Can A Defect Notice Clearance Date Be Extended?

[Spunky Munky]

Hey fellas,

So my car got defected around 2 weeks ago, and they've given me just a little over a month to clear it. However, I'm currently interstate and cannot personally attend to the vehicle, i.e. getting a RWC for it and clearing it with VicRoads etc, is there any chance of asking for an extension? I'm happy not to drive the car just want more time to get it cleared. Does anyone know if this is actually possible, and if so, is it just a matter of contacting VicRoads?

On the other hand if this is not possible, what needs to be done then? What are the consequences?

Thanks all.

SM

[R31Nismoid]

You can ask for an extension i believe from the officer who gave you the notice...

However given you have a long history of defects for some reason... It is unlikely.

If its not possible you simply cannot drive the car.

You'll need to get it towed.

[Spunky Munky]

You can ask for an extension i believe from the officer who gave you the notice...

However given you have a long history of defects for some reason... It is unlikely.

If its not possible you simply cannot drive the car.

You'll need to get it towed.

Fair enough - thanks mate.

But will my registration get cancelled just like that?

Thanks.

[alr33x]

i rang up last week as im in similar boat but they told me you have 4 weeks to clear it and u can only drive the car for the purpose of repairs to and from workshops or vicroads.

after that he said the rego may be suspended id say if u rang up vicroads you should be ok they are pretty helpful with this stuff particularly if u tell them u cant source parts due to time of year etc.

im not sure ringing the officer would do anything cos they dont care once they issue the defect its vicroads/your problem, i could be wrong though.

[R31Nismoid]

suspension usually lasts 3 months before they expire it from memory.

you'll have to ring and check though. there is a "set" amount of time a rego can be suspended before cancellation.

[Spunky Munky]

i rang up last week as im in similar boat but they told me you have 4 weeks to clear it and u can only drive the car for the purpose of repairs to and from workshops or vicroads.

after that he said the rego may be suspended id say if u rang up vicroads you should be ok they are pretty helpful with this stuff particularly if u tell them u cant source parts due to time of year etc.

im not sure ringing the officer would do anything cos they dont care once they issue the defect its vicroads/your problem, i could be wrong though.

Yeah thanks buddy...your comments are much appreciated.

Makes sense, guess they cannot just cancel my registration because I am interstate on business and cannot attend to my car especially, like you said, it's approaching Christmas for God's sake.

If you come across anything else, please let me know.

PS: For those of you that have PMed me...I got defected for my GTS-T recently. I've purchased a R33 GTR and its' also getting worked on at the mechanics, so I'm freaken carless for the holidays - how bad can it be...plus on top of that, I'm interstate for work for the next 2 weeks and won't be back before then at all.

If you guys have anything more firm from Vicroads, I'd really appreciate it if you can post it up here. Many thanks!

[Spunky Munky]

suspension usually lasts 3 months before they expire it from memory.

you'll have to ring and check though. there is a "set" amount of time a rego can be suspended before cancellation.

Hi Ash, thanks for your reply mate.

Yeah, I think you are right but I will ring up and check to be sure. Neverless, having the registration suspended is bad enough - this means I won't be able to drive anywhere for the purpose of getting the RWC. If you have anything more firm please upload.

Thanks.

[SKYL1N]

i copped one a month ago and they gave me 7 days to clear it, in that time frame it was over melb cup weekend where everything was closed

called up and was told the only person who could give me an extention was the police officer that wrote out the defect notice.

if its not fixed in that time u can get a permit from vic roads to drive it from workshop to vic roads etc.

if after a certain time the car has not been cleared your rego will be suspended.

[Spunky Munky]

i copped one a month ago and they gave me 7 days to clear it, in that time frame it was over melb cup weekend where everything was closed

called up and was told the only person who could give me an extention was the police officer that wrote out the defect notice.

if its not fixed in that time u can get a permit from vic roads to drive it from workshop to vic roads etc.

if after a certain time the car has not been cleared your rego will be suspended.

Ah I see...now that sounds much more feasible...thanks mate!

[Sami]

it states on the defect when you can drive your car untill

after that you cant drive it but the rego is not cancelled for 3 months

some say "u can drive to workshops and to vicroads" however i have heard stories of people copping "unregistered" fines while doing that

if i were u i'd

1st- ring vicroads to confirm everything

2nd- get a permit when trying to get it sorted

never heard of an extension so i wont shit-talk about it

[krzysiu]

Was my belief that you are allowed to drive the vehicle if:

1) You are driving to get the defects fixed (to your mechanic or whatever)

2) To vicroads to get the defect cleared

Never been questioned by vic roads whilst presenting a vehicle that i have clearly driven there whilst the defect expired 2 days ago. It does explain the above on the back of your defect notice.

[Sami]

i dont know... maybe best thing is to make sure u have appointment or something so it can be proven

maybe the story i have heard is due to the fact that the cop did not believe the story hence the fine

like i said before: best thing is to contact vicroads as we are not proffesional and things we say are/could be guesses

[llama_au]

You need an unregistered vehicle permit to drive it to a workshop to get fixed and a RWC, and then to Vicroads. It's illegal to drive it to Vicroads without an unregistered vehicle permit as you're not covered by the TAC. In other words if you have an accident you could be paying someone else's medical expenses for the rest of your life.

[R31Nismoid]

If it's been suspended you can't get a permit.

I've tried asking VicRoads before while i was there asking for something else (used my car when it had the EPA suspension in place just for interests sake)

The VIN and/or Engine number is flagged (i forget which), so as soon as you apply for a permit it pop's up on the screen

[llama_au]

Wow, what a stupid rule. You're trying to make it roadworthy and drive it legally to do so.

Well I guess your only legal option is to tow it then.

[R31Nismoid]

It's actually very smart. The car is defected for being unsafe. And the unreg permit does state the car needs to be in reasonable order to be driven on public roads or something to that effect anyway...

So it would be silly if you could get a permit in that respect (for defects like smash dmg etc, not tyres on an import)

[llama_au]

I guess. Turds.

[alr33x]

Was my belief that you are allowed to drive the vehicle if:

1) You are driving to get the defects fixed (to your mechanic or whatever)

2) To vicroads to get the defect cleared

Never been questioned by vic roads whilst presenting a vehicle that i have clearly driven there whilst the defect expired 2 days ago. It does explain the above on the back of your defect notice.

this man speaks the truth car can be driven for the purposes of repairs and to vic roads after the 7 days they give you 1 month to use the car in this way if you are driving it outside of this you would get done for driving it. ie if your out at 8pm at night highly unlikely to be going to a workshop..

got this info first hand off vicroads last friday as i didnt get a rwc in time and have been driving to workshops this week and will be driving it to vicroads tomorrow happy to confirm this for you.

[RBLUV]

yes that is correct

you have 7 days after you recieve the defect to drive it as you please

then one month after that to drive to and from workshops/vicroads during business hours

then they will suspend your rego and you must have the vehicle towed

[Spunky Munky]

this man speaks the truth car can be driven for the purposes of repairs and to vic roads after the 7 days they give you 1 month to use the car in this way if you are driving it outside of this you would get done for driving it. ie if your out at 8pm at night highly unlikely to be going to a workshop..

got this info first hand off vicroads last friday as i didnt get a rwc in time and have been driving to workshops this week and will be driving it to vicroads tomorrow happy to confirm this for you.

Thanks mate...and thanks to all that have commented as well.

So to sum it up...

The defect notices states that I must clear the defect by 24/12...I probably won't be able to as I'm currently interstate for work and won't be back for another 2 weeks, so does this mean that; even if it's past the 24/12 - I CAN, still drive it ONLY to and from Workshops to get the car fixed and eventually to VicRoads to get it cleared legally?

I'm not going to use it for anything else besides this purpose and most of it will be done during the mornings only. So even if I do not clear it by the due date, I can still drive it to get fixed and then VicRoads would still accept my RWC and happy to clear the Yellow Fuccckaa right?

Thanks all!!