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Throughout our market research, we came across some very funny and unusual experiences that people have had with mechanics.

Oil Change for an Electric Car

“I was charged for an oil change when I got my electric car serviced.”
37-year-old woman

Premium Air for Tires

"When I took my car for a service, my mechanic charged me $40.00 for premium air for my tires."
19-year-old woman

Unnecessary Repairs

"I took my car to get a WOF and was told I needed to replace the front two tires to pass. I was given a 'special deal'—two tires for $120, normally $80 each. Later, I found out my dad had replaced all my tires when he took the car for a WOF just a year ago!"
25-year-old man

Initial Low-Price Turns into a Significantly Higher Bill

"I decided to take my car to my nearest mechanic because they had a deal for a full service for $150.00. After checking the car, they said I had to replace my oil filter and brake pads. I had recently had my WOF and was sure they would have mentioned something about my brakes. Anyway, I ended up paying them $650."
Random customer

The VTNZ or My Local?

"I started to have anxiety about whether to take my car to VTNZ, where they might raise every small issue, or to my local mechanic, where I might have to change the whole car!"
Random customer

Always get A Second Opinion

"When I took my car for a WOF, I received a call after 2 hours letting me know that my breaks and windscreen wipers needed changing. They quoted me $800.00. After speaking to partner, who’s an airplane mechanic, he took it to another WOF service and they passed it, saying nothing was wrong with my breaks or the windscreen wipers."
Random customer

The Sad Truth

The sad reality is that many women face discrimination and exploitation when visiting mechanics. They are often subjected to unnecessary repairs due to a lack of transparency and industry knowledge. This not only leads to financial strain and deep mistrust in automotive industry, making it challenging for women to find reliable and fair treatment when their vehicles need attention.

Read more

Facts and Articles about the WOF Industry

What We Found Out from Research

  • Revoked WOF’s – Between 1,700 to 3,000 cars had their WOFs revoked in 2022 and around 800 in 2023 due to inadequate service by mechanics. This indicates that a substantial number of vehicles do not meet safety standards.
  • An estimated 100,000 cars on Kiwi roads are driving around without current WOFs or registration. The main reasons were that they either completely forgot or didn’t have the time!
  • Over 40% of WOF inspections were conducted after their expiry date.
These findings underscore critical concerns about vehicle safety and compliance in Aotearoa. They highlight the importance of timely maintenance and regulatory standards for ensuring safer roads.

Our research showed top 5 reasons why people drive their car without WOF:

  1. Forgot about the expiry date
  2. Don’t have the time
  3. Want to avoid going to the mechanic
  4. Relied on others.
  5. Waiting on Pay day.

Top reasons why you should get your car serviced

  1. To maintain the manufacturer’s warranty
  2. It protect the car’s value
  3. Keeps you safe
  4. Keep the car working efficiently
  5. Save money in the future, by maintaining car parts like your engine.

Why not everyone gets their car serviced

The car is not worth it because it is too old

Don’t know what service to choose

Cost

Time