Car Parts and Accessories

Try before you buy

For the disabled driver, try before you buy is even more important than for the able-bodied driver. Never allow a salesperson to hurry you into the purchase, and take your time when you try out the vehicle.

If you need to import a specially manufactured vehicle, approach a centre for the disabled in your area for advice.

If you become disabled

If you or a member of your family has been disabled in an accident and you need to buy a replacement vehicle, carefully consider your needs or those of the injured person, whose new vehicle may require special mechanical adjustments.

What to look out for

The type of disability and its severity will dictate your requirements. Here are some items which you should check when looking for a vehicle.

• Can you manipulate the door handle?
• Is access to and from the car easy? Does the door open wide enough, with sufficient fore, aft and height adjustment on the seat, especially if you have to transfer from a wheelchair? Does the seat upholstery allow you to slide over it easily?
• Is there automatic transmission, and can you operate the gear lever? Are you able to operate the handbrake?
• Does the seat have good lumbar support, sufficient angle, height, fore and aft adjustment, and can you reach and manipulate the adjusting levers?

• Are there power steering and power assisted brakes?
• Is the steering wheel adjustable?
• Is leg-room adequate, with pedals positioned suitably?

• Can you adjust and fasten the seat belt, and are you comfortable?
• Are all the controls within easy reach?
• Do you need electrically-operated windows and door mirrors?
• Are there remote openers for the boot and fuel flap situated within easy reach?

If you are confined to a wheelchair

Some disabled people keep one wheelchair at the office and another at home. However, if you need to transport a wheelchair, enlist the help of a relative or friend to load and unload it, if you cannot do it alone.

Does the loading compartment of your vehicle have a low floor for easy loading, and is it big enough to take the chair?

If you load the chair behind the driver’s seat yourself, do the doors open wide enough, and are you able to manoeuvre the chair around the door?

Rebate of customs/excise duty

A rebate of the customs and excise duty on the vehicle is granted to a disabled driver, provided that the permit granting the rebate is obtained before you order the vehicle. The rebate covers the duty payable on an imported car, or on the imported content of a local car.

If the dealer does not have the necessary information and application form, fill one in at your nearest branch of the National Council for the Care of Cripples in South Africa (NCCCSA) or Independent Living Centre.

The documents which should accompany your application are:

• A copy of your driver’s licence, certified by a Commissioner of Oaths as being an identical copy of the original. If you do not have a current driver’s licence, include a copy of your learner’s licence with a covering letter explaining that you need the car with the necessary adaptation before you can obtain your licence.
• A medical certificate stating the permanency and degree of disability.

• If you are importing a car, a letter stating why you cannot purchase a locally manufactured car and why it is necessary to import instead. Whether you are importing or purchasing a locally manufactured vehicle, state the make of car, and the address of the company or person carrying out the conversion.

A letter stating that you will not offer, advertise, lend, hire, lease, pledge, give away, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of the vehicle without the prior consent of the Commissioner of Customs within three years.

Automatic transmission vehicles without any further adaptation or modification will not qualify for the rebate.

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