Did You Fail The Mass Inspection? And Why?????

My buddy bought a 2012 Tacoma from Hoffman Toyota a few years ago and it was used. Failed in MA for tint. Hoffman had to take the tint off the front windows

 

Interesting! The more you know!

 

thats what i tried telling the kid in the shop. Ive heard the TRD exhaust and my flowmaster isnt any louder. The kid doing the inspection though wasnt having it and just gave me an attitude saying that "Flowmaster isnt TRD so it doesnt count. I inspect Tacomas every day and this is loud". Which is annoying since i see crappy hondas with louder exhausts in inspection stations with no issues.

Yeah i bought the truck in CT and it passes all of their regulations. Only issue Im having is the "loud" exhaust. Such a bullshit law. Its all subjective. They dont use a dB meter, there is no reference chart, they dont listen to sound clips or anything. Its just the mechanics word against mine, and they are the ones that can refuse to pass you.

 

- I chopped my exhaust on the downspout behind the axle, it may or may not give me headache plus a small hole in the muffler that makes the truck just sound lovely...
- Oh and the additional lift from the new leafs in back puts me over whatever the calculated limit was.. which sitting on my Dakars I was already at.
- Tinted the front windows 20% to match the rears as well...

The only thing I don't have to worry about is tire poke because I have my highway A/T setup I can swap in. I'm glad there isn't a regulation on height of vehicle cause I'd lose that battle too with the RTT...

Normally my guy wouldn't give me shit - however I pissed off the tech department at the place because they fucked up two of my family member's cars and my acura so I went off on them. So since they're all buddy buddy I'm going to find a new place next year and playing the Russian roulette - MA Inspection style.

 

Fill the bed with concrete bags, slide em $20 for the tint and the exhaust doesnt even matter as long as it comes out behind the cab. Shit will be mint dude

 

Keep trying shops around here, you will find one that doesnt give a shit about exhaust, the cams dont have mics anyways. Where are you located at in MA?

 

The exhaust being cut won't be an issue, it's past the axle, but the exhaust leak will be an issue.

 

Im way out west in the Berkshires. I know there are a bunch of shops in Springfield that do not give a shit about volume as long as it doesnt sound like your exhaust fell off on the way in. From everybody Ive talked to that has gone to the same spot I did for inspection says that kid fails everybody if your vehicle isnt 100% perfect. He is just an ass that thinks he is better than everybody else because he can fail your car for inspection. The whole town knows him. He likes picking fights with people who cut him off, yet he drives like a dick himself and his truck is louder than mine.

 

Thats if they can hear it/see it dripping i guess, his trucks always sounded fine to me

 

Ooof sorry then cant reccomend any good places close to you, good luck on the hunt dude

 

Thanks man. I have a few places ill check out in Springfield. They passed my Mistubishi eclipse and my 3000gt back when i still had them and they were veeeeery illegal lol. Granted that was before the whole camera bullshit so who knows now.

 

A couple of us have been going to bay rd inspection center in belchertown. I know that's kind of a haul for you tho.

 

So far so good on mine, but I haven't messed with the height or the exhaust. Rear window is tinted but it's legal

 

Good to know i will look into them. Belchertown isnt too far out of the way from where i work.

 

So as an update I was able to pass. I rolled fiberglass insulation around a small pipe and slid it into the tailpipe and secured it with some brass mesh between the exhaust tip and the pipe. The guy was giving me shit since a flowmaster shouldnt be that quiet, but it was as quiet as stock so he gave me the sticker anyways. He was saying that they are told pretty much to fail any vehicle that has a flowmaster, magnaflow, cherrybomb, ect since by design they are louder than stock. He suggested if i like the sound, then I should install a TRD exhaust since it is a factory option and the inspector cant give me shit for it. Massachusetts just really doesnt like anything aftermarket. They are scared we are going to destroy the roads and kill all other drivers if our exhaust rumbles too much or our headlights are brighter than the stock option from 15 years ago.

Hope this helps any of my fellow Massholes trying to pass inspection with a loud exhaust.

 

See what annoys me is that we can get trucks in on trade with dual exhaust from a company like rocky ridge, but it gets a sticker cuz its "factory" BUT ITS THE SAME THING AS YOU DOING THE MOD YOURSELF. But that would be against da rulez because Massachusetts has laws from hell.

 

Exactly. I was bitching about that to the inspection guy who was just as annoyed about the laws. Like the TRD exhaust is pretty much the same volume as my flowmaster, but since my flowmaster wasnt a factory option it is illegal. Or the fact i can hear a Harley (a small engine in a light vehicle) a mile away and that is 100% legal, but my truck (a big engine in a heavy vehicle with lots of torque) is too loud even though i cant even hear it when it is more than a couple hundred feet away.
Its the same with headlights too. You can get blindingly bright LED/HID headlights stock on all brand new vehicles and that is perfectly find since thats how the factory made them. But if i want to upgrade my dim outdated headlights in faded housings to LED specific housings with matching bulbs, or retrofit projectors to make my lights as bright as modern ones, it is illegal. That whole state is bullshit. But these laws were made by people who can afford to but a brand new top of the line BWM every year. So they dont care. They arnt even effected by the laws they make.

 

Find a good place with a lenient inspector and tip him WELL. Don't try to argue over exhaust either its not worth the hassle, just try new shops till you get one, they are just trying to not get fined as inspectors. Neither of my vehicles are legal by their rules but fuck tha police. I will pay extra every year as long as i don't get nazi'd for little shit like "YoUr tInT ReaDs 31% soOry BrO" yah aight guy heres 20$

 

By the letter of the law, any change to stock lighting fails. Always has.

Back when the middle brake light first came out, a friend of mine's brother installed one in his 1983 Oldsmobile for safety reasons and failed the inspection.

So yes, even though the powers that be mandated the 3rd light for 1986 and newer vehicles, his installation was considered illegal.

 

Thumbs up for ingenuity

BTW did you go to the same place?