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Forum Index : Other Stuff : OT: Warrant Of Fitness checks for cars...
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9306 |
I tried to look and see if there was somewhere else in this forum I could post this, as it is not a microcontroller project! 
FORUM INDEX would not load - I tried several times today, AND yesterday, but this forum loads OK. Not sure if that is a problem or not, and if the thread can be moved by a moderator - I'll leave that up to them... Anyway, New Zealand has just seen some changes to the WOF system used to check the safety of cars on the roads. It made me think - how many other countries have a WOF or equivalent? It is my understanding, that the United States DON'T have any such check, according to my sister who married an American and lives there. She says that they have to register the car, but there is no WOF safety check. Is that actually true of the States? I could actually believe that, as USA is hot-rod heaven. Most of the hot-rods over there would not pass certification here. Not because they are unsafe, but because they don't adhere to our stupid feckin' bureaucratic regulations. What about Australia - do you guy have a WOF? England? Spain? Upper Volta? ANYONE here - I would love to simply hear if you: 1) Have a WOF safety check at all, and if you do 2) How often do you have to do that? I understand why a WOF is a good idea, but garages and the Government have been making a killing(money wise) from this for years. The new changes here are that cars built before 2000 have to keep the six-monthy checks at $50 a time, but cars built since 2000 only need one yearly checks now(till they reach 15 years old I think - there is a threshold when they will also have to have the six-monthly checks, but not while they are relatively new), which I think is fair enough. Car groups are all running around like chooks with their heads cut off saying this will lead to many unsafe vehicles on the road, which I think is total bollocks. Cars that are only 10 years or so old, are NOT going to have anything like the wear of cars that are 20 or 30 years old. Granted, there may be the odd one or two which are treated badly, and as such, pose a risk, but out of the millions of cars on the road, this would be a negligible amount. Generally speaking, people tend to look after their new car as it cost them so much!  Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Here in Oz we need a Road Worthy Certificate if the car is changing hands, or if the car is not registered ( either the registration previously expired, or its a newly built car, like a hot rod ). Its a safety check, the usualy stuff. If you keep the car and keep it registered, you will not need another RWC for the life of the vehicle. But I think a safety check should be performed every 10 years or so, I've spent time as a mechanic and know just how unsafe some cars can get. But I also think a drivers licence test should taken every 10 years too, rules change and people pick up bad habits. The Forum Index problem, not sure what you mean, it works ok for me. Do you mean the link that looks like "  Forum Index: " ?The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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OA47 Guru  Joined: 11/04/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 926 |
I am from Victoria, Australia and the system is not as strict. Vehicles only require a Roadworthy Certificate on sale or change of registration. It is the owners responsibility to maintain the vehicle to a roadworthy condition and they are randomly checked by the constabulary. I believe in other states such as NSW an annual certification is needed, like yours in NZ. |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9306 |
@ Gizmo - Yes, that is the FORUM INDEX thing I clicked on - one level back behind the Microcontroller Projects forum, but the page never loaded - perhaps it is just my browser and/or PC... I see you have moved it - thanks. 
Yeah, here in NZ they are WOF mad. There was a time, not that long ago, when if they saw a single rust bubble, the car was failed - NOT kidding. It did not even have to be a rust bubble that was structural - a rust bubble on a body panel, and you were failed. It then had to be ground out, filled, TAKEN BACK FOR A RECHECK BEFORE YOU PAINTED OVER IT. It was total madness. Thankfully, that whole process has been relaxed now, and rust is ignored if it is not structural rust(or a quite large hole), which is much more sensible. @ Graeme Meager - This is what I think they need here in NZ - just give the cops more power to decide if something is a safety issue. Two checks a year... They should base it on distance traveled - that is what I suggested to the Government in my submission. Their argument was that this is too hard to police, which is also bollocks. We issue Road User Charges for Diesel vehicles here, and you have to have one of these stickers in your window. It is just as easy to issue the same kind of thing to petrol vehicles - if the odometer reads higher then the figure on the sticker, you are overdue for a WOF. Logic seems to be something that is hard to teach to local councils or Government. 
CASE IN POINT: I have several older English cars. The ones that are registered and warrented for driving on the road don't get anywhere NEAR the amount of driving that my Toyota Corolla does, yet they are subject to the same six-monthly check. I might drive my Vauxhall three times in six months totaling 200kM, but I would drive the Toyota about 5,000kM in the exact same period - which one will have more wear in a given six months in ball-joints, bearings, suspension, brakes and steering do you think? (rhetorical) Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 3800 |
There are at least emissions checks in the USA. (Home of OBD II aka OBD2 aka OBD.) The EU requires safety/roadworthiness and emissions checks. We already had the MoT (as it's known, was the Ministry of Transport but no longer called that) Test and that's grown to cover extra items over the years. Generally annual for cars over 3 years old. The entire manual (and it's understandable, unlike most official stuff) is online if you feel inclined to see what it covers. John |
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BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
I live in Victoria and that has already been covered. My sister used to live in Canberra, Australia and they require annual checks and from what I can remember they are far more intensive than in NSW. They even required a blood test for driver licence renewal although that may have been age related. She was 75 when that was required. |
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palcal Guru Joined: 12/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1873 |
NSW have a yearly check (Pink Slip) if your car is over 3 yrs old. I think what they are trying to do in NZ is get rid of the old cars. Less pollution and it stimulates the economy making people buy newer cars. Paul "It is better to be ignorant and ask a stupid question than to be plain Stupid and not ask at all" |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9306 |
What about you Aussie's HQ Holdens?!
But you are probably right. Properly maintained, older cars don't really polute any more then modern cars - both spew out CO2, but granted - some older cars belch blue smoke too, and that is worn engines. I love my old cars(many have been restored or semi-restored), and none of them smoke. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 3800 |
By emissions I meant (broadly) poisons other than those ideally emitted by a hydrocarbon burning engine i.e. those other than CO2 and H2O. Our cars are already rated by CO2 emitted, and taxed (very crudely) on that. The MoT was introduced here in 1960 so it's a shock to me to hear it's not been everywhere since about the same time. A major reason for it was to reduce accidents caused by poorly maintained cars. Our main emissions test is for CO, HC (hydrocarbons) and lambda. Tight limits must be met or the car repaired/scrapped. Diesels are allowed far greater emissions, including the very harmful particulates and NOx, but slowly the EU is realising this stupid loophole needs fixing because of the vast numbers of people with severe health problems. Also, our cities are failing to meet their air quality targets due mainly to NOx and particulates. John |
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MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
Spewing out CO2 is good, holds of a new ice age and promotes plant growth and bigger harvests. Test for NOx and particulates is good. I live in Bangkok and since all taxis and busses swithed to LPG and natural gas the air quality improved a lot. In the Netherlands, where i resided a long time they have a APK, a general road worthy test. Cars older then 3 years need an 'APK' every year. For people not savvy about cars this can cost quit a bit, because many dealers always find something wrong. Like small rubbers, break fluid, etc. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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