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I just had a Warrant of Fitness carried out by my local garage on my BMW E46. They failed the car because the brake pads had worn out and the power steering belt was cracked.
On inspection I told them the brake pads were not worn out and the car was fitted with sensors which will warn the driver when the pads are near their minimum thickness.
They also showed me the power steering belt cracks. They were a few fine cracks visible but nothing major in my opinion.
As they would not change their opinion I went to the local Vehicle Testing Station to seek their opinion. They told me the brake pads still had 3-4mm left and the belt was marginal.
I can accept the belt is subjective to opinion however the rejection on the brake pads is definitely wrong as confirmed by the Vehicle Testing Station inspector.
Can the other workshop be given a warning for trying to gain extra work by rejecting vehicles unnecessarily?
I hate to think how many people they have been conning.
Tony
From the "Ask Jack" archives - 13 January 2011
While there are rules and procedures all WoF inspectors must comply with, there are always interpretations of those rules and procedures that can cause some confusion.
From what you are saying about the brake pads it would seem the rejection was unfair as it is the braking performance that should be checked not the amount of material left on the pads. If it is very obvious to the inspector that the pad material has all but disappeared or there is a scrapping noise when the wheels are turned then a rejection can be issued.
Some brake pads are very visible when checking for play in a wheel bearing for example while others cannot be viewed at all.
In your case a warning or comment should have been all that was required.
There will always be garages who take the opportunity to look for extra work when they do a WoF inspection. It’s one of the strong arguments about using a Vehicle Testing Station as they have nothing to gain by passing or rejecting a vehicle.
There are options you can take if you feel the rejection was unjustified. The NZTA (who issue the authority to carry out warrants) has a free help line you can use to register a complaint. That number is 0800 699 000.