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A statutory warranty applies only to used vehicles bought from a licensed motor vehicle dealer.
The Motor Vehicle Dealers Act requires licensed dealers to fix certain defects in used motor vehicles they have sold.
The statutory warranty applies only to motor vehicles that have a purchase price of $4,000 or more and motor cycles that cost $3,500 or more, together with limits on age and the number of kilometres travelled at the time of sale.
The following table outlines the statutory warranty provisions:
Age of Car | Kilometres travelled at time of sale | Warranty Entitlement |
---|---|---|
Not more than 10 years | Not more than 150,000 | 3 months or 5,000 km (whichever happens first) |
Between 10 - 12 years | Between 150,000 and 180,000 | 1 month or 1,500 km (whichever happens first) |
More than 12 years | More than 180,000 | No warranty |
Age of Motor Cycle | Kilometres travelled at time of sale | Warranty Entitlement |
---|---|---|
Not more than 8 years | Not more than 80,000 | 3 months or 5,000 km (whichever happens first) |
More than 8 years | More than 80,000 | No warranty |
The following second-hand vehicles are covered by statutory warranty when bought from a dealer.
Passenger cars and derivatives, including:
Passenger motor cycles:
See the list of vehicles which are not covered by statutory warranty.
A statutory warranty does not cover:
Warranties can be waived on:
A waiver must be agreed to by both the buyer and dealer and approved by the Commissioner for Consumer Protection.
A buyer can apply for the waiver of the warranty obligations before the vehicle is sold and the buyer takes possession.
If this is not done, then all warranty obligations will still apply to the vehicle.
An application for a waiver is likely to be approved if the:
A buyer’s rights under the Australian Consumer Law are not affected by the warranty waiver.
The contract to buy the vehicle should include the condition “Subject to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection approving a warranty waiver”.
If this statement is not on the contract, a dealer risks giving the buyer the right to buy the vehicle at the discounted price with the warranty if the application to waive is rejected or not made properly by the buyer.
If the application is rejected, any conditional offer would be void.
The Application for waiver of used vehicle warranty form is availble in word doc or copy and paste text.
Buying a car is a big investment for most people. Make sure you do your homework before doing the deal, regardless of whether it’s through a private seller or with a car yard.
The image shows what is and is not covered under a used car statutory warranty. It is included in the car buyers checklist publication.
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