Can you contest a bad WOF tester?

[Steam]

I recently took the Shit-hawk in for a Wof, and it rightly failed. Bald-ish tyres, headlight not working, tractor seat instead of the proper seat...
But he also failed it on things like "Cracked Tail-light - replace", which I am sure is actually legal. I got some of that red see-thru tape designed for just that purpose, and I seem to remember that's fine if you tape up the crack in the light with some of that red tape.
He also failed it on having no fairings or windshield, which I took off on purpose so it looks mechanical and brutal and ugly. Is there a rule you have to have fairings? It's the Shit-hawk, not some kind of plastic fantastic.
Do I have to have a working speedo too?

Can I argue with this guy?
Or take it to another tester? I remember I took my van to a different tester once, after they did a similar thing... I don't know how I got away with that, don't you have to go to the same one for the retest? I dunno.

Cheers!

[red mermaid]

You can go to anyone you want for another test...it won't be a retest and you will have to pay the inspection fee.

If you have any complaints, go first to the agency running the inspection agency and then if still dissatisfied, NZ Transport Agency.

[Ixion]

Dude, that's the sort of shit y' get when you come down off the mountain.

In answer: tractor seat is probably OK. Depnds on mounting and stuff. But nothing inherently illegal about a tractor seat. Red tape on light - hm, dubious. VIRM says "A lens is missing, or has a hole, crack or other damage that allows moisture or dirt to enter". So that could be argued either way. You definately don't have to have fairings or windshield (technically, it's a wind deflector). So ong as taking the fairings off doesn't expose a nasty sticky-out people ripping thing. Must ahve a working speedo (unless it's a real old bike)

Of course you can argue with the guy. May not do much good, though. The WoF place should have a complaints process sign thingy posted. You can appeal to the LTSA-as_was. You don't have to go back to the same place , but if you go somewhere else the recheck may not be free (VTNZ allow you to go back to any VTNZ).

Sounds like an anal tester. How many cops do you get on your mountain anyway?

[aroberts]

I think with the computerised system now, there are some issues with trying to get a test at another place. I have heard that people have been told by a second tester that they cannot do a retest and the person had to go back to the original tester. But not sure.

Here are the WOF details:
http://www.transfund.govt.nz/certifiers/virm-in-service/#motorcycles

Having a speedo and rear light with no cracks seem to be on the list of things they can fail you for. But the lack of fairing doesn't seem to be.

[Mom]

A bit off topic but all the same. VTNZ rechecks can be challenging. Our caravan failed a WOF for leaking master cylinder and corroded brake lines. So, we took it to Pitt Stop ( Brake and exhausts specialists) and also registered to issue WOF's. Cool. Close to $500 later we have new brake lines and reconed master and slave cylinders. Rock into VTNZ for a recheck on our way Norf for a holiday and the bloke there hums and hars about issuing a WOF as he was not happy with the way the brake lines were attached to the chasis of the caravan! This after providing the receipt and job card for the required repair. I fixed him with my steely gaze and pointed out that they were also able to issue WOF's, if he chose to fail it I would have to take it a bit further :D

We got the WOF.

You need a friendly WOF checker Steam. Our local wrecker is great! Safe as houses checker, fails what should be failed, but comes up with great options for repairs that dont break the bank.

[Scotty595]

I think with the computerised system now, there are some issues with trying to get a test at another place. I have heard that people have been told by a second tester that they cannot do a retest and the person had to go back to the original tester. But not sure.

Here are the WOF details:
http://www.transfund.govt.nz/certifiers/virm-in-service/#motorcycles

Having a speedo and rear light with no cracks seem to be on the list of things they can fail you for. But the lack of fairing doesn't seem to be.

I think if it is within 28 days you have to get it done at the same place. Else your free to pick and choose

[toycollector10]

I'm WOF'ing three bikes and three cars these days. My experience is, don't go anywhere near a VTNZ site. Pick a hole in the wall guy and be polite. I'll never, ever use a VTNZ site again.

I went to the VTNZ place down by Christchurch Airport out of necessity last month. There were about 10 empty camper vans waiting to be tested so I jumped the queue and pulled up to the front of the line. The GHOF tester got all shirty with me, like, I should wait for 3 hours until he had worked his way through them all? I resisted the urge to flip him the bird when I pulled away. Wanker.

Another station I went to there was a guy testing a MK II Jaguar, with no one else around. He said, "Sit down, I'll be with you in about 20 minutes" I said "No thanks, I'll go somewhere else" and he got all sar-caustic like. I drove past the place 4 hours later and the MK II was still there waiting for the owner to pick it up. If it was my business I would have dropped everything and grabbed the new customer because the Jaguar could wait. Obviously, he was on wages and didn't own the joint. Costing his boss money and putting his own employment at risk, real intelligent like. Another vehicle testing wanker.

[BASS-TREBLE]

I go to a little Farm bike shop here locally, good blokes.
I get all my shit from there and he is very happy to just tell me to get brake pads before I go on my next big ride because they're low as fuck, but he wont even mention it on the test paper thing. Once you find a good place, you'll know.

As far as mods go. Any seat is fine. It just has to be securely mounted as far as I know. My old GN had a CBR seat on it mounted with 3mm brackets and little M6 bolts. It didn't move, so why fail it?

My Fizzer is butt naked and there is no reason to fail it as long as you dont have loose wires or anything stupid like that to be a hazard or risk.

A wof is nothing scientific, its just common sense really.

[rphenix]

I think if it is within 28 days you have to get it done at the same place. Else your free to pick and choose

Nope, had a car put through a WOF by my parents while I was away, it failed at the local garage I got back a couple days later and took it to a more trustworthy place who passed it. They could see the previous test on the computer but it didn't affect anything.

[roadracingoldfart]

I'm WOF'ing three bikes and three cars these days. My experience is, don't go anywhere near a VTNZ site. Pick a hole in the wall guy and be polite. I'll never, ever use a VTNZ site again.

I went to the VTNZ place down by Christchurch Airport out of necessity last month. There were about 10 empty camper vans waiting to be tested so I jumped the queue and pulled up to the front of the line. The GHOF tester got all shirty with me, like, I should wait for 3 hours until he had worked his way through them all? I resisted the urge to flip him the bird when I pulled away. Wanker.

Another station I went to there was a guy testing a MK II Jaguar, with no one else around. He said, "Sit down, I'll be with you in about 20 minutes" I said "No thanks, I'll go somewhere else" and he got all sar-caustic like. I drove past the place 4 hours later and the MK II was still there waiting for the owner to pick it up. If it was my business I would have dropped everything and grabbed the new customer because the Jaguar could wait. Obviously, he was on wages and didn't own the joint. Costing his boss money and putting his own employment at risk, real intelligent like. Another vehicle testing wanker.

So i assume your a cue jumper at the supermarket as well . What an unrealistic selfish attitude.
Get in line like we all have to and accept you didnt have an appointment time and you are no more important than any of their other customers are.

Nope, had a car put through a WOF by my parents while I was away, it failed at the local garage I got back a couple days later and took it to a more trustworthy place who passed it. They could see the previous test on the computer but it didn't affect anything.

The AVI can look for a previous inspection but it only tells him the fact a previous inspection was a fail result.
When the online form is filled out the details of the previous fail are a bit clearer , at that stage i personally would ask myself if i looked carefully at that particular aspect and was sure it was a safe vehicle. Even humans can miss something.

Paul.

[aroberts]

I don't go to VTNZ anymore (bike or car). The guy failed my Toyota Celica car several years ago because he coudn't see an air bag light. But he said he wasn't sure. I had to wait until Monday then take time off work to go to Toyota and get a letter to say it is a mechanical air bag and there is no light. You'd think he would have known or asked one of the other guys. It's a reasonably common car.

[imdying]

Without wanting to sound too judgemental, if I were the WOF man I'd fail any modified bike that looked like a shit heap that didn't have a low volume vehicle certification. If I had no idea of your motorcycle modifying abilities, then I wouldn't want the safety of the changes hanging over my neck should I pass it. Having said that, I've got bikes in my garage that are modified a lot further than that (chassis chopped up etc) that the WOF guy doesn't blink at... tidy modifications are generally no problem. The red tape is to enable you to complete your journey / wait for a new lense to turn up, not to pass a WOF.

[imdying]

Get in line like we all have to and accept you didnt have an appointment time and you are no more important than any of their other customers are.Ten unattended camper vans are obviously contract work and not so urgent that a bike can't be slipped in. Sir, your pompous git attitude doesn't align with easy going attitude that most regular Kiwis extrapolate into common sense :rolleyes:

To be honest you just sound like you're looking for a flame war, and that I can happily provide... he's actually quite a good cunt, so how about you pick on someone who's more than happy to tell you to shove your attitude up your arse.

[Ixion]

Without wanting to sound too judgemental, if I were the WOF man I'd fail any modified bike that looked like a shit heap that didn't have a low volume vehicle certification. If I had no idea of your motorcycle modifying abilities, then I wouldn't want the safety of the changes hanging over my neck should I pass it. Having said that, I've got bikes in my garage that are modified a lot further than that (chassis chopped up etc) that the WOF guy doesn't blink at... tidy modifications are generally no problem. The red tape is to enable you to complete your journey / wait for a new lense to turn up, not to pass a WOF.

The intent of the tape is irrelevant.

The VIRM says "A lens is missing, or has a hole, crack or other damage that allows moisture or dirt to enter". So if the tape prevents moisture or dirt etc, then that complies. BUT , the regulations say "A rearward-facing position lamp must:a) be in sound condition, and b) not be obscured". So that could be argused as a fail, a taped up lens not being in sound condition. Testers discretion.

But, regardless of whether it looks a shit heap or not, that doesn't give the tester grounds for failing it. If he is concerned about his liability he may refuse to test it. But if he does test it, he can only fail it on the basis of matters set out in the rules. As far as seats go, the rules ay there must be a seat, it must be sucurely attached, and the anchorages and mountings must be unmodified . And then goes on to talk about seat belts !. They always forget about motorcycles when they write these things.

[imdying]

The intent of the tape is irrelevant.Yup, that is somewhat true, but as you say:

The VIRM says "A lens is missing, or has a hole, crack or other damage that allows moisture or dirt to enter".The tape doesn't take the crack away, and doesn't prevent ingress of moisture... hell even what should be a properly sealed taillight sometimes has a fight against that!

Testers discretion.Ultimately :yes:

But, regardless of whether it looks a shit heap or not, that doesn't give the tester grounds for failing it.Totally agree, but perception is half the fight when getting a WOF... If all the lights work, the handbrake doesn't have a million clicks, you're not at VTNZ, and the tyres have tread, you're 99% of the way there with most cars.

If he is concerned about his liability he may refuse to test it. But if he does test it, he can only fail it on the basis of matters set out in the rules.Yep, as I understand it :yes:

As far as seats go, the rules ay there must be a seat, it must be sucurely attached, and the anchorages and mountings must be unmodified.Without having seen the conversion in question, I expect that the tester has a legitimate reason to consider this a structural change, and is thus allowed to reject it if it's not certified. Unless of course the tractor seat bolts to the existing mounting points, but that seems unlikely?

And then goes on to talk about seat belts !. They always forget about motorcycles when they write these things.Word.

Rightly or wrongly, a tidy vehicle is never looked at as hard, so keep all your ducks in a row :yes:

[The Pastor]

Ii wanna see a pic of the shit hawk

[roadracingoldfart]

Ten unattended camper vans are obviously contract work and not so urgent that a bike can't be slipped in. Sir, your pompous git attitude doesn't align with easy going attitude that most regular Kiwis extrapolate into common sense :rolleyes:

To be honest you just sound like you're looking for a flame war, and that I can happily provide... he's actually quite a good cunt, so how about you pick on someone who's more than happy to tell you to shove your attitude up your arse.


I will assume you are the other posters mother or close to it.
Flame wars dont bother me, i have better things to do with my time.
I am still trying to work out how someone can be both a cunt and a good person , hmmm , i will dwell on it for a while.
As for picking on someone , you have a very small dick obviously and dont like anything said about your son.
By the way , i dont have attitude , i am arrogant and a bastard , and you can ask my mum for clarification.
If a van is booked in and the driver is not there or whatever , does not dictate a motorbike , car or another camper has any more importance than the booked in vehicle, thats what a que is all about , first in first served is the rule at VTNZ and the signs say park at the end of the line , that was plainly missed by the rider.

Other than that , i am glad to have given you a topic to comment on as you seem to have stuff all better to do , even though its more than likely unqualified. I have an AVI grade so shove that up your arse.
Come in for a WOF sometime , ill treat you fairly.
Have a good day.

Paul.

[imdying]

I have an AVI grade so shove that up your arse.Ahhh, couldn't cut it as a real mechanic... figures :rolleyes:

[roadracingoldfart]

Ahhh, couldn't cut it as a real mechanic... figures :rolleyes:


Dont know what that means , .... a few details for you .
Service manager of a Honda workshop , Mechanical engineer (structural , general) presently Foreman of a Ford / Mazda workshop.
I see you extracted i worked for VTNZ you sad sorry piece of crap. lmfao @ you.

[imdying]

Mmmm, and still doing a mind numbingly boring job... Good to see life has taken you places :niceone:

/edit: btw, I do agree, VTNZ appears to be full of couldn't hack it mechanics.. but I didn't say you worked there, not even I'm that insulting.

[roadracingoldfart]

Mmmm, and still doing a mind numbingly boring job... Good to see life has taken you places :niceone:

/edit: btw, I do agree, VTNZ appears to be full of couldn't hack it mechanics.. but I didn't say you worked there, not even I'm that insulting.

Wrong again matey ..... never boring or numbing at all and i get very very well paid and perks with a car etc , and VTNZ is where mechanics that cant do it go to retire.

[hmmmnz]

vtnz is sometimes slack, they failed me on a leaking exhaust, and leaking fork seal,
i replaced the fork seal, and did nothing about the exhaust, and they passed me,

id say if its too much hassle to get a retest, then pay for a whole new test with a small bike company,
vtnz guys pick out the stupid shit, and some times let the dangerous stuff go because they dont know bikes

[toycollector10]

Just to kick this back into life...

QUOTE from a few months ago from me:
Another station I went to there was a guy testing a MK II Jaguar, with no one else around. He said, "Sit down, I'll be with you in about 20 minutes" I said "No thanks, I'll go somewhere else" and he got all sar-caustic like. I drove past the place 4 hours later and the MK II was still there waiting for the owner to pick it up. If it was my business I would have dropped everything and grabbed the new customer because the Jaguar could wait. Obviously, he was on wages and didn't own the joint. Costing his boss money and putting his own employment at risk, real intelligent like. Another vehicle testing wanker.
UNQUOTE.

For some strange reason I went back to this testing station yesterday to get a WOF for my Z1. The owner's a good guy and we talk bikes and stuff. That day he wasn't there and the same guy (Mr Efficiency, his employee) comes up to me and says "Fill in this form and leave your key in the ignition. I'm going to ride the bike into the shed to test the brakes" Now, this is a bike I spent two years and many dollars restoring. So I told him, "No way mate, if you want to ride a bike, go and buy one yerself" or words to that effect. I went down the road to another station where I did the skid test myself, like always. What a plonker that guy is, doing his boss out of income.

[hayd3n]

i always go to Dunedin warrent of fitness centre down hill side road
2 bikes 1 car

[BiK3RChiK]

I've always taken my vehicles to my local garage to get WOF's. The only time I've taken one to VTNZ was when I purchased a vehicle in a city several hours drive away and VTNZ was right next door.

I would never take a bike to VTNZ to get a WOF. To me, that's one of the reasons my local bike shop is there for.

VTNZ don't even enter my mind come WOF time...

Oh, and I've taken vehicles to a different garage when I was unhappy with a WOF once or twice. I remember being failed for stupid things on a WOF on one of my vehicles and to me, most of it was BS. So, off I go into town to a garage I'd used when we lived in town and, lo and behold, they picked up some other faults with the vehicle that were critical to vehicle safety and they never mentioned ANY of the things it had failed on at the previous establishment!

[PeeJay]

Just to kick this back into life...

QUOTE from a few months ago from me:
Another station I went to there was a guy testing a MK II Jaguar, with no one else around. He said, "Sit down, I'll be with you in about 20 minutes" I said "No thanks, I'll go somewhere else" and he got all sar-caustic like. I drove past the place 4 hours later and the MK II was still there waiting for the owner to pick it up. If it was my business I would have dropped everything and grabbed the new customer because the Jaguar could wait. Obviously, he was on wages and didn't own the joint. Costing his boss money and putting his own employment at risk, real intelligent like. Another vehicle testing wanker.
UNQUOTE.

For some strange reason I went back to this testing station yesterday to get a WOF for my Z1. The owner's a good guy and we talk bikes and stuff. That day he wasn't there and the same guy (Mr Efficiency, his employee) comes up to me and says "Fill in this form and leave your key in the ignition. I'm going to ride the bike into the shed to test the brakes" Now, this is a bike I spent two years and many dollars restoring. So I told him, "No way mate, if you want to ride a bike, go and buy one yerself" or words to that effect. I went down the road to another station where I did the skid test myself, like always. What a plonker that guy is, doing his boss out of income.

You showed him !!
cheeky prick wanting to test the brakes, next thing you know he'll be turning the lights off and on and beeping the horn

[aroberts]

... where I did the skid test myself, like always...

The place I go to doesn't do a skid test.The guy just checks it all over while it is on the stand. Do they have to do a skid test?

[Bounce001]

Just to kick this back into life...

For some strange reason I went back to this testing station yesterday to get a WOF for my Z1. The owner's a good guy and we talk bikes and stuff. That day he wasn't there and the same guy (Mr Efficiency, his employee) comes up to me and says "Fill in this form and leave your key in the ignition. I'm going to ride the bike into the shed to test the brakes" Now, this is a bike I spent two years and many dollars restoring. So I told him, "No way mate, if you want to ride a bike, go and buy one yerself" or words to that effect. I went down the road to another station where I did the skid test myself, like always. What a plonker that guy is, doing his boss out of income.

Had a mate that went to a VTNZ for a bike warrant and some young mechanic was twisting the throttle fully while trying to start his bike (it's fuel injected). Mate went over and gave him a warning to get off his bike. The mechanic told him had to ride it in to the workshop to test it. When mate asked if he had a bike licence, the mechanic said no and then couldn't understand why mate said that if he didn't get off the bike now he would be knocked off it.

Moral of the story... Don't trust VTNZ when they are getting mechanics to issue bike warrants when they don't even have a bike licence. How legal is this???

[Katman]

The place I go to doesn't do a skid test.The guy just checks it all over while it is on the stand. Do they have to do a skid test?

A road test is an integral part of the WOF process.

My response to anyone refusing to allow a road test is to point them to the door.




Moral of the story... Don't trust VTNZ when they are getting mechanics to issue bike warrants when they don't even have a bike licence. How legal is this???

It's not legal. To be certified to do motorcycle WOFs you need to hold the appropriate license.

[R1madness]

How many times do we have to put up with people moaning that their bike wont pass a WOF... Sounds like the tester did a solid job, picked out some faults on your bike and rightly failed it. Just fix the stuffed bits and go get it rechecked.
Yes a cracked taillight will cause a fail, yes a seat with modified seat mounts will cause a fail, yes it needs a working speedo, yes it will fail if it has had bits removed and leaves (what the tester considers to be) dangerous fittings exposed.
Top marks to that tester. More testers should take their jobs seriously and fail bikes that do not meet the required standard. Maybe if your bike had good tires and a working headlight he might have overlooked a couple of the small issues on the understanding that you would repair them asap, but rock in with stuff like that and they know you just dont give a shit about your bike or yourself so they have to take the hard line.
Lets get this streight, i love modified bikes, have one myself, but the mods on mine are done in a manner that makes it impossable for a tester to fail it. Use (E)marked indercators and headlight/taillight lenses. Follow the rules and modify to your hearts content. Just dont blaim the tester if you get it wrong...

[lorenzo.V]

I took my old but tidy VFR for a warrant a couple of years ago, before heading on a 600km trip. At the VTNZ, and it was basically fine, except the tester wouldn't issue a wof, as the back brake disc 'looked maybe a bit thin.' I asked what it actually measured and he replied "I don't know, I can't measure it." I was shocked that a guy that does wof's for a living didn't actually have a micrometer to measure such things. I was told to go to the honda shop, but first went home and measured it myself. It turned out to be .05mm under, so I went to said shop, dragging the brake ever so slightly for the last 2-300 M, heating it up. This put it just over the limit, and I got my wof. After the trip the next day I got another disc @ the wreckers in that town.