The current system is a total failure. NZTA have no idea on how to manage it. Currently there are as many different standards applied, as there are testing outlets. I had one vehicle (old that is seldom used) that failed a wof on so many reasons (like more than 15 reasons late last year by one of the bigger independent testing outlets in Nelson) It took the inspector (he wasn’t a new inspector either) more time to write all the reasons on the sheet than the WOF test itself,) and he had to attach a additional piece of paper to give him the room). While driving home, needing to use the vehicle the next day for a special occasion and realising that I would not be able to get all the faults fixed in time, I decided to pull into the next testing outlet (thinking that if they did not find as many things, I might have a chance of getting it sorted by the next day) Well - the next test from another big independent outlet did all the same sort of checks and I got the sheet back from them, it was a Clean Sheet! How the FCuk does that work NZTA? The biggest problem is that most people don’t keep their vehicles up to standard between WOF’s and if you have the valid sticker on your window, it’s most likely nobody else will check. Where is the logic that says the vehicle only develops it faults on the day of the check? It doesn’t, the vehicle is driven around in a substandard condition for sometime before the check. The proof is shown by the number of rechecks needed on WOF’s. It clearly shows that many cars were operating with a WOF label but were not up to standard, so the what’s the difference between a vehicle that doesn’t have a WOF to the alarming title that was given to this thread? Perhaps nothing! Seriously the WOF system needs to go!
tygertung,
May 20, 5:23am
Yes, the car I had which failed on a whole shopping list of items has passed at the VTNZ the previous time with no issues and had very little use in that time.
Almost every item which failed are things which would take a much longer time to wear out than that distance, and many things which "failed" were actually serviceable per the regulations.
apollo11,
May 20, 5:40am
It's almost like they decide to 'put the car down', give it such a ruthless wof sheet that the owner decides it's not worth fixing.
franc123,
May 20, 6:28am
One of the biggest beefs I have with the system is how unfair it is to owners of older cars who don't do high kms. Requiring 6 month inspections on a pensioners 1998 Pulsar that is in mint order that he has done 2000km since the last check is absurd. That car simply is not in itself that much of a safety hazard in order to justify that Im sorry. My father owned a Suzuki Escudo that he bought when it was 9 years old and done 40k it took him 18 years to clock up another 35k before he passed away and the bloody thing was subject to 36 WoF checks in that time. If memory serves it failed twice on extremely minor things. There was no good reason why in either of those cases that an upgrade was justifiable either just because the Govt thinks theyre old and dangerous. The drivers were more of a worry than the cars.
marte,
May 20, 9:37am
I read that some checkers will figure out the amount of kms the car did over the last 6 or 12 months ( depending ) & if something will fail in that amount of time, fail it anyway. Like brake disc or pad wear. Just because it will pass right now, and maybe last the next month, wont mean it will pass in 6 months & a vehicle "should always be up to WOF standard regardless".
I think it helps if i say if i have no intention of selling it before the next WOF, or that i intend to sell it soon, on how its WOF tested too. Like, they would recommend i fix this part now, or that i will need to do it before the next WOF ( so that it passes , or that i save up & buy the part). Or that i remove the under panel to do a better check.
Or, " Ok this brake hose needs replacing, just replace all four of them in one go" . Or it will fail the next 4 WOF's on a single brake hose each time, plus i end up bleeding the whole system completely, like its supposed to be done every 2 years, but nobody ever does.
curlcrown,
May 20, 9:47am
If they are doing that they shouldn't be. The WOF only guarantees that the car is up to WOF standard at the time of inspection. There is no way anyone can say that it will or wont pass the next inspection, it is just speculation. If the tyres are boarder line then they can write it in the comments to let the driver know but they shouldn't be failing it because they believe it wont pass in a year or a month or even a week. Things wear and fail for many reasons, not just km travelled. It is up to the driver to keep the car up to standard, a WOF sticker does not guarantee it is up to standard.
franc123,
May 20, 11:25am
Absolutely not true. Something either complies on the day of inspection (or recheck if applicable) or it doesn't, it is not legal to withhold a new WoF because something may or may not be up to standard in the future. What happens in the future is the owners problem , likewise what the odo reading was at the last check is not important either. Whether a car is for sale or not or how long the owner intends keeping it is also not a factor, why on earth would it be? Its an objective test and a statement that the inspector was satisfied that it complied at the time the test was conducted, whats happened in the past or in the future is irrelevant. If you get advisories on the state of components that are showing wear, consider yourself lucky, there is no obligation to provide that information.
poppy62,
May 20, 1:40pm
The stupidity of the regulators is to be expected , especially when they take their Cues from the likes of Clive Mathew -Wilson for the parameters of safety and operating standards, in order to set the required WOF standards.
framtech,
May 20, 6:21pm
always and I can tell when driving that a light is out, if you can't then you need a trip to spec savers maybe?
framtech,
May 20, 6:29pm
No its about breaking the law, so what if you are poor, catch a bus or ride a bike, most of us that own cars have at some stage been broke and ridden in buses, but hard work and setting goals get one over the line, The shitheads that think its ok to steal, cheat, us drugs,booze, lie and get off with govt handouts only to keep up the same cycle of redneck BS are a cancer NZ can do without.
marte,
May 20, 7:27pm
I check mine in the reflection of the supermarket window, or such. I found a blown reverse light a month ago. A brake light 6 months ago & replaced both brake bulbs at the same time.
gunna-1,
May 20, 7:55pm
And junk eaters, they can get stuffed to, theres no jobs out there unless you are super duper excited about displaying soft drink cans, most of the advertised jobs are a joke, and i,le tell you why poor mans car is picked on, its because others are pushing for rich mans car before they earned it, the purse of mumy and dady, that aint me, yes my generation is or was a joke, and you dont need to break the law to be harassed by people who dont want to be out there solving crime instead, i work when i can find it, but it usualy isnt in the whoopty job adds.
gunna-1,
May 20, 8:16pm
And helmet laws ruined pushbikes, dressing up in lycra can allso cop you some road rage, cars AND COPS hate pushbikes, the police cracked down on everyone with a warehouse helmet and a rusty mountain bike way back in 2010.
mrfxit,
May 21, 4:20am
"400,000 cars on the roads without a WOF"
That simply tells me theres something seriously wrong & expensive with the current wof system
martin11,
May 21, 5:09am
WOF's are not expensive if your vehicle is up to standard . Paid $55.00 for a car the other day straight through no faults .
alowishes,
May 21, 5:12am
With some modern SUVs and cars having up to six front lights I suspect you might not realize that one light is out, especially driving around town at night.
And as for rear lights.
curlcrown,
May 21, 5:12am
The headline is misleading. There are 400000 registered for use on the road without a WOF, it does not mean they are being used on the road. Have a drive around any neighbourhood and see how many cars are parked in driveways not moving from one week to the next, or how many cars just in car yards waiting for a new owner. Typical headline.
martin11,
May 21, 5:15am
Once a week do a quick check , no hardship to do this easier if there a two people doing it .
alowishes,
Aug 8, 11:10am
Something is wrong if you actually believe there’s 400,000 unwarranted cars out there being driven around our towns and highways.
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