Total Fleet Solutions owner Aaron Twigley says proposed changes to the Warrant of Fitness system mean vehicle owners will need to be more responsible for self-maintenance of their vehicle.
Total Fleet Solutions owner Aaron Twigley says proposed changes to the Warrant of Fitness system mean vehicle owners will need to be more responsible for self-maintenance of their vehicle.
Two Gisborne mechanical workshop owners have concerns over proposed extensions to the periods a Warrant of Fitness (Wof) will cover for vehicles.
They believe it could result in necessary repairs and tyre changes being overlooked by owners, and gives too much responsibility to owners who are not “maintenance-conscious”.
Under theGovernment’s proposed changes, the first WoF for new cars and light vehicles (motorcycles, vans, people-movers, trailers, taxis) would be issued for four years - up from the current three years.
Vehicles between four and 10 years old would require a new WoF every two years, while those older than 10 would still need a yearly inspection.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop, in a statement last week, said the proposed changes were intended to increase the transport system’s productivity and safety.
Within three years, a vehicle could have issues with tyres and suspension joints, “particularly with how roads are around here”.
“Kids can break seatbelts. All sorts of things can happen.”
Twigley said car owners varied in the usage of their vehicles.
“It could be a new ute going straight into the forest and getting a hiding, or a brand new ‘soccer mum car’, which is probably going to be fine. It might need a new tyre, that’s about it.”
Mangapapa Garage owner Neil Gooch said the current system was working and didn’t need to be changed.
He felt the proposed change for new vehicles to four years was “way too long”.
The public would need to show more responsibility for their own vehicle maintenance, he said, but the degree of self-maintenance could vary widely between drivers.
Gooch suggested kilometrage as a way of determining the period for a WoF.
The number of kilometres driven by drivers could vary significantly and a kilometrage system meant a vehicle that had travelled further should be mechanically checked more often, he said.
Neil Gooch, owner of Mangapapa Garage, questions the need for changing the Warrant of Fitness system. Photo / Wynsley Wrigley
Gooch and Twigley said a two-year warranty for vehicles aged four to 10 years was also too long.
Twigley said vehicles that old were the most common he saw in a work capacity.
A 12-month warranty matched with most car manufacturers who wanted a yearly service, he said.
Gooch said two years was too long. Mechanical problems could easily arise, while owners often overlooked the condition of their tyres.
Car owners with a WoF could be in a state of “falsification”, assuming all was right with their vehicle for the period of their warrant.
Gooch said he had concerns for the safety of vehicles with a high kilometrage and owners who were not maintenance-conscious or capable.
Such owners of older vehicles could be hit by a lengthy list of required repairs and an expensive bill when they went for their WoF inspection.
Twigley said the proposed changes would place a greater onus on vehicle owners in terms of self-maintenance.
Tyres were a common area where vehicle owners could be lax.
Twigley said most vehicle owners travelled 40,000 to 50,000km over three years. Their tyres might look okay from the outside, but not from the inside.
The owner might not “get around and have a look” and could simply get used to how their vehicle drove.
“That’s why we take a car for a road test during a Warrant of Fitness - to get a feel.”
Twigley said he supported the proposed changes to Certificate of Fitness A checks, which would see commercial light vehicles like Ubers, taxis and other ride share vehicles need a new CoF A every year, rather than every six months.
Those vehicles were owned by companies that looked after their vehicles because it was in their best interests to do so, he said.
Associate Transport Minister James Meager said the changes were a commonsense opportunity to modernise the country’s vehicle inspection approach.
“New Zealand currently has one of the most frequent regimes globally,” he said.
“We want to make sure we’re not placing unnecessary costs or time pressures on Kiwis, while still keeping everyone safe on the road.
“We’re looking at how other jurisdictions handle this. For example, Europe checks light vehicles every two years, and most states in Australia and provinces in Canada only require a WoF when the vehicle changes ownership, or when a defect is identified.”
