CAR CERTIFICATES OF FITNESS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 35, 25 February 1937, Page 6

CAR CERTIFICATES OF FITNESS

Many Garages Applying for "A" Gra4ing RIGID TEST PRESCRIBED

Motor garages in Hastings are busily engaged at the present time Ia making arrangements for -the examination of motor vehieles as required un* der the new regulations, which decree that on and after April 1 ©very motof vehicJe on the road must have a warrant of Mnmn. A five-weeks "boom'4 is cleariy imUmted in the trade, and already emid&ev able confusion has amm by mmm oi ihe rather belated" arrival of the authorisatiou to those pzopri&tor* who are to conduct tho imu, H wm announced on Monday by the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Bempl&f that authority for the issue of the wammts had been given to all A-grado garages, bub ihe difficulty fchat has arisen in Hastings is that though a number of garages are qualified to be dassed A grade they haye not actually been, graded as such. The actuaj i position xs that at the yery otitside not more than four garages In Hastings were entitled yesterday to issue warrants. , That other garag-es were not in such a position is entirely theiy own fault in that they did not eome two yeara ago link up with th© Garage Proprietors' Association and make application for the necessary grading of their garages, the cost of which was £1 1/-, During the past few weeks applications have been 'made by a number of garages to be classified A gradOj and Bpection of the garages is now being undertaken [ by the departmentt but it is necessary for the proprietors to conform with certain requiremente npd standard. ... Only* garages classified A grade hav« been authorised" to make tests and issue ' warran'ts, and when bne realiseg that at the" end" of January there were 4p72 " motor ' vehicilps, inc|uding 293g motor-cars , registered at , the Hastings Post "Office it is.obvious that more-than four garages - will be.. necessary. It would be - ahnost impossihle" to-* have all the vehieles examined- by -these four garages eyen.. if. each garage "employed a team. of examiners and arranged shifte so -that - examifiatioiis could' be conduc* ted contixiuously duririg "next month. Many Garages Qualified. .That. -further authority will b© issucd . shortly is certain, for there are a good number - of garages in ' Hastings that may jUstly claim to be A-grade garages even though • they have not * actu&lly beCn classified as such. Garages authorised to. issue .the warrants will be under a' -two'-year contracts. If by ;the ,end ,*of .tbat period ;the garages are "not. doing * the work to.the satis,faction;of. the:Minister they , will, . be release.d and other arrangements .made. In :'view of: the fact that the .inspection of cars has to be mad© twice a • year " and there is. a fe© of 2/6 for each inspection,- it- can* readily be realised that ; no : pams " wfll". be Bpared by. mechanics to uphold their' reputations. : ' . ;/ p The regulations provide for the figid testihg , of cars and other motor vehieles, and " if a waxrant is.-,issued for * car that is found to have been either■carelessly tested or hnrriedly repaired. then th'e garage proprietor will be liable to have his "authority cancelled by the' Minister. It "should 'be noted that not ofily miist the vehicle comply with the regulations when tested, but after having been brought up to the required standard it must* reas'onably be expected fo remain in that condition for some time. The , chances of the ' motor-owne* evading. the tests are few. Among the duties Jmppsed upon* gafage proprietors is that . of * compiling a monthly report to the New "Zealand -Garage Proprietors' Association giving particulars of the warrants of fitnqss which have- been issued. and further particulars of th© cars examined but for which no certificat© was issued. There is the case of the motor-owner, for example, who takes his car to an A-gjrade garage and, after„ having the tests carried out, decides not to hav® the work done at the time. The inspection fee is 2/6, and in such a case as this the proprietor has no hold on tha owner for the time epent examining the car by the highly-paid mechanics, The number of sueh a car is to ba taken and included in the monthly report , together" with the list of known defects. In turn the traffifc inspector is notified ; and a definite* check will be kept in this manner. How Test Will Be Made. As for the requirements under th# regulations, it is explained that a cerfcificate of :fitness Will be issued only fco those " vehieles which comply with the regulations "as far as cdnstruction, equipment and condition are concern.ed. Special attention will" b©- paid to kthe brakes, headlights, rear-vision mirrors. warning devices, windscreen wiper (which must be automatic), tail-lighfc (which must have a white light ishowing.the registration number-plate quite distinctly), wheel alignment, steering and door-fasteners. "I should say that under ordinary circumstances it will take on an average 15 to 20 minutes to examine th# car," said the proprietor of one Ag^ade garage when questioned as to how he proposed to go about the examination. "Ther© is a special Lsaketesting machine and a chart and rangefinder for the lights, and the car will be tested out with them. Then tha mechanic will have a look at the other matters. As he passes each item he will place a tick on his report; sheet, and those items requiring "adjustment or repair will be marked with a cross. "This will be merely for the examiuation, aud the fee will be -2/6/' he said. * "If any adjustments * or repairs are to be effected, then "arrangements will haye to be made for the work to be carried out. That is entirely a matter for the car-owner to decide, for tho cost of such work is nofc included in. tliR 2 '6 f«p."