Hypothetical situation: A vehicle has had a steering rack boot replaced by another garage. Do you lift the vehicle and shake the wheel, or do you simply check the boot has been changed. Cheers Feedback as to what an owner would expect would be appreciated also.
kazbanz,
Feb 28, 5:55pm
Boot replaced. Recheck the corner to ensure everything has been tightened up and check the boot has been replaced
NZTools,
Feb 28, 6:10pm
Lift it and check everything at that corner. If you sign it off and write out the wof based on visual comfirmation the boot has been replaced, and the wheel falls off two days later, resulting in a death, who do you think is the first person to get the 3rd degree!
mecanix,
Feb 28, 6:19pm
2 from 2 so far say check it all.
mecanix,
Feb 28, 6:19pm
apparantly, the repairer.this will become a bit clearer as it goes, and its worth it.
dont get to upset about that comment because you are in fact totally right.
lyonruge,
Feb 28, 6:22pm
I'm pretty pedantic when it comes to WOF, but ive had some wankers try to pull the wool, so id have a good look over the whole car, just a quick visual. Reason = once, i had failed a loose hub/wheel bearing, old mitsi, the guy did the fix himself and brought it back for recheck, didnt look quite right but it felt ok, then i had a GOOD look, he'd swapped the hubs side to side, i refused the WOF, he went off saying i could only recheck the originally failed part, showed him the virm, "All the requirements must be met before a WOF is issued." got to cover your own ass these days!
mecanix,
Feb 28, 6:24pm
3 from 3
modie61,
Feb 28, 7:00pm
Always raise the vehicle and recheck everything. Have had home mechanics do rack boots and either leave the tie rod end lock nut loose or leave the split pin out,you cant be too careful.
mecanix,
Feb 28, 8:51pm
4 from 4. i have canvassed a few of my mates, and rung another couple of garages and asked, and as yet no one has said they wouldnt check it out completly.
modie61,
Feb 28, 8:52pm
Thats good meca.
bellky,
Feb 28, 9:00pm
is this going to go on much longer!
woody1946,
Feb 28, 9:35pm
Had to replace a set of wheel bearings on my trailer, so it was done by a reputable trailer manufacturer. I thought I would skip the queue at VTNZ by showing the receipt to the tester, but he made me wait in the queue for 45 mins, and when he checked found the bearings had not been seated correctly and the wheel was wobbly, so yes ,rechecks do need to be checked again
bitsy_boffin,
Feb 28, 9:54pm
I would expect a check of anything that might have been touched to affect the repair.So yes, lift corner and have a good look at the job.
However, at a guess I'm anticipating that mecanix is going to say something like "the guy who fixed it is being hassled/investigated/prosecute- d because they forgot to do X and the vehicle Y'd because of it - but the WOF guy passed it so shouldn't the WOF guy be the one at fault for not checking X".
In which case I'd say, both are equally liable.
carmedic,
Feb 28, 10:24pm
I would check that corner although possibly only on a trolley jack, *provide that I inspected it in the first place*. In addition to the boot I??
mecanix,
Feb 29, 12:56pm
Yesterday, i had a nissan primera in my shop for a couple of WOF fails, one was a right rack boot, the other was a leaking suspension bush, and a missing ignition shroud and broken ignition barrell. We repaired as requested and as part of it, my mechanic gave the wheel a shake when finished to check his work. the inner rack end, and rack itself had massive play. so much that if you were to shut your eyes you would put a testicle on it being a bottom ball joint, you could put your hands at 11-5 and get an inch and a half of movement.
So, we took it up the road for its recheck and it passed.it was put over a pit, and checked to make sure it had a boot fitted and passed. upon arrival back at my shop i phoned VTNZ to give them opportunity to see it before we fixed it. a representative from VTNZ reluctantly came to the shop and inspected it. to his credit he was very quick to accept it was a mistake and has made it clear the owner can in fact talk to the manager of the station concerned. based on previous experience with VTNZ, i dont hold out much hope for the owner. then, said representative got a bit bullish.it is not procedure for them to raise the vehicle and shake the wheel. they feel it is the responsibilty of the repairer, and that should anything go wrong the liability falls on said repairer. they were his words and i havent changed them.i pointed out, that i have never worked any where that didnt raise the vehicle and check the job was done properly and that it was standard operating procedure for my workshop to thouroughly check all wof repairs were done properly. He then stated that all outfitswere different and that our standards were obviously higher for a recheck than theirs. he then told me their procedures were of no concern to me to which i replied untill that car crashes into one of my family members when the inner tie rod fails. his parting comment was, when you do the volume we do, this happens. i am considering an advertising campaign based on that.
i was shocked that the vehicle got its WOF with such a fault. it got past the first inspection which is bad enough, but IMO it should never have got through the second one, and i am seeking clarification from within the industry and to also highlight the importance of a thorough recheck.
carmedic,
Feb 29, 1:16pm
So they actually failed to check it twice! Out of interest did you check the rest of the car, was it ok!
jsbike,
Feb 29, 1:23pm
a broken ignition barrelis a fail!
mecanix,
Feb 29, 1:29pm
yeah, twice. the only way that could have been mised is if it wasnt checked.
we went over the car and no it wasnt ok but that was the highlightso thats all i have mentioned here.to the owners credit he immediatly authorised the required repairs,
mecanix,
Feb 29, 1:30pm
apparantly.
No i dont believe it is and i am not even sure the shroud should have been failed even under occupant protection, well i doubt i would have failed it anyway.
twink19,
Feb 29, 1:45pm
broken ignition barrel could cause steering to lock, causing an accident
kazbanz,
Feb 29, 1:47pm
ok just to clarifycos I'm a tadd confused. The crux of the matter isn't really the origonal question is it! Its really =Hey VTNZ made a doozie mistake and missed a massive wof fail. Sounds like the WOF tester needs a big tune up to me
pauldw,
Feb 29, 1:49pm
Stupid comment if he's admitting that they take short cuts. There's no volume discount as far as the customer charging is concerned.
johnf_456,
Feb 29, 1:50pm
Looks like it is.
mecanix,
Feb 29, 1:58pm
the original question was designed to get a feel for what other guys think is acceptable to make sure i wasnt expecting to much. it is also in response to the representatives attitude, and the fact i am proud a representative of a large out fit like that has made the statement that my operating procedures( and all others that carry out a recheck along the lines of the others that have posted above) are higher than the standards expected by his outfit.
lyonruge,
Feb 29, 2:03pm
In your position, I would let the owner know that you have repaired as requested, but that you feel the car is in an unsafe condition, and even though it has a current WOF, they may not have any insurance cover as it is up to the driver to maintain the vehicle up to WOF standards (written on the back of every check sheet), and make the approriate notes on your job sheet. Not much else you can do.
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