Compulsory rego checks,....V/S ...no checks??.
Submitted: Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 20:14
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Axle
I know this varys from state to state,....But to the vehicle owners that have know mechanical knowledge at all or no feel for something wrong with their car, has to be a concern!.. I know here in NSW it can be over the top with what goes on, Nothing wrong but you have to fix everything,..To blind eyes and a friendly smile amongst other things we all know about does. the trick.... I always jack my vehicle up have a poke around, and if everything feels ok, then in i go for inspection, if something silly is made out i always have a give me a look attitude", ..Just to make sure i'm not getting reemed!,...But all in all i think a inspection per year is a good thing , just to help cover the death traps that might be out there, itsjust having the whole thing kept under some sort of control seems to be the worry.
Cheers Axle.
Reply By: Robin Miller - Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 20:46
Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 20:46
Complete waste of time - but a great generator of income for those doing the checking Axle.
You can always create a straw man - real results don't come from this approach.
Getting a roadworthy down here now requires lots of photos and tests etc etc
The bottom line is that the rules have made the costs go up - and hence its worth more to those who will bend the rules and they charge more accordingly.
Same as if you wish to start a crime wave - just make something like drugs etc illegal.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Axle - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 09:56
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 09:56
I Hear what your saying Robin, ....But as i mention the ones that have no mechanical feel for something thats going wrong, because its never been checked in its life!, can be a concern,..eg frayed slow weeping brake hose,sloppy ball joints,...causing tyres to wear so bad you can't steer the thing in the wet....there out and about with some of them, ...
Cheers Axle.
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Reply By: Rockape - Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 21:29
Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 21:29
Another for a complete waste of time.
I will stick my neck out and show how silly the process is. Years age a mate had his yearly inspection done on his tipper by the Qld DMT and it failed with a brake line faulty, steering box sloppy and a couple of tires on the passenger boggy. He had to go south and asked me if I could fix things and present the truck. I cleaned the brake hose which had nothing wrong with it, adjusted the steering box so the play was gone (just about had to use two hands to steer it though) and shifted the tyres to the drivers side. All passed ok.
I got a pink slip in NSW with the subframe on one side cut in two.
If you want one of those southern vehicles that are inspected every year, we have plenty of them lying beside the highway with their plates on up here.
Can someone tell me what the road stats are for people being hurt by unroadworthy vehicles because I don't see it in the big 5 or 6. Would be good to see if Qld has anymore accidents attributed to unroadworthy vehicle than other states.
All you should have to do is put it on a shaker and do the basics. Lights,horn,wipers, indicators, tyres and rust. Oil leaks who cares as long as you aren't leaving a trail of destruction.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Bruce C (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 16:07
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 16:07
Hi RA,
I do recall some many years ago a coal truck travelling down Ousley pass into
Wollongong took out several cars and ploughed into a house and killed one or more people in the process. When an inspection was carried out the fellow had disconnected the brakes to the front or back wheels, I cannot recall which, by placing a rivet in the brake line. I do believe that fellow did some time over that one. And rightly so.
But these things do go on.
Cheers, Bruce.
| At home and at ease on a track that I know not and
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Follow Up By: Member - Beatit (QLD) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 20:55
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 20:55
G'day RA,
Some years ago Qld was dabbling in the compulsory
check question and the RACQ would not support the idea quoting something like an annual cost of M$50 to motoriststs in NSW and that there were more unroadworthy vehicles involved in accidents in that state.
Kind regards
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Reply By: Member - Toyocrusa (NSW) - Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 21:32
Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 21:32
Hi. I am a light vehicle mechanic in NSW. I would inspect around 6 vehicles a week for registration renewal. I would see on average 4 worn tyres, 6 brake light globes blown, 1 headlight globe. Occational frayed
seat belts, sun damaged steering wheels, horn not working, door handles broken,door locks that won't unlock from the inside, numerous worn to unsafe wiper blades, non operational wipers or washers. (loose count of how many washer bottles are empty) and many other so called small safety items. Owners are amazed when they are pointed out, especially the tyres. These vehicles are all on the same roads that you and I drive on. Long live vehicle rego inspections that are done correctly. Bob.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 09:50
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 09:50
Hi Bob
Reading the list I am amazed that the rego can be knocked back for a sun damaged steering wheel or an empty water bottle. Is that fair dinkum. Next we will have to polish the car first. I have never heard these ones before. Talk about a nanny state. Where did responsibility go.
If that is the way it is then so be it but I cannot help laughing.
I don't mind compulsory inspections. Every tenth car in
Canberra has at least one headlight or brake/rear light not working. Cars leaking oil! Just
check out the car parks and then the extra prangs and near misses on the greasy roads when it rains.
I'm off to polish the steering wheel just in case I get pulled over.
Phil
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Follow Up By: Member - Toyocrusa (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 11:48
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 11:48
The plastic/foam outer rim can become detached from the inner metal support. You go to swerve to miss some one doing something in front of you and the rim separates,(something like rocco2010 has describes) not real good in an emergency.
How do you wash your windscreen with an empty or inoperative windscreen washer. Up here we have all manner of trucks and vehicles travelling around our city. Mix that with a bit of light rain and dirty roads. Unless you have xray vision then you need to wash the windscreen. Both can contribute to 'situations" not conversant with safe driving. Stay safe, Cheers,Bob
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Follow Up By: Member - PJR (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 13:11
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 13:11
I understand the need for such things to be in good working order but to actually put it in the legislation simply amazes me. It's like having frayed carpets. You could catch your foot on it going for the brake. Is that in it also. Better make sure that all mirrors are clean and properly adjusted. How far will all this nanny state stuff go. I wonder.
I guess that I am one of the older generation who takes responsibility themselves without it having to be legislated.
It just makes me laugh at the obvious lack of care for your mates and the total lack of social responsibility that requires such detailed legislation.
Phil
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Follow Up By: Member - Bruce C (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 16:21
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 16:21
Hi Bob,
I agree that inspections are a good thing. I look at it as a cheap safety
check, not only for the other motorists but for my family and myself.
The checks here in NSW are not a cursory inspection, they go up on a hoist,
well my bloke does, and he has a very good look around. Checks all
suspension components and has a good general inspection of the underside of the vehicle. At whatever price it is today I think it is a cheap safety inspection for my sake, never mind anybody elses sake.
I can totally trust most of our local country blokes as they know it is a smallish town and word spreads easily if someone gets up to tricks.
In fact their business depend on the good word passed along.
The city situation may
well be different with the increased competition for business. Meaning some may feel forced to lower their standards but that has its own consequences if something goes wrong.
Cheers, Bruce.
| At home and at ease on a track that I know not and
restless and lost on a track that I know. HL.Lifetime Member My Profile Send Message |
FollowupID:
781826
Reply By: pop2jocem - Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 21:47
Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 21:47
And all of the annual inspections in the world will not cure the 95% of accidents causing death or serious injury. It still gets back to the major cause of these.....
the nut behind the wheel. Speeding is still the easiest rule breach to police..checking vehicles every year is easy...the drivers ability?? not so easy.
Cheers
Pop
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Reply By: andrew t - Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 21:54
Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 21:54
there is no point in doing a yearly roadworthy if the fool behind the wheel is not paying attention or drives like an idiot,on drugs ,drunk or on the phone. how about we teach people to drive properly and not just pass the written and driving
test,it would be a better way to spend money on road safety.
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Reply By: Cravenhaven - Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 23:09
Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 23:09
I'd be interested to know which states require regular checks?.
ACT doesnt
QLD doesnt,
WA doesnt (I believe)
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Follow Up By: veight - Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 23:28
Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 23:28
NT Requires annual inspection after the vehicle is a certain age.
Can't remember the age ( My Vehicle is 2yrs old & hasn't needed to be inspected yet)
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 23:55
Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 at 23:55
Hi Cravenhaven
South Australia does not.
Cheers
Stephen
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Follow Up By: Member - There Yet - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 00:11
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 00:11
Not in Vic either, only need a roadworthy when there is a change of ownership.
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Follow Up By: Cravenhaven - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 07:56
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 07:56
So its only NSW that requires regular inspections!. It would seem that the other states (AND territories) have already seen the light and gone for the alternative of putting the onus on the driver to ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy.
I guess the real measure of the success of making drivers responsible for their safety and compliance is in the number of accidents caused or contributed too by non-compliant vehicles.
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Follow Up By: Member - Gaz@Gove (NT) - Monday, Feb 18, 2013 at 20:03
Monday, Feb 18, 2013 at 20:03
NT - none till 3 yrs., then every 2nd year until 10 years old.
I think it's going to or has changed since the new year.
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Follow Up By: Echucan Bob - Friday, Feb 22, 2013 at 11:21
Friday, Feb 22, 2013 at 11:21
NSW required annual checks for 4WD vehicles (for
mine at least).
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 00:07
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 00:07
Too many rorts with inspections - rorts by the inspectors looking for business and rorts by the owners who swap their tyres etc for inspections. Better to use govt inspectors who don't have a financial incentive.
Better to have a system of random inspections.
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Reply By: rocco2010 - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 00:34
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 00:34
Gidday
I was approaching a traffic-light controlled t-
junction the other day. the light was green. As I prepared to make a right-hand turn a car passed through the
intersection from my right to left. Had I been just a few seconds earlier leaving
home I could have been in the middle of that
intersection when the driver ran the red light. And it wasn't some tearaway hoon in a V8 whatsit speeding, it was someone in a Hyundai not paying attention. And it would have been of no comfort to me to know that the car that hit me was roadworthy
In WA there are no roadworthy checks for cars unless the licence has expired and is being reissued. Also applies to cars from interstate. The system, which was run out of a government department used to be a shambles. I once waited in a queue for four hours for my turn. I believe it has since been improved.
There also was a case a few years ago involving corrupt inspectors issuing certificates for vehicles they had not inspected.
Cheers
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 09:20
Reply By: Member - Oldbaz. NSW. - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 09:32
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 09:32
Well, I might be the odd one out here, but I value the annual NSW inspection & the
assurrance it gives me. My three cars total near 40 years old,. dont do high mileage & inspection often occurs
during service, both done by my
well respected small town mechanic. He notes the less obvious things like brake linings, dicky hoses etc, even the odd dud light that can
easily escape detection.
When asked the most common problem the reply was ..bald tyres, with 20% being
dangerous..eg wire showing through. While I am paranoid about tyres, obviously
not everyone is, & the idea of that many bad tyres among my states cars does
little for confidence. Inspect on...I say...cheers.....oldbaz.
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Follow Up By: fisherPete - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 10:46
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 10:46
Interesting Baz, we are both from NSW, and neither of us has any problems with roadworthys. In fact I welcome them in case I have missed something. The guys against them are from states that dont have them. Go figure, I guess we must be the enlightened ones lol
Cheers Pete
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Follow Up By: Member - Bruce C (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 16:32
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 16:32
I am with you guys. I don't find them a problem either. Maybe because of the country town thing. meaning we can trust the locals to do the right thing. I have never been ripped off with an inspection as others have suggested.
They are a small inconvenience, that's all.
Even if they did away with inspections here in NSW the price of regos would not come down. The government will never be weaned off that one.
Cheers, Bruce.
| At home and at ease on a track that I know not and
restless and lost on a track that I know. HL.Lifetime Member My Profile Send Message |
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Anthony T2 - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 10:08
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 10:08
I agree with Oldbaz, and think annual inspections are a good thing. The number of 4wds locally here that the
young guys lift to the hilt are dangerous, if you watch the vehicle dynamics on the road. I have a mechanical repair business and the inspections would be more of a hinderence than a genuine income source. Some of the earlier comments suggest that the inspectors are out for a cash grab, but you don't have to get the inspector to repair it, take it to your regular trusted mechanic. Annual inspections would reduce bald tyres, illegal modifications and the like. As Axle started this thread with, some people honestly have no idea mechanically, and drive vehicles that are dangerous, this would help those people. I imagine that all that have posted to this thread against annual inspections, have sound mechanical ability or trust someone to ensure their vehicle is safe and reliable, but remember not everyone else on the road with you is as competent.
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Reply By: Member - Broodie H3 - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 11:57
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 11:57
Hi Axle, just to let you know that I wish the State of wait a while had yearly inspections, as an ex truck driver I have seen many a vehicle on the roads in this and every state in need of some mechanical attention, and some even needed to have
the nut from behind the wheel replaced, with another nut that knew how to drive the vehicle in the first place. Even if the inspections were carried out bi Annually would be a help. These are just my thoughts that I have held for a lot of years. thanks for the debate
Broodie H3
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Reply By: garrycol - Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 12:05
Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 at 12:05
Quite some time back the Motor Vehicle faculty of
Monash University did a study of accidents where roadworthy/mechanical failure was implicated.
There results showed there was no statistical difference in accidents between States that had annual roadworthys and those that did not.
The results also showed that in the states where there was no roadworthy, owners tended to fix things when they came up where in states with roadworthys owners tended to leave things until the roadworthy
test and just fixed things listed on the report.
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Reply By: Robyn R4 - Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 at 08:55
Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 at 08:55
Grew up in NSW and lived for 10 years in Vic where the lack of rego checks left me uncomfortable, even as a (I confess!) fairly mechanically ignorant female.
Moved back to NSW 13 years ago. Husband is very mechanically minded and has replaced engines etc etc...he bought a decent second hand Suzuki Vitara and cared for it after being on the beach. But, even though he thought all was
well with the upcoming rego
check, he was stunned to find out that there was rust underneath that the previous trip up on a hoist ( about 12 months before) didn't pick and he didn't spot it himself when doing recent work himself in a dim garage.
The car was a potential death trap if involved in the wrong sort of accident. It cost a lot to fix in a hurry to pass rego...its final rego.
My own rego
check last year caught me with tyres that needed replacing-hadn't checked the tread for about 6 months because I don't do that many k's and I was complacent. Result: new tyres and a roadworthy car!
We live near the state border and many people regi$ter their car$ inter$tate for the benefit$. But wow, there are many rust buckets that I fear meeting in an accident.
As a fairly mechanically ignorant female, I know the value of rego checks and my mechanically minded hubby knows their value too.
It's a lousy $32 that can potentially save lives!!
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Follow Up By: garrycol - Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 at 09:42
Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 at 09:42
The problem is that people rely on the rego inspection to maintain their cars and there is much more to car maintenance.
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Follow Up By: Robyn R4 - Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 at 12:02
Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 at 12:02
You're absolutely right, Garrycol. I was always taught "prevention is better than cure". I pass many Qld registered cars (not all older makes, either) on the side of the highways on hot days (sometimes up to a dozen over a 200km stretch) and often wonder whether it's the lack of maintenance and servicing that puts them there. Regular maintenance is a start, then servicing is your chance to catch things before they become major, and then the rego
check catches the other bits. Three very important keys to staying on the road.
I suppose there is the one potential hiccup: finding a decent, reasonably priced and trustworthy mechanic to service the car (mine overcharges!) , and feeling okay about your rego
check dealings (I trust mine).
Ok...so that's 2 hiccups, eh? But for $32 a year, I like my rego
check. I'm with the "yae" side.
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