New WOF rules

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639 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#751999 28-Jan-2013 14:07

Also, dont be under the impression that fleet cars (reps etc) are any better maintained as they have 'regular' servicing.
From experience, vehicles are serviced to a budget - either $ or hours. If a vehicle has 15 minutes allotted to it for a servicing and check, its not always going to roll out of the workshop fully road worthy......

mattwnz

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#752001 28-Jan-2013 14:13

richms: Rental places arent insane enough to send unsafe cars out, and problems would get picked up at the service anyway.

I think this is a good thing since most of the cars that would have actual safety issues would be owned by people that view wofs and regos as optional accessories.

And the problem is that those types of people when caught will just be the "add it to my tab" type so more punishments wont do anything. The current frequent testing just punishes those that get their cars serviced properly. My coon is a 2001 so I am happy in anycase ;)

I am not so worried about when rental places still have them in their possession. The problem is when they sell them off. These are often high milage but in terms of time, they are still newish, and possibly still within the 3 years. They ahve had more wear and tear on them, and are probably the equivalent of a 6-10 year old vehicle in terms of wear and kms travelled, which needs a WOF more often.

Wade

2225 posts

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#752038 28-Jan-2013 15:08

I bought a three year old ex-lease car that had done relatively high km's (95km). 5 years and 70,000km's later it would rate as the most reliable car I have ever owned

I get my wof's through VTNZ rather than a privateer garage, may cost you a bit more initially but you get a consistent and fair check, i hear too many stories of expensive repair jobs required to pass wof's at these other establishments

clevedon

1059 posts

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#752043 28-Jan-2013 15:17

Wade: I bought a three year old ex-lease car that had done relatively high km's (95km). 5 years and 70,000km's later it would rate as the most reliable car I have ever owned

I get my wof's through VTNZ rather than a privateer garage, may cost you a bit more initially but you get a consistent and fair check, i hear too many stories of expensive repair jobs required to pass wof's at these other establishments

But you are not commited to get it repaired at the place of inspection, and if you thought it was expensive - wouldn't you get a few quotes at other places?

I don't have any sympathy for anyone that doesn't get a few prices for anything, be it goods or services, haven't made any effort to check out alternatives, and then complains.

DoggNZ

437 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#752067 28-Jan-2013 15:56

clevedon:
Wade: I bought a three year old ex-lease car that had done relatively high km's (95km). 5 years and 70,000km's later it would rate as the most reliable car I have ever owned

I get my wof's through VTNZ rather than a privateer garage, may cost you a bit more initially but you get a consistent and fair check, i hear too many stories of expensive repair jobs required to pass wof's at these other establishments

But you are not commited to get it repaired at the place of inspection, and if you thought it was expensive - wouldn't you get a few quotes at other places?

I don't have any sympathy for anyone that doesn't get a few prices for anything, be it goods or services, haven't made any effort to check out alternatives, and then complains.

Yeah but most kiwis = Leaving WOF until the last minute\expired. Then when the garage rings and says it needs "blah blah", you're like "Ok, just do it" because you can't be bothered taking it somewhere else.

That's why I always take my car to LTSA a bit earlier as it gives me time to get stuff fixed elsewhere if required without having to drive around with no WOF.

old3eyes

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#752076 28-Jan-2013 16:12

mattwnz:
richms: Rental places arent insane enough to send unsafe cars out, and problems would get picked up at the service anyway.

I think this is a good thing since most of the cars that would have actual safety issues would be owned by people that view wofs and regos as optional accessories.

And the problem is that those types of people when caught will just be the "add it to my tab" type so more punishments wont do anything. The current frequent testing just punishes those that get their cars serviced properly. My coon is a 2001 so I am happy in anycase ;)

I am not so worried about when rental places still have them in their possession. The problem is when they sell them off. These are often high milage but in terms of time, they are still newish, and possibly still within the 3 years. They ahve had more wear and tear on them, and are probably the equivalent of a 6-10 year old vehicle in terms of wear and kms travelled, which needs a WOF more often.

Most ex rentals that I've seen in franchise dealers yards have usually done about 40 ~ 50,000Km and in very good condition. Gone are the days when rentals had been around the clock several times before they sold them. Same applies to lots of 3 year fleet lease vehicles..

Regards,

Old3eyes

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clevedon

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#752086 28-Jan-2013 16:36

DoggNZ: Yeah but most kiwis = Leaving WOF until the last minute\expired. Then when the garage rings and says it needs "blah blah", you're like "Ok, just do it" because you can't be bothered taking it somewhere else.

That's why I always take my car to LTSA a bit earlier as it gives me time to get stuff fixed elsewhere if required without having to drive around with no WOF.

As I said, you have no one else to blame, if your lazy enough and don't shop around for prices and then have a whinge saying that "oh - they charged me too much"

You can still get a ticket if you have failed a WOF inspection even if your WOF is still current.

The police have instant access to the WOF Online site and know if you have failed an inspection. And if you are driving around with those failed items even though the WOF is not expired, they can still give you a ticket.

jfanning

438 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 82

#752096 28-Jan-2013 17:01

mattwnz:
I am not so worried about when rental places still have them in their possession. The problem is when they sell them off. These are often high milage but in terms of time, they are still newish, and possibly still within the 3 years. They ahve had more wear and tear on them, and are probably the equivalent of a 6-10 year old vehicle in terms of wear and kms travelled, which needs a WOF more often.

I have an ex-rental car (2001 Corolla, 130k), never failed a WOF yet

Wade

2225 posts

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#752120 28-Jan-2013 17:48

clevedon:
Wade: I bought a three year old ex-lease car that had done relatively high km's (95km). 5 years and 70,000km's later it would rate as the most reliable car I have ever owned

I get my wof's through VTNZ rather than a privateer garage, may cost you a bit more initially but you get a consistent and fair check, i hear too many stories of expensive repair jobs required to pass wof's at these other establishments

But you are not commited to get it repaired at the place of inspection, and if you thought it was expensive - wouldn't you get a few quotes at other places?

I don't have any sympathy for anyone that doesn't get a few prices for anything, be it goods or services, haven't made any effort to check out alternatives, and then complains.

I am referring to some unscrupulous operators trump up required repairs in order to pass wof

mattwnz

20519 posts

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#752125 28-Jan-2013 17:53

jfanning:
mattwnz:
I am not so worried about when rental places still have them in their possession. The problem is when they sell them off. These are often high milage but in terms of time, they are still newish, and possibly still within the 3 years. They ahve had more wear and tear on them, and are probably the equivalent of a 6-10 year old vehicle in terms of wear and kms travelled, which needs a WOF more often.

I have an ex-rental car (2001 Corolla, 130k), never failed a WOF yet

You wouldn't expect too many problems with toyotas, as they are one of the most reliable brands, and 130ks is pretty low k's still for a 12 year old car. I purchased an ex-rental toyota myself with about 60ks on the clock, although there were some problems with it when I got it that had to be fixed. I was thinking more of these cheap chinese cars that are making their way into the country, and will become more and more popular. The quality doesn't appear to be as good as the japanese, and I was reading about one brand that was using asbestos for one component, which required a recall in Oz, and NZ doesn't have such restrictions.The early korean cars didn't used to be that great, but their standards now seem to be much better,

But people do use the wof as a chance to look at things like new tyres, and when to get them. Many people wouldn't have a clue when their tyres need replacing, especially if they are wearing unevenly. So perhaps some sort of really basic testing once a year just looking at consumables like tyres and lights wouldn't be such a bad idea.

clevedon

1059 posts

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#752146 28-Jan-2013 18:03

Wade:
clevedon:
Wade: I bought a three year old ex-lease car that had done relatively high km's (95km). 5 years and 70,000km's later it would rate as the most reliable car I have ever owned

I get my wof's through VTNZ rather than a privateer garage, may cost you a bit more initially but you get a consistent and fair check, i hear too many stories of expensive repair jobs required to pass wof's at these other establishments

But you are not commited to get it repaired at the place of inspection, and if you thought it was expensive - wouldn't you get a few quotes at other places?

I don't have any sympathy for anyone that doesn't get a few prices for anything, be it goods or services, haven't made any effort to check out alternatives, and then complains.

I am referring to some unscrupulous operators trump up required repairs in order to pass wof

But how do you know the repairs were "trumped up" if you didn't get a second or third opinion or quote to start with?

Read the first part of my first paragraph in the above quote - again. You DONT have to get the/any repairs done where the WOF originally done.

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gzt

18685 posts

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#752184 28-Jan-2013 18:54

clevedon: You DONT have to get the/any repairs done where the WOF originally done.

No but often the perception is the garage should not have failed for that in the first place. So what you are saying is get a second inspection elsewhere if you feel that is the case. At that point there will be a fail on the national database and some people have a concern this influences later assessments.

Personally I go to VTNZ for inspections. The inspectors are trained to a consistent standard and always have experienced people around they can ask for a second or third opinion if needed. The only thing in their minds is the parameters for inspection and criteria for pass/fail.

A few years back now there was a minor spate of independent garages losing WOF authority for inadequate inspection. After that there was a perception some garages were going OTT for fear of losing their WOF authority. Following from that issue there was a perception that a fail on the national database for your vehicle and then going elsewhere that a different garage would be reluctant to have a different opinion because of the same reason. Usually in relation to surface rust vs structural rust. I can't tell you how realistic any of that was at the time but that's history for you.

JimmyH

2898 posts

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#752185 28-Jan-2013 18:58

Wade: I get my wof's through VTNZ rather than a privateer garage, may cost you a bit more initially but you get a consistent and fair check, i hear too many stories of expensive repair jobs required to pass wof's at these other establishments

I'm the opposite. Have used VTNZ twice and it took ages - huge queues, waited around for a good chunk of Saturday morning, and the price was comparatively steep. It was losing a good chunk of Saturday rather than the price premium that really irked me. I agree, however, that I had no issues with the actual quality of the inspection.

My garage, on the other hand, treats me well. I drop the car off on the way to work and hop on the train (station is very close). Come back, usually after they have closed, and retrieve the car which they leave locked in their carpark. Pull in the next morning, pay them and retrieve the keys, and off on my way. No time wasted, price is reasonable, and have never had an issue with spurious repairs. I have been using them for about 15 years for WoFs and servicing etc.

Plus, on the one occasion when my car was dead (cracked battery cell) they drove round to my house, jump started the car and then followed me all the way to the garage in case I stopped. Diagnosed the problem, checked out the electrics to be sure, and replaced the battery. The pricing was very reasonable and, as I was a regular customer, they actually refused to charge me for sending someone round to my house - "it's what we do for loyal customers".

Needless to say, I still go there.

clevedon

1059 posts

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#752201 28-Jan-2013 19:21

gzt:
clevedon: You DONT have to get the/any repairs done where the WOF originally done.

No but often the perception is the garage should not have failed for that in the first place. So what you are saying is get a second inspection elsewhere if you feel that is the case. At that point there will be a fail on the national database and some people have a concern this influences later assessments.

No I'm not saying that at all, I have not remotely said that anywhere in my posts.

I'm saying you can go anywhere else to have (or get multiple quotes) the repairs done, not have another WOF check done - and why wouldn't you get multiple quotes if it was to be a large amount?

gzt

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#752206 28-Jan-2013 19:28

Well ok. I just assumed if someone was questioning the price of repair they would also question the necessity for repair and your answer for that would be get another wof check. I was anticipating. My bad.

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