On 1 December 2014, the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act 2013 came into effect. Following a full-scale review of the motor industry legislation, new provisions were introduced to protect consumers when purchasing motor vehicles.
The new disclosure provisions include:
- It is mandatory for motor dealers to disclose to consumers information that might affect a consumer’s decision to buy a car or to buy a car at a certain price. This includes information about any major modifications to a vehicle, past flood or hail damage, whether a vehicle has previously been written-off and whether there is any suspicion of odometer tampering;
- Dealers are required to disclose this information in the dealer notice that must be used in the sale of certain vehicles; and
- There are substantial penalties for a motor dealer who fails to disclose important information to consumers about a vehicle they are looking to purchase.
If you are currently in the process of purchasing a vehicle or believe one of the above provisions had been breached when you purchased a vehicle after the commencement of this legislation, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our staff on (02) 9728 3366.
