🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Mar26.230023.671@verdix.com> esther@verdix.com (Esther Lumsdon) writes:
>biow@cs.umd.edu (Christopher Biow) writes:

>>I have spent over $500 to pass a Virginia inspection, with none of the 
>>maintenance having any relation to safety at all. (I know they say you 
>>don't have to spend over $200. It's not true.) The modifications were 
>>emissions related, and resulted in a doubling of the carbon monoxide
>>produced by my car. I'm not convinced that ANY of the simple ideas will
>>improve highway safety.

>There are 2 inspection programs in Virginia. It sounds like you are talking
>only about the emission inspection program, and that you purchased a vehicle
>which had already used up the waiver. You may have been defrauded by whoever
>sold you that vehicle. You were not abused by Virginia's inspection
>requirements.  Since Virginia has the weakest emission
>inspection in the USA, you would have had even more trouble trying to
>license that vehicle in Maryland. I believe Maryland requires yearly emission
>inspection.

>Only vehicles licensed in northern Virginia must pass the emission test,
>every 2 years. A vehicle can get a waiver for failing the test _once_
>in the car's life. This requires presenting receipts for $200.00 to
>the emission inspector. You must present a waiver or a certificate stating
>that the car passed in order to renew tags on the vehicle. You can get a
>short-term extension on the vehicle tags if you do not have a waiver or
>a pass certificate. Prince William county requires emission inspection.
>Loudon county does not. Inspection stations will reinspect the car for free.

Sounds nice. But that's not how it worked for me. I left the Navy in 
January of 1991, and had to give up my Florida residency for Virginia.
Therefore, I had to get my 1981 Datsun inspected. My car was rejected for
_both_ the emissions and the safety inspection because the 4" long tailpipe
that extends from the muffler was deteriorated. I had just replaced the
entire muffler about a year and a half prior. The rust on that tailpipe
had no effect on noise or chemical emissions. I spent $232.69 at Midas
becuase they are forbidden by Virginia to repair the tailpipe. The entire
muffler was replaced. Upon taking the car back, it was approved for the
safety test, but rejected because one of the emissions (HC, I think) was
two units of precision over the limit. I took the car to Precision Tune, 
and had another $250.56 worth of work done to tune up the car and replace
emissions-related parts. The result was a slight increase in the HC, and 
a dramatic increase in the CO emissions, well over the limit.

The inspector told me that the muffler replacement did not qualify for the 
$200 waiver because it was "original equipment", whatever that means. He 
then said the same thing about the replacement of emissions-related parts.
I had to go to a state bureaucrat to get that overturned, after which the
inspector sourly gave me the waiver.

I won't belabor the net with the outlandish maneuvering I had to go
through in 1988 to get a Virginia safety inspection (required by the
Navy in Oceana) to approve a car with a legally tinted rear window. 
Suffice to say that I had to have a friend write an attestation that
he believed the tinting was legal (having and claiming no knowledge of the
subject) in order to qualify.

As written, no doubt the inspection laws are a work of legislative art.
As implemented, they are a joke.