Do you need a Queensland Safety Certificate / RWC or Roadworthy Certificate?

Our Bohle car service is fully licensed by Queensland Transport to perform inspections and issue Safety Certificates.

The Safety Certificate offers buyers better protection and makes sure vehicles being offered for disposal or being re-registered are safe - reducing the likelihood of crashes caused by defective vehicles. In Queensland the laws are very strict about Safety Certificates on vehicles that are up for sale, or that are being re-registered for the first time or from interstate. A Safety Certificate is issued after a vehicle passes an minimum safety standard inspection. A Safety Certificate covers basic items essential for safe operation of your car:

• brakes
• body damage
• body rust
• lights
• steering
• suspension
• tyres
• windscreen

Note: a safety inspection is not a comprehensive inspection of the vehicle or the engine. Before purchasing a used vehicle, we recommend that you contact us for a full mechanical inspection of the vehicle. It is the seller's legal responsibility to provide the Safety Certificate and complete any roadworthiness related repairs required before the certificate can be issued. You should never be persuaded to get your own Safety Certificate as any necessary repairs will be at your cost.

If you have a vehicle registered in another state or that has been un-registered for more than 3 months or are registering the vehicle for the first time - the car needs to pass a safety inspection and receive a Safety Certificate before they can be registered.

When you are selling your vehicle in Queensland, a Safety Certificate needs to be displayed on a clearly visible part of the vehicle from the moment the car goes on sale - either via a newspaper ad, online listing or on the road with a "For Sale" sign. AUD $550 on the spot fine applies for not displaying a Safety Certificate in a very obvious place (like front forks or guard for motorbike, windscreen or window for car and draw-bar for trailer).

A Safety Certificate lasts for 1 month or 2000km if it is for private use, or 2 months 1000km if it is for a dealership. The Safety Certificate is for only one sale or re-registration. Even if you decide to sell the vehicle a week after you purchase it, and the Safety Certificate is still valid, you will need to pass another safety inspection and receive a new safety certificate.

Unless exempt, unregistered second hand and registered interstate vehicles must have a Safety Certificate as part of the Queensland pre-registration process.
This includes:
• cars
• motorbikes
• trailers and caravans with an aggregate trailer mass (ATM) of 750kg and 3.50 tonnes
• any other vehicles up to 4.50t gross vehicle mass (GVM). All cars fitted with LPG require a Gas Certificate to be issued by a licensed gas fitter (in addition to the Safety Certificate). This involves an inspection to ensure the gas equipment is safe.

As directed by the QLD Department of Transport, the Safety Certificate checklist includes the inspection of the folowing aspects of your car:

• Body/Rust
• Boot/Doors
• Brakes
• Clutch
• Drive Shafts
• Electrical system
• Engine
• Exhaust System
• Fluids
• Heater/Air Conditioning
• Identification
• Instruments & Gauges
• Interior
• Lights
• Log books
• Paint
• Park Brake
• Radiator
• Road Test
• Seat Belts/Child Restraints
• Seats
• Steering
• Stereo/radio
• Suspension
• Transmission/Gearbox
• Under Body
• Wheels/Tyre's
• Windscreen/Wipers

The price of a Safety Certificate inspection is AUD $92.90, as set by Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. If you are quoted more than AUD $92.90 to get a Safety Certificate for your car, you're paying too much!

Queensland Transport regulations indicate a few situations where a Safety Certificate is not required. Some exemption criteria are:

• unregistered car being traded to or between licensed motor dealerships
• vehicle being sold for parts, and has been de-registered before going on sale
• inheriting the vehicle from a deceased estate
• trading ownership between spouses, including separated couples
• the disposer of car is living in an exempt area (remote locations)

The term Roadworthy Certificate (RWC) was dropped by QLD Department of Transport in favor of the Safety Certificate. Safety certificates can only be issued by Approved Inspection Stations (AIS) as Automotive Obsession. These are service stations, garages or workshops approved by the Queensland Government.

You can download the Vehicle Registration Transfer Application form (F3520) from the QLD Department of Transport website.

Book your QLD RWC with the team at Automotive Obsession today!