11 June 2009

Car import blues....

| Ceej1973
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So you thought you might like to purchase a car with some of that bonus you had paid out ! You find the perfect car you have been dreaming of for the past 12 months. It’s a bargain, seller seems genuinne, you take a day off to travel interstate to make the purchase upon being happy with the inspection. So you have done the research, asked all the right questions, done a REVs check, and the purchase goes ahead just fine. Then the rort begins, and you return home to the ACT, and try and register it here.

1. You have 14 days in order to transfer registration across to the city that the vehicle will now reside. Fine, I can live with that. Its the same rule across the country.

2. You are required to have a roadworthy inspection, in order to satisfy the Authorities that no dangerous modifications will be imported into the cars new State of residence. Fine, I can live with that and the piece of mind that the car will be pased, or need fixing to a safe standard.

3. The car needs repairing to bring it up to the Authorities safety standards. Great, my car is safe now, albeit $1000 later. I now know what ping springs are, and that privacy tinting is forbidin in the ACT for obvious reasons.

4. is where I start getting annoyed. After my car has had the repairs, is now safe, and is ready for registration, I am required to have an Identification check. This is so that the Authorities are satisfied that the vehicle that I have taken ownership of, was not stolen, or involved in any crime. My question being, wouldnt the REV’s check that I did cover this and, considering that the ID check does find that it is stolen, and that the Registry will automatically confiscate the vehicle from me for which I have just spent $30,000 to purchase and a further $1000 to bring up to road worthy, why is the ID check not performed prior to road worthy. Why not save the pain of the new owner spending a further $1000+ on a car they have already forked out $$$$$ on, prior to the additional costs.

5. Come tomorrow ( will let you know the ID check outcome), I am granted ownership by the Authorities should the ID check be fine, what is with having to pay $3/$100 value of the vehcle in Stamp Duty. Stamp Duty was paid by the original owner (granted in another State), but isnt this just double dipping, like all stamp duties. which leads me too….

6. What is it with State by State vehicle registration laws. What dont we have a single Law, like other civilised countries such as Germany. I travel a lot, and the last time I travelled inter-State (Friday to purchase car from Sydney), I don’t remember the road conditions or signage, or road rules changed from one State boundary to the other that dramatically. I didn’t feel that bump crossing the boundary that my parents tried tricking me with as a kid.

If there was a consistent nation registration Regulator, then my annoyance at points 4 and 5 could/ would have been avoided. Further, as any Mechanic I speak with concurs with, all of Australia would have a nation annual inspection program like NSW still has, and issues such as the one with “ping springs” in my (post tomorrow) newly purchased car have less chance of occuring.

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Ceej1973 said :

[Maybe I just got the wrong person at the RTA on the wrong day. That was not what I was told when I rang up. Ah well, cant get perfection outa something thats not a computer!

Amen sistah.

Computers > Public Servants

Joebot said :

Ceej1973 said :

I am complaining about the system, and how it works. You CANT check if its stolen or written off prior to buying them, unless you have faith in the seller.

Wrong again. You can contact the state or territory the vehicle is registered in to enquire if the vehicle is stolen or written off, they can provide answers on a “yes” or “no” basis.

Maybe I just got the wrong person at the RTA on the wrong day. That was not what I was told when I rang up. Ah well, cant get perfection outa something thats not a computer!

Ceej1973 said :

I am complaining about the system, and how it works. You CANT check if its stolen or written off prior to buying them, unless you have faith in the seller.

Wrong again. You can contact the state or territory the vehicle is registered in to enquire if the vehicle is stolen or written off, they can provide answers on a “yes” or “no” basis.

14 days to transfer? Wrong. And you don’t need to pass the roadworthy before having the ID check.
http://www.rego.act.gov.au/registrations/regobuyinginterstate.htm

You’re supposed to do a REVs check before you buy the car, the ID check is to ensure it hasn’t been re-birthed.
http://www.ors.act.gov.au/fairtrading/WebPages/Industries/motor_vehicle.html

You can use internet sites to do more than whinge about transparent government procedures. Some people even use them as a source of information.

jake555 said :

Here’s an idea. Do some research on these costs/processes BEFORE you buy an interstate, modified, possibly stolen, still-has-money-owing, re-birthed, heavily tinted, fully sick piece of junk.

No complaining then, you know exactly what you’re in for.

I am complaining about the system, and how it works. You CANT check if its stolen or written off prior to buying them, unless you have faith in the seller.

Judging by your user ID (I am being very presumptious), you are a Subaru driver. My purchase was too a “fully sick peice of junk”. A Subaru Forrester XT.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Further, the re-possession system that is in place should the Authorities find it has been stolen (I do understand how much a REVs check covers BTW)is unfair

So you think it’s fair that you take possession of stolen property? That the other party should ‘just have insurance’, thus making it a victimless crime (the insurance company, presumably, can go get effed, as can people without insurance)?

What a unique perspective on ‘fair’ you have. Could you give me your address and leave the car unlocked? I could totally use a new car, and I assume you’re insured, and if you’re not, well soggy SAOs for you then. You could use your insurance claim to go take a basic civics course and learn about why States are sovereign governments, and why that’s a good thing. You could also ponder the relationship between your stamp duty and the salaries and infrastructure required to run all these checks so that your, loik, totally safe and legal car, moit, really is.

You are assuming then, that I knew that the vehicle was stolen, and that I sould just put up and shut up that I have just parted with $30,000 (plus the additional costs to bring it up to safety standards). I want a system, where the buyer of private sales, can check, just like the Registry does, if the vehicle has been stolen or written off prior to outlaying tens of thousands of $$$. For the record, it was a repairable write off, repaired, sold, re-sold, then bought by mwah.

Ahhh, I remember sitting in my car at the Dickson motor registry during an inspection when the inspector asked me to tell him what my speedo said. The conversation went something like this:

“What does it say on your speedo?”

(Confused) “Zero?”

“No, tell me what number it says on your speedo”

(Confident) “Zero”

(Waving finger in window) “No, there! There! What does it say on your speedo!”

“ZERO!”

“How far have you driven!”

“Ahh, my ODOMETER….”

And they trust these people to assess cars???

The reason that if you buy a stolen car it can be repossessed, is that the onus is on you when you buy a car to check the bona fides of the seller. No-one else is in a position to do that check, and if that wasn’t the law then there would be no incentive not to buy even obviously-stolen cars.

The reason stamp duty exists, annoying as it is, is because it’s one of the few ways constitutionally allowed ways that States and Territories can raise revenue. Look up “vertical fiscal imbalance” some time.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy8:38 am 12 Jun 09

I have to get my cars inspected every year prior to registering them (as New South Welshman), and I think it’s a top idea. Sure, a minor inconvenience at the time, but at least cars are checked once a year for basic safety function.

Realistically, if you want to do something a bit out of the ordinary with cars, the idea is to research and budget beforehand, so you know the requirements.

Ah, Dr Evil. I love that in your comments I’m always gay and cruising for men. It says much, much more about you than it does me. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, sweetie.

I understand there is at least one homosexual on this site, and if you give me a kiss I’ll tell you who it is.

Madame Workalot8:13 am 12 Jun 09

Re: privacy tinting, I have a question. My car came standard (brand new from the dealers) with super-dark rear glass. The glass is significantly darker than the maximum level of tint allowed in most states. However, apparently because the glass itself is coloured and it is not a tint, it is acceptable. Where’s the logic in that???

ahappychappy said :

Doctor Evil said :

I think you might mean King springs which are a brand of “chopped” springs commonly used to do a cheap and nasty job of lowering cars.

Somewhat true. King Springs are a brand of springs that are shorter, but stiffer than the stock springs. This then lowers the car, but makes the ride stiffer and more uncomfortable in most cases. Most forms of King Springs are legal.

Chopped springs (as you mentioned King Springs are “Chopped”) are the stock springs of a vehicle which have been cut by the owner or a mechanic so they’re shorter (again lowering the car). These ARE illegal in every form.

Actually the term “chopped” is commonly used in tuning circles to describe springs that have been made shorter than standard by any means, hence the quotes. Nice try though….

JC said :

JC said :

… If we didn’t have stamp duty we sure the well would have higher income and/or GST. So again what is the problem?

Oops meant to say that we would sure as hell have higher income TAX and/or GST if we didn’t have stamp duty. Also forgot to mention that stamp duty is payable on ALL transfers of rego not only from interstate.

The reason why we need these taxes is to pay for the massive amounts of bureaucracy in place due to 3 tiers of government and the fact that every state and territory is different causing more unnecessary regulation that just feeds on itself. And to top it off taxes will be rising soon to pay for Rudd’s $315 billion debt.
Were he could have avoided this debt by lowering taxes across the board and reduce regulation so that small and large business could expand and also attract foreign companies here because of favorable tax policies. And we would be in a great position debt free during the world recovery instead we’ll be on our knees in a high interest rate high tax and over regulated society. Fantastic stuff!!

Stolen Car re-birthing in NSW is Big Business, Its good to see the ACT wants to have no part in it, Re-Birthed car are generally very unsafe back-yard reassembled cars. I would rather know the history and safety of my car is sound. It would save you much more money, and even your life in the long run.

ahappychappy11:33 pm 11 Jun 09

Doctor Evil said :

I think you might mean King springs which are a brand of “chopped” springs commonly used to do a cheap and nasty job of lowering cars.

Somewhat true. King Springs are a brand of springs that are shorter, but stiffer than the stock springs. This then lowers the car, but makes the ride stiffer and more uncomfortable in most cases. Most forms of King Springs are legal.

Chopped springs (as you mentioned King Springs are “Chopped”) are the stock springs of a vehicle which have been cut by the owner or a mechanic so they’re shorter (again lowering the car). These ARE illegal in every form.

Actually, it’s great to be me, whereas the evidence that it sucks to be you can be found here every day my gay little friend.

Woody Mann-Caruso10:41 pm 11 Jun 09

Ah, Dr Evil. I love that in your comments I’m always gay and cruising for men. It says much, much more about you than it does me. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, sweetie.

And as always, I don’t have anything to be bitter about – the world is as I like it, full of speed cameras and stamp duty and whiners not getting their way. Sucks to be you, awesome to be me.

GottaLoveCanberra10:38 pm 11 Jun 09

The fcukers at Dickson are so inconsistent it’s not funny. The horror stories I’ve heard out of there from fellow fun-car owners is horrifying.

“Privacy tinting” and “ping [sic] springs”?

Hmm………. 🙂

This vehicle would’ve failed it’s inspection in NSW, too. Or alternatively, been defected after being pulled over while driving, in any state. Springs ‘floating around’ the front end weren’t a red flag at any point?

BTw – No great difference if you’d bought the car from someone in Canberra, either.

Roadworthy is roadworthy. 35% tint is 35% tint whether you’re in Hobart or Darwin.

More research, and a few more of the ‘right questions’ next time 🙂

Hells_Bells7410:11 pm 11 Jun 09

Oops stuffed that quote.. -he in that last bit. 🙂

Hells_Bells7410:09 pm 11 Jun 09

Doctor Evil said :

I think you might mean King springs which are a brand of “chopped” springs commonly used to do a cheap and nasty job of lowering cars.

Yep, I asked my car-loving man what ping springs were (I normally do ok with cars and sundry but was lost here lol) and he said he that would mean King springs.

JC said :

… If we didn’t have stamp duty we sure the well would have higher income and/or GST. So again what is the problem?

Oops meant to say that we would sure as hell have higher income TAX and/or GST if we didn’t have stamp duty. Also forgot to mention that stamp duty is payable on ALL transfers of rego not only from interstate.

I am interested in the fact that you have to get a ID check done, when the roadworthy check requires that all the numbers (VIN, engine no. Etc). Why do they trust your local mechanic to check the brakes, but then have to read the numbers themselves?

Here’s an idea. Do some research on these costs/processes BEFORE you buy an interstate, modified, possibly stolen, still-has-money-owing, re-birthed, heavily tinted, fully sick piece of junk.

No complaining then, you know exactly what you’re in for.

I think you might mean King springs which are a brand of “chopped” springs commonly used to do a cheap and nasty job of lowering cars.

I assume you didn’t get the roadworthy done at Dickson, or you would be regaling us with stories like how they knocked your car back because it didn’t have an owners manual in the glovebox, or they couldn’t find the tyre placard.

BTW Woody Man Cruiser is just bitter because he doesn’t own anything worth stealing, unless you count cardigans.

Gungahlin Al said :

Ceej, JC either works for, is minister of, or has some other close connection to the department, which seems to be why he just so totally agrees with everything they do…and you’ll note he states ‘it’s always worked that way’ then immediately contradicts himself by saying it used to be different.

No I don’t work for or have any connection to any ACT government department and I made no contradiction. The rego change procedure has always been the same. What has changed is our annual rego procedure, that is a seperate issue that I brought into the conversation.

As for this whinner lets look at his issues.

He is complaing because he had to have an ID check on the car when he has already done REVS check? What’s the problem there, as I said REVS is a different check, it ONLY checks if money is owing? A REV’s check is onkly for your own peice of mind that the car you brought isn’t going to be repossed by a debit collector down the track. The ID check is to make sure it isn’t a stolen or re-birthed car. How the *uck can anyone complain about that?

2nd. Having to do repairs before he can register it? Again what is the issue? Someone inspected it, found an issue, so it needs to be repaired to make it road worthy. Just because it was registered in another state before doesn’t mean it is road worthy, even in that state. Again how can someone complain?

The only point that is maybe valid is that of stamp duty and it being seen as double taxation. In one way I agree it is a form of double taxation, in another way I don’t. On a brand new car I think it is totally wrong and double taxation, as you are paying BOTH GST and stamp duty. But on a second hand car I cannot see the major issue, except of course when the time comes to pay the ruddy duty yourself. But lets consider this though, it is money from stamp duty that helps build and maintain our roads, schools and hospitals etc etc etc. If we didn’t have stamp duty we sure the well would have higher income and/or GST. So again what is the problem?

All the issues above, except for the rego inspection would have to been encounted even if it was an ACT to ACT transfer, so the belly aching about registering an ‘import’ from another state is just that belly aching for no apparent reason.

PS I am surprised you didn’t complain about having to buy new rego plates.

Even if it was guaranteed, it doesn’t mitigate ceej’s “suck it up if I now own your stolen car” view.

Well, it’d suck to be him when it was returned to it’s rightful owner (namely the insurance company that’d paid out on it, or the person it’d been stolen from), wouldn’t it? 🙂

Woody Mann-Caruso8:45 pm 11 Jun 09

Sorry – I should qualify that last statement. If a vehicle has been reported stolen, and there’s an advisory about it, then it could be included on the REVS check, but REVS does not guarantee this information. Even if it was guaranteed, it doesn’t mitigate ceej’s “suck it up if I now own your stolen car” view.

Woody Mann-Caruso8:41 pm 11 Jun 09

As has already been pointed out above, a REVS check only tells you if a vehicle is encumbered, not if it’s been stolen or rebirthed. Does this mean I should wait for ceej to pay off his new car, then steal it?

they should just accept his original revs check and be done with it

Woody Mann-Caruso7:18 pm 11 Jun 09

Whoah back now, let’s not get sidetracked. Ceej has made it perfectly clear that his real issue (‘which is what my point was’) is with the repossession of stolen vehicles, and that it should just be a case of “too bad” for people without insurance and for insurance companies. The rest is just noise. Do any of you waxing lyrical about the Federation and stamp duty agree with his view about repossessing stolen vehicles?

Yep this is another example of the stupidity of the system we have in Australia. Total waste of money for all concerned it should just be one federal license and one federal registration system.

Gungahlin Al6:23 pm 11 Jun 09

Ceej, JC either works for, is minister of, or has some other close connection to the department, which seems to be why he just so totally agrees with everything they do…and you’ll note he states ‘it’s always worked that way’ then immediately contradicts himself by saying it used to be different.

Stamp duty IS a rip off, and is still there because every state and territory welched on their commitment under the GST deal to ditch all such indirect taxes. And Howard/Costello let them.

And in a town of public sector workers, you’d think we’d devise simpler ways of dealing with our own, but instead we seem to just put up with over-managed and over-charged processes. I well recall the drama of getting our Qld-reg cars converted over to ACT rego, and can sympathise.

On your idea of one standard system, all I can say is “shed a tier” – “banish the states”. I just won’t happen until we lose a tier of government in this country. But I agree wholeheartedly.

Are you sure you needed to spend the $1,000.00 bringing the car up to scratch prior to organizing the Vehicle Identity Inspection?

From –> http://www.rego.act.gov.au/registrations/regovehicleidentity.htm
“You must obtain a roadworthy inspection report before an identity inspection can be conducted.”

It just says you need to obtain a report, not pass it.

5. I too hate stamp duty 🙂

Woody Mann-Caruso6:14 pm 11 Jun 09

Further, the re-possession system that is in place should the Authorities find it has been stolen (I do understand how much a REVs check covers BTW)is unfair

So you think it’s fair that you take possession of stolen property? That the other party should ‘just have insurance’, thus making it a victimless crime (the insurance company, presumably, can go get effed, as can people without insurance)?

What a unique perspective on ‘fair’ you have. Could you give me your address and leave the car unlocked? I could totally use a new car, and I assume you’re insured, and if you’re not, well soggy SAOs for you then. You could use your insurance claim to go take a basic civics course and learn about why States are sovereign governments, and why that’s a good thing. You could also ponder the relationship between your stamp duty and the salaries and infrastructure required to run all these checks so that your, loik, totally safe and legal car, moit, really is.

The ACT rego authorities have taken the ID checks to a ludicrous level.

I recently registered a car I built from scratch. Started with a pile of steel tubing, and wound up with a vehicle which complied with all the current ADR’s, and was deemed mechanically sound by the authorities.

But even though the only number stamped on anything in the vehicle was the (secondhand – receipts provided) engine, the authorities demand a ‘complex ID Check’. This is apparently for vehicles previously written off, and being presented for new registration. Having built it myself, very few parts were from wrecked vehicles, and none had identifying numbers (brakes, wheels etc).

This check took less than half an hour, which included photocopying of documents presented.

For this ‘service’, the whole 30 minutes of it, the ACT Gov charges $410 or so!

There is no justification for this ripoff, apart from motorists being a cash cow.

brothereagle5:06 pm 11 Jun 09

Totally agree with you Ceej1973. I too recently went through all this and found it ridiculous.

PS JC save us all and just never post again.

Further, the re-possession system that is in place should the Authorities find it has been stolen (I do understand how much a REVs check covers BTW)is unfair, which is what my point was. If its been stolen, one would presume, that the original owner has insurance (too bad if not) and has made his/her claim for the value of the car.

In which case the insurance company owns the car, should it ever turn up. They can then auction the vehicle (usually the trashed remnants) to recover a small fraction of the sum that they’ve paid out the former owner.

kos said :

JC said :

A REVS check only checks if the car has money owed on it. It does not show if it has been rebirthed or stolen.

As for the rest of your post, get over it. That is how it works, it is how it has always worked. I almost wish we still had annual rego checks in the ACT, that way tools like you who complain about having to do saftey related maintenance on your “perfectly road worthy” car would cop it every year and really have a road worthy car.

PS save us the whine tomorrow on your ‘ping springs’

The rules between states in Australia are rediclious. I can ride my motorbike or drive my car legally in the ACT with legal modifications, and as soon as I cross the border the modifications are illegal, or the rules change. I don’t see the problem with yearly inspections other then the pain in getting there, nor the issues with getting roadworthy in the ACT. After putting through heavily modified cars and bikes through Dickson I’ve never had an issue?

However I have no idea what the hell ping springs are.

As I found out yesterday, they are springs that just float around, so that the car can be lowered without making any major mods. They are usually shorter, and are not connected at the bottom rack or top mountings, so when you go over a drop off, speed hump, or in the case of my roadworthy (which contrary to JC’s comment I do agre with) onto the hoist, they just float around.

JC said :

A REVS check only checks if the car has money owed on it. It does not show if it has been rebirthed or stolen.

As for the rest of your post, get over it. That is how it works, it is how it has always worked. I almost wish we still had annual rego checks in the ACT, that way tools like you who complain about having to do saftey related maintenance on your “perfectly road worthy” car would cop it every year and really have a road worthy car.

PS save us the whine tomorrow on your ‘ping springs’

Who said I was whining about annual checks. I am all for them actually.

Further, the re-possession system that is in place should the Authorities find it has been stolen (I do understand how much a REVs check covers BTW)is unfair, which is what my point was. If its been stolen, one would presume, that the original owner has insurance (too bad if not) and has made his/her claim for the value of the car. So why put so much duress under people purchasing vehicles privately.

You would have to be the only person JC, that I have heard of who welcomes over taxing by Governments such as stamp duty. So cut the offensive “tool” comments.

Just a pity you read into it a bit too much.

JC said :

A REVS check only checks if the car has money owed on it. It does not show if it has been rebirthed or stolen.

As for the rest of your post, get over it. That is how it works, it is how it has always worked. I almost wish we still had annual rego checks in the ACT, that way tools like you who complain about having to do saftey related maintenance on your “perfectly road worthy” car would cop it every year and really have a road worthy car.

PS save us the whine tomorrow on your ‘ping springs’

The rules between states in Australia are rediclious. I can ride my motorbike or drive my car legally in the ACT with legal modifications, and as soon as I cross the border the modifications are illegal, or the rules change. I don’t see the problem with yearly inspections other then the pain in getting there, nor the issues with getting roadworthy in the ACT. After putting through heavily modified cars and bikes through Dickson I’ve never had an issue?

However I have no idea what the hell ping springs are.

A REVS check only checks if the car has money owed on it. It does not show if it has been rebirthed or stolen.

As for the rest of your post, get over it. That is how it works, it is how it has always worked. I almost wish we still had annual rego checks in the ACT, that way tools like you who complain about having to do saftey related maintenance on your “perfectly road worthy” car would cop it every year and really have a road worthy car.

PS save us the whine tomorrow on your ‘ping springs’

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