Shonky Car Repairs !

Getting a car repaired to original condition after a crash has long been a nightmare for New South Wales motorists.  In recent times the number of repairers offering service has dwindled and now it seems that the insurance industry is fast taking up stakes in those remaining - with the result that customers are being remorselessly steered to take their car to the repairer of their insurance company's choice.   This is a practice banned in some countries, but allowed under Australian law.

The New South Wales government is about to implement a new code of practice and for the first time a term in prison will be a sentencing option for malpractice in the industry, but there are a lot of rules that need to be codified to clean up this industry.

One of the most glaring practices is the issue of genuine spare parts bearing the trademark and quality assurance of the car maker, and the fitting of unbranded, cheaper copies that may be of undetermined quality.   In most cases, the owner is not consulted and a vaguely worded promise that "new "parts will be used seems to cover all bases.

In the case of older cars, original parts may no longer be available and a repairer might legitimately need to hunt the wrecking yards to obtain second hand parts to get that vehicle back on the road, but communication is the key and the owner should be made aware of actions taken.

The biggest danger to safety comes from unsuitable parts being used in repairs.  Each new model contains upgrades of various items, but often a similar part from a previous model will fit but will not provide the engineering specification required of the new model.   That is not something to discover when you are travelling at 110 kph on a freeway - and something breaks !

It is expected that this new repair code will be very strict on customer's right of choice in selecting the repair company to carry out repairs.  Some insurers use various coercions to force the decision of their choice on owners and this has been used in the past to force down prices by deliberately withholding work from repairers who insist on using genuine parts and doing work of high standard.

Tightening of repair laws will also make it harder for criminal gangs to use "rebirth " practices to put absolutely lethal hybrid cars in the hands of an unsuspecting public.  Hopefully, they will ban the sale of "written off "cars being sold at auction with their compliance plates still intact.  The gangs use these compliance plates to legitimize a vehicle built from the recoverable parts of many wrecks - sometimes even a mixture of car brands - that has minimum safety standards.   In many cases, cars are stolen to order to enable vital missing parts to complete the required appearance used to deceive the public.

Expect a tightening of the laws that apply to those licensed to provide "pink slip "registration inspections.   Road safety is enhanced by a high proportion of new cars replacing older models and this provides an incentive to stiffen the inspection procedure.   Whatever is fitted to an original model may be required to be kept working at such inspections - even if not even remotely associated with safety - to weed out older cars because of the cost of repairs.   Should the electrical raising and lowering of a back seat window fail that would become reason to refuse a pink slip - and as many car owners have discovered to their dismay - replacement can cost north of five hundred dollars in repair cost.

It is obvious that car safety is best served by the regular replacement of the cars we drive with updated new designs.   This review seems to be a two pronged move - to keep all existing cars in peak condition and to ensure that those repaired after accidents are brought back to peak safety standards - and to keep the car insurance industry honest !