Auckland mechanic customers reimbursed for revoked WoFs

Customers of an Auckland-based mechanic who had their vehicles’ Warrant of Fitness (WoF) certificates revoked have been reimbursed by the Motor Trade Association (MTA).

Waka Kotahi found that 667 warrants were not issued by a certified inspector at Newmarket Auto Repairs over the last ten months, prompting the agency to repeal the WoFs with effect from July 7.

Vehicles that had their warrants revoked will need to be reinspected at the responsibility of the owner, but the cost of doing so will be covered.

MTA plans to support those affected by providing the inconvenienced with a $50 voucher, the same price the auto repairer charged for a WoF. Adding it all up and that comes to a total of $33,350 in warrants.

Customers of the mechanic who have had their WoFs revoked can apply for their voucher here.

Since the issue was discovered, a full investigation into Newmarket Auto Repairs has been launched while its MTA membership has been suspended.

“For more than 100 years MTA has stood for integrity, safety, and professionalism. We take that very seriously,” says MTA Chief Executive Lee Marshall.

“To say we are extremely disappointed would be an understatement. Our first concern is for people who have been disadvantaged and inconvenienced.”

However, it wasn’t quite the same result for motorists who had their vehicles inspected at Westcity Mechanical & Tyres between October 2022 and April 2023, where nearly 1500 warrants were revoked due to safety concerns last month.

A similar investigation to the Newmarket case was launched into the West Auckland mechanic by Waka Kotahi which found that cars were not being kept onsite long enough for a full inspection to be carried out.

While the business was stripped of its power to issue WoFs, the mechanic responsible was not charged and the affected customers have yet to be reimbursed for the cost.