WOF 'Comeback'

richynuts, Jul 29, 4:36am
Mate just bought a car 3 weeks ago and he has only done 400kms, the water pump is leaking and appears to have been leaking for a long time, so he is thinking of going back to seller and asking for reimbursement of water pump repair good idea or not! The car was given a WOF just before he bought it and the brake pads were metal to metal, and L/H wheel bearing and steering arm is shot can he go back to WOF garage to get them to sort out the repairs for a minimal cost and is there anything legal he should do! Car is a crappy 2000 chrysler voyager he paid $4k.
thunderbolt, Jul 29, 4:45am
No inspection before hand I assume!

He may have a chance to get some help on the wof repairs, but I dont fancy his chances.
neo_psy, Jul 29, 4:47am
Report it to the LTSA/LTNZ whatever they're calling themselves today.
net_oz, Jul 29, 5:24am
Why wait 3 weeks to do something about some of those issues!
nzfatie, Jul 29, 6:07am
Section 9.12 of the 2002 Vehicle Standards Compliance Rule clearly states that the sellers' vehicle needs a WOF less than one month old, unless the buyer has agreed in writing to buy the vehicle (as is where is) with an older WOF or no WOF.

If the WOF was less than one month old when sold and the buyer found WOF faults after purchasing the vehicle, they can approach the WOF issuer (not the seller) to remedy the faults, arguing they were missed at the WOF inspection. If they refuse, the WOF issuer can be taken to the Disputes Tribunal for the cost of repairs and the buyer will likely win, if they can show the WOF faults existed when they bought the vehicle.

There's probably no comeback on the leaking water pump as its not a WOF item.
richynuts, Jul 29, 8:36am
Thanks I have let my mate know, cheers
xs1100, Jul 29, 8:39am
surely the wof stands or falls on the day after that the inspector has no control over what the vechile operator does in regards to the vechile as in driving/changing things and as stated the new owner has done 400ks
llortmt, Jul 29, 9:05am
If my name was on the WOF I'd want to know (and probably sort it out for free). Start by talking in a friendly but firm un confrontational way to the WOF issuer.
thetyredepotnz, Jul 29, 9:08am
what i don't get is that a WOF guy only looks over a car to see if its safe n all, then how come they are liable for repairs.surely he didn't create any faults. he just didn't see them. its the seller who should remedy the faults.
nzfatie, Jul 30, 12:54am
Issuing WOF's is a serious business, our lives depend on vehicles being safe. Sellers are often unaware their car may have a major safety problem. Owners are responsible for keeping their cars up to WOF standards, so need to regularly check the lights are working and tyres have good tread, but they aren't expected to find major problems under the car like structural rust, cracked brake hoses, loose steering joints, worn brake pads, etc.That's the WOF inspectors job and they need to be held accountable. My friend bought a rusted out Fiat with a new WOF and the garage that issued the WOF had to pay for the repairs.
cypherboy, Jul 30, 5:51am
Oh dear, didnt some of these "things" have ceramic pistons in the calipers!
rkauto, Jul 30, 8:36am
The garage does not HAVE to pay for the repairs,They have done so to avoid any more hassles.
steve312, Jul 30, 9:09am
Bearing in mind that a WOF is a visual inspection only and nothing is removed to check the condition of parts like brake pads. Some vehicles are almost impossible to see the pad thickness.400km could easily be enough to finish a set of worn pads off depending on how the brakes are treated.
Who has decided the steering arm and wheel bearing is stuffed!Some vehicles have an allowable amount of play in balljoints.
chebry, Jul 30, 9:36am
Yes the hassle of being the loser in court and having their money printing WOF inspection licence removed
richardmayes, Jul 31, 12:50am
Hmm, as I understand it a WoF is a compulsory government motor vehicle safety check, not a cheap form of mechanical warranty for used car buyers. Am I right!

I wonder how much a WoF would cost, if garages were liable for any and all costs incurred by other third parties with any interest in the car as a result of reliance on their WoF!

I bet it would be a bit more than $55 once the smart garages have all arranged professional indemnity insurance to cover themselves against making mistakes that end up costing them everything, and the not-so-smart ones have all been sued to death.