Thinking about selling your registered car, motorbike, trailer or caravan? In Queensland, you are legally required to have a Roadworthy or safety certificate, commonly referred to as RWC, to transfer ownership of a registered vehicle to another person.

We do get it better than other states though, in NSW for example, you have to get regular roadworthy certificates to maintain annual registration, whereas in Queensland, you are only required to have one when you are selling a car!

So what goes into a RWC and what’s the process?

A qld safety certificate consists of two inspection appointments.

At the first inspection appointment, the Queensland Department of Transport Approved Inspection Station mechanic will look at:

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

If the vehicle passes on all accounts, you’ll be provided with an approved queensland safety certificate and you’re free to sell your vehicle.

If it fails to satisfy any of the safety criteria, it will be crossed on the first inspection tickboxes. You then have 14 days to repair the issue(s) and take it back to the same mechanic for a final inspection. You must take it back to the same mechanic for the final inspection.

If you thought you’d flog off your car because you didn’t want to complete any mechanic repairs, you may have to consider selling the car unregistered as you need to display your approved safety certificate to sell the car legally registered.

If you think you’re going to be smart or tricky and place the word “interested” along with your phone number or “buy me” and hope to get away with it without an approved certificate, think again as the Department of Transport are pretty savvy and as outlined on their website, you can cop up to a $550 fine for trying to sell a vehicle without a safety certificate.

The safety certificate is there for all of us – it ensures that registered vehicles are operating safely on our roads and gives you better selling power, as the buyer knows the minimum safety standards are being met.

A Queensland safety certificate is valid for two months from the date of issue and we are experts regarding safety certificates on the Gold Coast.

If you’re looking to buy a vehicle and it has a valid safety certificate Qld, bear in mind that this is not an evaluation of the complete mechanical picture – you should always have a professional mechanic complete a full inspection to ensure you’re not buying a lemon.

The safety certificate only considers the basic elements and doesn’t take into account the more extensive wear and tear under the bonnet.

For the ultimate peace of mind, always have your vehicle inspected by an experienced mechanic, simply call us today on (07) 5563 2905 or pop into the workshop at 10/645 Pine Ridge Road, Coombabah.

If you’d like more information, the Queensland Government Department of Transport and Main Roads also offers a buyer and seller checklist.