Surely this is not right and should not be allowed to happen. Perhaps ban the import of damaged cars. Only parts can be imported. That would close the loophole.
None of the cars would be on the roads without going through strict NZ compliance standards, and as a result, all would have been thoroughly checked and deemed safe before being allowed to be registered for road use. It's much more comprehensive than the arbitrary WOF 'look over' existing cars get, so I would not be too worried about talk of "unsafe" cars as a result of their importation.
franc123,
Sep 28, 5:32am
Sorry but this isn't news. Been happening for a long time.
billyfieldman,
Sep 28, 5:36am
Just saw it on today's Yahoo news. Didn't know it has been reported earlier by other news.
carclan,
Sep 28, 5:41am
Coming from someone who has put one through compliance due to being an Australian write off I would be more than happy with using one, it is very difficult to obtain a repair certificate. The work I had to do and what needed to be replaced it was better than any second hand vehicle of equivalent year and mileage.
curlcrown,
Sep 28, 6:05am
I don't know why anyone is winging. It's only "experts" who don't know much about the industry. Anyone who has even basic understanding of a CIN card knows there is nothing wrong with the law they way it is now.
stevo2,
Sep 28, 6:26am
Hail damage from hail the size of golf balls can write off a modern car. Flood damage is not so good though because it cause unseen damage.
rctr,
Sep 28, 7:13am
How did CMW become an "expert" to the media
franc123,
Sep 28, 7:17am
To the automotively illiterate journo, they ring for an opinion and he gives it to them. Story complete.
tub4,
Sep 28, 7:20am
See a Falcon ute from Aussie being repaired in the Hawkes Bay and to be fair there wasn't a lot wrong with it. People need to remember it's only a write off because it's not worth repairing so the less the cars value the less damage it takes to write it off.
treachug,
Sep 28, 7:26am
Found a car listed on here (aussie import) that was about 6k-9k cheaper than the usual prices being asked for same models. Emailed the seller (RMV Trader), and enquired as interested (I genuinely was) but why so cheap. The reply I received was car was cheap as they keep overheads down by buying in aussie & price to sell. Received a follow up email, so my reply was to ask for cin card. Only then did it show imported as damaged vehicle. (I had already carjammed NZ rego number & then googled the vin number & had info even before their reply to my first email). I then asked how deep was the water? Reply was apparently got driven into flood & damaged engine etc (engine all fixed with genuine new parts) - fair enough I probably believe that but the thing I wasn't impressed with is nowhere in the advert was its history stated. Some unknowingly person may have bought it & had issues later on. Having personally imported damaged cars before (for family etc), I have no issue with the compliance process (much tougher) but be honest about them when selling.
carclan,
Sep 28, 7:26am
Correct, water in Queensland that reaches the sill is a write off, see the Queensland equivalent of or VERM
westwyn,
Sep 28, 8:27am
As long as the vehicle is disclosed as being a statutory write-off from Australia when being sold here, personally, I've no issue whatsoever with them, and as others above have more than adequately pointed out, the repair certification process is so robust and thorough you could buy with confidence in 99% of the cases.
Bear in mind that n most cases the term "statutory write-off" in Australia has nothing to do with the extent of the damage- it's a combination of economic and liability issues coupled with "new for old" late model replacement policies. Hail damage is a good example of this.
stevo2,
Sep 28, 8:47am
Ok but sold here to who? the first owner? will they tell the next owner this when they sell it on? and the next owner and the next? Sure it will be stamped on the papers as a damaged import but you dont get a copy of those until a few days later. I have bought and repaired a couple of rolled vehicles for my personal use and always told the next owner but Im sure they wouldnt have passed this info on when they sold them again.
westwyn,
Sep 28, 9:10am
If it's a statutory write-off, then it's entered into LandData and the MVR, as soon as you do a MotorCheck or CarJapm or whatever, it comes up in the information fields. And stays there for life.
A dealer would be in breach of not only the CGA but more importantly the FTA if this was failed to be disclosed at the time of purchase.
And a private vendor down the track. well. the joys of buying privately! If a buyer doesn't have a pre-purchase inspection done, and doesn't obtain a MotorChek or similar, then my sympathy levels are somewhat low!
If you get what I mean!
kazbanz,
Sep 28, 9:02pm
I genuinely feel that its important that the REASON a vehicle is written off in Australia should be readily available information. There a BIG difference between a car that's been hit with 200 lumps of hail and a car that was waist deep in flood waters or in a big prang. Equally I feel that damaged imports should be MUCH more visably flagged as a damaged import. MOST LIKELY the importing dealer wont be the one stung. It will be the public and dealers later on in the vehicles life.
mopsy3,
Sep 28, 9:18pm
I'm sorry but that totally depends on who is doing the compliance check. We have the dodgiest compliance centre 4 doors up from us and for the right price anyone can get complied. The police are aware of his dodgy practices and have informed NZTA more than once. But they aren't interested. Equally, we have seen freshly complied vehicles that should not be allowed on the road from other centres. Compliance can be a bigger rort than W.O.Fs.
tamarillo,
Sep 28, 9:39pm
Why is our standard so much lower than aus? I'm assuming they are cheap their because they can't be put back on road? If not that, then it's too expensive their, which leads to question why it's so cheap here that's it's worth import costs. Confused.
billyfieldman,
Sep 28, 10:26pm
This is the type of thing most associate with countries such as China, Indonesia, India etc but not in NZ.
kazbanz,
Sep 28, 11:31pm
Its not confusing. Its pretty simple really,. Australia has a totally different law around Insurance wright offs than we do. In Auzzie if its "written off" by an insurer then it can NEVER be put back on the road. This is regardless of the reason for the wright off. In NZ we take a more pragmatic view that the car must come up to NZ compliance standards. The issue from my POV I outlined above. As an innocent buyer you don't know if the vehicle was purchased in Auzzie as a hail damaged or accident or flood damaged Keep in mind it may well not be the first buyer that finds weird electrical or handling glitches. it may be a few owners down the track. Who is held to account? You can bet your britches the original importer will duck for cover.
kazbanz,
Sep 28, 11:38pm
Mopsy --just in case you aren't aware of this. For enough money ANY car that's either been registered in NZ for long enough or is a in theory compliant import CAN be put on the road in NZ. You just need to pay enough money. Where it gets dodgy is if the seller then says it wasn't accident damaged etc.
joanie32,
Sep 29, 1:16am
We bought a mitsi outlander that was an ex ozzy write off for a rep. I've been right over the car and it's had repairs to the two left hand doors and that's all. Good car, that was very well priced, I have no issues with this sort of thing, there's worse damaged cars being repaired by insurance companies every day in NZ.
kazbanz,
Sep 29, 1:33am
THAT is the point though- The car you got only had that damage. What about the water damaged /badly accident damaged ones ?
elect70,
Sep 29, 2:32am
Can bet the aussie write off standard was introduced to help the aussie new car industry by lobbysts . At least NZ has a pragmatic approach ( At the moment but bet our new car motor trade would love to see the same here .)
tamarillo,
Sep 29, 3:34am
Thanks Kaz, makes sense. So does need to know what was damaged.
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