Do people still think WOFs are "for our safety"?

[Scuba_Steve]

Full Stuff "reporting" can be found here http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3689730/Fatal-combination-Alcohol-speed-and-a-modified-car

but a summary of points

* John Langeveld later admitted he had ordered the car to be taken off the hoist (April 9 last year), but said he believed the car was roadworthy because it had a warrant of fitness.
-- Isn't this why we are told we pay for WOFs?

* Serious crash investigator Senior Constable Alistair Crosland said the car had several modifications, which affected its handling, including suspension set so low the car rested on its rubber bump stops.
* NZ Transport Agencyvehicle inspector Warrick Andrews said the car also had loose and worn steering joints, insecure brake hose and low-profile tyres, which contacted the body of the car.
-- And yet it passed at least one Probably 2 WOF inspections

* 45 minutes before the fatal crash The car was checked for "obvious defects" and the warrant of fitness was also checked but found to be current.
-- Yet a garage had called the car unsafe a year before hand, still it passes WOF

Again & again the WOF system proves itself to be unreliable & inaccurate. It offers NO protection, NO assurance & No safety guarantee. It does very little other than take our money.

WOFs should be a complete inspection & only done a maximum of every 2yrs after the first 10 & every 5yrs before.

[imdying]

You only hear about the failures. It's a fact that the system is still catching all sorts of horrible shite every day. I've seen that shite, and you'd feel a lot better if you knew just how many cars without brakes are failed every year. We should continue to pay for WOFs because too many of the population refuse to care for their vehicles correctly off their own initiative.

[scott411]

its pretty simple, the father ordered the car to be taken away form the garage because he thought the garage might be "rail roading him" but did not take it to anyone else straight away or act on the mechaincs advice,

one of the other boys fathers were complaning that the police were not heavy handed enough in providing a full search of the car when it was pulled up, but every civil rights group in teh country would be up in arms if police started full searching every car they pulled over at night,

i feel for the families and freinds of these boys, but in the end they had warnings, hid possible defects and the fact they were drinking,

[glegge]

You only hear about the failures. It's a fact that the system is still catching all sorts of horrible shite every day. I've seen that shite, and you'd feel a lot better if you knew just how many cars without brakes are failed every year. We should continue to pay for WOFs because too many of the population refuse to care for their vehicles correctly off their own initiative.

and then drive without a WOF regardless - yeah ok a little devils advocate, but also quite true.

[firefighter]

Good post Scott. Your bang on there. The only people responsible for what happened, is the driver and the occupants.

It had a WOF. So what? If you have a WOF it's meeting required standards at that time of issue. Anything can be changed between inspections. Fuck I used to swap my Cragers over for the original wheels on my Kingswood so it would pass a WOF, and change them back when I got home......(heavy bloody thing is was too, it bent my scissor jack, god I loved that thing.)

[Katman]

Far too many people already think that having a current WOF means that their vehicle is automatically safe.

The WOF inspection is merely an indication that the vehicle was safe at the time of inspection.

It is the owners responsibility to ensure that the vehicle remains safe for the 6 or 12 month WOF period.

I shudder to think of the shit we'd have on our roads if the inspections were 24 months apart.

[Flip]

Full Stuff "reporting" can be found here http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3689730/Fatal-combination-Alcohol-speed-and-a-modified-car

but a summary of points

* John Langeveld later admitted he had ordered the car to be taken off the hoist (April 9 last year), but said he believed the car was roadworthy because it had a warrant of fitness.
-- Isn't this why we are told we pay for WOFs?

* Serious crash investigator Senior Constable Alistair Crosland said the car had several modifications, which affected its handling, including suspension set so low the car rested on its rubber bump stops.
* NZ Transport Agencyvehicle inspector Warrick Andrews said the car also had loose and worn steering joints, insecure brake hose and low-profile tyres, which contacted the body of the car.
-- And yet it passed at least one Probably 2 WOF inspections

* 45 minutes before the fatal crash The car was checked for "obvious defects" and the warrant of fitness was also checked but found to be current.
-- Yet a garage had called the car unsafe a year before hand, still it passes WOF

Again & again the WOF system proves itself to be unreliable & inaccurate. It offers NO protection, NO assurance & No safety guarantee. It does very little other than take our money.

WOFs should be a complete inspection & only done a maximum of every 2yrs after the first 10 & every 5yrs before.

What a stupid post.

Only a moron or a boy racer would ever think such a daft thing.

[red mermaid]

Plenty of rubbish out there now with and without WoF's/CoF's.

And the drivers of these vehicles are often ready to argue the point on how safe their vehicle is, how you are breaching their rights, you don't know what you are talking about, and they are going to make a complaint about your actions.

[bogan]

Plenty of rubbish out there now with and without WoF's/CoF's.

And the drivers of these vehicles are often ready to argue the point on how safe their vehicle is, how you are breaching their rights, you don't know what you are talking about, and they are going to make a complaint about your actions.

What sort of percentage of car do you reckon just go without wof and rego? I know of a few (mostly rural) and was breifly tailed by a cop when i was in my old celica, which didn't look too dodgy, but the two mofo's in the front did :shifty: so maybe he was checking it for stoled rather than wof....

Anyhu, just wondering whether the number of unsafe but wof'd vehicles outweigh the unwof'd ones?

[red mermaid]

Couldn't really say on an accurate basis, and it can depend on where you check vehicles as well.

I know the number of unregistered cars is increasing and there is a lot of WoFed cars that are unsafe, but all on an anecdotal basis through experience.

[Tank]

From the state the car was it - it would not have passed a WOF. Father should have had enough brains.

[onearmedbandit]

Sometimes the parents have less of an idea than the children. Case in point, a few years ago a father bought his daughter a WRX STi, it was either a very late model or brand new, regardless she hated how 'uncool' the factory steering wheel with airbag was, and demanded a sportier steering be fitted. Daddy complied, and a short while later she was killed in a crash in that vehicle, which might had been avoidable if the factory steering wheel was still fitted.

[Scuba_Steve]

From the state the car was it - it would not have passed a WOF. Father should have had enough brains.

But thats my point It DID pass a WOF, maybee even 2. WOFs artificially give people "piece of mind" yet all they do is take our money & give us a sticker in return. The back of a WOF sheet even says they do NOT provide a structural check. your able to fail WOFs on optional accessories that to me is just insane, their optional. I have a Land Rover too which I have to remove (yes thats right, remove) the seat belts to get a WOF. WOFs have very little to do with safety & more to do with money.
Aussie doesn't have WOF's seems to be working fine for them, I'm saying we need FULL checks every couple years.

[red mermaid]

Or the other side of the coin is....they know there car is a heap of shit so take it to a dodgy WoF issuer so they have a sticker on the windscreen to argue the point when pulled over by police and told the car is unsafe.

[Katman]

WOFs have very little to do with safety & more to do with money.


What a stupid statement.

Maybe you should stop getting your WOFs from down the pub.

[Ixion]

I do not see how any criticism can fairly attach to the police, or the WoF issuer. The police have no right to demand that a boot be opened because they want to see if there are beer bottles in there. They stopped the car, breath tested the driver (completely sober) , checked seatbelts , WoF etc. What more should they be expected to do? Seems to me , they did their job.

A WoF inspection is an inspection of the vehicle at the date presented. It cannot be expected to predict that after the inspection parts may wear, or modifications be made , as was apparently the case here .

Someone, at some time, consciously modified the vehicle , possibly in an unsafe manner (I'm a little hesitant about that, there is a tendency for police to assume that if a modified vehicle crashes then it must have been due to the modifications, which may not be always true). It was the responsibility of the person doing the modifications to ensure they were safe. If the car got a WoF with dodgy unsafe mods, then fair enough to come down on the issuer. But if the vehcile as presented was safe, then that's all the AVI can check.

Someone got behind the wheel, drunk , and drove. He wasn't driving when the police stopped them. How can the police be blamed for that ?

[Scuba_Steve]

What a stupid statement.

Maybe you should stop getting your WOFs from down the pub.

To be honest I cant ever remember VTNZ having a bar?.
But its not a stupid statement is it, you give the WOF place money they'll (all going well) give you a sticker & a piece of paper saying "well it looked kinda safe at the time". Do you not want you money to give you a proper inspection & actually guarantee (best as possible) your vehicle IS safe rather than just "looked safe".

If building inspectors worked like WOF inspectors, they would come round when your house is complete look at it & as long as its standing and doesn't fall at the time hes there declare it safe (after all it "looked" safe right) despite the fact all the internal bracing could be made out of paper mache & super glue (what he cant see doesn't hurt right?).

[sidecar bob]

Its called a "non invasive inspection" Safety at Reasonable cost, (to you the owner). If it was about money, wouldnt a WOF be more like an airworthy on an aircraft, with all parts being "lifed" & replaced regardless of condition.
Get your head out of your arse, if it is all about money, its all about fuck all money.
To be honest I cant ever remember VTNZ having a bar?.
But its not a stupid statement is it, you give the WOF place money they'll (all going well) give you a sticker & a piece of paper saying "well it looked kinda safe at the time". Do you not want you money to give you a proper inspection & actually guarantee (best as possible) your vehicle IS safe rather than just "looked safe".

If building inspectors worked like WOF inspectors, they would come round when your house is complete look at it & as long as its standing and doesn't fall at the time hes there declare it safe (after all it "looked" safe right) despite the fact all the internal bracing could be made out of paper mache & super glue (what he cant see doesn't hurt right?).

[imdying]

Complete inspection eh...

"Sure, we can book your FXR150 in, we have a spot 3 months from now, and at $80 an hour, motorcycles are 5 hours to fully inspect, that'll be $400... cash or credit sir?"


If building inspectors worked like WOF inspectors, they would come round when your house is complete look at it & as long as its standing and doesn't fall at the time hes there declare it safe (after all it "looked" safe right) despite the fact all the internal bracing could be made out of paper mache & super glue (what he cant see doesn't hurt right?).How often is your house inspected again?

[Ixion]

Does that include the Xray of the frame for cracks?

[imdying]

I don't think they x-ray houses for cracks? I was thinking more strip the fairings, tank and airbox to inspect the frame.

[Latte]

To be honest I cant ever remember VTNZ having a bar?.
But its not a stupid statement is it, you give the WOF place money they'll (all going well) give you a sticker & a piece of paper saying "well it looked kinda safe at the time". Do you not want you money to give you a proper inspection & actually guarantee (best as possible) your vehicle IS safe rather than just "looked safe".

If building inspectors worked like WOF inspectors, they would come round when your house is complete look at it & as long as its standing and doesn't fall at the time hes there declare it safe (after all it "looked" safe right) despite the fact all the internal bracing could be made out of paper mache & super glue (what he cant see doesn't hurt right?).

No, if Building Inspectors worked like Wof inspectors they'd be looking at your house for defects every 6 months. there'd also be other inspectors that check your house the 1st time it comes into the country, and some other inspectors that check your model of house has been through all the safety standards and tests required by the govt. before it's allowed on to be sold/used/etc

[scott411]

If building inspectors worked like WOF inspectors, they would come round when your house is complete look at it & as long as its standing and doesn't fall at the time hes there declare it safe (after all it "looked" safe right) despite the fact all the internal bracing could be made out of paper mache & super glue (what he cant see doesn't hurt right?).

if building inspecting process worked any good maybe we would not have billion dollar bills for leaky homes

[Rogue Rider]

I might not get much agreement on this opinion, however in my view WOF's aren't really worth the paper they are printed on. It's fairly easy to find someone who will pass an inspection, and the standards are certainly not consistent across the industry.
I deliberate avoid VTNZ and the like who specialize in just doing WOF's for the one reason I probably should go there, because they are thorough and fussy, and have a very safety conscious mind.
Instead I go to a mechanic or wreckers who are always busy and don't really want to waste too much time looking in depth when they can make better $$$ doing there existing work.....
Why, because I don't really want to spend money, is it in my best interest, well no as these people could be cutting corners in return risking my safety.....
If you want to keep yourselves and your family safe, it's really your responsibility to do so by keeping your vehicle serviced and checked by a mechanic regularly every 6 months or yearly. It's a vehicle owners responsibility to make sure they know their vehicle and that it is in a road worthy standard.
I think WOF's should be every 12 months to two years. Boy racers should be accountable for there actions, and there illegal modifications should be dealt with by a CRUSHER.

[Scuba_Steve]

if building inspecting process worked any good maybe we would not have billion dollar bills for leaky homes

touché

It seems alot of you like the current WOF system & maybee think I'm against WOFs? I'm not against the idea, just the practice like I've said WOFs should be guaranteeing the safety of the vehicle & should be consistent & accurate, not passing cars with defects like the one in the article (yes in case anyone missed it the car WAS passed with at least one of the defects).

[imdying]

WOFs should be guaranteeing the safety of the vehicle & should be consistent & accurate, not passing cars with defects like the one in the articleGood luck building your Autonomous WOF Inspection Robot, because without, that idea is never gonna float :no:

[scumdog]

Full Stuff "reporting" can be found here http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3689730/Fatal-combination-Alcohol-speed-and-a-modified-car

but a summary of points

* John Langeveld later admitted he had ordered the car to be taken off the hoist (April 9 last year), but said he believed the car was roadworthy because it had a warrant of fitness.
-- Isn't this why we are told we pay for WOFs?

* Serious crash investigator Senior Constable Alistair Crosland said the car had several modifications, which affected its handling, including suspension set so low the car rested on its rubber bump stops.
* NZ Transport Agencyvehicle inspector Warrick Andrews said the car also had loose and worn steering joints, insecure brake hose and low-profile tyres, which contacted the body of the car.
-- And yet it passed at least one Probably 2 WOF inspections

* 45 minutes before the fatal crash The car was checked for "obvious defects" and the warrant of fitness was also checked but found to be current.
-- Yet a garage had called the car unsafe a year before hand, still it passes WOF

Again & again the WOF system proves itself to be unreliable & inaccurate. It offers NO protection, NO assurance & No safety guarantee. It does very little other than take our money.

WOFs should be a complete inspection & only done a maximum of every 2yrs after the first 10 & every 5yrs before.

Bollock or troll.

[Flip]

Bollock or troll.

I think its both with a dose of stupidity thrown in.

[davereid]

Again & again the WOF system proves itself to be unreliable & inaccurate. It offers NO protection, NO assurance & No safety guarantee. It does very little other than take our money. WOFs should be a complete inspection & only done a maximum of every 2yrs after the first 10 & every 5yrs before.

What a great idea. Lets just ignore the fact that vehicle defects cause less road deaths than heart attacks or aliens.

Lets introduce a through vehicle test. A proper one, pull everything off and have a look. Say, 8 hours and you have to do it every six months.
That will stop both vehicle defect related accidents that the WOF system missed last year.

Come to my workshop, including diagnostic tests on the ABS, EBS, etc, I would get you through for under $1000.

Unless you failed.

[Katman]

Fail him, fail him!!!

[schrodingers cat]

The tyres on your car are quite worn. The WOF is due in 2 1/2 months. Do you
1. Replace them now. Safety is paramount.
2. Wait til the WOF and hope they squeak through for another 6 months?

Geddit?

[bogan]

The tyres on your car are quite worn. The WOF is due in 2 1/2 months. Do you
1. Replace them now. Safety is paramount.
2. Wait til the WOF and hope they squeak through for another 6 months?

Geddit?

3. Do some skids bro, tyres are fucked anyway!

[Ixion]

Option 3: Put the wheels from your mate's car on for the WoF, then switch them back once you've got it.

[rwh]

(yes in case anyone missed it the car WAS passed with at least one of the defects).

I obviously did miss it, despite rereading several times. Where exactly was this info?

Richard

[Flip]

The very fact that you have looked at your tires and know how worn they are and are concerned, suggests to me that you are probably in the top 10% of careful drivers already.

90% of drivers have SFA idea how worn their tires are until the WOF man says hey these are a bit thin.

[Scuba_Steve]

I'm sorry after watching Fair Go last night I have to pull this up again.

For those that missed it, heres the segment I'm talking about

http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/closer-inspection-3676982/video

A buyer wanted a COF before buying a truck, so the owner got one from VTNZ, but when the son of the buyer picked it up he wasn't happy so it was re-checked at VTNZ which then failed it on 14 faults (all fairly major ones too). So a quote was got so VTNZ could pay for the "passed" faults. VTNZ then wanted a 3rd inspection before repairing, which magically cut faults & hence price significantly, a couple of the faults (again passing inspection) being "brakes pulling to the left" & "tyre's down to canvas", VTNZ's excuse for the bald tyre no longer being a fail, is that it passes under NZTA's new standard for truck tyre wear.

Again leading me to believe that why once these were brought in for a reason, they are little more than money grabs nowadays, and we'd probably be better off without them as they tend to give too many people a false sense of security "it passed a WOF/COF it must be safe"

We like to follow OZ with all our other rules why not this one too? I suspect because of the $$$ it brings in.

[dipshit]

* John Langeveld later admitted he had ordered the car to be taken off the hoist (April 9 last year), but said he believed the car was roadworthy because it had a warrant of fitness.


I remember seeing this guy on the news blaming the government for his son's death for allowing powerful cars into the country.

What a tosser.

[bogan]

I remember seeing this guy on the news blaming the government for his son's death for allowing powerful cars into the country.

What a tosser.

Fuckin aye, one of those guys for whom everything is somebody elses fault. Wofs are a second check at best, how can they tell how roadworthy a car is by spending 20mins just looking at it? sure they can pick up on the major shit, but we are the ones driving it on the road, we have a responsibility to pick up on shit too.

also, fair go page won't load.

[Woodman]

I remember seeing this guy on the news blaming the government for his son's death for allowing powerful cars into the country.

What a tosser.

The same guy who said that the police should have stopped them earlier because they knew what they were up to as well as he did. I feel sorry for the guy but he seemed to miss the personal responsibility class.

On another note regarding wofs:

Do you think a business would be successful if they advertised that they were very tough on vehicle inspections?, and charged a premium for it ?

All I see is signs going up for cheap wofs $25 etc.
Is the standard dropping to feeed them through ?

[dipshit]

The same guy who said that the police should have stopped them earlier because they knew what they were up to as well as he did.

And the same guy that was defending having a Tui flag (or was it a hat?) on his son's coffin saying there is nothing wrong with having a few beers... it's a Kiwi way of life.

[dipshit]

And the same guy that was defending having a Tui flag (or was it a hat?) on his son's coffin saying there is nothing wrong with having a few beers... it's a Kiwi way of life.

http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/boy-racers-defended-2838325/video

[scumdog]

Option 3: Put the wheels from your mate's car on for the WoF, then switch them back once you've got it.

What a shocking idea, I bet THAT has never been done before!!:shutup: