Topic Idea – Yearly Safety Inspections Yah or Nay?

[Josie]

Hi Eric (and ETCG readers)

As my heading suggests, I was wondering if we can bring [i]Vehicle Safety[i] and [i] Out of State/ Province vehicle[i] inspections up for discussion. Meaning:

Topic

[EricTheCarGuy]

Excellent suggestion, especially based on your story. Sorry to hear about that BTW. Total BS by the sound of it. I’ve heard similar stories about bringing vehicles to California here in the states. Places with strict emission laws seem to have that in common.

I will defiantly see what I can work into the schedule for this, it’s a great topic.

[Drew Henderson]

I can see there are two sides to every issue.

But from personal experience, I really wish my state (Wisconsin) had a more comprehensive vehicle safety inspection program in place. We have emissions testing in a couple of countries (plug in an OBD port and check for codes) – but nothing safety related.

A couple of years ago a friend of mine was kind enough to give me a ride to the airport. Roughly twenty miles from my house. And I don’t think I’ve ever been so legitimately scared in my life. The brakes on his car (a 1994 Buick) were terrifying. Slowing for traffic lights and stop signs brought on a juddering vibration; followed by a high-pitched squeal. My friend (the driver) obviously knew his brakes were shot – because he kept an inordinate stopping distance. There were a host of other mechanical issues with this vehicle: shot exhaust and suspension; coolant and oil leaks; dying electrical system; headlights that were dim and wiper blades that hadn’t been changed since the Clinton administration.

This guy was/is my friend. And I tried – as gently as possible – to suggest he was risking his life (and that of other people) driving the car in that condition. I even offered to help him fix the brakes in my garage (he has an apartment, parking outside) – to no avail. Eventually that car died and he replaced it with one in slightly better condition. But even this vehicle is slowly developing potentially lethal faults.

An annual, or bi-annual safety inspection might cost some people a few extra dollars. But it would keep a fair number of deathtraps off the roads.

[Josie]

I am so glad you like this and it might make it to ETCG1 Eric. I think with your integrity and reputation for being an honest technician, your take will speak as a true and unbiased authority that can’t be denied. I am confident saying this about you, since time and again, in your videos, when you something that’s not needed, you say so. When you see an easier way that might not be the “by the book” method, you give your experience of why you do it the easier/ cheaper way. In all, you have never serviced one my vehicles in person, but many of your methods have been seen by my fleet :cheer:

I agree VrDrew. There comes a time when people really “abuse” the right to drive a car past its safety and design. My guess is the reason Safety Inspections are not done in some areas (my area included) is the general response ” Well that is what insurance is for isn’t it? The individual is responsible for making sure the car is safe and if it fails, the insurance is there to cover me.” My take on that is from my Dad (long time DIY) and my Brother (long time Technician) is that fines are always cheaper than lost lives. Basically all cars have to be seen, steer and stop. “If you want the go, you gotta have the whoa!. I am glad your friend is at least a little safer in the newer car.

Since I started this thread I guess I will throw out my answers to the questions

1) Are inspections required where I live now? – NO

2) and 3) Do I think they are needed? How Often? – Undecided yet…some things should just be a given for honest people but sadly are not 🙁

4) Cash Grab or Legit?? Depends on what they are inspecting

5) What vehicle parts/ systems should be required to be inspected :

Here is what a yearly inspection used to be like where I came from:

– The rule of thumb the technician used is “will all safety items on this car last for the next 20,000KM / 12000 Mi. (general amount of milage)

– the items that were inspected were: tires, glass, brakes, steering, suspension, body; exhaust, lights, wipers, horn

Tires – needed to be god tread, usually at least 50% tread

Glass – needs to be intact for all windows, no cracks allowed for unibody construction cars. (full cracks from edge to edge not in the wiper path was acceptable on full frame cars)

Brakes – no leaks or seepage allowed, must be within spec to last the year

Steering – leaks in the rack were allowed. broken parts were not

Suspension – pretty much no “orange dust” allowed 😉 Torn CV boots would be OK but worn ball joints, tierods, broken springs, control arms, swaybar links would need to be fixed

Body – no holes allowed on anything including floor, roof, door or external parts. This was generally the thing that many cars were laid to rest for. RUST. The idea here is, since snowbanks were a thing, no holes means no exhaust fumes can get into the car if you got stuck. No rough sharp edges a child could mistakenly cut themselves on walking past.

Exhaust – no holes. If your car came with it, it needs to still have it and sealed (Catalytic Converters turned straight pipes were not allowed)

lights – all lights need to work – all signals, tail lights, side markers, backup lights, license plate light, and headlamps must have both high and low. .. to this day I won’t drive a car far with one of these not working. I believe they are one the biggest safety items there are!

Wipers – must be on good shape and clear the windows. Rear wiper was not a requirement if it stopped working.

Horn – you gotta have one to be heard

(I think I am missing some but you get the idea)

[i]Things Not checked[/i ]: were Engine trouble codes, Emissions, minor leaks, again…it was just safety. And to this day, any car in Canada that passes that inspection can be registered there. Never saw many exotics/ or high end luxury cars there but I think Out of Country cars just needed to be checked if they met Canadian Safety standards for our roads.

6) Anything you would Add, change or Remove from the inspection list:

In my opinion – I like to drive a car that has all of those things intact. But things I feel are not as essential
– Cracks in the windshield (if out of drivers view) i think are OK.
– A small exhaust leak in the muffler or tail pipe. As long as its not super loud, its no big deal.
– Using bondo / fiberglass to fill body holes on an old car. Very best. Some mechanics would not pass the safety for Fiberglass on unibody cars, saying they needed to be welded (structural integrity). Again..a fender or wheel well, who cares..
– No high beams ..meh in the city you don;t need them that often.
– Tires – as long as they are wearing even and not bald, showing belts…get allt he life you can…That said, I agree 100% with Eric on tires. MY god, drive a new set of tires and you drive a new car!

***

Regulations/ Conditions for my area if you are interested –

– Cars that have lived in Vancouver all their life don’t have much rust at all. No salt. MY 96 GSR has no rust at all and was driven as my DD all last winter.

– Here in BC Canada, up until January 1st 2015, cars needed emissions testing but not safety inspected. Now there are no requirements at all. The got rid of the emissions tests since most all cars passed the test since the standards are so good. What I liked about the method it was delivered in was every car model and year had a threshold it had to be within. If it failed emissions, there was a dollar amount limit that you only had to spend to have the issue fixed and they gave you 3 months to have it fixed. The older the car the cheaper it got. Meaning if you had an old 1989 Civic, it might mean a $300 max to bring it into compliance. If it could not be fixed after $300 by a mechanic it would be given a conditional pass.

In all, I can’t wait to see this topic come out someday and to hear everyone else’s take on it. My GSR is safe and up to date but the truck still needs some attention to body work. Its sealed but not as good as I would prefer. Truthfully, I would love to buy a southern US/ Mexico car with no rust and bring it up here but that’s a pipe dream. I’d love something older that just needs paint and grease and gasoline, and a good shining. :cheer:

[Chris]

Here in the UK, once a vehicle hits 3 yrs old, it must go in every year for a mandatory MoT test, which usually costs $40-60.
Every year it seems to get a little more stringent with new items added to keep up with cars/vehicles as they evolve.
The test can take as long as an hour (depending on vehicle) and covers items in this informative video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=brjMLhGZO8E
(You can skip to 6 minutes to avoid the preamble etc).
If your car passes, it is recorded electronically, which then allows you to tax and use the vehicle on the road for another year, if it fails, you have 7 days to fix what was wrong and can present the car for a free re-test.

I hope you find this interesting!

[Author]

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