New Jersey doing away with inspections for vehicles 1991 and older (2015, buy)

[Badfish740]

State of New Jersey - Motor Vehicle Commission

Finally this state does something right. My '91 Toyota 4x4 turned 25 this year so I was going to pull the old collector plate routine in order to subvert inspection but now there's no need. The stipulation of having to have any vehicle that fails inspection now being required to be reinspected at a private facility (for a fee, of course), is B.S., and I'm sure it was lobbied for hard by these guys:

NJGCA

But I'll take what I can get. Mine and my wife's daily drivers are newer and will still be subject to inspection, but I always make sure they are prepped before taking them anyway. No inspection at all for my pickup will allow me to desmog the engine and not worry about all of the silly nanny-state laws governing 4x4s.

[Docendo discimus]

FYI, inspections will no longer be required for passenger vehicles that are 1995 or older.

My jalopy missed the mark by only a couple of years, dern it.

[Blue biker]

They don't really inspect vehicles anymore anyway. All they check are the emissions with the on board diagnostics connector. At the inspection station they no longer check headlight aim, or braking or front end. They just look underneath to make sure the cats aren't removed and check the fuel cap. If your check engine light isn't on you should fly through inspection anyway. The state has to have it to get Federal Highway money. I don't think they can make you take your vehicle to a private facility for reinspection. If you needed an O2 sensor say, and you replaced it yourself and had the receipt for it I think that would cover you at the state facility. Although with a cheap code scanner like this:

http://www.amazon.com/OxGord-CAN-OBD...+scanner&psc=1

You can check your car and see if anything is wrong.

[MaverickDD]

Originally Posted by Docendo discimus

FYI, inspections will no longer be required for passenger vehicles that are 1995 or older. My jalopy missed the mark by only a couple of years, dern it.

Nice post and nice links! Thank you.

"Under the new program, if your passenger vehicle is 1995 or older, you will no longer be required to have an inspection. However, inspections of this type of vehicle will continue until a new program is in place."

My '94 is due for inspection in June. Of course, I'd like to avoid it! But how long will it take for that "new program" to be in place?

[Badfish740]

Originally Posted by Blue biker

They don't really inspect vehicles anymore anyway. All they check are the emissions with the on board diagnostics connector. At the inspection station they no longer check headlight aim, or braking or front end. They just look underneath to make sure the cats aren't removed and check the fuel cap.

The last time I took my Toyota through they did the visual underneath for the catalytic converter and they popped the hood, presumably to check for the charcoal canister/rats nest of vacuum lines, EGR, etc... All that stuff was there and I had no check engine light so I did pass, but the cat has since rusted through and rather than replace it I'd rather just dump the exhaust into a muffler and out the side just ahead of the passenger wheel well to make everything cleaner underneath. They also put in the tailpipe sniffer. I didn't get a readout of emissions as I had in years past though.

Originally Posted by Blue biker

I don't think they can make you take your vehicle to a private facility for reinspection. If you needed an O2 sensor say, and you replaced it yourself and had the receipt for it I think that would cover you at the state facility.

This is addressed twice in the overview of the rule change:

Any passenger vehicle that FAILS initial inspection will have to be re-inspected at a Private Inspection Facility.

ALL RE-INSPECTIONS will be conducted by the Private Inspection Facilities. Step-by-step instructions for repairs and re-inspection will be given once the new inspection process in in place.

This doesn't seem to violate the "Right to Repair Act" because the state is not saying that you can't go and buy parts yourself and replace them/present receipts. They are saying that if the vehicle fails and you do go that route, that they will not reinspect it for free at a state facility. Right to Repair only addresses the right of a vehicle owner to repair his or her own vehicle. The NJGCA probably figures that most people will just saw "Ah, the hell with it" if/when they fail, and just take the car to a shop, telling them to do the work, reinspect it, and call them when it's ready. There's nothing saying that you can't repair it yourself, show the documentation to the shop, and pay them to reinspect it, but you'll still be out $85 or whatever a private inspection costs these days.

Originally Posted by Blue biker

http://www.amazon.com/OxGord-CAN-OBD...+scanner&psc=1 You can check your car and see if anything is wrong.

If you have a post-1995 vehicle, better to do this BEFORE you go through state inspection. That way if there's a problem (especially something stupid like a fuel cap gasket) you can fix it yourself prior to going through and save yourself, at minimum, the $85 private reinspection.

Originally Posted by MaverickDD

My '94 is due for inspection in June. Of course, I'd like to avoid it! But how long will it take for that "new program" to be in place?

Not sure-I heard a rumor on another automotive related forum of May 1, but I haven't been able to substantiate it. The inspection on my '91 Toyota ran out in May 2015 but I only use it for short local runs so I haven't bothered to try to patch the exhaust leak and try to get it through. It will be nice to just peel the sticker off and forget about it...

[captne76]

For reading and analyzing the car codes (OBD II), I just buy one of these about $8 or $9, plugs under the dashboard and bluetooths direct to your cell phone.

Works and quite darn cheap,,, the ELM-327

https://www.google.com/search?q=elm3...utf-8&oe=utf-8

Also it will reset the codes and give you a live readout on the "Ready/Not Ready" states so you know when you can go back for inspection.

[VintageSunlight]

Just what NJ needs, people de-smogging their POS cars. As if air quality isn't bad enough in this state.

[vision33r]

Originally Posted by VintageSunlight

Just what NJ needs, people de-smogging their POS cars. As if air quality isn't bad enough in this state.

Not as bad a yuppies with those VW diesel cars.

[Blue biker]

Originally Posted by vision33r

Not as bad a yuppies with those VW diesel cars.

Yeah, but that was VW's fault.

Besides I though all yuppies bought Prius's

[Docendo discimus]

Originally Posted by VintageSunlight

Just what NJ needs, people de-smogging their POS cars. As if air quality isn't bad enough in this state.

I don't know what de-smogging is, but if I wait another 10 years, my car will go from "POS" to "VINTAGE CLASSIC".