State car inspection

[Marchand63]

Also Mass. Here is what they inspect:

• VIN Number/Registration/License Plates
• Windshield
• Wipers/Windshield Washer
• Headlights/Headlight Aim
• Turn Signals/4-Way Flashers
• Tail Lamps/Brake Lights/Backup Lights/Other Lighting Devices
• Rear View Mirrors
• Horn
• Exhaust System
• Tires
• Body Panels/Fuel Tank
• Frame/Unibody
• Service Brake
• Parking/Emergency Brake
• Seat Belts/Air Bag Operation
• Ball Joints/Steering/Suspension
• Visible Smoke
• Emissions Test/Emissions Components (if applicable)

Also we now have 2 types of rejection stickers

Black: Failed emissions
Red : Failed Safety

You then have 60 days to get it fixed.

 

[amcnj]

Florida doesn't have any kind of vehicle inspection. It was done away with years ago.

So some states don't even do emission testing? That is not a federal requirement for all states?

 

[lynxstch]

That doesn’t make any sense. You have to have your brand new car inspected.

That is what I said. The ONLY time you need an inspection is when you buy a car, whether its new or used.

 

[DisneyHardin]

In KY there is no inspections. The only thing is if you buy a car from out of state you have to have it "inspected" by the Sheriff's Dept. That is a money grab. It's like $20 and the Deputy walks around the car, looks at it and signs off on it.

 

[wenrob]

Emissions yearly, test+certificate is $28. They can make you come back and test (and pay again) again if your engine light is on. That can be a pain as mine comes on for simple things like the gas cap not being screwed on tightly enough and doesn’t clear for for four or five starts.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So some states don't even do emission testing? That is not a federal requirement for all states?

Emissions testing? No it's not all states nor is it a federal requirement. There's multiple states that have no emissions requirement (according to AAA).

 

[tvguy]

So some states don't even do emission testing? That is not a federal requirement for all states?

I believe only 20 states require smog checks. And then, it may be only in certain zip codes in those states.

It was very controversial at the start here in California. San Francisco did not have to do smog checks, Sacramento/Stockton/MOdesto did. All the smog from San Francisco was blowing into the Sacramento Valley.

Like I said, with a modern car, if the check engine light is off, and the smog systems are intact, it is almost impossible to fail. Well, unless your are Volkswagen/Audi and you design your SMOG software to only meet smog laws when it knows it is being smog checked.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I believe only 20 states require smog checks. And then, it may be only in certain zip codes in those states.

It was very controversial at the start here in California. San Francisco did not have to do smog checks, Sacramento/Stockton/MOdesto did. All the smog from San Francisco was blowing into the Sacramento Valley.

Like I said, with a modern car, if the check engine light is off, and the smog systems are intact, it is almost impossible to fail. Well, unless your are Volkswagen/Audi and you design your SMOG software to only meet smog laws when it knows it is being smog checked.

When I worked for the insurance company we used SMOG tests for annual mileage (well it was one of the documents we used) so at the very least it was being used for something else lol.

 

[tvguy]

$58 wow. Places here in Georgia are not allowed to charge more than $25. Place I go is $15.00

It's an additional $25 if you have a van or motorhome where they have to remove an engine cover inside.

And $8 of the $58 is what the STATE charges to electronically process your smog check results.

$15 is amazing. Most shops here charge at least $90 an hour....that's about 6 minutes labor.

 

[tvguy]

When I worked for the insurance company we used SMOG tests for annual mileage (well it was one of the documents we used) so at the very least it was being used for something else lol.

Yeah, the California SMOG CHECK folks to put out information on averages....average Californian drives 11,500 miles a year, but I don't think they release specific mileage.
But, in California the law requires drivers to report their odometer reading to their insurance company every year. That came from a voter approved measure. Many folks were, or felt they were, being charged for miles than they were driving.
This year my insurance company couldn't read the information I provided on one of my vehicles, so they "assumed" 6,000 miles a year on a vehicle that hasn't been driven more than 3, 000 miles a year for the last 25 years. I caught it and they fixed it promptly. It lowered my 6 month premium by $17. LOL>

 

[smiths02]

I would hate a vehicle inspection (we do have emissions testing), we have 3 vehicles and DH has a work vehicle, so #2 is driven less than 1000 miles a year and #3 now probably less than 200, but they are really not worth enough to sell and it is important to have at least one extra vehicle for DH to run errands or if a vehicle goes in the shop.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yeah, the California SMOG CHECK folks to put out information on averages....average Californian drives 11,500 miles a year, but I don't think they release specific mileage.
But, in California the law requires drivers to report their odometer reading to their insurance company every year. That came from a voter approved measure. Many folks were, or felt they were, being charged for miles than they were driving.
This year my insurance company couldn't read the information I provided on one of my vehicles, so they "assumed" 6,000 miles a year on a vehicle that hasn't been driven more than 3, 000 miles a year for the last 25 years. I caught it and they fixed it promptly. It lowered my 6 month premium by $17. LOL>

I hated dealing with the annual mileage it was annoying and was a pain in the background information sense both for the insured and for the company employees dealing with the flood of questions regarding premium differences at renewal (though that was only one of the reasons premium could change at renewal of course).

 

[Klayfish]

One of the big challenges is that states have such varying laws that it opens up a huge fraud market. Cars registered where they shouldn't be, to avoid testing, etc... As well documented here, some states have stringent safety and emissions and others have absolutely nothing. Some states will give a license plate to nearly anything, others it's like pulling teeth. There are companies out there that do nothing but "wash" titles for customers to circumvent laws where they live.

 

[PennyInPink]

Michigan here...NO testing, safety or otherwise. The police will stop you if you have a light out, but most of the time it's a warning. A super loud muffler might get you a ticket, though.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I had no idea some states were so lax. Our inspection regulation document is the size of a short novel.

http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Public/D...als/Pub_45 Inspections Regulations/PUB-45.pdf

 

[apirateslifeforme]

When I lived in MA, my car failed because of a clear protective cover on the front license plate (COMPLETELY clear, nothing obscuring any part of the plate - I only had it because the way the front bumper was constructed, the bottom half of the plate hung down and kept getting bent; the bracket and cover prevented it from bending) and a rust spot (NOT a hole...just a spot) on the door. Yet my DH's car passed with the check engine light on and a decorative license plate frame that partially obscured the "Massachusetts" on the plate

We live in CT (again) now, and no inspections, just emissions every 2 years. We recently bought my uncle's 3-year-old car from Georgia, and we only had to have a VIN verification done.

 

[Metro West]

So some states don't even do emission testing? That is not a federal requirement for all states?

Not down here it isn't and lawd knows some kind of inspection should be done. You have no idea what kind of trash we see on the roads that are far beyond unsafe.

 

[LSUmiss]

That doesn’t make any sense. You have to have your brand new car inspected.

Yep. In Louisiana too. Has to have a sticker with like 10 days of purchase. Ridiculous! It’s a joke in some areas here. Just a revenue stream. My argument has been let me just pay you the $ & don’t make me go through the hassle. In some areas here with heavy industrial plants, they have emissions tests too. Uh....the emissions are a problem b/c of the heavy industry in those areas not the cars!

 

[LSUmiss]

Not down here it isn't and lawd knows some kind of inspection should be done. You have no idea what kind of trash we see on the roads that are far beyond unsafe.

We have that too and do have stickers. Ppl either just don’t get them or get them from a place that’s lenient. It’s a joke.

 

[LSUmiss]

Emissions testing? No it's not all states nor is it a federal requirement. There's multiple states that have no emissions requirement (according to AAA).

We even have some areas within the same state that require it & others that don’t.