Common Problems That Stop You Getting Your WoF | Midas

As a nation, we fail a lot of warrant of fitness inspections - 1.7 million a year, in fact. If your vehicle fails a WoF, that’s a whole lot of inconvenience and extra cost that you won’t want to deal with. A lot of the times a mechanic has to fail a car, it’s for the same few reasons. Here are the most common problems that vehicles fail for, and how to look for them early.

A total brake-down

Faulty brakes are not only one of the most common reasons vehicles fail their WoF, but they are an essential safety component of any vehicle. If they don’t work, the consequences could be fatal, so it pays to have regular vehicle checks to make sure.

Brakes are not an easily checkable component like tyres or lights, but there are a couple signs that could indicate you need to get them checked - the brake light, for one, as well as a soft, sticky brake pedal or a smell of burning while braking.

Let there be light

Lights were the most common reason cars failed WoFs in 2017, and were a factor in over half of failures. A car will fail unless all its headlights, brake lights, indicator lights and park lights are working. It’s easy not to notice if they aren’t working, since you’re always inside the car when it’s driving. Even a dud headlight can be hard to notice if the other is working fine.

Get a mate to help you by engaging all of the different lights while you walk around the car. A dud bulb is easily fixed on the spot at a mechanic or WoF testing station, so there’s no need to panic if that’s the case.

Keep an eye on your tyres

Tyre issues were a factor in around 480,000 WoF failures in 2017, and they’re unavoidably expensive to replace. Keep track of your tyres regularly and replace them when it’s financially convenient for you, rather than all at once when you find out you’ve failed your WoF.

You should check for cuts, bulges, and loss of tread. Plus, keep them at the correct pressure to extend their life - check in your car’s manual for the right figure for your make and model. One last tip - remember that spare tire underneath your boot? Yes, that’ll be inspected too, so don’t get caught out.

Don’t get wiped out

In a case of failing the easy stuff, over 200,000 WoFs were failed because of wiper blade related issues in 2017. The mechanic will check that wiper blades are present and functional, but they’ll also check how they perform. If your blades leave smudges or otherwise don’t result in adequate forward vision when they are activated, that’s grounds for a fail. Any garage or WoF testing station will help you with your wiper blades and it won’t be too expensive, so get onto it before your WoF is due.

Is your vehicle ready to breeze through its WoF?

If you’re worried about your car, a full vehicle inspection might be the best idea. Otherwise, why not book in to any of 23 Midas garages around the country? We get by on providing exceptional service so you can leave your car with our expert staff without worrying about it. Don’t risk it - going with a reputable and trustworthy company like Midas is well worth it for your WoF - just make sure you check for these common issues first.