Department of Justice and Community Safety

Fair Trading & the ICRC

MOTOR VEHICLE SERVICE AND REPAIR

Motor vehicle service and repairs are significant issues for consumers. Many consumers experience problems with the quality or necessity of works performed, unauthorised repairs exceeding quotes and estimates, and the costs of parts used in repairs.

Since 1999 the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Industry in the ACT has been regulated under a mandatory Code of Practice. The Code was introduced as a result of regular and numerous complaints from consumers about motor vehicle service and repair issues. It is compulsory for traders to register with the ACT Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and comply with the Code.

The Code aims to:

promote fair trading in the market place;
improve the quality of repairs; and
make consumers and traders more aware of their rights and obligations.

A committee comprising government, industry and community representatives administer the Code.

Under the Code, individual operators and businesses working the industry must:

be registered with the ACT Office of Fair Trading (OFT);
display the OFT Registration Certificate in their premises;
meet environmental, occupational health and safety and relevant ACT laws;
comply with the Fair Trading Act 1992 and the Trade Practices Act 1974;
ensure employees have the necessary skills to perform the repairs they undertake;
make sure repairs are performed in a safe, ethical and professional manner;
accept responsibility for the quality of repairs performed by employees or sub-contractors;
use appropriate components, systems and parts to complete repairs within a reasonable period of time;
have available for inspection all components, systems and parts replaced other than items exchanged;
provide written estimates where costs exceed a specified amount, and advise customers of any alterations to that estimate before the work is undertaken.

The Code also offers a dispute resolution process that can be used to resolve significant disputes between traders and consumers.

Click here to access the "ACT Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Industry Code of Practice - Guide for Consumers" and brochure.

Legislation & Codes of Practice

There is a requirement placed upon Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Businesses to provide certain information for consumers.

This information is now available in Adobe Acrobat format:

Frequently Asked Questions

If I take my car for a service or repair, does a motor vehicle repairer have to contact me before undertaking any further repairs on my vehicle?

A motor vehicle repairer must give you a written quote before commencing work on your vehicle, if that work is expected to cost more than $150. During the repair, if the motor vehicle repairer finds the quote will be more expensive or they find other problems that need repairing which will come to more than $150, they must make all reasonable attempts to contact you to obtain your permission before going ahead with the additional repairs.