Virginia Safety Inspection

[brianl703]

I took the Crown Vic in for a Virginia safety inspection. It failed for 4 things:

1)Pitman arm has play. The play is very small, probably most inspectors would have overlooked it.

2)Upper ball-joint has play on the left side.

3)Upper control arm bushings are worn on the right side.

4)Axle seal is leaking onto the parking brake shoes.

The interesting part is that the shop that did the safety inspection quoted me $1300 to fix these things. I declined.

That must be NAPA prices marked up 20% and the Alldata book time multiplied times 2 with a $100/hour labor rate.

I ordered two new upper control arms (which include ball joints) for $104 each, a pitman arm for $50, and parking brake shoes for $10 from RockAuto. Shipped and with the 5% discount code, this was only about $5 more than NAPA wanted for just ONE control arm(about $250!). The parts I ordered from RockAuto are MOOG parts, except for the parking brake shoes which are made by Centric.

I think the inspector nit-picked this car. Honestly, I could probably scrape the rejection sticker off the windshield and take it elsewhere and it'll pass.

It'll be interesting to see how much difference replacing the pitman arm and the control arms will make. Everyone who has driven the car has told me they think the steering and suspension feel fine.

 

[Hethaerto]

Gotta love that state-mandated support of local automotive repair business.

 

[bullwinkle]

They inspect them AND THEN REPAIR THEM!!! Sounds like a recipe for abuse if I ever heard one!

 

[finalyzd]

Is this a virginia thing?

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
I took the Crown Vic in for a Virginia safety inspection. It failed for 4 things:

1)Pitman arm has play. The play is very small, probably most inspectors would have overlooked it.

2)Upper ball-joint has play on the left side.

3)Upper control arm bushings are worn on the right side.

4)Axle seal is leaking onto the parking brake shoes.

The interesting part is that the shop that did the safety inspection quoted me $1300 to fix these things. I declined.

That must be NAPA prices marked up 20% and the Alldata book time multiplied times 2 with a $100/hour labor rate.

I ordered two new upper control arms (which include ball joints) for $104 each, a pitman arm for $50, and parking brake shoes for $10 from RockAuto. Shipped and with the 5% discount code, this was only about $5 more than NAPA wanted for just ONE control arm(about $250!). The parts I ordered from RockAuto are MOOG parts, except for the parking brake shoes which are made by Centric.

I think the inspector nit-picked this car. Honestly, I could probably scrape the rejection sticker off the windshield and take it elsewhere and it'll pass.

It'll be interesting to see how much difference replacing the pitman arm and the control arms will make. Everyone who has driven the car has told me they think the steering and suspension feel fine.


I'm in VA also, and I had the same thing happen...took it to a more reputable shop and guess what....it passed. This was on my 92 Crown Vic, and I did end up fixing the seal leak in the rear brakes.

 

[eljefino]

Did you go somewhere that knows crown vics particularly well?

I like to go to an independent garage for inspections that doesn't know my car as well as a dealer might. Been in one place long enough I know who's easy on ball joints (just shines a flashlight, no wiggle, no pry) and another guy who's easy on oil leaks.

 

[Silk]

It sure wouldn't past here in New Zealand - we have a safety/compliance check every 6 months (12 months for 6 years from new)This is what I do for a living.We allow NO play in any steering or suspension joint,and we do rigorous test of every joint front and rear - it's been this way for 80 years.The cars on our roads may be old,but they are safe.

 

[Hethaerto]

Originally Posted By: Silk
It sure wouldn't past here in New Zealand - we have a safety/compliance check every 6 months (12 months for 6 years from new)This is what I do for a living.We allow NO play in any steering or suspension joint,and we do rigorous test of every joint front and rear - it's been this way for 80 years.The cars on our roads may be old,but they are safe.


The inspection system is abused here in Virginia often, but in the long run it increases one's chances of buying a good used car. People are forced to take care of their cars, unlike in Tennessee where it's nearly impossible to buy a used car that's been cared for even at a minimalistic level.

 

[sciphi]

At least in NY the number of true hoopties on the road is next to nil thanks to state inspections. When I lived in SC, I saw 2-3 cars every day that had something glaringly wrong with them.

For those of us outside NYC, inspection is $21. It includes safety and OBDII check. It's all about knowing where to go for the inspection.

 

[Silk]

We have no emission testing in New Zealand,the age of the fleet means 90% would fail....but at least you can be sure a ball joint won't fail and it won't disintegrate with rust.

 

[Mr Nice]

We have no safety or emission testing down here.

I am surprised cause it would be a CA$H cow for the state of FL if they required it.

 

[rshaw125]

State mandated inspection programs have been shown to be nothing more than job creation programs for mechanics. Playing on people's fears so the government can 'save us' from something that would not happen anyway.

 

[Chris142]

Dont say that too loud! They may hear you and require that you get your stuff inspected every year or 2 and when it fails emissions and the repairs are over $500 you must scrap the car.

 

[bruno]

Funny thing ... NJ used to have inspections every six months years ago then moved to annual tests . More recently they went to every other year with new cars not needing inspection for four years ! This July the safety inspection goes ... only emissions from now on .
Why ? Because the records show no safety benefit from the problem and if a State as authoritarian as NJ can understand that I wonder why any State bothers ?

 

[JayhawkRoy]

Missouri inspections pretty much work the same way. When I lived there, I would either have my favorite trusted mechanic do the inspection. It paid to have a relationship with one.

If I couldn't for some reason, my policyh was to not reward the inspector's business. I always took it to a trusted shop for the work. At least Missouri went to inspections every two years, as I understand it.

 

[Stu_Rock]

Originally Posted By: JayhawkRoy
If I couldn't for some reason, my policy was to not reward the inspector's business. I always took it to a trusted shop for the work.

That's a good policy. I would never have the same shop inspect a car and work on it. I am not comfortable with that conflict of interest.

Here in California, there are test-only facilities for the "smog checks." That's the only type of place that I go.

If I ever move to a state with only "test and repair"-style inspections, I would find a trustworthy shop where I would only have inspections done.

 

[ron917]

Originally Posted By: bruno
Funny thing ... NJ used to have inspections every six months years ago then moved to annual tests . More recently they went to every other year with new cars not needing inspection for four years ! This July the safety inspection goes ... only emissions from now on .
Why ? Because the records show no safety benefit from the problem and if a State as authoritarian as NJ can understand that I wonder why any State bothers ?


It appears that NJ state run inspection facilities are already ignoring safely issues. I took the '97 Honda Civic in the other day even though I know it needs a new inner tie rod end (it is VERY loose), but I didn't have time to fix it before the end of the month (I just bought the thing - it's a cheap beater). A "rejected" sticker gives me another 45 days, plenty of time.

They lifted the front of the car and pushed/pulled the wheels as usual, but they passed it! There is no way that car should have passed, but it did! Just over a month from now, they won't even check the suspension...

So now a failing tie rod end is OK, but a fuel filler cap that doesn't seal will get you a "rejected" sticker.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: ron917
Originally Posted By: bruno
Funny thing ... NJ used to have inspections every six months years ago then moved to annual tests . More recently they went to every other year with new cars not needing inspection for four years ! This July the safety inspection goes ... only emissions from now on .
Why ? Because the records show no safety benefit from the problem and if a State as authoritarian as NJ can understand that I wonder why any State bothers ?


It appears that NJ state run inspection facilities are already ignoring safely issues. I took the '97 Honda Civic in the other day even though I know it needs a new inner tie rod end (it is VERY loose), but I didn't have time to fix it before the end of the month (I just bought the thing - it's a cheap beater). A "rejected" sticker gives me another 45 days, plenty of time.

They lifted the front of the car and pushed/pulled the wheels as usual, but they passed it! There is no way that car should have passed, but it did! Just over a month from now, they won't even check the suspension...

So now a failing tie rod end is OK, but a fuel filler cap that doesn't seal will get you a "rejected" sticker.


Well don't forget, this IS the state that apparently thinks it's citizens are too stupid to put gas in their own car.

 

[Scott_Tucker]

It really [censored] me off that California thinks the lives of birds are more important than humans. We've got the strictest emission controls in the nation but there is absolutely no safety inspection required whatsoever. You could be driving around with nothing but an emergency brake and bald tires and it would still be legal (for all intents and purposes). I'm not saying we should nit pick over every little thing but a car should be at least required to have brakes capable of stopping the car. Also, it [censored] me off that mechanics don't need a license to work on your car (with the exception of smog check mechanics). Any kid with a work permit can work on your brakes. Do you really want some 14 year old kid working on a system so vital to safety? You need a license to cut hair in this state but none to work on cars? That's just ridiculous! I think it should be similar to a contractors license. If you are charging more than a couple hundred bucks for a job you need a license or your employer gets fined. I'm not saying you should need to be an ASE Master Technician to work on cars but there should at least be something basic. It should be the employer who gets fined to keep them from hiring shoddy mechanics for the least amount of money possible.

Do-it-yourselfers should obviously be exempt from licensing requirements when working on their own cars. I see too many repairs done by so called professionals in my industry that it drives me crazy.

 

[bruno]

Actually self serve should be banned - create lots of entry level jobs .