VIRMs Light vehicle repair certification Introduction Inspection and certification process

3 Inspection and certification process

3-3 Establishing whether a vehicle must be repair certified

A vehicle must be inspected for light vehicle repair certification if:

a) it requires repair certification for entry or re-entry to service, and

b) it is a vehicle of one of the following classes:

LC, LD, LE1, LE2, MA, MB, MC, MD1, MD2, or NA (see Table 3-4-1), and

c) the vehicle shows any of the following conditions:

evidence of corrosion in a structural part of the vehicle; this includes evidence of rust bleed
corrosion perforation of any non-structural body panel of the vehicle
corrosion perforation or any significant pitting of any subframe, steering, or suspension member, including their mounting points
damage that affects the integrity of any bonded or welded seams or joints installed by the vehicle manufacturer
underbody damage that has caused the splitting of seam welds, distortion of suspension members or mounting points, or tearing of metal structures
denting or creasing on sill (rocker) panels or to a depth of more than 25mm
denting or distortion to the folds or swages in the sill panel or structure of the inner or outer sill weld seam
distortion to the longitudinal chassis rails so as to affect the front or rear crush zones or kick-up areas
damage of a cross-member that may affect steering or suspension alignment
distortion of a cross-member
damage or distortion of any subframe that that may affect steering or suspension alignment
cracking of the unitary body in areas affecting a safety component or system
damage or deformation to a door intrusion beam that is required for the frontal impact occupant protection system
a deployed airbag or seatbelt pre-tensioner
there is evidence that repairs have been made to the structure or safety systems of the vehicle or the extent of the original damage is not evident
there is evidence that the vehicle has suffered water damage.

Note Technical bulletin 4 explains the threshold requirements as set out for entry certifiers in New Zealand.