Hi fellas,

I received a letter from Vic rd yesterday in regards to my el falcon which I converted over to vapour injection late last year.
I had the conversion completed by south east LPG conversions or lpgas conversions in Rowville
They have stated in the letter that the car must meet AS/NZS 1425 standards. And the cars completed by this workshop do not comply.
Now I have to get someone registered on the aafrb to check over the vehicle.
What happens now if the vehicle doesn't comply and I need to replace parts?
The kit is covered under a 12mths warranty.

Do I have any legal grounds?
In the Vic rd letter they have even suggested speaking to consumer affairs and VCAT.

Thanks in advance

I would be lodging a complaint with VCAT, it's only about $30 to do so. You would certainly have legal grounds, part of the contract ( in a legal sense ) between you and the company which installed the system, would have an implied term which the system would meet the Australian standards.

give A1 gas in Hallam a call on 0397964390. they will be able to go over it for you and possibly be able to tell you where you stand with the other workshop.

Thanks for the help mate. I am getting my car checked from a gas installer registered on the aafrb first. Once i have a list of all the faults i will contact south east gas conversions again to see if they will rectify it. If not i will go to all the governing bodies such as vcat

Im pretty sure a1 is on the aafrb.

Thanks mate. But i am located in the norther suburbs. So i an taking the car to rematch to get checked for now. I dont want to drive it far as the headgasket is gone.

I am not replacing it yet i do have everything for it but i am fitting a whipple supercharger to it soon. So i want to do it all in the one go.

it would be better to do it all in one go, nothing worse than doing something then having to do it again not long after.
i thought you were s/east side as it was installed in rowville, thats why i suggested a1.

No probs. Thanks anyway mate. At the time i was working in the south east.

Cheers

IIRC doesn't the compliance plate the installer fits say the install meets AS/NZS 1425 as well ??
It'll have the installer no, etc - a pic of it might give you some extra backup to use.

So Vic Rds know the mob don't comply, yet they notify car owners after the event ??
Then it's the car owner who has to sort it out (probably at self cost) ??
Am I missing something here ??

Shouldn't Vic Rds be able to enforce a no cost recall for the installer to rectify ??

I wish mate. The letter from Vic rds states that I have legal grounds however I need to take it upon myself in order to sort things out.

I will most likley end up out of pocket first to get things sorted. Then I will have to go through all the legal hassle to get the cash back!

So not looking forward to all that head****!

I think Tickford_6 posted some dodgy conversions while ago, and a few originated in Vic.

So I guess it's okay for a copper to pull you over, defect you, and you pay/sort out the installer's short cuts/crap. etc ??

I am just lucky the car is not a daily. If not I would be screwed.

And not really through any fault of your own.

How this for a interesting read. This a copy an paste from a email I have received from south east gas conversion (the mob who did the install)

VicRoads AAFRB LPG Conversion Warning
Wednesday, May 29, 2013Warning! To all previous customers of South East LPG Conversions and LPGas Conversions Melbourne.
Warning! - To all previous customers of South East LPG Conversions and LPGas Conversions Melbourne in Rowville.

Dear Customers,

Some of you have been in contact with us over the last couple of days after receiving a letter from VicRoads, in relation to the LPG conversion on your vehicle.

Firstly I would like to thank the majority of you who contacted us for your understanding and patience. Many of you are loyal and repeat customers with a working relationship spanning many years. It is unknown to us which customers have received this letter so we thought it best to notify all customers as to the current situation and our position.

Some of you may switch off and immediately discount everything explained below, this would be understandable under the circumstances. However it is in your own interest to continue reading and keep an open mind.

The VicRoads Letter

For the sake of argument let’s make the assumption that everything contained within the letter you received from VicRoads is true. If this is the case VicRoads has a lot to answer to!

Why?

First and foremost VicRoads was well-informed and fully aware at the time your conversion was completed that we were not registered with the AAFRB, evidence of this can be provided to anyone upon request. Secondly, VicRoads knows that the AAFRB scheme is voluntary, and compliance plates from other States and Territories are valid, as provided in VicRoads guidelines as well as in principle by the Australian Constitution. Thirdly, despite its illegal use of the words “Board” and “Registration” in its unregistered trading name, the AAFRB is not a government agency but merely an incorporated association which puts private interests ahead of the safety of the Victorian public.

What the letter then illustrates based on this information is that VicRoads did knowingly allow me to perform illegal work on your car which could prove harmful to you, your families and the community at large. They continued to allow me to operate without issue essentially electing to put the lives of the Victorian public at risk over this time only to later literally blackmail the very same members of the public that VicRoads should have been protecting! If VicRoads believed there were safety issues to vehicles outside the AAFRB scheme, why did they not notify you earlier? Are you otherwise happy with the quality of our work and service?

VicRoads by its letter is effectively putting you on notice that driving your vehicle is an offence, directing you to spend your hard earned money in having the vehicle recertified by another installer, who has signed up to the voluntary scheme operated by the Automotive Alternative Fuels Association. Needless to say this will come at a cost to you, imposed upon you by VicRoads; you are then essentially directed to VCAT to explore legal remedies, obviously against us.

Again settling with the contention that everything contained within the VicRoads correspondence is in fact true and correct, it is plain to see that VicRoads is responsible for putting your lives at risk along with the extra unnecessary expenses they have forced upon you. Not only did they sit back putting the lives of the Victorian public at risk, they seize the opportunity to use the Victorian public as a human bullets against us years later.

The cold hard fact is seeking any compensation from us will not produce a positive outcome for you, wasting more of your valuable time and money. I'm not suggesting that we would contest and defeat any such claim, in fact we would not defend any such claim in any way as it would not serve any purpose. It is possible these actions may run into the hundreds and we do not have the resources to settle or defend them all. We are therefore left with no option other than succumb to being crushed by VicRoads aided by its personal unconstitutional despotic creation, being that of the AAFRB, for the second time now inside three years.

With this, I am suggesting that you look to VicRoads and the AAFRB to be fully compensated for any costs, losses or damages, as it is purely and solely their actions or inactions they have put you in your current situation. The reality is that each of you as individuals will find the process expensive and in all likelihood unsuccessful unless you can afford to be represented by Freehills and $15,000 a day counsel.

With this we would like to make a parting gesture of goodwill to our former customers by We will assist in facilitating a class action against VicRoads and the AAFRB.

The first and most critical step in achieving a positive outcome for you all is getting as many of you on board as possible. All we require for the moment is an expression of interest and nothing more; we will then seek a suitable legal firm to represent you all in a class-action suit.


Remember there is no obligation to proceed, if you are not happy with the advice given by the lawyers. Nothing to lose in trying.


At this point I would imagine the legal firm will contact you directly seeking authority to act, adding you to the action. I do not envisage that you will be inconvenienced in any way, all the documentary evidence required to substantiate the merits of any such claim has already been collated ready to hand over to the legal firm on your behalf. Please be aware that I am not offering any legal advice, I am merely putting forward an offer to coordinate a joint effort.

This offer also extends to the thousand odd customers of the former South East LPG Conversions that ceased trading in late October of 2010.

WARNING.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES agree to have your car inspected by VicRoads unless you are prepared to run the risk of VicRoads putting a defect notice on your car and being without it for a few weeks.

No I'm not kidding, approximately 10 months ago a customer of ours took their vehicle to Smithy’s in Bayswater. Terry the Owner of the business took it upon himself to call VicRoads. They attended the business and subsequently put a defect notice on the vehicle, the customer was not permitted to drive the vehicle away.

Further Recommendations & Advice.Do not leave your vehicle with the installer as the inspection should not take any more than 30 to 40 min, so it shouldn't be a problem having done while you wait. If you must leave your vehicle obtain an assurance from the installer that your vehicle shall not be presented to either VicRoads or the AAFRB for inspection.

Obtain a full quotation for any additional work the installer deems to be required prior to re-certification. Invariably expect every installer to find something they would do a little different.Ask the installer if any of this work they deem to be required as urgent or life threatening if not done immediately.

If so obtain this advice in writing a part of a written quotation prior to having the work done.

Can’t Afford the Repairs?

If you cannot afford to pay for repairs deemed to be dangerous or seriously life-threatening, please email me a copy of the inspection report and quotation, I will then do what I can in assisting you somehow.

If the recommended repairs are not urgent may I suggest you worry about putting food on the table and possibly waiting a few weeks allowing this debacle to unfold along with receiving advice from the solicitors handling the claims.

Over the coming weeks I will post all the supporting evidence here, along with evidence of the unconstitutional dealings of VicRoads together with evidence that will without doubt alarm every Victorian in the knowledge that Tyranny is very much alive and well in this state.

Regretfully Yours

Frank Lucisano

Ok guys just a quick update. I have had the car checked and it is not roadworthy due to the system that has been installed does not meet Australian standards.
Further the installer must be registered on the AAFRB.
So now I am really up s**t creek as I need to have this sorted before I install my supercharger which was only weeks away from now.

Does anyone have any experience with things such as VCAT and if its worth my time and effort to go down this path.

So annoyed.......