Mountain driving, and what it does to a car
Cold winters, frequent snow
Queenstown winters are cold, often in single digits, with frequent snow, and the town has recorded minus 8.4 °C. Tyres need real tread to grip on cold, icy roads, and tread is on the WoF list.
The Crown Range
The road over the Crown Range to Cardrona and Wānaka is New Zealand's highest paved public road pass. Long descents heat the brakes, so if you drive it often, have the pads and discs checked before the WoF.
In through the Kawarau Gorge
The main road in from Cromwell runs through the Kawarau Gorge to Frankton. If the car lives in Cromwell, use that postcode on the card and say in the note whether you'd drive to Frankton for the inspection.
A ski-field season
Queenstown is the base for four main ski fields: Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone. A winter of mountain roads is hard on tyres and brakes, so a check before the season is worth as much as one before the WoF.
Town or Frankton?
Frankton sits at the end of the Frankton Arm of Lake Wakatipu, home to the airport, and State Highway 6A runs seven kilometres from there into town. Pick a garage near where the car sits during the week.
Queenstown is reached by road and air but not by rail. With no train to fall back on, a car off the road is a real nuisance, which is one more reason to check it before the inspection rather than after.
Before the inspector sees it
- Tread across each tyre, checked before winter rather than after.
- Brake lights and the high stop light, with someone watching from behind.
- Both headlights working on high and low beam.
- Washers that spray and wipers that clear road grime in a sweep or two.
- Seat belts that lock with a sharp tug.
- Any warning light on the dash, written down or photographed.
When it doesn't pass
Keep the inspector's sheet and put what it lists in the note. If it's tyres, add the size from the sidewall, so the mechanic can tell you on the call whether they have them.
For anything bigger, like brakes or suspension, get the quote in writing before the work starts, and ask how the recheck works at the place that inspected it.
What we'd do first
We'd sort the tyres before the first snow, have the brakes looked at if the car does the Crown Range often, and get the WoF near where the car lives, Frankton or town. If it fails, the fail sheet goes in the note with the job.