TESTING TIMES Roadworthiness Section, Road Safety, VicRoads

September 1996 ♦ Issue 3

The licensed taxi testers are now in full swing, all
WELCOME forty of them, and they have now inspected virtually
the entire taxi fleet on behalf of the Taxi
Directorate. We have held our first joint meeting
Hello again and welcome to the third edition of with the testers and members of the Taxi Directorate
Testing Times. to air some issues and answer queries. The new
Minister, Mr Geoff Craige even dropped in for a
First off - a reminder few minutes to chat to some of the testers. Please
Please remember to pass this copy to your other note that there are still some areas where taxi testers
staff and testing mechanics so they get the are few and far between and a business opportunity
information too. exists for any LVT who wants to put in that little bit
extra.
As of the end of July the series of LVT seminars
conducted around the State during the last two years POSTER AND CATALOGUE
came to an end. A total of forty evenings were
attended by well over 3000 licensed vehicle testers
and their staff. A vote of thanks goes to Peter Hay Thanks to a very generous offer from Disc Brakes
who came out of retirement to assist in conducting Australia, enclosed with this newsletter is a poster
these evenings as well as all the “behind the scenes” for your office/workshop and the latest catalogue of
work of organising the invitations and venues etc. DBA’s production showing the manufacturer’s
Peter has now returned to the easy life so if you dimensions for different applications.
missed out on attending one of these evening you
may have to wait another few years before we can
convince him that he needs a change again and the If you put the poster
series is repeated. However, a number of testers up in a prominent
were unable to attend the seminar in their area and position it will be
if enough people who missed out request it, we may handy should any
be able to run a couple of special nights, so let us customer complain
know by mail/fax. when you reject their
vehicle for
The TAFE colleges of Victoria reached a milestone excessively worn disc
this year with the accreditation of the 500th licensed rotors.
vehicle tester applicant. As you would be aware
the TAFE college now conducts the courses on
behalf of VicRoads for the mandatory accreditation You do measure rotor thickness and check against
required before an applicant can become a Licensed the spec’s don’t you?
Vehicle Tester.
 require that the part of a number plate cover that
NEW LOOK LICENCE covers the number plate:
i. Must not obscure the number plate in any
way,
A new license document has been introduced to ii. Must be clear, untinted and uncoloured,
simplify the licence renewal process. iii. Must have surfaces which are flat both on
the side which faces the number plate and on
When the renewal arrives you the side which faces away from the vehicle,
should read the iv. Must have non-reflective characteristics and,
conditions of licence. v. Must have no unusual refractive
characteristics.
These requirements effectively prohibit number
If you as the licence holder agree to the renewal
plate covers which have curved, domed, tinted or
conditions then:
reflective surfaces from being fitted to a vehicle.
* sign the licence (the top part);
* separate it from the rest of the form;
Number plate covers which have lines or other
* sign the declaration on the bottom of the form
markings on the surface which go over the number
* send the bottom part back to VicRoads - don’t
plate are also effectively prohibited. This may seem
forget to include the licence fee.
tough but who can decide how thick the lines can be
* display the licence (the top part you retained) on
before they start to obscure the characters?
your premises.
Regulation 222(2)(b) of the Road Safety (Vehicles)
Regulations 1988 also requires that a number plate
RUMOUR CORNER fitted to a vehicle must be clearly distinguishable
and not be wholly or partially obscured.
You may have seen or heard in the media, articles
referring to the reduction in used car warranty and ROADWORTHY ISSUES
some suggestions of inspecting older vehicles every
few years. There are even suggestions that regular Headlamp Covers
EPA inspections will occur. The Standards for Registration and the Australian
Design Rules specify colour and performance
At this stage that’s all they are - media articles. requirements for lamps on a vehicle and require that
Where there is smoke there is usually fire but for headlamps show only white light. Regulation 818(1)
some of these to happen legislation will need to be of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulation 1988 also
changed. Should any decisions be made to change requires that all lamps must be clean and unobscured.
the current situation there will be plenty of warning.
This makes it quite clear that any headlamp covers
In the mean time it’s business as usual.
must be untinted, uncoloured and clean. However,
unlike number plate covers, they can have thin lines
IT’S THE LAW as this will not reduce the lamp’s effectiveness.
Parts availability
Number plates We have received comments about parts being
unavailable especially on older vehicles. This is an
and covers
important issue if the components are critical such
You do not have to
as seat belts or pollution control fittings. We are
check number plates
currently investigating this problem but so far it
as part of a
seems not so much that the parts cannot be found
roadworthy test but
but that they are costly. If it is only(!) cost, then I
this information
am sorry, no excuse. But if certain parts really
might be of assistance to your customers.
cannot be found then that is another matter. So, if
you can help by sending a letter or fax describing
Regulation 821 (2) of the Road Safety (Vehicles)
what you can=t buy for specific vehicles it will help
Regulations 1988 and the Standards for Registration
us to make the right decisions.
 This also means that you might have to get your
TECHNICAL ISSUES hands dirty while you clean the dirt and grease off
so the numbers can be read. The real issue here is
that if the roadworthy says Acannot find@ (the
Rear Main Oil Leaks number) and our registration staff find it without
Rumour has it that one of the reasons you have any difficulty you are not doing your job. If the
trouble fixing rear main oil seal leaks on XF and vehicle is going to need a VP number then that is
later Falcons is due to distortion of the crankshaft. another issue but if the vehicle has got the numbers
Surprising as it may seem, the distortion is we need, we do expect you to make a reasonable
apparently being caused by incorrect torquing effort to find and record them.
(heavy handed application of the rattle gun?) when
refitting the flywheel during clutch overhauls.
ENGINEER’S REPORTS
Brake Vibrations
Did you know that over tightened wheel nuts can What are engineer=s reports?
cause brake discs and drums to distort? This These are documents produced by professional
distortion results in vibrations under braking which Mechanical Engineers which describe the design
disappears when the wheel nuts are backed off and elements of a vehicle. They are used by VicRoads to
retensioned correctly. (heavy handed application of determine if a vehicle is
the rattle gun, again?) acceptable for registration or
Damaged Wheel Studs to see if modifications have
We have also been getting complaints from people been carried out satisfactorily.
who couldn=t get their wheel nuts undone or the stud
has snapped the first time they tried to change a What effect do they have on roadworthy checks ?
wheel. We have certainly experienced this with
some of the cars we have looked at. (Obviously the * If the vehicle has been imported and is not
problem is again the dreaded rattle gun) yet registered, VicRoads may require an engineer=s
report before it is registered. This will certainly be
Rattle Guns the case if a steering conversion has been
Most small rattle guns are capable of providing up performed. In these cases the roadworthy
to 200ft/lb of torque when used at full blast with inspection should be the last thing that is done to
110-120psi air pressure. Most car size wheel studs make sure that any work does not affect the
only need 45-65 ft/lb to be fully tightened. roadworthiness of the vehicle.
(Hmmmm!! Could be a problem here). I haven=t * If the vehicle is registered but has had an
seen a gun yet without an adjuster to limit the engine swap, brake modification or similar, then the
torque output. How about we check the settings so tester does not have to worry about the engineer=s
we can use this helpful tool to its best advantage report unless something looks wrong, for example
without causing unnecessary damage. cracked welds, steering binding or a misaligned
engine.
Identifying Vehicles * If the vehicle has been repaired after an
One of the critical steps in conducting a roadworthy accident (perhaps a Acut and shut@) an engineer=s
test is to identify the vehicle being tested. report is not normally required and should not be
Not only do you need to know which is the vehicle asked for. Where major repairs have been done and
you saw last week but Vic Roads is relying on the you are unhappy about their quality you can ask for
numbers you write down when vehicles are a statement from the owner or manager of a
registered or transferred. It’s pretty important when recognised panel shop. A copy of a suitable
Acanaries@ are being cleared too. It is vital that you accident damage repair report is attached. You
get the (real!) chassis number or VIN off the vehicle could give your customer a copy
structure and not off the rivetted on aluminium of this and say you will not
plate. You are also expected to get the engine issue a RWC until it is
number off the block unless it is missing, defaced or completed. You do have the
impossible to find under power steering pumps or right to protect yourself.
other equipment.
 We receive applications for licences and details of
MYTHS ‘N’ BIG ‘UNS mechanic=s qualifications that cannot be processed
because we don=t have sufficient contact
information.
Why can=t I have bigger wheels?
Well you can sir, but they must meet the modification If you want your matter seen to, remember the 4Ys.
guidelines (VSI No 8).
But it will handle better with big wheels!!
Well it might, but it might be worse. SUPPLIES
Rubbish, with all that extra rubber it must stop and
steer better!
Need a new book of certificates? Perhaps a register?
Actually if the wheels are taller than standard, the
Do you have all the latest VSI=s and guidelines?
brakes will have to work harder to stop the vehicle.
Whatever your needs contact the VicRoads
Why is that?
bookshop and now to get what you want (and pay
Its all about leverage. The brakes are trying to stop
for it) is easier than ever.
the wheel from turning. The amount of energy they
can dissipate is related to how big the brakes are,
If you want to buy a new book of RWC=s over the
how hard they are applied and how well they get rid
counter then all you need is:
of the heat. How hard they have to work depends
* the proforma from your old RWC book,
on the how much force in the form of the road
correctly completed (signed by the
pushing the wheel around they have to resist.
Director/owner of the licence),
What difference does a taller wheel make?
* positive identification of yourself, or your
A taller wheel gives the road more leverage to fight
representative (photograph on a drivers
against the brakes.
licence or passport would be ideal), and
So all I have to do is press harder on the brakes?
* cash, cheque or credit card.
That=s OK for normal driving if the change is very
small. However, in some cases you might not be
The bookshop=s address is:
able press the brake pedal hard enough to stop the
vehicle fast enough in an emergency. VicRoads Bookshop
What about my 4WD, I need big wheels to get Ground Floor
through the ruts? 60 Denmark Street
If you put the taller wheels on then you have Kew Vic 3101
effectively done a brake modification. In that case To ring them simply dial (03) 9854 2782 between
you will need an engineer=s report. The engineer 8.30 am and 4.30 pm Monday to Friday.
will tell you what other changes need to be made so
the brakes will work properly again. The Bookshop also supplies a courier service and
At least the big wheels will make it handle better!! your purchases will be delivered to you at no extra
Perhaps! But only if you consider.......and the story cost. Not only does this give you prompt delivery
goes on and on. but ensures their security.

The current cost of LVT essentials are:-

COMMUNICATIONS
LVT sign .........................................................$100.00
It is important that all information sent or faxed into LVT Register...................................................$ 15.00
the Roadworthy Section should
have the 4Ys: Book of 100 certificates .................................$100.00

1. Your name Standards Information Book.........................$ 25.00

2. Your trading name
3. Your contact number (phone)
4. Your LVT number

and most importantly, who the fax or letter is for.