Many vehicles need a safety inspection before they can have their new registration or rego issued, and it's good to know a bit about how these inspections work and what's involved with them, so you can ensure you get this done as needed for your vehicle. While your local licensing office is the best place to get specific information about your vehicle and what's needed for this inspection, note a few basic questions you might have about the process.
Can you drive the vehicle in other states?
Throughout Australia, if your vehicle has passed inspection and has a proper registration in the state in which you live, you don't need to have separate inspections and registrations for other states. However, if you want to register the vehicle in a new state, such as when you move, you may need a new inspection for that particular state. Ask someone at the licensing office in your new state what would be required to transfer registrations between states, as they can note if you would need a new inspection; however, for everyday driving and commuting between states, you don't need a new or "dual" inspections and registrations.
Will the vehicle inspection note what's wrong with the vehicle overall?
A rego inspection is not an inspection to note the overall condition of your vehicle; instead, it inspects certain features and accessories on the vehicle that are related to safety. This would include tyres, brakes, brake lights and the like. That rego inspection typically won't check to see if the transmission is in good repair, if the engine is leaking oil, and so on. Don't assume that passing a rego inspection means that a vehicle is in good condition overall, but have a mechanic do a separate inspection if you want to know more about the vehicle's major components and reliability.
Do you need to have a certain mechanic make the repairs?
A rego inspection itself needs to be done by a qualified and licensed rego inspector, and not just any local mechanic. However, if there are repairs that need to be done in order for the vehicle to pass inspection, you can have any mechanic perform those repairs, or even do the work yourself. As long as repairs are done so that the vehicle passes inspection, you don't need to worry about who performs those repairs; many rego inspectors won't even recommend certain mechanics, which ensures the reliability of their inspections and their findings.
Owning a car can be a complicated business. Unless you have access to some sound automotive advice, you may find it very difficult to keep your car in good working order. Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to receive lots of fantastic advice about how best to buy, sell, repair and maintain different cars. When I first bought a car, I didn't really understand what I was doing. Thankfully, all of that changed when I made friends with the mechanic at my local auto shop. Over the years, he has spent a lot of time explaining and demonstrating auto related things to me.