vehicle inspection rant

[Baby Grand]

Just wondering how many folks actually check their vehicles before {state}inspection is do. I keep up with maintanence and consider myself fair minded on mechanics.

Here is the story; Took my medium duty truck to be inspected, was told it could not pass inspection because of kingpins being to tight. Came home and checked over the vehicle again could not see any issues's especially kingpins. I then took the truck to a garage and had two certified mechanics check it over, they could not find a problem. I then finally took the truck to another inspection station and it passed with no issue's. If I had listened to the 1st inspection place I would have been out atleast $1500.00 or more for thier PS repair. Just a rant and hopefully a helpfull hint for some of you out there that put total trust in some "mechanical shops". Take a couple of minutes and make sure your not paying for uneeded repairs. I relize times are tough and everyone needs money, BUT they should atleast earn it honestly.

A girlfriend once had a similarly suspicious diagnosis on her MGB. I told her to get a diagnosis & repair estimate in writing. The garage kept balking at putting it on paper. That's when I suggested she stop going there.

 

[Phils]

This one thing I find interesting. We don't have inspections out here in Kalifornia. For all the smog regs and testing, and other over regulation, we don't have general inspection.

We used to have random inspection. As a kid in the early '70's, I remember my parents car being inspected; the state would just set up at an intersection and randomly pull people over.

Maybe at least "lights" should be checked when smog inspections are done. There are SO MANY cars driving around CA with one headlight, or one brakelight, or one taillight. I check vehicle lights regularly but I am convinced I'm the minority.

Phil

 

[Sigarms]

I have the opposite problem.

Take my truck and cars to my buddys shop.

Truck needs inspection, muffler has a hole in it and wife wants it fixed as well as the rear tail light fixed.

Take the truck in, BS'n with the guy, 15 minutes I get my truck inspection done/passed, take the truck home.

Next day the wife asks me how come the muffler and tail light didn't get fixed LOL

 

[Bird]

This one thing I find interesting. We don't have inspections out here in Kalifornia. For all the smog regs and testing, and other over regulation, we don't have general inspection.

We used to have random inspection. As a kid in the early '70's, I remember my parents car being inspected; the state would just set up at an intersection and randomly pull people over.

Oklahoma used to have random inspections. Highway Patrolmen would just set up a roadblock anywhere they wanted to, stop everyone, do the inspection, and if you passed, give you a sticker to put in the lower right corner of your windshield. So for the rest of that calendar year, if you came to one of those roadblocks and had that sticker, they'd just wave you on through. So one hot summer day in 1956, I saw the two local patolrmen set up a roadblock just a block east of my dad's service station where I was working. They were only stopping westbound traffic. It was on the main street through town (Marietta, OK) while U.S. 77 was detoured through town. So I quickly inspected my 1946, 98k mile, Chevy, determined that it would pass, and went east a few blocks on the first street south of the main street, then back to main street, turned to go west, figuring I'd get a sticker and be good for the year. And two blocks before I got to the roadblock, my exhaust pipe broke off at the manifold, the exhaust roared, and I quickly whipped a right turn to avoid the roadblock and a traffic citation.:laughing: By the time I got back to the station and replaced the exhaust pipe from the manifold to the muffler, they had discontinued their inspections and I never did get stopped or get a sticker.:laughing:

In Texas, the inspection stations used to charge so many customers for "adjusting" their headlights that the state finally removed that from the list of things to be inspected. Many, many years ago, the federal government threatened to withhold highway funds from the states unless the states initiated annual safety inspections. In more recent times, the environmental people convinced the Texas legislature that exhaust emissions should be checked. So what was a $2 annual inspection 50 years ago is now a $39.75 annual inspection for my vehicles, and it's nothing more than a money making system for the state and the garages.

 

[George2615]

I also never heard of kingpins being too tight. I might believe too loose but not tight.
MSNBC did a show a while back on garages that try to rip off customers by spraying oil on key components while the car is on the lift then bringing the customer in to show him or her the leak. The thing the garage didn't know was they had installed cameras under the car and video taped the mechanic creating the phony leak.
I check my own vehicles before taking them for inspection. In fact I do a walk around every day just checking lights (A habit when having a CDL). Brakes are checked monthly as well as everything else under the vehicle but then I have my own lift to do that. Do my own oil changes as well since I don't trust the guys at the quickie lube places to make sure they don't over tighten the filter (or even bother to change it) or the drain plug (too tight or to loose).

 

[jinman]

In Texas, the inspection stations used to charge so many customers for "adjusting" their headlights that the state finally removed that from the list of things to be inspected. Many, many years ago, the federal government threatened to withhold highway funds from the states unless the states initiated annual safety inspections. In more recent times, the environmental people convinced the Texas legislature that exhaust emissions should be checked. So what was a $2 annual inspection 50 years ago is now a $39.75 annual inspection for my vehicles, and it's nothing more than a money making system for the state and the garages.

Good story about your Oklahoma Inspection, Bird.:laughing:

I'm sure you know that only high-density metro areas must have the smog inspection. I take my Diesel in for inspection here in Montague County and it is $14. I believe my Vibe is even less. I just make it a practice to change wiper blades every year before the inspection. Our summers burn them to a crisp if they are out in the open. I LOVE having good wipers anyhow, and they are super easy to change. I get my inspections at the same place I get oil changes, so they know me and treat me right, but I've never tried to get them to inspect a car that I thought had a problem. Since I get my mail out of Sunset, I can get my car inspected in Montague or Wise, so that is convenient

 

[ultrarunner]

Unfortunately, it has a lot to do where you trade and if they know you.

It shouldn't be this way, but, many times it is.

Always good to get a second opinion anytime there is a significant expense and you have doubt.

 

[LBrown59]

That is the kind of stuff some like to pull on the ladies and teenagers.
I think they get so used to pulling those kind of things they get
careless on who they try it on. Good for you for seeing the trash
for what they are. Getting the word out about such things helps
people be aware. I hate people who pull this kind of stuff.

I do 2.

 

[Mace Canute]

20 20, I have actually heard of a truck with seized kingpins. Just the one time though, and it was obvious because of the extra steering effort needed.

I've heard first hand from a friend that had a safety inspection done on a car of his, ball joints supposedly needed replacement. He had checked them himself before he took it in and knew they were good, but can't argue with the boys doing the inspection, eh? He bought new ones, installed them and took it back to the shop where they looked to see if the ball joints were new and since they were, they passed the car. He was right ticked off because the new replacements were no tighter than the original low milers. Just a case of they had to find something to prove they were capable of finding something...

I have the opposite problem.

Take my truck and cars to my buddys shop.

Truck needs inspection, muffler has a hole in it and wife wants it fixed as well as the rear tail light fixed.

Take the truck in, BS'n with the guy, 15 minutes I get my truck inspection done/passed, take the truck home.

Next day the wife asks me how come the muffler and tail light didn't get fixed LOL

Same thing used to happen around here...until the buddy got caught when his friend sold the car and it all of a sudden needed a lot of repairs that the inspection said it didn't need. Fines and loss of lucrative inspection business was the result I believe.

 

[Western]

I agree with Bird.

I think it is mostly a money maker in rural areas in Texas. I go in for inspection, they drive the vehicle around the parking lot, hit the breaks, turn on the wipers,blow the horn, check the lights and put on a sticker! less than 10 minutes usually.

Large towns, they do hook up the emissions tester, so more time and actually some real way of monitoring for a defect.