A written-off vehicle inspection is commonly known as a ‘WOVI’ or ‘WOVR’. These are comprehensive vehicle identity checks which apply to all vehicles classified as repairable write-offs and are required before a repairable written-off vehicle can be re-registered. They are part of the national theft reduction initiative and are required to ensure that the identity of repaired written-off vehicles is legitimate. This is to combat the illegal use of vehicle identifiers and to stop the re-birthing of stolen vehicles. The inspection also involves inspecting the nature of any repairs conducted, the parts utilised in the repair process along with all repair and parts receipts, and identifying if the vehicle has any obvious defects.

You must book your inspection online via www.wovi.com.au Each inspection must be booked at least 72 hours in advance. When booking an inspection, the vehicle's details, including the vehicle identification number (VIN) or chassis number, make, model and colour must be provided. Please note that the letters ‘I’, ‘O’ or ‘Q’ must not be entered into the VIN in the booking details as this will produce an error message. You must also enter the owners licence details. The owner of the vehicle must have a Queensland Transport and Main Roads customer reference number to make a booking, otherwise the booking cannot proceed. On the day of the appointment, the owner will need to personally present the vehicle at the inspection site. If this is not possible, the person presenting the vehicle will have to prove their identity by showing an acceptable form of identification, and must also have a Queensland Transport and Main Roads customer reference number. The representative of an organisation must show a letter of authority to conduct business on behalf of the organisation, in addition to their own personal identification. On the day of inspection you are not allowed to be present inside the inspection premises with the vehicle during the inspection itself. Motorcycles must be removed from transport vehicles. You may drive the vehicle to the inspection site under only 3 circumstances:- The vehicle is still currently registered, or You are able to utilise a trade/dealer plate, or You have all three of - current safety certificate, third party insurance certificate and a completed Queensland Transport and Main Roads registration application – with you at the time.

You must drop the vehicle off to the inspection site at or prior to the allotted time of the appointment. The inspection, on average, takes less than half a day. The examiner will let you know when the vehicle will be available for collection. If more time is required to complete the inspection, you may have to leave the vehicle at the inspection site for longer. For all bookings at the Brisbane site the vehicle must be left for a minimum of 2 working days. For Brisbane inspections you will not be able to collect the vehicle until you are contacted back to advise that the inspection is completed.

A safety inspection certificate confirms the vehicle is roadworthy—this is decided by specific test criteria to measure roadworthiness. However, please note that if the safety certificate has been issued incorrectly and the vehicle has any obvious defects it will not pass the WOVI inspection. All vehicles must be presented with a current Queensland Safety Certificate. Safety Certificates remain valid for 2 months following their issue for private individuals, and 3 months for licenced dealers. The written-off vehicle inspection is a thorough and detailed analysis of the identity and history of the vehicle to ensure its identity is legitimate. The inspection includes an analysis of the vehicle's history and repair documents. If there is any doubt or inconsistencies with the vehicle's identity, history or documentation, the vehicles are referred to the Queensland Police Service for further inspection. The Queensland Police Service may undertake a detailed forensic inspection on the vehicle to confirm its legitimate identity.

Purchase receipts for vehicles need to include the make, model and VIN number of the vehicle, along with the purchaser’s name, and the full details of the seller including name, address and contact phone numbers. Purchase receipts from licenced motor dealers and auction houses will always contain this information. Purchase receipts in business/company names when the booking is for an individual will need to be accompanied by documentation from Australian Securities and Investment Commission ASIC or the Office of Fair Trading which show the two as the same entity, and the reverse is also applicable. If the vehicle is purchased from a private person, additional document/s will be required which prove that the seller actually owned the vehicle which they have sold. These documents include previous registration certificates in their name, or a previous purchase receipt from a licenced motor dealer or similar. A complete chain of receipts from that person/dealer up to the applicant is required. If the vehicle has been retained by its owner after being written off, then an insurance letter of salvage will be required which contains the vehicle’s details, owner’s details, and a listing of the insurance payout/salvage vehicle retention by the owner. If the vehicle has been obtained as part of a deceased estate, then a copy of the certified will is required which shows the customer is the beneficiary of the estate. If the vehicle has been obtained as a result of being abandoned such as unclaimed at a workshop, then ownership can only be ascertained after the provisions of the Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act 1967 have been complied with.

You must correctly account for all parts at the time of the initial inspection, otherwise the vehicle will not be passed. Purchase and fitment of parts after the inspection is not acceptable. For a WOVI purchase of second hand parts from private sellers, including those from swap meets and internet sites such as ebay and gumtree is not recommended. You may have trouble obtaining correct original proof of ownership of those parts from the seller, and you will require these for the vehicle to pass inspection. If you do purchase parts from a private seller additional document/s will be required which prove that the seller actually owned the vehicle/parts which they have sold. These documents include previous registration certificates in their name, or a previous purchase receipt from a licenced motor dealer or similar. A complete chain of receipts from that person/dealer up to the applicant is required. Recognised legitimate parts suppliers will not only be licenced, but also operate a computer based parts stock tracking system including full details and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the vehicle where the parts originate if the parts are second hand. If second hand components from another vehicle you own have been used in the repair, you will be required to provide proof of purchase of that vehicle including the VIN. Imported complete vehicles cannot be dismantled and used for parts on written-off vehicles. Neither can dismantled imported parts. Vehicles with imported parts fitted will need to be replaced prior to passing a WOVI.

Please note that in all cases a repair document of some nature will be required. In an instance where a vehicle has sustained no or very little visible damage a statutory declaration will still be required stating that no repairs have been effected. Damaged vehicles must be repaired in accordance with the manufacturer’s repair instructions and industry best practices. Some repairs require specialised equipment and knowledge. If not repaired correctly, the vehicle will not pass the WOVI. QIS must be able to formally identify a repairable write-off as a particular vehicle in order to pass that vehicle. Vehicles which have had substantial repairs such that only a minor portion of the original repairable write-off vehicle remain, may not be passed. Vehicles which have had a cabin replaced on a chassis also may not pass. Queries in relation to either of these two types of repairs should be addressed with QIS Administration staff for further advice prior to the vehicle being booked for inspection. The repairer must provide you with a valid tax invoice, with full details of the parts and labour to repair the vehicle. The repair invoice must list the details of the vehicle including the VIN number; plus full details of the removal and replacement of parts, repair of parts, refinishing (painting) of parts, full parts listing, labour content and a detailed parts listing for any parts from a donor vehicle with the VIN number of that vehicle (or vehicles) also listed. Examples of the correct style of repair invoices are available via the internet, such as by searching ‘images Australia panel repair invoice sample estimate’. The repairer must provide all original receipts for parts or donor vehicles to you, to present at the inspection. If you bought the vehicle in an already repaired condition, you will still be required to obtain the required documents and tax invoices from the previous owner/s where possible, and provide a statutory declaration to this effect. Vehicles repaired by a private owner themselves will also require a statutory declaration to be completed, and must list the same details as above that a panel shop would provide. Photographs of vehicles in their damaged state and during various stages of repair will always assist the inspection to proceed with less difficulty and these should be provided if available.

Statutory Declarations may be used as the repair document where the vehicle has been repaired by a private person, but cannot be used as an alternative to parts receipts. QIS does not automatically accept the contents of a Statutory Declaration as true and correct, and reserves the right to request further information or documents in order to establish the true origins of the repaired vehicle. All Statutory Declarations must be completed in the required format and signed by an authorised signatory, normally a Justice of the Peace (JP). If the Statutory Declaration is not signed and stamped by an authorised JP then QIS may request further details of the signatory and a delay may occur in the inspection process. The correct format for a Queensland Statutory Declaration may be found at www.courts.qld.gov.au then search for ‘stat dec’.

If you are organising another person to deliver the vehicle, that person will need to present their driver's licence and a letter of authorisation from the owner granting permission to drop off/ pick up the vehicle. This person must have a Queensland Drivers Licence or Customer Reference Number (CRN).

The fee is $451.50 for cars and trucks, and $347.00 for motorbikes, caravans and trailers. There are no concessional rates. The fee is payable whether or not the vehicle passes the inspection and there are no refunds for failed vehicles. Plus there is a $57.00 reinspection fee for any vehicle not passing its inspection upon first presentation. These fees are comparable to equivalent inspections in other states with flat fees of $523.50 in Victoria, $584.80 in the Australian Capital Territory and $514.00 for a full inspection in New South Wales. The fee was determined as part of the contract procurement. In addition to the costs of providing the service across Queensland, the inspection price incorporates a component of this risk borne by Queensland Inspection Services. Please note: There was a fee increase applying to inspections from 1 February 2019.

At the Brisbane and Townsville locations cash is accepted. All other locations cash is not allowed and the following means of payment are acceptable, Bank Cheque, Money Order from Australia Post, Credit Card, and EFTPOS. Personal and business cheques are not accepted.

Queensland Inspection Services provide written-off vehicle inspections. We have sites in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Townsville, Mackay, Bundaberg, Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Beenleigh and on the Gold Coast. To gain more information contact Queensland Inspection Services on 1300 722 411*. *Higher rates apply from mobile phones and payphones. If calling outside of Queensland, STD rates will apply. Maps of the locations of each of our sites is available on the Contact Us tab of our website www.wovi.com.au Queensland Inspection Services are required under legislation to perform inspections only at the sites already approved by Qld Transport as are listed above. We are unable to perform inspections at other non-approved premises.

The Brisbane site is open from 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday. Other sites are operated on a roster basis and not open 5 days a week every week. You would need to contact Administration staff to obtain further details. The booking page of our website provides the times and dates available for inspections. All sites are normally closed on public holidays although this may vary in regional areas.

Queensland Inspection Services only inspects vehicles which are then currently listed as a ‘repairable write-off’ on NEVDIS, the Australian national registration system. Queensland Inspection Services does not conduct checks for members of the public to determine this. You will need to visit www.ppsr.gov.au and conduct a check using the vehicle’s VIN number to determine if it needs an inspection. The result of this check will tell you if the vehicle is then listed as a repairable write-off. Queensland Inspection Services recommend you use this government website as it is cheaper than private/commercial websites. If the result indicates that the vehicle has already been previously inspected in New South Wales, you may still require an inspection to register your vehicle in Queensland. The way to determine this is to attend your local Transport and Main Roads customer service centre with the vehicle details and they will advise you.

In New South Wales some vehicles in areas where full inspections were not available could be re-registered on a lower level identify check. This was called a 'blue slip' and is not accepted by other states in place of a written-off vehicle inspection. Vehicles that have been issued a 'blue slip' are required to undergo a full written-off vehicle inspection before they can be registered in Queensland or other states.

If your vehicle has been listed as a repairable write-off it must undergo a WOVI inspection before it can be re-registered anywhere in Australia. These inspections are required under State legislation, in Queensland this legislation came into place in 2002.

No, only a vehicle listed as a repairable write-off can undergo a WOVI inspection and be re-registered. Queensland Inspection Services cannot assist you in any way in relation to a Statutory write-off vehicle. Any questions about Statutory write-off vehicles can only be dealt with via either the Transport authority in the State in which the notification was made, or with the insurance company or other entity who made the notification.

This normally occurs when an insurance company has assessed a vehicle involved in some kind of incident, and the insurance company determines that it should be reported. Notifications can also be made by auction houses, vehicle wreckers, and private persons on their own vehicles after an incident occurs. Queensland Inspection Services does not make notifications on repairable write-off vehicles itself so is not responsible for any notification having been made previously.

If the vehicle was written-off in a State other than Queensland, there will normally be a delay in the transfer of the damage information onto the Queensland system. This will normally be no more than about 3 days, however in a small number of cases it can take significantly longer than that. In these isolated incidents your inspection may need to be delayed.

The information on a repairable write-off vehicle is provided under confidential provisions by Transport and Main Roads to Queensland Inspection Services and unfortunately we are unable to release that to the public. We are also not able to help you with these details if you are wanting to know prior to purchasing such a vehicle. You may access any information available via www.ppsr.gov.au Further to this, we are unable to divulge information on previous inspections from customers files. Queensland Inspection Services cannot amend the damage information listed against a vehicle should you believe it is incorrect. This would need to be addressed with either a State Transport authority or the insurance company or entity who made the notification. Queensland Inspection Services can only either pass or fail a vehicle after the inspection is completed.

The WOVR restriction for a repairable write-off vehicle exists on NEVDIS, the National registration system based interstate. A pass entered into the system by Queensland Inspection Services does not update NEVDIS until overnight, so you will not be able to register your vehicle until the following working day.

The requirement for an inspection is determined on the age of the vehicle at the time of the write-off incident, even though this may have been some years ago when the vehicle may have been newer, it is not based on the current date today. Further to this, the 15 year rule back dates to January of the same year of production, so for example, a vehicle manufactured in April 2002 will still be entered onto the WOVR until the end of 2017.

There is an Australia-wide compulsory airbag safety recall for some Takata branded airbags. The airbag recall does not affect all Takata airbags. Two types of Takata airbags, alpha and beta have been identified as defective and are being recalled. For more information go to https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/vehicle-safety/airbag-recall/airbag-safety-recall

No. All airbag recalls must be cleared by the OEM Dealer (original manufacturer) prior to passing a written-off vehicle inspection.

Seatbelts and the Supplementary Restraint System (SRS) protect the occupants of a vehicle in a crash and are made up of the following: • airbags and related components • seatbelts and buckles • seatbelt fitting hardware • seatbelt pretensioners. Our recommendation is that only new OEM airbags and SRS components are used in the repair process of your vehicle. The origin of second hand parts can be difficult to obtain and may impact the outcome of your inspection. Please note: any second hand airbags or SRS components affected by any recall can NOT be used. Also second hand airbags and SRS components from any imported or water affected vehicles can NOT be used.

Your airbags can be fitted by a suitable, registered business. For example SRS Specialists, OEM Dealers and approved Automotive Repair and Mechanical workshops. Parts and repair documents must be itemised. Please note: Statutory Declarations are NOT acceptable for the fitting of airbags and seat belts.

Please email us your full list of queries to adminqis@wovi.com.au with a return telephone number.