Saturday, Dec 06, 2014 at 12:09
On the matter of dealers checking safety at the time of scheduled service.
YEH right
look at what is on the dealer service shedule and compare that to the list of things to be checked for a safety certificate inspection.
Just on the matter of brakes alone.
on most cars it is necessary to remove the wheel to properly
check disk brake pads for wear, and it is necessary to remove the drum to
check brake shoes.
Unless the service shedule indicates a tyre rotation, the dealer WILL NOT be removing the wheels.
Last time the handbrakes RAV was dealer serviced the tyres came back 15psi over inflated.
they would be more concerned about slopping on some tyre black than checking the tread depth or doing a propper tread inspection to
check for imbedded objects......they wont be bothering with such things if they can't open the door and look at the tyre plackard for the correct inflation pressure......BTW.....the vehicle is not roadworthy without a tyre plackard....so they should have looked for it even if they where going to ignore what was written on it.
Most dealers will be turning round a minor service (including filling the washer bottle, blacking the tyres and changing the oil and filter) in half the time it would take for even a fast, safety certificate inspection.
AND, most of the time the service will be done by either an apprentice or a "lubrication technician" ( labourer).
The safety certificate has to be done by a fully qualified mechanic that has been acredited to do safety certificate inspections.
If you want a thorough safety inspection from any mechanic you need to specifically ask.
cheers
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