Trailer trash 

Source: Fair Go

• WATCH the video (10:38)

Reporter: Libby Middlebrook

When you're looking to buy a trailer, what you want is something strong, reliable and safe. What you don't want is a heap of junk, that's liable to fall apart on the open road.

Well, that's just what happened to two of our viewers and their brand new tandem axle kitset trailers.
Taihape man Michael Crow bought his on Trade Me from a company called DNS Imports - a steal at just $2500.

All he had to do was pick it up from Wellington, but when he arrived to collect it, he wasn't happy.

"They didn't look like they knew what they were doing for a start, there was the cage was upside down," Michael says.

"They said this was only the second one they'd ever put together."

No kidding. On the drive home, the lights stopped working, the safety chain fell off, and the bolts weren't even screwed in properly.

Now, Michael's pretty handy with a wrench, and managed to fix up the trailer enough so it passed a warrant.

But a week later, there were more complications. The coupling - you know, the bit that holds the trailer to the car - it popped off the tow ball on two occasions.

Then, disaster struck.

Michael was towing around half a tonne of wood, well within the trailer's capacity, when all of a sudden it began to jack knife.

When Michael pulled over, he found an entire wheel had sheered off.

Taihape Engineering fixed up Michael's trailer, and they say the wheel came off because of its lousy suspension unit. Michael had to pay $800 to get it fixed.

Farming couple Daisy and Wesley Chung have had identical problems with their trailer from DNS Imports.

A wheel fell off and the coupling came adrift on two occasions. And when they complained to DNS, the company ignored their calls.

We've attempted to get in contact with Daning Sun, the guy who runs DNS, but he won't talk to us either.

If you've bought a trailer from DNS, and have any concerns, you should get in contact with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on 04 474 2750.

Trailer Tips

If you're thinking about buying a trailer, here are a few tips to help you along:

* Make sure you buy from reputable dealer, one that will stand behind its products.

* Don't buy a kitset and knock it up yourself, unless you know what you're doing. However, if you can't pass up on the low price, pay a professional to assemble it.

* Make sure you check your vehicle's capable of towing the weight you've got on board. You can get that information from the AA's website.

And finally, you need to ensure you've got the right tow bar and tow ball installed. You can buy them in all sorts of different sizes, to match different trailers.