New England B.S. Thread

They didn't even honk my horn at my last inspection and have a bad lower ball joint.

I think he's taking about NM going thru his truck..? @boston23 , here or there?

 

nah everything is on video now they have to do some of the inspection. My last one I did the dude didn't even turn my lights on or anything but that was a long time ago. I have to do mine here in a couple weeks. Just need to zip tie the plate on the front and good to go. Had to put my seat back in for it.

 

If the drum is still spinning and it’s still really noisy it could be a drum bearing. The metal arms on the back of the drum that hold it to the point that it rotates on are possibly broken. If you grab the lip of the drum visible near the door edge and kind of tug a little on it does the drum feel really loose?
Also if you look up your model on YouTube plus drum noise or drum loose you might find a video with it

 

My ScanGauge has a “ready” readout so I know if I reset codes when I’m good to go.

I used to go to the Subaru dealer I bought my STi at because they’d look the other way with my exhaust. They failed every truck I had ever year for something so I gave up and go to a smaller place that seems to ignore some of my less than 100% aspects of the different vehicles.

 

Dealership refused to inspect my truck and busted balls for Meso stage 1 tails in OEM housings and white LED license plate lights. Took it to my local hole in the wall place and passed with flying colors.

 

To clarify, i just feel like these inspections are invasive. What I meant was, in NM they dont do these “safety” inspections. If you live in Bernalillo county (basically Albuquerque area) you need to pass an emissions test, but its not a safety test. And if you live in the rest of the state there is no test at all.
Here, i have them checking if all my seatbelts and windows work, and if all my doors latch correctly. In NM i dont think people are dying from bad ball joints and stuck side windows. If my seatbelts dont work its my problem, not a public safety issue.

Isn’t that why police issue fix it tickets?Like, if they spot a blown head light or something. I understand an emissions test in a big city, but this whole safety inspection is too much. It like the whole concept of private property doesnt exist here. Like for example, i have a really big yard but i cant have a small fire in a pit back there, its illegal in Boston and I’ve had people call the fire dept to come put it out (im talking 1 foot flames in a fire pit)
I guess i’ve got a different perspective on things now after living somewhere else. Sorry for bitchin… my main point was that i failed for unplugging my battery but i ended up bitchin about MA laws. At least they didnt notice my wheel spacers or that my tires stick out past the flares…

 

Come on out to the suburbs, We’re in the next town over from the marathon start line with a couple acres and people leave you alone.

 

You do know that's what happens when a ball joint fails, right? You really want Joe Moron who doesn't maintain his car and that happens come barrelling across the center lane at 45 MPH? I have zero issue with keeping something that isn't safe for the road off the road. The amount of times I see cars with bald tires, blown shocks, etc on the road is terrifying. The irony of the photo I linked is those tires are poorly maintained to boot.

I'm not saying there aren't plenty of stations out there that are just looking for marks to make money, but there's a fine line between failing a car with good tires because the owner doesn't know how to measure tread depth and failing something that is literally a rolling death trap.

 

Explain all the illegal front tinted windows... It's where you go and who you know.

 

I do see a ton of cars in RI with very dark front windows (well below the 70% vlt law) and I have a very hard time believing they all have documented medical reasons making the tint legal.

now if I could only find me a shop that would let some slight tint slide I would be very happy

 

This is exactly why I only work in MA never live here, the RMV stuff is bunk. Down here in Springfield (I know I know) I see very few cars that would pass the sniff test let alone a safety inspection, but there they are everyday driving around death traps. Don't get me wrong safety is one thing but I'm with you it all gets too invasive here. We can all agreed on having good suspension/steering/stopping components is the right way but a license plate light? tires past fenders? window tint? rust bubbles? Seems like they just want to make sure they can pull you over and harass you later in the year to me, CT got rid of that a long time ago

 

I’d love to but i work across the street from my house haha. One day i might be able to. Visiting friends in NH was refreshing. ATV’s, bonfire, plinking…
You can take the man out of the boonies but ya cant take the boonies out of the man haha

 

It really varies by shop and town. It's supposed to be a state inspection and a level playing field but some shops are just pricks about everything for no good reason. My local place has been good, they don't rummage through my truck, I've never seen them check seatbelts or door latches. They do check headlights, horns and wipers, the basic crap but they've always been quick and easy.

On a related note, the license saga has finally come to an end. Just got my license in the mail after 4 months since I started the renewal process...

 

Yeah local shops are the way to go, and especially avoid a non-make dealership. I wouldn't bring my tacoma to a subbie dealership

Shenanigans. Well, wait it depends on the laws. I KNOW a lot of places are now ruling no-go on any non-OEM headlights (stuffing HIDs into a non-HID housing and blinding everyone), but that seems like shenanigans.

Mass and RI get REAL country REAL quick as you go west

I haven't figured that one out either. One thing I DO know about RI inspection is if you buy a NEW car, you have to get inspected after 2 years. Once you get inspected, you are in the inspection database, and if you have an invalid inspection/expired inspection, you will not be able to register. However. With a NEW car, you are not in the inspection database. So there is no expired registration to be found. They don't recognize "this car is >2 years old, and does not have inspection" for some reason. So, in theory, you can go without an inspection forever. It's illegal, but there's no flag for it in the systems. That's where I am right now actually. I am now over 2 years since bought (also if 25k miles, which I hit a while ago but whatever). That might be some of them you see.

If you buy a USED car, it has to go through inspection in that registration process and puts you into the database.

If they're in a corporate structure like a Pep Boys or a dealership, if they "look the other way", if a collision happens then someone could sue, say, Pep Boys, for damages since they allowed it to go on their way in negligence. And big companies are easier targets, etc, so they'll be more sticklers.

I have a few places to go around here that won't dig too deep but also aren't shady as hell.

 

Yeah, that's a fair observation. My local place is as you described, they're not shady or 'looking the other way', they're just not busting balls over anything that could be construed as 'not in compliance'. In my opinion, they're doing the inspections for what they're intended to be, just make sure the safety crap is all in working order for the people who aren't keeping an eye on their vehicles, not digging in with the intention of finding a reason to fail an inspection.

 

Also, did a thing today, bought some new wheels for the mountain bike. Was really after the hubs, going for quicker engagement but ended up with a full set. Might eventually get a set of studded tires for the original wheels and swap them seasonally. Ordered from I9, so keeping the money state-side. Their builds are around 15 weeks out though so I'll be lucky to have them mounted by May... Ordered a set of I9 Enduro S 1/1 wheels

 

I LOVE my I9 wheels. I've got two sets, Enduro/Torch on my SC Bronson, and BC450/Hydra on my Salsa Timberjack. Even compared to some of the other high end hubs out there (King, Hope, etc.), they are unbelievable.

 

I bought the lower end of their lineup, just the 1/1 hubs. They will still be a big improvement over what i have currently and i believe only 1/2 degree worse than the Torch was. The 1/1 is supposed to be easier to service than the Torch though which is good for a newer biker. I was between I9 and Spank. Ruled out Spank because they only make 6 bolt rotor hubs and i have centerlock.

 

It's all about the taxes.
Harder it is to get past inspection.. most just go buy a new(er) ride.
Sales tax, and excise.
And they(the state) do record the inspection... so, less shops are inclined to let shit slide.
State sucks.
While I'm this week, and into next, doing serious cost of living analysis..

I'm pretty much over it all.

 

Sans checking the seatbelts, yup.

Good question, I will check. Much appreciated.

Hmmm I wonder if my Ultra has that..

Plus side I reckon is they didn't scrape the sticker and then tell you, gave you the choice first at least. I ran into a similar thing at my local dealership (who I've had positive experiences with for a long time, for the record)..they failed me for no middle seatbelt on the bench seat. I mentioned that my title states it is a 2 person vehicle and therefore shouldn't require a middle. The rep said he did understand but the issue is if it's any kind of grey area they have to fail it so the state doesn't come down on their butts. This was October 2019, very early in the new procedure so perhaps that was part of it. Ended up contacting the RMV and a "referee" decision stated I was not required to have it, they stickered it, no sweat. I only did that one at the dealer b/c it was getting tires there anyway though.

Technically by MA (maybe federal as well I'd have to research) it is illegal to modify any kind of OEM lighting. Even if one does a proper conversion to HID for example it can still be failed. Long ago my friend's brother had a 1983 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that he added the CHMSL to and was failed for it..despite the fact that the feds mandated that starting in 1985 for all vehicles, by the way. Totally bass ackwards in that case.

True though I think that's starting to change. A lady with a Mustang failed for the top of windshield tint being too dark and below the AS1 line. She actually said "that's stupid, maybe I'll remove it and get it redone after"..dummy

That's just it, the spirit of the process I've no issue with. Plus let's face it, how many people don't know how vehicles work and/or just ignore things they see/hear/feel until it doesn't start, run, drive, etc..by choice or just lack of knowledge.