RMV changing rules on vehicle inspections (Boston, Florida: credit, transfer, purchasing)

[id77]

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

It could though. The price of food, medicine, heating, pretty much everything needed to live is up and that has been putting the crunch on people that are on fixed incomes.

If they can't handle a once a year $35 expense (that they knew was coming for a year and could have budgeted in advance), it's almost certain that there's a long line of debt collectors making their lives much more miserable than an expired inspection sticker.

This change isn't adding some new inspection expense. This change is enforcing that inspections are once per year, not once per year plus however many months someone wants to put off fixing things they know they need to fix.

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

Of course if someone is driving around on bald tires or a worn out suspension then that is a potential danger to the general public so it does need to be repaired.

And regular inspections ensure that those potential dangers are not left to linger for more than a year.

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

Yes $35 could be a burden for some and worse is the pricey repair to fix that check engine light issue that is usually only a loose or cracked hose in the Evap system. Easy to fix but several hundred dollars to diagnose and pinpoint.

As I said before, if the concern is over specific things that can fail an inspection but don't cause a danger to others, debate that, but to let the entire process continue to slide months is ridiculous. People today absolutely also postpone their inspection because they don't want to get new tires, fix a broken windshield, replace worn brakes, or repair a broken headlamp, and those types of issues are a danger as we've all agreed on.

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

Unsafe cars is not as big an issue as drugged, drunk and distracted drivers and lets not forget the people that are not even supposed to be on the road that are going to a job that legally they are not supposed to have. They are all a greater danger to us than an old car.

Just couldn't resist blowing that dog whistle?

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

Unsafe cars is not as big an issue as drugged, drunk and distracted drivers and lets not forget the people that are not even supposed to be on the road that are going to a job that legally they are not supposed to have. They are all a greater danger to us than an old car.

This is an excellent point. I wish a greater focus was placed on getting those hazards off the road, as I encounter dangerous driving everyday that has nothing to do with the treads on their tires (although the two often overlap).

[matrix5k]

I remember being a poor high school/college student and everyone dreaded getting an inspection. Our beater cars would need a costly repair half the time. It felt like we were held hostage, either pay up the $200 for the repair or get a rejection sticker. Meanwhile people drove vehicles in worse shape with Florida plates and never had to deal with it.

[matrix5k]

I have a 10/22 sticker. If I get my inspection on 11/1/22, does that mean I'll get a 1/23 sticker?

[GeoffD]

The most absurd thing is I had to pay $35 to get a brand new car inspected a few months ago. The dealership inspection machine was down so I had to do it at a gas station down the street from me. It went through the same inspection process any 20 year old beater would go through. ODB-II port read. Lift the front end to check ball joints. I was incredulous.

I think the registration and inspection should both be on your birth month so it’s easy to remember.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

The most absurd thing is I had to pay $35 to get a brand new car inspected a few months ago. The dealership inspection machine was down so I had to do it at a gas station down the street from me. It went through the same inspection process any 20 year old beater would go through. ODB-II port read. Lift the front end to check ball joints. I was incredulous.

I think the registration and inspection should both be on your birth month so it’s easy to remember.

I had to do this once which was extremely silly for a brand new car. The dealer said they'd reimburse me once I had the sticker. I swung by the dealership a week or so later when I was in the area, got the run around from someone (my salesperson wasn't there) before eventually being told that they'd "mail me a check." It never came and wasn't worth it to pursue harder.

Any brand-new car registration should include the sticker for the first year seeing as any new-from-the-factory vehicle is built to adhere to federal and state emissions and safety standards and goes through a pretty thorough QC process before delivery. If an owner wants to do an independent inspection to make sure they don't have a lemon, by all means, go for it. But the requirement for a brand-new car is asinine.

[id77]

Originally Posted by lrfox

I had to do this once which was extremely silly for a brand new car. The dealer said they'd reimburse me once I had the sticker. I swung by the dealership a week or so later when I was in the area, got the run around from someone (my salesperson wasn't there) before eventually being told that they'd "mail me a check." It never came and wasn't worth it to pursue harder.

Any brand-new car registration should include the sticker for the first year seeing as any new-from-the-factory vehicle is built to adhere to federal and state emissions and safety standards and goes through a pretty thorough QC process before delivery. If an owner wants to do an independent inspection to make sure they don't have a lemon, by all means, go for it. But the requirement for a brand-new car is asinine.

The last (and only in MA) new car I bought, the dealer had an inspection facility on-site and did it for me before I drove it off the lot, so at least some dealers do do this.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by lrfox

But the requirement for a brand-new car is asinine.

Yup, especially considering the dealer usually tacks a "dealer prep" fee on top of your purchase as well to go through the vehicle.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by id77

The last (and only in MA) new car I bought, the dealer had an inspection facility on-site and did it for me before I drove it off the lot, so at least some dealers do do this.

Oh I'd assume most people aren't having to get their own inspections right after purchasing a brand new car. I think most dealerships either have a state inspection facility on site (my current dealer does and I get my inspection at the same time as my annual tune-up) or at least use a shop nearby prior to handing the keys to the customer. I've purchased 3 new vehicles in MA and only had to get the initial inspection myself once (I'm not sure what the explanation was - this was 7 or 8 years ago). Each of the other times, the car was inspected before I picked up the car and drove it off the lot. Same for used vehicles in my experience.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

The most absurd thing is I had to pay $35 to get a brand new car inspected a few months ago. The dealership inspection machine was down so I had to do it at a gas station down the street from me. It went through the same inspection process any 20 year old beater would go through. ODB-II port read. Lift the front end to check ball joints. I was incredulous.

I think the registration and inspection should both be on your birth month so it’s easy to remember.

That is exactly how New Hampshire does it. My month is September. I have missed the end of the month a couple of times and my repair shop gave me a September sticker every time. You could never cheat and get the 13th month but you don't get screwed the other way either.