We help drivers contact their dealership and manufacturer when a car doesn’t do what it was sold to do.
Free reviewNo obligationIn or out of warranty
If a car bought from a brand’s own dealership in Australia has a fault it shouldn’t have, we help you take it up with the people who sold it. We’re not a workshop, a wrecker or a law firm. We deal with the claim.
Under Australian Consumer Law, a car bought from a dealership has to be of acceptable quality, meaning safe, durable and free from defects for a reasonable period. What counts as reasonable depends on the car’s price, type and use, and it can extend past the written warranty. This is general information, not advice about your situation.
Which of these could apply depends on the car, the fault, and how long you’ve had it. We’ll tell you what we think is realistic before you commit to anything.
Some or all of your money back. What’s reasonable can depend on how long you’ve had the car and the kilometres it’s done.
A comparable car. This may be on the table where a repair isn’t a fair answer to what’s gone wrong.
The fault put right at their cost rather than yours. A written warranty running out doesn’t automatically end this.
Towing, hire cars, lost income and repairs you’ve already paid for may be able to form part of a claim.
The review costs nothing and commits you to nothing. What happens after it is entirely your call.
The tax invoice or contract of sale, plus anything you’ve already sent the dealership. A photo of the documents is fine.
We read it properly and email you what we think. No charge, and no obligation to go any further.
Only if you decide to go ahead. You stay in control of every decision from here.
Not necessarily, and it’s the most common reason people come to us. The consumer guarantees run for what the law calls a reasonable period, judged on the car’s price, its type and how it’s been used. For a car that can extend past the written warranty. A manufacturer saying the warranty has ended doesn’t by itself answer whether the guarantee has been met.
Not simply because you’ve changed your mind. Cooling-off rights for cars are limited and vary by state, so a dealership usually doesn’t have to take a car back for that reason alone. Where the car has a fault that the consumer guarantees may cover, the position can be different, and returning it for a refund or a replacement may be one of the outcomes on the table. That depends on the fault, how serious it is and how long you’ve had the car.
Sometimes. A brand new car carries the same consumer guarantees as any other car sold by a dealership. If it has a major failure, a refund or a replacement may be an option. For a smaller fault, the dealership may be entitled to repair it first. Changing your mind isn’t the same as a fault. Send us the paperwork and we’ll tell you where you may stand.
Cars bought in Australia from the brand’s own dealership, such as a Toyota from a Toyota dealership. We don’t take on independent used-car yards, private sales, or cars bought overseas.
No, brokencar.com.au is not a law firm. If a matter looks like it needs legal advice, we’ll let you know.
The first review is free, with nothing attached to it. If we think there may be a claim worth making, we’ll email you what it would cost to work with us, in plain numbers, and you decide from there.
No, and anyone promising you one is guessing. Outcomes depend on the facts, the evidence and who’s on the other side, and none of it is guaranteed. What we can do is tell you honestly what we think is realistic before you spend anything.
That’s usually where we start. A knockback from a service manager is a position, and often one taken before the claim has been properly put.
Not to start. Send your name and email, then reply to our email with the invoice attached when you have it. We do need it before we can get far, because it tells us who sold the car, when, and on what terms.
No. We’re not a repairer, a workshop or a wrecker, and we don’t sell parts. We deal with the claim, not the car.
That’s fine. How the car was paid for doesn’t change who’s responsible for a fault, though it can change what a resolution looks like in practice. Tell us the arrangement up front.
We reply to a new enquiry within one to two business days. After that it varies depending on the nature of the break.
Send your name, your email and your invoice. We’ll tell you honestly whether there may be a claim worth making.