Hi,
I have a 16 year old car to sell and with the recent routine car service, the mechanic mentioned that the tyres need to be changed.
I am planning to sell the car soon, and do not plan to change the tyres.
Will this affect the roadworthy certificate? I just don’t want to go through and pay for the roadworthy check and fail it just because it needs new tyres.
Also, if a car fails a roadworthy check, can I still use the car (pre-selling)
Thanks.
This seems ar$e about to me. Why settle on a price then find out the RWC will cost you $4k and you might as well give the car away.
Of course if you have no idea about the condition and any mechanical/safety issues of your own car then it is best to get the RWC inspection done first. Major issues such as suspension and oil leaks should have been already picked up and addressed during routine services and you should already know of any faulty seat belts etc., and pretty easy to locate and replace any blown light globes yourself before taking the car for RWC.
I think you have 7 days to get it reinspected, definitely not 14 days. From memory if you get the first check done on Wednesday it has to be passed on Tuesday at the latest, otherwise need to pay for another full one
If an item fails to meet the requirements, the vehicle tester will issue a rejection report. You’ll be given 14 days to repair or replace the rejected item/s and have them re-inspected.
https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/registration/roadworthiness/…
You were correct
Rules changed on Jan 1… its now 14 days
That's good news
OP is in Vic
7 Days to have it rechecked or have to pay for another RWC
Edit… updated in 2021… its now 14 days
Say you failed RWC at the garage due to unroadworthy tyres.
Do you have the option of changing for new tyres somewhere else ( cheaper) and then get back to the garage within 14days? or would the garage be pissed you didnt change tyre with them and refuse to do the RWC? ( the 2nd roadworthy inspection visit should be free)
Check the tyres yourself for correct minimum tread depth and make sure they are not so old as to be cracking.
https://www.mynrma.com.au/cars-and-driving/car-servicing/res…
and no, if your car fails a rwc, then it's not roadworthy, which means it's not worthy to be in the road…….
I'd just put on some new tyres. Might also help you sell the car. ;)
You can get a RWC inspection (about $170) which will tell you what needs to be done. You can get a quote for the repairs while there. Repairs must be completed within 7 days of this inspection.
You then know where to price your vehicle, how much room you have for negotiation and ultimately your profit.
What is the car, kms, condition etc?
You've been told the tyres need replacing.. and your asking if you should replace them.. ?
Going to same mechanic for roady who told you they need replacing? He'd never pick the tyres need replacing..
Go to your mechanic and ask him to tell you what needs to be done for a RWC. Don't ask for the actual RWC.
That way you can keep driving regardless what he says and take your time to decide about what tyres to get if needed.
I wouldn't fit new tyres just to sell unless required.
Go to your mechanic and ask him to tell you what needs to be done for a RWC. Don't ask for the actual RWC.
No way is that going to happen. An accurate RWC takes at least 1 hour. They aren't going to do that for free.
^This. Issuing RWCs are not the same as getting free quotes for a home reno. If you have any exterior mods then you can show them and ask whether they are Ok to keep before brining the car for RWC and a Yes or No would be the most you would get.
I never said to get it for free.
I say change the tyres now if they are not good irrespective of your selling plans.
The 1 cm patch in each tyre is what holds you on the road, the better that patch the better your chances of controlling your car in case of an emergency.
Can always buy the cheapest death trap chinese tyres
Sell it without roadworthy and just say in the advert that it just needs tyres for the roadworthy.
I think the current terminology for this on Gumtree ads is something like….
2 busy to get a roady mate. She's a good car and won't need much. Has 6 days left of rego which ya can hav
At least get two $35 used roadworthy tires. Check tyre tread depth. May be you are driving with unroadworthy tyres even now
I doubt anyone would buy a 16yo car without a RWC unless they just wanted it for spare parts?
Years ago my local Kmart true and auto did a safety inspection for free and told me what was not roadworthy on the car. The mechanic who did it used to do roadworthy checks, but didn’t have the current registration. I was pretty lucky to get it for free but if you call around you might find somewhere willing to do something similar for you.
Rule is 1.5mm of tyre thread for VIC. Check this first or replace if it is close. The more things you do ahead of the RWC inspection the better.
There is a difference between ‘need new tyres’ and won’t pass roadworthy. Which do you have?
The fundamental question here.👍 Easy to either check yourself, ask the mechanic why, or go to a tyre place and ask. (Least good method).
If the tyres need replacement, the vehicle is Un-Roadworthy.
This means unsafe….for you and your family and other road users.
No brainer…selling or not. Make the vehicle Roadworthy, before you drive it, let alone advertise or sell it.
What is more important….your wallet or your safety?
If the tyres need replacement, the vehicle is Un-Roadworthy
How many times have you been to a mechanic and as you pay for the service they say something along the lines of ‘by next service you’ll be needing a new xxxxx’. Ie it’s nearly worn out, but will probably last another 6 months. My mechanic has said it to me more than a few times over the years. This doesn’t mean unroadworthy or unsafe right now, just soon it will be.
You wouldn’t be happy if you wasted 8000km of your tyre tread because by the next time you visit your mechanic you will have done 10000km.
Yes and no.
A year ago I took one of the cars I was selling for a final service and told them to fix anything that would prevent it being re registered. They didn't do the front bushes which had minor cracks in them - they could last longer but if going over the pit would not not allow registration "half the time". A real pain.
"the mechanic mentioned that the tyres need to be changed." Need being the operative word.
I am that mechanic that said to you and every other customer exactly how I saw their vehicle, and the condition of items that were getting close to needing replacement. 1000's of Roadworthy Inspections later over 30+ years, I still say the same when look at a vehicle, even my own. I was the strictest Inspector and that was a good thing, if you wanted a real Roadworthy, as Safety was the priority, and many bad Roadies actually caused more expense when the failure did come.
I hate wasting money too, and I hated seeing my customers ripped by malpractice. Un-roadworthy now is based on it needs tyres now, which is what the OP was saying. Quite often as I had my customers over many years and were very much repeat customers, if I did not yet know their driving style or plans, especially holiday or long trip plans, I asked. This information allowed me to advise when I felt any repairs should be performed. 3-5000k left on a tyre around town could take 3-4 weeks, but loaded at highway speed in the middle of summer to Darwin would possibly only last a few hundred k.
Roadworthy Inspections must allow for the vehicle to remain Roadworthy for a time period, not just tomorrow or next 50 k for example. The Roadworthy Book is huge, and very complex, it does have a certain amount of interpretation in it, some are guidelines and some are absolutes.
I have never been to a mechanic and had them say anything as you suggested as I do the same, but at least I was 100% on repeat business, so everything I advised was 100% accurate in the customers favour.
"the mechanic mentioned that the tyres need to be changed." Need being the operative word.
The thing is though, this is a quote from a post probably paraphrasing what the mechanic said. Depending on the attitude of the OP may not have heard accurately what was actually said. We don’t know what the tyres look like, what the mechanics attitude to tyre wear is, or the OPs risk attitude.
@Euphemistic: The thing is also, that everything said and done is exactly as it was, factual and correctly represented.
The probably factor you state, that is between the op and you if you want to find reasons that may or may not be representative of the OPs given details..
Each to their own my old fruit.
@doctordv8: I fear for you if you take everything on the internet as 100% accurate
OP obviously doesn’t know how to check their own tyres and is possibly being taken for a ride by a mechanic. It’s just my nature to consider the other side of the story.
Sell the car as is no RWC then the new owner can figure it out otherwise you're paying to get car RWC
First sell the car as is and once you have taken the deposit from the buyer take it to the garage for RWC. If the tyres aren't road worthy they will tell you and then go and get them replaced with either new or used tyres and if my memory serves right you have 14 days from the initial inspection to fix any issues and take the car back to get the RWC without having to pay twice.