Ask an expert

I recently brought a vehicle with a brand new warrant as I wanted to make sure the vehicle was as good as the seller said. I was unable to look at the vehicle as it was down south and would be transported to me. Upon receiving the vehicle it had been issued a clean sheet warrant and there were several safety issues present. The front chassis rail is bent and dented, the suspension had been dropped so low it was less than 80mm to the ground from the gearbox mount, the tyres were unable to turn in the guards and rubbed and creased the body work. The exhaust was hanging in mid air and resting on the diff and hitting the underside of the body, the list goes on. Do I have any legal ground to stand on against the WOF issuer as this vehicle looks to have got a warrant sent in the mail.

If you have concerns over the safety of your vehicle and the legitimacy of a WoF issued for your vehicle you should have the vehicle assessed by someone independent. Take your findings to the organization who carried out the inspection, give them a chance to investigate and remedy any safety If you are not satisfied you can contact the NZTA to investigate these issues.

We always recommend a full pre-purchase inspection before committing to any purchase.