30 July 2013

Bridgestone Belconnen fingered for not checking the brakes

| johnboy
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Simon Corbell has taken the unusual step of singling out Autoco Tuggeranong for Fair Trading breaches:

The Commissioner for Fair Trading has accepted a court enforceable undertaking from Autoco Tuggeranong Pty Ltd, trading as Bridgestone Select Belconnen, for failing to conduct brake tests on a number of vehicles during vehicle inspections for registration purposes, Attorney General, Simon Corbell, announced today.

On 1 November 2012, Office of Regulatory Services (ORS) audit officers conducted a site visit to Bridgestone Select Belconnen, where it was discovered that an authorised examiner failed to carry out mechanical brake tests on 90 vehicles.

Upon being advised of the concerns of the ORS, Bridgestone Select Belconnen cooperated and initiated an immediate internal investigation, and resolved to implement an internal audit procedure to ensure brake tests are carried out appropriately.

“Bridgestone Select Belconnen acknowledges that the conduct of their examiner likely contravened the Australian Consumer Law, by representing to consumers that their brakes had been tested and complied with applicable vehicle standards, when no test was undertaken,” said Mr Corbell.

“When a consumer takes their car to an approved inspection station for an inspection, they should have the confidence that the vehicle will be thoroughly inspected, and in accordance with required vehicle inspection standards.”

Bridgestone Select Belconnen has offered the Commissioner for Fair Trading an enforceable undertaking under the Australian Consumer Law. Bridgestone Select Belconnen will make a contribution of $20,000 to the Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter fund, write to all consumers whose vehicles were inspected by the business in the relevant time period advising that a brake inspection may not have been carried out, and offer to repeat the inspection free of charge.

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thatsnotme said :

p1 said :

Does anyone know more details of this? Specifically, was the business in question actually advertising that they do a mechanical brake test, and weren’t? Or is a mechanical brake test something that is required to be performed during all rego inspections?

I ask, because the last few rego inspections I have had done were at a local exhaust place. I have been very happy with their service, but I am 99% sure they did nothing but a visual inspection of my brakes? Can I expect they will be cracked down on in the future?

Seems ORS have already been cracking down on this – K-Mart Tyre and Auto had the same issue recently and got into the same type of trouble (it’s the first link in the Related Content under the story).

From that story, they’d said “Ensuring the correct ACT Vehicle Registration standards are met when vehicles are being certified as road worthy cannot be compromised,” Attorney-General Simon Corbell said today.
“Testing for these standards includes a visual inspection, a road test and mechanical testing of brakes on each vehicle. In some cases, only a visual inspection and road test, but no mechanical brake test, was performed on vehicles inspected by KTAS. As a result of this, the ORS was concerned that KTAS may have contravened section 29(1)(b) of the ACL.

So it seems that this is a requirement for a rego check. What I’m not sure about is whether there are different standards of rego checks for different situations? Will you have the same rego check done for a newer vehicle that’s having its rego transferred to a new owner, as you would for an older vehicle? Are there different checks for vehicles bought interstate, or being moved here?

Should be the same test, (I think it only differs for trucks) and from my understanding they should be doing everything Dickson does because it is insuring that the car is road worthy for rego transferral….

thatsnotme said :

So it seems that this is a requirement for a rego check. What I’m not sure about is whether there are different standards of rego checks for different situations? Will you have the same rego check done for a newer vehicle that’s having its rego transferred to a new owner, as you would for an older vehicle? Are there different checks for vehicles bought interstate, or being moved here?

There are certainly different checks done on interstate vehicles with respect to vehicle identification, but I don’t think it makes any difference to the roadworthy part.

I can’t quite remember most past checks, but the last one I had done was a motorcycle, and they certainly didn’t road test that.

p1 said :

Does anyone know more details of this? Specifically, was the business in question actually advertising that they do a mechanical brake test, and weren’t? Or is a mechanical brake test something that is required to be performed during all rego inspections?

I ask, because the last few rego inspections I have had done were at a local exhaust place. I have been very happy with their service, but I am 99% sure they did nothing but a visual inspection of my brakes? Can I expect they will be cracked down on in the future?

Seems ORS have already been cracking down on this – K-Mart Tyre and Auto had the same issue recently and got into the same type of trouble (it’s the first link in the Related Content under the story).

From that story, they’d said “Ensuring the correct ACT Vehicle Registration standards are met when vehicles are being certified as road worthy cannot be compromised,” Attorney-General Simon Corbell said today.
“Testing for these standards includes a visual inspection, a road test and mechanical testing of brakes on each vehicle. In some cases, only a visual inspection and road test, but no mechanical brake test, was performed on vehicles inspected by KTAS. As a result of this, the ORS was concerned that KTAS may have contravened section 29(1)(b) of the ACL.

So it seems that this is a requirement for a rego check. What I’m not sure about is whether there are different standards of rego checks for different situations? Will you have the same rego check done for a newer vehicle that’s having its rego transferred to a new owner, as you would for an older vehicle? Are there different checks for vehicles bought interstate, or being moved here?

p1 said :

Does anyone know more details of this? Specifically, was the business in question actually advertising that they do a mechanical brake test, and weren’t? Or is a mechanical brake test something that is required to be performed during all rego inspections?

I ask, because the last few rego inspections I have had done were at a local exhaust place. I have been very happy with their service, but I am 99% sure they did nothing but a visual inspection of my brakes? Can I expect they will be cracked down on in the future?

Not sure on the ACT rules but in NSW they have to test drive the car with (what I guess is) an accelerometer and they have to test the brakes and print the test receipt. If your brakes don’t stop hard enough then no pink slip for you.

Does anyone know more details of this? Specifically, was the business in question actually advertising that they do a mechanical brake test, and weren’t? Or is a mechanical brake test something that is required to be performed during all rego inspections?

I ask, because the last few rego inspections I have had done were at a local exhaust place. I have been very happy with their service, but I am 99% sure they did nothing but a visual inspection of my brakes? Can I expect they will be cracked down on in the future?

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