The Most Common WOVI Failures (and How to Avoid Them)

Failing a WOVI costs you twice: a re-inspection fee and, often worse, weeks of waiting for another slot at a busy station like Eagle Farm or Rocklea. The encouraging news is that the failures cluster into predictable categories. Once you know them, almost every one is preventable with preparation rather than extra spending.

The failures we see most often

• Missing tax invoices for airbags, seatbelts and pretensioners
• Second-hand parts fitted with no donor vehicle documentation
• No before photos showing the original recorded damage
• Repair photos too blurry or distant to verify the work
• Structural rails not returned to factory measurement
• Tampered, illegible or mismatched VIN and compliance plates
• Engine numbers that have been ground, painted over or re-stamped
• Proof of purchase missing or not matching the WOVR record
• Repairs that don't address every item listed on the damage assessment
• Safety parts fitted but installed incorrectly or incompletely

Documentation failures - the biggest category

Most failures are administrative, not mechanical. The vehicle may be beautifully repaired, but if you can't prove where the airbag came from or who supplied the structural panel, the assessor can't pass it. Keep a single folder - physical and digital - containing every tax invoice from the moment you buy the salvage, and cross-reference each receipt to the part it represents.

Photographic failures

Photos are the only way to prove hidden repairs after reassembly. Common mistakes include starting photography only once repairs are underway (so there's no record of original damage), shooting from too far away, and failing to capture the part together with its location and any identifying markings. Build the photo set as you go, not as an afterthought.

Structural and identity failures

Where the vehicle had chassis or rail damage, a measurement report demonstrating it's back to specification removes any doubt. On the identity side, never accept a salvage vehicle with a suspicious VIN without resolving it first - a problem plate discovered at the station means an automatic fail and potentially a much bigger investigation.