Has anyone renewed their drivers license on line? (inspections, live)
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It looks like each town has a different price structure for what the excise tax is. I looked at an excise calculator for the exact same numbers in two different towns and one was quite a bit lower than the other. QUOTE]
Negative--Excise tax rate is set by the State. Each town gets to keep the excise tax they collect, supposedly using it toward local road maitenance.
Here's the rates. Rate for 6th year is what you pay any year past 5.
Kind of odd. The excise tax calculator on-line for different localites produces different numbers. Maybe some of them include the agent's fee and the $35 general registration fee.
.....
Now from Bangor, off I go, back to the town hall with puffed out chest and proudly show my new drivers license to register to vote. The lady says, proof of residency please. I said, I showed you yesterday, you took my money for my property taxes, YOU pulled it right up and KNEW who I was without even asking my name or address. I asked her if she would kindly look it up right there in her system...she did. I register and can now proudly vote in Maine.
Becoming a resident isn't easy...lol! But I feel it was worth it.
So what did they say about the next step: Getting your car inspected? I've heard horror stories about being nickeled and dimed to death with Shops which seem to say yes to every discretionary item on the inspection list and you end up with a huge amount, and then a different amount and different items at every station you go to.
So what did they say about the next step: Getting your car inspected? I've heard horror stories about being nickeled and dimed to death with Shops which seem to say yes to every discretionary item on the inspection list and you end up with a huge amount, and then a different amount and different items at every station you go to.
I never thought to ask about that yet. Hopefully being a brand new vehicle, it won't have any problems.
Inspection has never been a problem for us. Just patronize a local garage and get to know the owner and his mechanics. It is sure worth it, especially if you need work done in a hurry. People complain when they are required to get new tires at an inspection but that is for safety. Yours and others. I have seen people driving around with such underinflated tires it's a wonder they didn't know it. Also you won't get a sticker if your directionals don't function or if a head or tail light are out. I don't think too many places try to stiff folks on inspections.
Zarathu - you need to stop "believing" all those horror stories you have heard about Mainers.
Last edited by Newdaawn; 11-25-2011 at 05:22 AM..
Reason: addition
.....you need to stop "believing" all those horror stories you have heard about Mainers.
First of all, I don't have any horror stories about Mainers.
Second, I was at a party last night for Thanksgiving, with a whole bunch of long time local residents in BH(12 of us total). There was a general discussion that the stuff that is covered in the inspection is supposed to be the same but if you go to a different station you will get a different list of things to do. It came up because one of them decided he'd had enough with the car inspections and decided to simply stop using a car. He went to two recommended stations, and a dealorship. And while the price for the inspection was about the same, the items from each were all different. One said he needed four new tires, but another never even mentioned the tires. One said he had a spot of rust that needed to be fixed, and another one never even mentioned the rust. Another person said their inspection station is a bugger about even tiny rust, but somebody else countered that they never hear about rust. It mifght be that there is really not much oversight of the inspection stations. According to the Maine Guv site, there are only 5 people assigned to inspecting inspection stations for more than 7000 such stations in the whole state. Most have never had a review of their policies at all.
Everyone there was in agreement that one just never know what's going to come out of your state inspection.
Its not like I don't know about them. I've been having my car inspected every year for the past 44 in PA. I have more than one car. I'm not some wet behind the ears kid, when it comes to life or cars.
But maybe I had a scued group. I plan to go to a local guy recommended by one of the group, and who is located about a half mile from my house. I did the same for the plumber, his shop is only 1/2 mile away.
According to the Maine Guv site, there are only 5 people assigned to inspecting inspection stations for more than 7000 such stations in the whole state. Most have never had a review of their policies at all.
The hundreds of police officers in the state are the ones who keep inspection stations in check. If they find a defect that clearly was present when an inspection station issued a valid sticker, that inspection station will loose it's inspection powers. More over the individual who signed the inspection sticker can be found criminally negligent. The whole process tightened up a few years ago after a lady drove into the lake over in Greenville and died after her recently inspected pickup had a brake failure.
I've never talked to anyone who inspects vehicles who was worried about state inspectors. They all are afraid of putting a vehicle on the road with a sticker they put their name on that clearly didn't meet specifications. Every time one of the vehicles they inspect gets stopped by police, their work is under scrutiny. Personally I don't blame them for following the letter of the law.
The hundreds of police officers in the state are the ones who keep inspection stations in check. If they find a defect that clearly was present when an inspection station issued a valid sticker, that inspection station will loose it's inspection powers. More over the individual who signed the inspection sticker can be found criminally negligent. The whole process tightened up a few years ago after a lady drove into the lake over in Greenville and died after her recently inspected pickup had a brake failure.
I've never talked to anyone who inspects vehicles who was worried about state inspectors. They all are afraid of putting a vehicle on the road with a sticker they put their name on that clearly didn't meet specifications. Every time one of the vehicles they inspect gets stopped by police, their work is under scrutiny. Personally I don't blame them for following the letter of the law.
While you have addressed a side point, you skirted the main point. While there are a few people who don't care about having safe cars on the road, I AM NOT ONE OF THEM. Safety is not just good for individuals, its good for everyone. I don't want someone's brakes to fail and drive broadside into my driver's side door.
However, my point of discussion is what appears to be an inconsistancy as indicated, not be people on this forum, but by real people I've met who are long time locals---IN THE WAY THE INSPECTIONS ARE ADMINISTERED. If every possible thing is covered, people will have an enormous bill every time they get inspected. A little rust here and there is not going to affect the structural integrity of the car, but repairing every tiny little thing will affect the financial integrity of the service station. Obviously clear safety issues such as tires and brakes and lights are necessary. A little rust on the under-carriage is not.
This of course is a problem everywhere, not just Maine. Finding a really honest station which also recognizes that people on retirement incomes are not made of money, can be hard---in every state.
As far as I know State Inspections have a standard guideline they must follow for each and every vehcile, I'm not talking about Maine, just to make that clear now. So to check for rust in on Inspection and yet not check for rust in another is highly suspect. I would report that to their superiors or better yet the Governor in my State. I would also report any suspicion of pirvate mechanics making up false, un-necessary repairs just to ring up the bill to line their pockets, to the Governor. Now usually when I get my car inspected by my private mechanic I let him know I want anything else that may cause a problem in the near future taken care of at that time. This way I don't have to worry about the car breaking down on the highway and I don't have to waste time going back to the station and waiting half or all day again for another repair.
DMV will no longer allow online renewal of Drivers Licenses because we all now have to have a new picture taken. Because of the photo Drivers License now mandatory, even if we don't use a new photo, they still have to make sure it's you in the picture. That and finding out that people were being sold Drivers Licenses by employees at the DMV who were accepting bribes money to provide the Drivers Licenses is another reason for the extra security. It changed how DMV now provides Drivers Licenses and Registration renewals. This was some years ago where some people actuall called in to their legislators reporting what they saw. Needless to say those employees caught were fired and the managers were too and replaced. The things people do never considering they will eventually get caught. I still remember that in my State and what I actually saw at my State Inspection. They just don't think people are watching.
While you have addressed a side point, you skirted the main point. While there are a few people who don't care about having safe cars on the road, I AM NOT ONE OF THEM. Safety is not just good for individuals, its good for everyone. I don't want someone's brakes to fail and drive broadside into my driver's side door.
However, my point of discussion is what appears to be an inconsistancy as indicated, not be people on this forum, but by real people I've met who are long time locals---IN THE WAY THE INSPECTIONS ARE ADMINISTERED. If every possible thing is covered, people will have an enormous bill every time they get inspected. A little rust here and there is not going to affect the structural integrity of the car, but repairing every tiny little thing will affect the financial integrity of the service station. Obviously clear safety issues such as tires and brakes and lights are necessary. A little rust on the under-carriage is not.
This of course is a problem everywhere, not just Maine. Finding a really honest station which also recognizes that people on retirement incomes are not made of money, can be hard---in every state.
and my point of discussion and my LAST point of THIS discussion is A: most people on this forum are also real people, some have lived their entire lives (so far) in Maine; B: the guy who slaps that sticker on your car places his signature and date of inspection on that sticker. If the vehicle is proven to not meet the regulations, that individual has commited a Class E crime (according to the regs); C: there is a difference between a little undercarriage rust and brake line rust or body rust that allows exhaust fumes to pass through: and D: read the regulations and tell me what part you don't understand?
Inspection has never been a problem for us. Just patronize a local garage and get to know the owner and his mechanics. It is sure worth it, especially if you need work done in a hurry. People complain when they are required to get new tires at an inspection but that is for safety. Yours and others. I have seen people driving around with such underinflated tires it's a wonder they didn't know it. Also you won't get a sticker if your directionals don't function or if a head or tail light are out. I don't think too many places try to stiff folks on inspections.
I have to agree with the beginning...get to know your local mechanic. That is what I did and I passed with flying colors. Yes, he did go over it with a fine tooth comb and there was only one little thing that he fixed, (wasn't even about the inspection), free of charge just to "save me problems down the road". It's not just about headlights and directionals, they go over everything.
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