Safety Inspection Adventures....

[ObiRichKanobi]

Every year, it's an adventure getting my car through the annual safety and emissions inspection. I always sweat bullets until I get that pass paperwork in my hands. This year was no exception; had to fabricate a new throttle cable as the old was was fraying and holding the idle too high to pass emissions.

Finally had her ready to go, and went to the same place that's done it the past 3 years. Passed emissions with flying colors. :thumbsup: However, safety was taking longer than it should. Finally, the tech comes in and tells me that he's giving me an "advise" for a broken clutch safety switch. I said, "huh?" He explained that it's the switch that keeps the engine from starting unless the clutch is pressed (duh???). :smirk: I said "the car doesn't have one" and he said "it has to." I said "it's a 28 year old car" and he said "well I've seen then on cars from the 60s and 70s." He then went back to the bay, and pulled out my owner's manual, searching for something that said "you must depress the clutch to start the engine." He finally gave up and gave me the pass, but with an "advise" for something the car has never had!

On the way home, I realized that I had the full Bentley manual in the trunk; I should have given that to him. Of course, it probably would have taken him a couple hours to scour it and figure out there ain't no such animal in a TR7. Funny though...third year this place has inspected it, and neither of the previous times it got mentioned....

 

[Guest]

Perhaps you need a place that's a wee bit more compos...

 

[70herald]

Finally, the tech comes in and tells me that he's giving me an "advise" for a broken clutch safety switch. I said, "huh?" He explained that it's the switch that keeps the engine from starting unless the clutch is pressed (duh???).

The best way to ruin the thrust washer. High load (clutch), no oil pressure, and spinning the engine.

When I brought the Herald in for inspection a month or so ago, it was the first time it had been in for inspection after 3 years of rebuilding mechanical bits, and they really gave it a good working over. Particularly the steering / front suspension. Boy did I sweat bullets!

 

[Mickey Richaud]

So, when ya gonna "retro-fit" the switch, Rich?

SHEESH!

 

[drooartz]

Silly stuff. I've actually had good luck getting the Tunebug passed in my county for safety. The guys thought the car was neat, and were very careful with it (I drove it in to the bay myself).

Rich, does Mike Bailey do inspections? He might be more understanding of old car quirks.

 

[sparkydave]

Hah, funny stuff. My dad had fun with the Pennsylvania inspection when he took his '47 Lincoln in. First piece of joy was teaching the techs how to start it, since it has a push button starter, and the ignition switch is very different from most cars. Then they wanted to run an emissions test on it, since he always puts regular plates on it. He couldn't believe it, but they claimed to have standards for cars of that vintage. I gather it failed so badly it fouled up their sniffer and they couldn't re-calibrate their machine :hammer: . Last I heard, they finally came to their senses and exempted emissions testing for older vehicles. Then there was my brother-in-law who almost had a heart attack when he took his Fiero in. Apparently the techs almost found out the hard way that a Fiero is rear wheel drive .

 

[Steve]

You know what it'll be next year? "Your air bag warning light doesn't come on when you switch on the ignition" and "Someone removed the third brake light"

 

[aerog]

Apparently the techs almost found out the hard way that a Fiero is rear wheel drive .

Years ago we had a Chevy that flunked an inspection because a rear-window crank handle was broken. The design of the window only allowed it to go down a few inches, but the "inspector" insisted it had to be fixed otherwise someone couldn't open the window to crawl out in an accident! No level of reasoning would change their attitude, but a call to the state did.

When I finally left my home state they'd just instituted a new rolling-road emissions test. I don't know if they still require it, but at the time they told everyone you had to surrender your car to the "inspectors". You weren't even allowed to "supervise" or "observe" them.

I refuse to even use valet parking, but I'm going to let these same people have free reign over my vehicle, then insist any damage they do was already there? I think not.

 

[AweMan]

Luckily my county is pretty easy when it comes to inspection, no emissions required. BUT .... ALL light must be in working order. I can hardly wait till I take my 56 Tr-3 in. Surely with only three lights on the back, one brake light and two tail lights. I can already see them wanting all three light to light up when the brake is applied! Then there is the seatbelt thing, OH BOY! Then they will want to take the wheels off to inspect the brakes. No problem there BUT ..... if they damage my knockoffs in ANY way, there NOT going to be HAPPY CAMPERS!
AND ... I can already see the mechanic using my windscreen frame for leverage to get out. He better hope the glass doesn`t crack! Of course I will politely ask if I can be present in the shop with the inspector and on hand to answer any questions and inform him of what NOT to do! eg, beat my knockoffs with a steel hammer, use my W.S. frame for leverage.
and probably how to operate the ebrake! I can hardly wait!
Just to have a little fun when he asks how to start it I`m gonna hand him the crank handle :lol:

 

[tony barnhill]

YEA, Alabama!! We don't need no stinkin' safety or emissions testing!!

 

[1965_MGB]

When I lived in NC the B' had to go through inspections, just for safety stuff. One year, the guy was not going to pass me since my cars reverse lights did not work. Funny thing, since the 65 has no reverse lights.

It took a bit, but I finally convinced him that the lights that illuminate the license plate were not reverse lights.

I did have to put a set of lap belts into the car to make the car legal.

Luckily in Fl, we no longer have any sort of inspections. This is probably why most cars here have maybe one brake light working at any given time.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Just to have a little fun when he asks how to start it I`m gonna hand him the crank handle :lol:

Would love to be present to see that!

 

[Steve]

Here in Wisconsin, we do not have safety checks. There is a bi-annual emmissions test, but if you have collector plates (20 years old or older) you only need to submit the car far an emmissions test once, and are exempt for the rest of the time that you own the car.

There are some frightful heaps on the road, but as long as they pass emmissions they're okay!

 

[drooartz]

I watched the tech (youngish guy, even to me) try and figure out how to start the Tunebug... then I went out and drove it in for them. They probably wouldn't have guessed where the turn signal switch was either.

Kerry, when you get to the point of needing an inspection, give me a holler. There's good folks in our local club who know where to take a car with sympathetic inspectors. Nothing illegal or amiss, just folks who understand old cars.

 

[tony barnhill]

Just to have a little fun when he asks how to start it I`m gonna hand him the crank handle :lol:

Would love to be present to see that!

I could do that with the TD!

 

[RonMacPherson]

Ain't Bureaucracy Great?

Said sarcastically.


I was one of the first "smog" inspectors back in the state of California way back in the late 60's. Helped rewrite the smog license test that the state was implementing for the upcoming "flood" of inspector licensing when they put smog machines in every corner gas station.

At that time they,(the state bureaucrats) were receptive to corrections and suggestions on reformatting questions, procedures, etc.

Probably because it was a fairly new field for them..

Then the bureaucracy took over. When I left California in 89 the BAR bureaucracy had become a blundering morass of inept, incapable incompetents. I was glad to get away from that BS..

Gotta remember it rolls down hill and when it starts with a bureaucracy, it just gets bigger and more inept and illogical for resolving the concerns at hand.

 

[GB1]

Failed for plastic side curtian windows in NJ

 

[William]

There are some frightful heaps on the road, but as long as they pass emmissions they're okay!

Ditto here in Illinois. I'm kind of glad they don't have safety inspections (I have visions of similar stories to Rich's). But I saw a late 70's Olds Cutlass that was so decrepit that I wish we did have them-it would have failed on about five things I could see as it wobbled past me, but since it (apparently) passed emissions there it was. What's more, it was on temp tags-somebody'd just bought the thing!

-Wm.

 

[equiprx]

It may havb been an urban myth, but when I lived in New York the story was, You had to have working windshield wipers but you didn't have to have a windshield as long as it wasn't cracked or obscured with stickers.

 

[tony barnhill]

Just wait until one of the 'inspectors' looks under your hood & says that Weber & the missing emissions air pump are an automatic failure!