If you need more information or clarification on what to do or where to go, contact your VIV inspector and calmly discuss the matter.

If you want to discuss a technical requirement of the VIV inspection, in respect to a requirement for further repairs to the vehicle, or repair standards, please contact VicRoads Vehicle Fitness Section on 1300 360 745 or 13 11 71.

Investigation of such matters may take time and you are advised to remain patient during the process of resolving your enquiry.

If you have a general question regarding the VIV process, or feedback about the inspection process, please contact VicRoads on 13 11 71 to discuss your concerns with a customer service officer. You may be referred to a specialist team to resolve your enquiry.

You are sent a booking confirmation sheet when the booking is made, which advises you of all the requirements for the VIV inspection. You should have all the documentation ready for the VIV inspection prior to attending. It is your responsibility to provide this evidence.

You are responsible for presenting this information at the time of inspection. It is the repairer’s responsibility to ensure that repairs are conducted in accordance with these instructions. Evidence (a photocopy of the relevant diagrams / sections of the repair guidelines) is required to be presented where applicable.

When a major repair has been undertaken and there is a lack of evidence to support the repair, or an area of repair that is of concern, the VIV inspector may request an independent assessment of the repairs to the vehicle. The assessment must be conducted by a repairer independent to the repair process and take into account the manufacturer’s guidelines and best industry practice.

If a vehicle is not assessed, the vehicle will not be entered on the WOVR.

No. Regardless of whether you withdraw your claim, if an assessment has been made by an insurance company, the vehicle will remain on the WOVR.