What kind of crazy things have happened when getting your cars inspected. When I took my first car to get inspected, I was 16. It was a beater 69 Chevy Nova. We went to a very small time garage that did the inspections. His house and garage were on a very steep hill. He asked me to pull the car up to the garage. The car had a 3 speed manual in it, and I didn't want to tear up the driveway. I stalled the car twice trying not to dig up the gravel when told me to stop. He then put something behind the right front wheel and told me to back over it, so I did. Then he put it behind the left front wheel and told me to back over it, and I did again. Then he told me that 1 front wheel was 2 inches farther back than the other 1. Now me being only 16, I was just learning about cars. So I believed him, and figured the car was junk. Later I had a nieghbor tell me that if it was that far off, it would be virtually undrivable. He talked me into going to another place to get it inspected. I went to the local small Chevy dealer. There it paced with no problems. o No: I guess the other guy just didn't want to inspect my car. I never went back there ever. Dan:3gears:
It just another way of taxing us poor citizens. They really check very little saftey stuff and more emission related items. I went to my local inspection station with 3 old receipts and the current mileage and took the stickers home and put them on my self. He never saw the cars! But then again we are freinds.
When I was living in New Orleans,I had to go get an inspection sticker out at Michoud.I knew that I was not going to pass,but wanted to take my chances.It was a Wed afternoon,and I had gotten off work a bit early,so I flew out to the station and waited in line. When I pulled up for my turn,the lady asked for my paperwork,and well I didn't exactly have it all with me.She commented"We will find you a way to pass today,maybe you can take me out for a drink after I get off." Well,that prospect sounded very good to me at the time,after all,I knew what she was hinting at,and she was a very attractive woman. She led me through the tests,and I failed on a few of them,which meant I really should not have gotten my sticker. As I pulled up to the exit to pay and go fix my car,she stuck a new sticker in my window,and asked me to wait out front for about 10 minutes when she got off. I smiled at her,and gave her the money,and heard this come out of my mouth,"I wish I could,but I have to get back to Slidell for church in an hour"I didn't lie to her,as I did have to get back to Slidell for church,I was the head usher,and was usually the only usher there on Wed nights. She about dropped to the floor in embarrassment and apologized profusely,she didn't realize I was a church goer,even though I had Jesus stickers all over my car.I gave her a few dollars and told her to buy herself a drink for me,and to have a good night. In all honesty,I almost did go out front to wait for her,but I knew that would not be the right thing to do,so I just jumped on I 10 and got out of town. The next year,I was in the same car,and got someone else.I had an expired insurance card that I handed him,and he made me pull to the side and call my insurance agency to fax a copy over to them. I sat there about 20 minutes till they got the fax.The guy walked over,handed me all my paperwork and put a new sticker in my car.No tests nothing.I was so relieved. I had a leaking wheel cylinder,fading master cylinder,and my alignment was out. Later that year,they arrested every worker at that station plus who knows how many taxi drivers and limo drivers and bus drivers for accepting bribes,and bribery. No more free passes,just glad I live in Mississippi now.
We've got safety checks here in Ontario, basically you take your car to a certified garage and pay to have a mechanic look it over and say it is okay. The problem of course is that safety check costs less than the mechanics time, so they HAVE to find something wrong, often dumb stuff, like " looks like that one tire is a little worn, we can throw one on for you!"They want to make the money back. So what I did was take a tire from the back, clean it up put it on the front brought it back, and it passed!
I think it was back in '89 when I first got my '67 GS 400 on the road in NJ. I took it to the inspection station with the top down. Part of the inspection involves checking the glazing as they referred to it. I rolled up all the windows for the inspector and had a new windshield so I figured there was no problem. Then he says, "Put up the top." "OK", I obliged. He then says, "Where's the rear window?" "It was cracking and yellowed. I removed it so I can see until I can get it replaced .", I reply. "Well you can't go around missing the back window", he says as he fails the car for it. I said, "What's the difference? There's no windows when the top is down." :rant: He didn't budge. :spank:
When I got my 67 Riv GS in 1976, I took it for it's one and only inspection (Maryland). They said it wouldn't pass. Master cylinder and rear interior door handle. I went home and wire brushed and sanded the master cylinder and painted it with "cast blast". It then passed....the same MC is still on there today. For the door handle: tried to tell the guy that the Riv is the only car I know of with a rear seat handle to open the door.....he said "if it's there it's gotta work". All it was was a broken return spring, pushed it out of the way and it worked but has to be manually pulled back in place. What really bugged me was when I lived in VA and they had insp every 6 mos! I dreaded taking my 71 GSX 4 spd in.....they would always take it out for a long "test drive".:3gears: Bruce
Took my 86 Regal in for the N.Y. State inspection last week. This car has the Olds 307-4 bbl. I tuned the car up, and took it to Norwalk at the end of April. With 3 guys + luggage, and 75 MPH, it got 21 MPG. Well it fails the sniffer test with, high NoX, and HC's. I check the EGR valve, and it is working correctly. Mechanic says, " retard the timing and it will pass" So, WTH, I loosen the bolt, and give it a turn. Sure enough, it passes with flyin colors. Back on the road, it is even more of a dog then this engine usually is. When I got home, out came the light, and back went the timing. It was 8* retarded.
state inspection is such a rip off. I used to be a licensed NYS inspector. What sucks is now I don't know anybody and I get hosed just like everybody else does..........and when you know you are being hosed but can do nothing about it only makes you more mad.:af: I have to take the Riv in tomorrow...........Just can't wait Next month here in NYS, new rules take effect, the price is going up, shops have to lay out $8,000 each for new equipment and on '96 and newer cars they must connect the cars computer to a modem that connects with Albany and if any warning lights come on or if anything is wrong with emissions guess what........YOU FAIL! Sounds to me like Gov. Patacki has a freind in the computer exhaust anaylizer business. What a crock.:rant:
I've heard of the new machines and the new rules. Both my truck and the wifes car have just passed this years inspection. I shouldn't have to deal with this til next year. I think it's a crock also, but what can you do. Time to assume the position, bend over and grab your ankles:moonu: Dan:3gears:
most inspectors like you to have matching tires with that fancy tread stuff ALL the way around ... they dont like broken and/or missing windows/headlights..... picky bastages they are... they like for BOTH of your wipers arms to move AND have rubber on them when the switch gets thrown.... my blue ratty 74 vert, the one i used to drive (with the peeing dinosoar on the hood) used get inspected by a friend of a friend of an aquaintence ..... one year he was almost done and layed his notebook on the drivers side of my hood to fill in some blanks, when he leaned down on the drivers side fender to write, this HUMONGUS FREAKIN' POP!..BANG!!! noise happened as my left front coil spring busted ..... he slowly looks up and says "is that somethin i should be worried about?" i said "nope" ... he finished the paperwork and i went on my way.
On the flip side, I am a state inspector in the Dallas area. And some things I see posted have me scratching my headou: Im not familiar with the laws in every area, but Dallas is a somewhat strict area, but I havent seen or heard of some of the things being tossed around. Like matching tires, I havent heard that one. I think they require tires that have a minimum of 3/32 tread depth remaining, no cords showing or sidewall buldges. Why is this a bad thing to reject an inspection for.? Wipers that work? Gesh.... What are they thinking? You dont want wipers that clean a windshield when wet, take out the windshield. Then you dont need them. Not required if there isnt a windshield. I personally dont want to do the inspections. Doesnt pay worth a crap, alot of hassles signing for all of them, Having to fill out repair forms when they dont pass emission testing, just easier ways to run hours when you are a technician. Our state has the 96 and newer OBD II testing thru the Data link connector. 80-95 year model dyno testing with the 2 stage gas analizer 25 years and older, safety only. Guess even if I didnt inspect them, whats wrong with having stuff that works, like headlights, brake lights, wipers, tires with tread, or brakes even??? Is it really that tough to make these things work? And yes, if the MIL lamp (service engine soon) is on, its an automatic fail. That means something isnt working as intended. (most of the time) Im not taking a side, Im just glad someone has set up some rules and regulations to abide by. Otherwise, the inmates would be running the asylum. I dont just pass mine because I can, I abide a play by the same rules. Larry, Im fortunate enough I dont have to do the 80-95 year models with the "sniffer" cause Im not sure how they come up with their standards, but Ive heard similar things from MANY people. Seems like it would not be running efficiently with it set up to pass like that, but I dont knowo No:
Since I have given up working in the auto repair field, some of the experiences I have had with New York State inspection stations are incredible. I check my cars well before bringing them in, and I know what to look for b/c I used to be a licensed inspector. Like the day in Pep Girls (hehe) the mechanic sprayed my windshield with water and insisted I needed new wiper blades and a headlight alignment. When I left the place $70 poorer, my lights were pointing in different directions and the blades I had just purchased 2 months earlier were in thier garbage can. I used to have a Furd station wagon about 10 years ago, when I took it to firestone they insisted I needed a wheel alignment to pass inspection. They turn over people so fast that nobody remembered who I was ( I used to be the #1 front end man in the district 10 yrs. prior) When I left, my steering wheel was crooked and the car pulled hard to the right. When I came back in, the mechanic test drove my car and threw my keys at me upon his return and said "there's nothing wrong with that car"............well let me tell you, that was his first mistake. The district manager knew who I was and when I called and told him what happenned there..... he could not believe it. Let me put it this way, the new people working in that store knew who I was after that happenned and I got a full refund. :Brow: Then there is the friend of mine who brought her then 1 year old '94 Buick Skylark in for inspection to a local station. Now, this car only had 12,000 miles on it and the fluid seepage around the power steering pump is something I would consider normal.......it was NOT leaking, normal seepage. The place she took it to failed the car and wanted to charge her $600 for a new pump.........needless to say, she found an honest place and had to pay for another inspection and passed. Inspection in New York State would be OK if places were honest but they are not. :bglasses:
2 stories from NJ: I take my 2 year old Furd Ranger to state inspection the Saturday of the Englishtown swap meet. I had the small square admission sticker for the meet stuck on my windshield, just above the state inspection sticker (for you out of staters, it's the bottom left corner). The truck was in brand new condition, so I figured I'd breeze right through. They decide to fail me, claiming the sticker was obstructing my vision! I was smoking mad, but I couldn't remove the sticker or I couldn't get back into the meet on Sunday. Removed the sticker Monday and went right through. Another story. 92 Furd F350 4x4, gvw 9500. During the brake equalization test, their computer shows the back brakes locking up. I explain to the guy that the truck is HD and has a high GVW. He tries it a few more times and it still fails. I explain to him again that he has to change the computer settings for the heavier GVW, but he looks at me like I have two heads. I finally ask him to get his supervisor, but he wouldn't do it. A small crowd of inspectors is now gathering around because I have no intention of moving the truck until they test it correctly. Finally the supervisor comes out of the office, mad as hell. I explain the situation, and even walk over the the computer screen and show that the guy did not change the GVW. Now the supervisor is arguing with me that my truck is not 9500GVW! I asked him if any of his flunkies looked in the door jamb at the sticker. You should have seen the look on his face when he read 9500! He then changed the computer setting, backed the truck up and retested it. With all the other testers watching, it passed no problem. All I could do was smile and say thank you very much. BTW, this seen has happened 3 times with this truck. I guess the state doesn't train their guys on trucks very well.
Well, I am also going for my inspection tomorrow. The 225 has never had any problems passing, I just make sure all the lights are working. I go to the local Monro shop here as they have always been honest w/me.
I don't know what their complete market base is, but in Houston we have these places called Q-Emissions. All they do is inspections. There's no incentive to fail you because they don't do repairs. Seems like they do a decent, thorough job of the stuff they're actually supposed to check. I can't believe how that type of business could be profitable, but I hope it is. I'd like to see them stick around.
The funny part is when I take the Centurion in and they hit the gas, expecting it to be some underpowered itty bitty small block. I love seeing the look on their face when the rear cuts loose filling the air with screeching and smoke.
I have a story also. When I bought my 84 electra in july 03 I kept the inspection sticker on. In NYC when you reigster the car the dmv gives you a 7 day sticker. So I had the sticker on since I bought from the previous owner. The sticker experied(SP) on 8-13-03 One month later. Now I never go to gas stations, I always go to indepented shows for an inspection. I went to this place and the guy put it on the dnyo and it failed, thats $35. Then he said if you fix some stuff(lights...) it will pass. It puts it onto the dyno it fails but he didnt charge me. He said let me give you a full tune-up he wanted $200 for one I said no. I bring the test results to my mechainc he says you need an 02 sensor, it goes and then I pass.
Mean Buick -- My experience was just the opposite. Back in high school I had my 68 Firebird ragtop inspected in Virginia. Rear window was shot -- borwn and yellow, a couple of cracks, no way to see through it. Inspector told me to put the roof if I wanted to pass. Basically, he could fail me if couldn't see through the window, but not if the window wasn't there. Also told me that the same logic applied for other components of the car. Now, I don't know if this was actually true then, or even if it is true now -- but he said that he could fail a car for having non-working headlights, but he couldn't fail a car for not having headlights at all! So if your blinkers didn't work -- rip em out! If your horn didn't work -- rip it out! Oddly, I had a friend who got the same info at a different location. Who knows. -- Steve
