Australian NSW Statuary write off imports

greggnz1, Apr 8, 5:51pm
Has anyone come across water damaged imported write offs ?
a.woodrow, Apr 8, 6:23pm
Yep have seen a few, have a local "entrepreneur" that has imported some, then grizzles when he has electrical issues and there is no warranty cover for them. It's really not worth it, there's a reason the insurance co's write them off
franc123, Apr 8, 7:07pm
At least two official agents/distributors I know of in NZ have issued warnings to dealers about them, mainly re the aforementioned electronically illiterate wheeler dealer crooks trying to claim warranty on things and to be vigilant when accepting them for any repair work. The numbers of cars coming in from Australia is on the increase but its still relatively uncommon to see them.
treachug, Apr 8, 7:07pm
Totally agree. esp with water damaged. the nightmare is only just beginning.
rctr, Apr 9, 5:00am
We had a brief put out a few years ago when Brisbane flooded about people importing brand new mitsis that were written off because they were trying to bring them to dealerships to get pd etc
greggnz1, Apr 9, 3:58pm
First time I have come across this is in the Waikato. a wholesaler bringing them in. There seems to another element to this story as well.
In my mind the only reason u would import a car from Australia is if it was a NSW statuary write off, other wise there would be no money to be made.
Now some of these cars coming have some how ended up being declared a statuary write off are hardly damaged and do not meet the criteria in NSW of being such.
Interesting to know how this happens and who is inspecting these cars in NSW. Perhaps insurance fraud?
They are meant to be flagged by the NZTA but some have escaped this and I'm pretty sure that dealerships have not been showing them as imported damaged as they are meant to by law.
Some unsuspecting person will end up with these with no recourse in a private sale.
You can search the VIN number in Australia, reg auto check and it will show the reason it was written off dates etc.
a.woodrow, Apr 9, 4:01pm
They are written off because they are flood damaged, usually they have no visible damage at all. Insurance co's write them off because they have endless electrical issues after the fact
greggnz1, Apr 9, 4:16pm
No. not . nessasarly. the car I saw had been through VIN checks and they removed the carpets and the seats, and could not find any water damage . although a shower of rain was the story from the importer. so the car did not have water up to steering wheel level for over 48 hours which is the brief in NSW for being declared a water damaged statuary write off.
a.woodrow, Apr 9, 4:57pm
Actually the NSW test to write off a vehicle is as follows:

"Internal cabin has been inundated with salt or fresh
water to a level above the inner door sill."

There is no 48 hours, and at that depth it isn't hard to write something off that still appears in good condition
greggnz1, Apr 9, 5:04pm
The new legislation sets out nationally agreed vehicle damage assessment criteria. The legislation prescribes that the Road Transport Authority cannot re-register a written-off vehicle with non-repairable damage. The damage assessment criteria for light vehicles are as follows:

A. Water damage
??? Immersed in salt water above doorsill level for any period, or
??? Immersed in fresh water up to or above the dashboard or steering wheel for more than 48 hours.

B. Impact damage
??? Impact damage to three (3) or more of the following areas:
i. roof (300mm x 300mm or more)
ii. cabin floor plan (300mm x 300mm or more)
iii. firewall (300mm x 300mm or more)
iv. suspension (any damage)
v. major mechanical component, such as an engine block or transmission case (deform, crack or break).

C. Fire damage (burnt out)
??? Burnt to the extent that it is only fit for wrecking or scrap.

D. Theft / vehicle stripped
??? Stripped of all or most of its interior and exterior body parts, panels and components (such as the engine, wheels, bonnet, guards, doors and boot lid).
a.woodrow, Mar 22, 4:01am