I am no mechanic and for a variety or reasons, no longer do spanner safety checks on my cars, leaving the classics to specialists for all safety related issues.
My long term project car was taken for compliance in February and a WoF was issued.
Having been away for several months, the car has only done 30kms of road miles since and today, failed the WoF at VTNZ, because a lower ball joint (new) was loose. Sure it only needed a tighten up, but it concerns me that such a basic safety related item can even be missed on a full compliance check - at $450.
Had I headed for the race track for a high speed shakedown before I went away, I dread to think what the outcome might have been.
kazbanz,
Aug 25, 5:28am
ANY safety inspection is only as good as the person doing it at the time. That said if the ball joint was NEW and not properly tightened then 30km would be enough to start loosening it. I'd be questioning the mechanic concerned
franc123,
Aug 25, 6:00am
Insufficient torque on installation is certainly the most likely explanation, the ball pin has simply pulled a little further into the taper once its been subject to use and loading.
aj.2.,
Aug 25, 6:56am
This or the pin may have had a slight high point on it , that has bedded with the wee bit of road use. Or even the hole was a bit out of round when the old ball joint was removed.
skiff1,
Aug 25, 9:54am
People are human, even mechanics. Big problem with folks nowadays is the expectation that everyone else will be perfect. maybe the guy at compliance forgot, missed, whatever. Not ideal, but there you go. Even surgeons on $300k per year leave tweezers inside occasionally.
elect70,
Aug 26, 1:52am
Rego costs take most of the $ in compliance , rest is just a bit more thorough WOF . Ive done the same on car before thought ball joint was done up tight but after a run found it needed another couple turns ., taper wasnt right in .
socram,
Aug 26, 2:26am
However, the difference between amateurs and professionals is that we have high expectations - which is generally is exactly what we are paying for! I don't see that as asking too much?
I accept that we all have a 4% error rate, yet Health & Safety and even the courts seem to think that no one ever slips up - even if it causes a fatal accident. Either we are human or we are not. We can't have it both ways. Whether the initial mechanic fully tightened it or not is debatable and whether the initial compliance checkers tested it or not is also debatable.
Ironically, if brand new ball joints can come adrift within 30kms, does it also happen to brand new cars? If not, why not?
kazbanz,
Aug 29, 7:27pm
Dunno dude but odviously it happened or the ball joint wouldn't be loose.
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