By Tim Greenfield "Inconsistent'' TCD testing of cars is said to be driving motorists round the bend, it was claimed yesterday.

And dealers have backed up claims that it can be a lottery whether individual cars pass or fail their annual fitness test at the Transport Control Department.

They say there is a need for a strict testing rule book to ensure both examiners and owners know what standards a vehicle has to reach for the TCD test.

None of the three automobile dealers and repairers questioned by The Royal Gazette would be named for fear of future problems with inspectors.

But one mechanic said the difference between a pass or fail slip could be the whim of the tester on a particular day.

"In the UK, for example, there is a book that lists everything that can fail a car and what you can pass it for,'' he said. "In Bermuda there is nothing like that.

"You can look at a car and say `that is fine, it will pass', then take it down (to TCD) and it will fail because there is a couple of scratches on it.

"It is very, very inconsistent.'' Another auto dealer said they sent a car, which had many faults including bald tyres, expecting it to fail in order to give the customer a list of necessary repairs -- only to be amazed as the shoddy car passed.

One Hamilton service manager agreed with the claims of the sometimes arbitrary nature of the testing.

He said: "It is not the day you go on but a particular person. I agree with the other garages, it could depend on how the guy is feeling.'' But he added that there were some good, qualified staff down at TCD. And the problem is not just limited to auto dealers who regularly take vehicles to TCD. Private owners can suffer a similar fate.

Warwick resident David James had owned a BMW 316 saloon for 12 years and each year it had passed with flying colours -- until his last visit when it failed for being one inch too long.

"Nothing has been changed on my car for the 12 years I have owned it,'' he said.

Stop TCD testing lottery, say car dealers "I was baffled and told the examiner that my car had been licensed every year for 12 years, how could it be an inch too long? "I was told to have it shortened.'' Mr. James, who claimed the same thing was happening to dozens of motorists at annual testing time, then had to have the car altered at considerable expense before he could finally re-license it.

"The whole thing is just crazy. If the car is too long then it should not have been allowed in in the first place.'' The auto dealer said the difficulties with measurements crop up from time to time.

"Some examiners check, some don't. Some things you get away with and some you don't,'' he said.

"It is strange. We get customers who come here and say their car has failed for brakes, we take a look and don't find anything, then go down there (TCD), it passes.'' With technology constantly changing, the need for hard and fast rules was even more critical, said one mechanic, who called for car dealers and examiners to get together to review the rules.

TCD director Donald Dane said he knew nothing of Mr. James' complaint or of problems that auto dealers were experiencing.

But he said the examiners should be adhering to set rules and regulations. The director said he would look into the claims.

On questions of measurement, he said examiners had to call in the senior examiner if they found a car was too long. And if the vehicle was still deemed out of the required limits, then the car dealer had to be contacted. The car was then measured in the dealer's presence.

Shadow Transport Minister Erwin Adderley supported the idea of a rigid rule book for examiners and the public alike.

And he said it would be a good idea for dealers and TCD to consult each other on changes as they occur.

He said he had found the staff to be consistent but did not want to comment further without any information supporting their claims.