Failed your WOF? What happens next, and your rights

If your car fails its WOF, here's what happens: you can have the repairs done by any mechanic you choose, and you have 28 days to take it back to the same inspecting organisation for a free recheck. After 28 days, it's a full new inspection, and a full fee.

A fail is annoying, but it isn't a verdict on your car. It's a list. Here's how to work through it without losing your weekend.

What does the fail sheet tell you?

When a car fails, the inspector gives you a check sheet that marks what failed and why. That sheet is the most useful piece of paper you'll own this month, so keep it in the glovebox.

It tells you three things:

1. What failed. Each failed item is marked, for example a tyre, a brake, a light or the windscreen.
2. Why. A short reason, such as "tread below minimum" or "number plate light inoperative".
3. The date. Your 28 days for the free recheck count from the first inspection.

The fail sheet is what any mechanic works from. You don't need to explain the problem from memory, and nobody needs to guess.

Don't agree with something on it? Ask the inspector to show you the problem and explain the reason. If you still think it's wrong, raise it with the inspecting organisation.

Do I have to get the repairs done where I had my WOF?

No. You can have the repairs done by any mechanic you choose. Wherever you had your WOF may offer to fix it, and that's fine if it suits you, but you're under no obligation. It's your car and your call.

Most people choose based on a few practical things: who can fit the car in soonest, who's close by, and who gives a clear price before they start. It's sensible to get a quote on the listed items first, so you know where you stand.

How does the free recheck work?

This is the part most people miss.

• Within 28 days: take the car back to the same inspecting organisation that failed it, and the recheck is free. It doesn't have to be the same site if that organisation has more than one.
• After 28 days: a fee applies, and the car needs a full new WOF inspection.
• At a different inspecting organisation: that's also a full new inspection, with its own fee.

Source: NZTA Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual, rechecks.

So the simplest route is usually: get the listed items fixed by the mechanic of your choice, then go back to wherever you had your WOF for the free recheck, inside the 28 days.

If you'd rather get the repairs and a full new WOF done in one place, we can do that too. A WOF at Midas Albany is $79.99. We're an NZTA-authorised WOF site.

Can you keep driving in the meantime? A fail doesn't fix itself, and the items on the sheet are safety items. If your WOF has expired, NZTA's rules only allow the car on the road to get it fixed or re-inspected, and only if it's safe to drive. If your old WOF is still current, the safe thing is still to get the failed items fixed soon. Bald tyres and weak brakes don't wait for a sticker date.

How Midas Albany can help

Bring your fail sheet to us at 3C Saturn Place, Albany. Here's what happens:

1. We quote the listed items. The fail sheet is what we work from.
2. The price is agreed first. Nothing starts until you've said yes, in writing.
3. We fix it, and you take it back for your free recheck wherever you had your WOF, within 28 days.

That's all on the failed your WOF section of our home page. If you'd like to understand what was checked in the first place, read what a WOF checks in New Zealand. Tyres are one of the most common fails, and how much tread your tyres need to pass a WOF shows you how to check them at home.

We're a family-owned workshop, here since 2004, MTA Assured, and we see customers from Albany, Rosedale, Unsworth Heights, Pinehill and across the North Shore. WOF $79.99.

Call Robin on 09 415 6595, Book online, or Request a callback. Open Mon-Fri 7:30am-4:30pm and Sat 8am-12pm.

FAQ

Written by the Midas Albany team.