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[Lefty]

a 4x4 made out of 2x6's

All those numbers make my head spin.

 

[superj]

One of the few things i like about michigan. As long as its insured and the state gets their tag money you can drive anything no matter how sketchy

texas is going that way in 2025 (i believe is hte start date). they are getting rid of safety inspections.

i am not sure how i feel about that though since i have seen all the semi-trucks that nafta allowed mexico truck drivers to use here in the states. they were terrible and looked like they were just waiting for a nice car to get behind them to drop a mirror or fender onto.

 

[19Walt93]

There are statistics that show safety inspections don't make cars safer. And they are wrong. I did NH inspections from 1972 until 2017 and we found lots of problems that would have caused accidents if not fixed that the drivers weren't aware of. Now with the proliferation of "techs" at Jiffy Lube and the like "servicing" vehicles, inspecions are needed more than ever. A real mechanic at a dealer or an independent shop is apt to notice problems during service that an untrained Jiffy Lube "tech" wouldn't even see and wouldn't know what it was if he saw it.

 

[pjtoledo]

texas is going that way in 2025 (i believe is hte start date). they are getting rid of safety inspections.

i am not sure how i feel about that though since i have seen all the semi-trucks that nafta allowed mexico truck drivers to use here in the states. they were terrible and looked like they were just waiting for a nice car to get behind them to drop a mirror or fender onto.

in Michigan cars are not inspected but the state police have a commercial carrier enforcement division.
I see them frequently on the main routes.
Ohio has inspections only in selected areas, here in Toledo and vicinity there are no inspections.
being only 2 miles from the state line I cross it daily and get a good view of everything.

Interstate 75 which goes thru Toledo & Detroit is a major NAFTA route,

 

[sgtsandman]

I don’t mind the safety inspections so much. The emissions testing on the other hand is a waste. They don’t test anything the check engine light won’t show a fault for and a lot of shops won’t do the test if the light is on since it’s an automatic fail.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Look at the dumptruck in the background. Its for sure overseas

 

[superj]

i am glad we don't have emissions in my county. they keep trying to make this county and emissions county but we have so much wind that it keeps our test scores below the requirements, luckily.

i think houston and san antonio have some counties that are emissions test counties. i would move to just over the county line if i lived in one of htem though.


i think there will be more accidents when the safety inspection goes away because cops here don;t pull people over for tail lights being out, or stuff like that so i can see soon cars will not even have an working tail lights

 

[rusty ol ranger]

texas is going that way in 2025 (i believe is hte start date). they are getting rid of safety inspections.

i am not sure how i feel about that though since i have seen all the semi-trucks that nafta allowed mexico truck drivers to use here in the states. they were terrible and looked like they were just waiting for a nice car to get behind them to drop a mirror or fender onto.

Semis will still get inspected. Each state handles the inspections but the inspections are are required by federal law and they set the parameters on what passes/fails.

I can tell you that there are some very ridiculious (thankfully rarely enforced) regulations on trucks. There is actually a regulation that your bed in the sleeper must be made up and neat...and yes technically you could get a ticket for it.

 

[superj]

thats crazy. ex drill sergeants made that regulation, ha ha ha

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I don’t mind the safety inspections so much. The emissions testing on the other hand is a waste. They don’t test anything the check engine light won’t show a fault for and a lot of shops won’t do the test if the light is on since it’s an automatic fail.

My problem with the safety inspections here is that they are now $60, and it still isn’t enough for the garage to do all of what they are supposed to. The state regulates what it costs and all. So a lot of garages just check the brakes on maybe two wheels and send it back out the door unless they see something obvious. So they really aren’t making anything safe. Better garages will do a little better at looking it over. Some garages will hunt for anything to charge you for fixing and rake you over the coals because they make their money that way. I’ve encountered a few of those over the years and they get real upset when you call BS and they find out you do mechanic work and know they’re wrong.

 

[superj]

we have those three types too.

my most recent favorite inspection shop was run by a single mom and her high school son. she was really serious about doing the inspection properly, which i liked. her son was more serious about just getting the car out, which is fine too but i like stuff to be done right if you are paying for it

 

[sgtsandman]

My problem with the safety inspections here is that they are now $60, and it still isn’t enough for the garage to do all of what they are supposed to. The state regulates what it costs and all. So a lot of garages just check the brakes on maybe two wheels and send it back out the door unless they see something obvious. So they really aren’t making anything safe. Better garages will do a little better at looking it over. Some garages will hunt for anything to charge you for fixing and rake you over the coals because they make their money that way. I’ve encountered a few of those over the years and they get real upset when you call BS and they find out you do mechanic work and know they’re wrong.

That’s why I try to stay on top of the maintenance and repairs. I don’t want to give them any excuse to try and pull a fast one. The last time I paid a garage to do work is because my arm was in a sling.

 

[bobbywalter]

if you have to have an annual safety inspection ....you need to be driven around.

when you detect anything out of the normal....that is the time for a safety inspection..... and for damn sure....most people can not do that themselves...but that is where folks like Walt and shops of that quality come in... and they are the exception...

you hear noises or it starts drifting or pulling... you go in. problem is...most places blatantly rip people off as well. MOST PLACES. this has been thoroughly studied and is a driving factor to elimination of annuals.


otherwise you need a pitcrew dispatched to your vehicle every time you use it. look at the ford explorer debacle...

pure bullshit.

morons are going to moron....

those same idiots that never check their tires back then still wonder today what that light that has been on for three days....is telling them. the one that is telling them they have a low tire.....as they blissfully cruise at 90 mph....and its going to be someone elses fault....even know it passed the annual inspection 3 weeks ago.



only YOU can prevent forest fires.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

My problem with the safety inspections here is that they are now $60, and it still isn’t enough for the garage to do all of what they are supposed to. The state regulates what it costs and all. So a lot of garages just check the brakes on maybe two wheels and send it back out the door unless they see something obvious. So they really aren’t making anything safe. Better garages will do a little better at looking it over. Some garages will hunt for anything to charge you for fixing and rake you over the coals because they make their money that way. I’ve encountered a few of those over the years and they get real upset when you call BS and they find out you do mechanic work and know they’re wrong.

Back about 20 years ago i had a 79 F150 2wd (clean rust free alabama truck) and the exhaust donut blew out.

I took it to a place i had work done before (and they were good that time) to get it fixed.

They put it on the lift, told me 120 or 150 or whatever to fix the flange etc. I agreed and 3 days later brought it in to get fixed.

The SAME guy put it on the hoist, was gone for about an hour, came back, and said that he got the exhaust fixed but he couldnt let me drive the truck out of there.

Of course my first question was "WTF did you guys do to it?"

He then proceeded to tell me that A) The kingpins were shot and could "snap at any time", B) The steering box was "barely hanging on the frame" and C) The "tierods had so much slop that you could see under the knuckle"

Now, this was the best driving 70's ford id ever had. So i knew he was full of shit. So i told him to give me an estimate.

He came back and told me 1500 bucks.

I told him "absolutly bullshit" let it down and i need to be on my way. The guy then got in my face and started "sternly" telling me that that truck was a safety hazard and it cannot leave untill you pay me tto fix it"

I proceeded to begin walking out the shop door to the bay (i was gonna let it down, grab my hideakey under the hood, and haul ass) he then threatned to call the cops on me.

That really set me off and i turned around and threw the 150 bucks cash at him for the exhaust and said "let that mf'in truck down RIGHT NOW or I WILL call the cops and report the sumbitch stolen"

He came back with some handwritten waiver that basically said i would not hold them responsible for anything that may happen

I signed it and left.

Two weeks later the place went out of business.

 

[bobbywalter]

Back about 20 years ago i had a 79 F150 2wd (clean rust free alabama truck) and the exhaust donut blew out.

I took it to a place i had work done before (and they were good that time) to get it fixed.

They put it on the lift, told me 120 or 150 or whatever to fix the flange etc. I agreed and 3 days later brought it in to get fixed.

The SAME guy put it on the hoist, was gone for about an hour, came back, and said that he got the exhaust fixed but he couldnt let me drive the truck out of there.

Of course my first question was "WTF did you guys do to it?"

He then proceeded to tell me that A) The kingpins were shot and could "snap at any time", B) The steering box was "barely hanging on the frame" and C) The "tierods had so much slop that you could see under the knuckle"

Now, this was the best driving 70's ford id ever had. So i knew he was full of shit. So i told him to give me an estimate.

He came back and told me 1500 bucks.

I told him "absolutly bullshit" let it down and i need to be on my way. The guy then got in my face and started "sternly" telling me that that truck was a safety hazard and it cannot leave untill you pay me tto fix it"

I proceeded to begin walking out the shop door to the bay (i was gonna let it down, grab my hideakey under the hood, and haul ass) he then threatned to call the cops on me.

That really set me off and i turned around and threw the 150 bucks cash at him for the exhaust and said "let that mf'in truck down RIGHT NOW or I WILL call the cops and report the sumbitch stolen"

He came back with some handwritten waiver that basically said i would not hold them responsible for anything that may happen

I signed it and left.

Two weeks later the place went out of business.

i had to do that many times. and even had a firearm flashed a few times. you either push it away and sign a waiver or have it towed.


that is an insurance thing.

it merely needs to be out of spec. not necessarily ready to pop apart.

you never know when you are being 3rd party tested.


now that is with actual physical issues....

then there is the perfectly functioning side of things...where they are just stealing...sometimes its paperwork....somtimes its a hotspot in a tire.

my son just got a taste of that recently.......cost him 80 bux to have the tow company push his bike out of thier yard 20 feet to the trailer....


which is legal theft... but he fawked up by not having proper plates and insurance ect....


while it pisses me off.....i just make fun of him for not listening when he had the chance.