Vehicle inspections gone, now if we could just get rid of front license plates
05-10-2017, 01:37 PM
#21
Read a couple insurance reports, estimated about 30% of Houston metro drivers do not have any insurance AT ALL. It went on to estimate about 1/3 of insured do not have enough coverage.
Rough figures about half of Houston commuters don't have enough to cover hitting a fairly new Camry. Minimum liability of $20k to property won't come close to major damage on a newer style mustang, most vettes, 5th gen or newer Camaro, just about any truck since 2010, or a Bentley trunk. Minimum liability coverage pays zero to injuries, so injuries are considered part of the insufficiency.
Rough figures about half of Houston commuters don't have enough to cover hitting a fairly new Camry. Minimum liability of $20k to property won't come close to major damage on a newer style mustang, most vettes, 5th gen or newer Camaro, just about any truck since 2010, or a Bentley trunk. Minimum liability coverage pays zero to injuries, so injuries are considered part of the insufficiency.
05-19-2017, 08:50 AM
#22
The major issue would be brakes and tires. I was an inspector for 4 years, I only failed one person for bad brakes out of that time. I failed about a handful of people for low tire tread. Out of all of them, none ever came back for their free re-inspection. My guess is, they just found some place that would pass it instead of spending the $400+ to fix the car.
Other important items, such as headlights/brake lights/turn signals/even window tint are traffic violations - which the police do a good job at keeping people in check
Heck, I took my '70 Chevelle to get an inspection last week and it didn't even leave the parking spot/no one looked at it lol The guy just said "okay you're good to go" and gave me my inspection report. Waste of time!
Other important items, such as headlights/brake lights/turn signals/even window tint are traffic violations - which the police do a good job at keeping people in check
Heck, I took my '70 Chevelle to get an inspection last week and it didn't even leave the parking spot/no one looked at it lol The guy just said "okay you're good to go" and gave me my inspection report. Waste of time!
05-22-2017, 12:04 PM
#23
I would hope it keeps dip ***** off of the road, but it doesnt.
Inspection can be extremely subjective, had a shop fail some one for a dirty looking power steering hose, saying they needed $700 in work to pass inspection.
Then you get extremely stupid emissions check engine lights. I've seen extremely clean older vehicles scrapped due to egr and air codes. Think about your average $1800 blazer needing a new secondary air pump and your average mother in law who knows nothing about cars. We're not talking about major emissions systems, but when you talk about repair prices from a shop that secondary air system can really mess you up.
My father in law had to have a coolant level sensor replaced in his 2013 escape because it triggered a check engine light. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but that car doesn't have a coolant level sensor and takes readings based on pressure. So his out the door total was $1300 from ford out of warranty
Inspection can be extremely subjective, had a shop fail some one for a dirty looking power steering hose, saying they needed $700 in work to pass inspection.
Then you get extremely stupid emissions check engine lights. I've seen extremely clean older vehicles scrapped due to egr and air codes. Think about your average $1800 blazer needing a new secondary air pump and your average mother in law who knows nothing about cars. We're not talking about major emissions systems, but when you talk about repair prices from a shop that secondary air system can really mess you up.
My father in law had to have a coolant level sensor replaced in his 2013 escape because it triggered a check engine light. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but that car doesn't have a coolant level sensor and takes readings based on pressure. So his out the door total was $1300 from ford out of warranty
05-22-2017, 02:44 PM
#25
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Yup. I had a really nice 96 Caddy DeVille a few years ago and it was otherwise great, but had a SES light for tranny input speed sensor. WTF does that seriously have to do with emissions??? In real life, that is.
Sensor price was something like 50-70 bucks, but it's located deep inside the tranny and would've been a nightmare DIY job or $1000-$1200 to have a shop do it. Ummm... No thanks...
There is also a way to make the PCM think the signal is correct and I already bought all the necessary stuff for it (PCB, some diodes and other components, battery holders etc.), but decided to get rid of it rather than whip out my solder iron and start building the board...
Sensor price was something like 50-70 bucks, but it's located deep inside the tranny and would've been a nightmare DIY job or $1000-$1200 to have a shop do it. Ummm... No thanks...
There is also a way to make the PCM think the signal is correct and I already bought all the necessary stuff for it (PCB, some diodes and other components, battery holders etc.), but decided to get rid of it rather than whip out my solder iron and start building the board...
05-24-2017, 11:10 AM
#26
Yep same story everywhere. Kill a good car for a stupid reason, and the worst part is that usually your average mother in law person with that blazer goes and gets a car from a buy here pay here lot and gets a car with severe problems
Newer cars can be extremely vulnerable to outside software so its not all a bad thing. You can start by reading up on "vehicle can bus hacking" and see how basic programming can make almost any newer vehicle passive to computer inputs. You watch for the vehicle to broad cast specific vehicle coding terms and you can trigger or ignore different vehicle systems
Newer cars can be extremely vulnerable to outside software so its not all a bad thing. You can start by reading up on "vehicle can bus hacking" and see how basic programming can make almost any newer vehicle passive to computer inputs. You watch for the vehicle to broad cast specific vehicle coding terms and you can trigger or ignore different vehicle systems
05-26-2017, 05:55 AM
#28
On The Tree
LOL... I think he recalled wrong.
A couple years ago the enforcement penalty was accidentally dropped, but the law was still in effect. That's all be rectified so back to normally scheduled programming.
When/if it does happen the Texas internets will blow up and we will know about it. In the mean time no plate for me.
A couple years ago the enforcement penalty was accidentally dropped, but the law was still in effect. That's all be rectified so back to normally scheduled programming.
When/if it does happen the Texas internets will blow up and we will know about it. In the mean time no plate for me.
