Most WOF fails come down to ordinary wear items: tyres worn below the 1.5 mm minimum tread depth, blown or hazy lights, split wiper blades, perished suspension bushes and brakes worn past their limit. Nearly all of them can be spotted before the inspection, either by you in the driveway or at a service, which is the easiest way to pass first time.
This guide covers the fails we see most, the tread depth rule, a pre-WOF checklist you can run yourself, and what happens if your vehicle does fail.
The most common WOF fails we see
The WOF is a set checklist from NZTA’s Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual, so the same things trip cars up again and again. The ones we see most at our workshop are:
- Tyres. Tread worn below 1.5 mm, cuts or bulges in the sidewall, or mismatched tyres on the same axle.
- Lights. Blown bulbs (indicators and brake lights especially), cracked lenses, and headlights that are hazy or not aimed correctly.
- Wipers and washers. Split or perished blades that smear, and washer jets that do not spray.
- Suspension and steering. Perished bushes, worn ball joints and tie rod ends, leaking shock absorbers, and split steering rack boots.
- Brakes. Pads or discs worn past their limit, leaks, and an uneven or weak handbrake.
- Windscreen. Chips or cracks in the driver’s line of sight.
- Leaks. Fuel leaks, brake fluid leaks, oil dripping onto hot parts of the engine or exhaust, and exhaust leaks.
Most of these build up slowly, which is why they get missed. A car that feels fine to drive can still have a tyre worn to the bars or a bush that has split.
Tyre tread depth in NZ: the 1.5 mm rule
Tyres are the first thing to check before any WOF. NZTA’s rules say a normal road tyre must have a tread depth of at least 1.5 mm, measured:
- in all the principal grooves that carry the moulded tread wear indicators, and
- around the whole circumference of the tyre.
Winter tyres have their own requirement. A tyre also fails if it has a bulge from the structure separating, a cut or crack more than 25 mm long that reaches the cords, or exposed cords. Tyres on the same axle need to match in size, construction type and tread pattern type.
The easy home check is the tread wear indicator bars, the small raised blocks across the bottom of the main grooves. If the tread is level with them anywhere around the tyre, it is at the legal limit. Look at the inside edge too, since tyres on a car with an alignment problem often wear there first, where you cannot see it from the kerb. Our tyre replacement and balancing page covers what we fit.
Pre-WOF checks you can do at home
A quick walk around the car in the driveway clears up most of the easy fails:
- Lights. With a helper, check headlights on low and high beam, indicators front, side and rear, brake lights, reversing lights, tail lights and the number plate light.
- Tyres. Check tread against the wear indicators on all four, plus look for cuts and bulges on both sidewalls.
- Wipers and washers. Run them. If the blades smear or chatter, or the jets dribble, replace and adjust them.
- Horn. Give it a toot.
- Seatbelts. Pull each one out fully, check for fraying, and make sure it latches and retracts.
- Windscreen. Look for chips or cracks in front of the driver.
- Dashboard. Start the car and watch the warning lights. They should come on briefly, then go out.
- Underneath. Look for fresh drips of fuel, oil or brake fluid where you park.
Anything you are not sure about, such as a brake pedal that feels soft or a clunk over bumps, is worth getting checked before the WOF rather than finding out on the day.
What the WOF inspection covers
The inspection works through the sections of the NZTA manual, including vehicle identification, structure and corrosion, lighting, vision (windscreen, wipers and mirrors), doors and entry, the interior (seatbelts and airbags), brakes, steering and suspension, tyres, wheels and hubs, the exhaust, and towing connections. The exhaust check includes leaks, security and visible smoke at idle and under acceleration.
Some dashboard warning lights are part of the check. NZTA’s rules treat an ABS or brake warning light that shows a fault, and an airbag warning light that shows a fault, as reasons for rejection. If your ABS light is on, see our post on ABS and traction control lights, and for an engine light, what the check engine light means.
For how long the inspection itself takes, see how long a WOF takes.
Failed your WOF? The recheck rules
A failed WOF is common and usually straightforward to fix. You get a written list of the fail items, and the recheck rules from NZTA’s manual are:
- There is no fee for a recheck done within 28 days of the failed inspection, at the same inspecting organisation (it does not have to be the same site if they have more than one).
- After 28 days, a fee is payable and the vehicle needs a new full inspection.
The 28 days are about fees, not about driving. If your old WOF is still current, the faults need fixing before you use the vehicle for anything else. If it has expired, you can only drive it to get it fixed and rechecked, and only if it is safe. Our post on what to do when your WOF has expired covers that in detail.
Brakes are a common fail item, and squeaks or grinding are often the early warning. See squeaky or grinding brakes, or our brake repairs page.
New WOF rules from 1 November 2026
NZTA has announced changes that start on 1 November 2026:
- How often. New vehicles get their second WOF at four years instead of three. Many vehicles roughly 4 to 14 years old move to a WOF every two years, phased in from 1 November 2026 and 1 November 2027 depending on first registration date. Vehicles 14 to 26 years old stay annual, and vehicles first registered before 2000 move from six monthly to annual.
- Driver assistance lights. The inspection checks that no warning or malfunction lights are showing for driver assistance systems such as automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist, where fitted.
- Fines. The infringement fees go up for a WOF more than two months overdue and for non-compliant tyres and wheels.
NZTA says your current WOF expiry date stays the same and the new frequency applies from your next WOF. Details are on NZTA’s vehicle inspection portal. A longer gap between inspections makes the home checks above, and regular servicing, more important, since wear has longer to build up unnoticed.
Get fail items fixed in one visit
At our Frankton workshop, the WOF and any repairs happen under one roof. If something fails, we quote it on the spot, and nothing is done without your sign-off. Our WOF and vehicle servicing page lists what the inspection includes, and worn suspension and shocks are handled in the same workshop.
If you need help with the cost of WOF repairs, we are WINZ-approved and the written quote for Work and Income is free. Call (07) 847 3339 to book your WOF at 281 Kahikatea Drive, Frankton.