Foo, failed vehicle inspection for this?

We have a yearly 'safety' inspection in Texas as well. Talk about a scam. I took my '76 F-250 in for inspection a couple of years ago and they failed it because they said my horn wasn't loud enough. I asked him to show me where the inspection form stated the horn had to produce a certain decible level and to show me his meter. He said he didn't have to, he wasn't passing it unless the horn was replaced. The shop is owned by a friend of mine (who wasn't there at the time), but I've had problems with the jerk doing the inspection before. Took it to another friend's shop across the street and passed with flying colors.
 
vocatexas said:
We have a yearly 'safety' inspection in Texas as well. Talk about a scam. I took my '76 F-250 in for inspection a couple of years ago and they failed it because they said my horn wasn't loud enough. I asked him to show me where the inspection form stated the horn had to produce a certain decible level and to show me his meter. He said he didn't have to, he wasn't passing it unless the horn was replaced. The shop is owned by a friend of mine (who wasn't there at the time), but I've had problems with the jerk doing the inspection before. Took it to another friend's shop across the street and passed with flying colors.
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People like that should be reported to the state, so his license to inspect is pulled. Arbitrary decisions based by some jerk, shouldn't be the basis of a state wide inspection system. I'd wager the state of Texas would agree.
 
silence dogood said:
That is the nice thing about the old stye incandescent light bulbs. UV does not affect glass.
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Yes, never had this problem with glass headlamps. I have a 94 Miata with glass pop up headlights. I have 100W bulbs in them, they do light up the night.

As far as I am concerned, the headlamps with plastic are designed for service lives far less than the vehicle itself. In my view they are defectively designed. The plastics they chose are deficient.

But, 2 minutes of polishing and a nickel's worth of polish fixed the problem for now. That's a lot better than paying an exorbitant price for a new headlight assembly, that will haze over in seven years...
 
Another problem with the new lights is the reflective coating inside the light. No way to replace it that I could figure out on my 94 Dodge. Had to replace the lights. The new lights from China have different reflective patterns on the driver side compared to the passenger side. The driver side barely lights up the road.
 
Jim F said:
Dealers have a set labor rate at over $100 per hr.
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If they keep their noses clean and don't FU , one day they'll make what us metal workers make ! :grin: :beer bottles:
 
I used to use Mirror Glaze on my airplane windshield. Many years later, after my house fire, I went to get another bottle to clean up some gauges and the like. Turns out, Meguiar's had re-used the Mirror Glaze name for a completely different product. The stuff we need now is called PlastX, but works just as well as the old stuff.
 
WobblyHand said:
As you can tell from the thread title, this is a rant.

Bring in my 2015 for safety inspection. Get called that they failed my driver side headlight, for being too cloudy. Offer to sell me a "fix" for $150. I say, no thanks, bet I could fix it myself. Didn't want to ask how long the treatment was guaranteed for. Then I asked, how will I know if my work is good enough? What is the criteria for a pass? What is not too cloudy? Finally coax out the explanation, it has to be at least as good as the passenger side, which did pass. Ok. Guess I won't touch the passenger headlight at all, since it is my reference.

Get the rejected car back. The driver headlight is pretty cloudy. Honestly, it looked dirty. Wash it with some windshield wiper fluid, it showed clear when wiped, but then clouded over. I've seen that before and know the fix. Started the search in the garage for a bottle of Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Professional. It is basically a water based polish. Takes me 3 minutes to find it. A couple of minutes to shake it up again, as the old bottle has settled. 2 minutes after that, and 2 paper towel sheets later, the headlight looks almost new. That old bottle of Meguiar's cost well under $10 when I bought it. Pretty sure any gentle car polish would work. No UV protectant, so I will need to do it again in a few months, or at least before the next inspection. One of these days I will find some UV protectant, that isn't ridiculously overpriced, which should reduce the time between polish jobs.

I don't know, but, failing for the sake of a 2 minute polish job is bad, and making the push for the cleaning and protecting of the headlight for $150 left a bad taste in my mouth. Especially since the amount of work to clear the headlight takes so little time and effort. Makes me feel like they wanted to take advantage of me.

I will bring in the car for a "re-test" tomorrow. Don't think I will be going back to this place for inspections (which are yearly in NH). The place used to be ok, but has gone downhill in the past couple of years...

Rant over.
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After you pass your inspection, make up a nice bright sandwich board advertising HEADLIGHT LENS POLISHING $20 PER and set up on the curb right beyond the shop's driveway. Take what you need to do a good job of it. Take video, you'll become a local celebrity/hero (and maybe make some $$)
.
 
In the UK, the inspection is mandatory, called "MoT". It starts three years from new, and it is not expensive. What the licensed providers do is strictly codified, and a compaint to the government agency is VERY bad for them. I dare say there are scams, and abuse of trust (e.g. being given an inflated list of repairs), but we rarely hear of them. It's been going for decades, and I think the abuses have been winkled out by now. Also - its very competitive. To get certified to do MoT is a big deal. They have to provide a safe area from where the customer can view the inspection under way, and a comfortable room where they can wait.

You do not have to have the same place do the repairs as did the inspection, though most don't bother to take it elsewhere. If a test facility makes a "pass" conditional on a repair being done, you can take it elsewhere, and bring back for a re-test on the failed items. Since the MoT fee has already been paid, there can be no additional charge - at least, that's the way it worked for me when I replaced my own corroded brake lines.

Returning with a invoice from an alternative repairer forces it. If the alternative place inspected, and signed it as good to go, that's the end of it.
 
Hawkeye said:
I used to use Mirror Glaze on my airplane windshield. Many years later, after my house fire, I went to get another bottle to clean up some gauges and the like. Turns out, Meguiar's had re-used the Mirror Glaze name for a completely different product. The stuff we need now is called PlastX, but works just as well as the old stuff.
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Used to have some PlastX, was looking for it in the garage yesterday, but didn't find it. Couldn't remember the name of it, so was looking for a container with the right shape. The search came up empty, so ended up using the old mirror glaze which worked fine. At least I know what it's called for the next time!
 
Jim F said:
Dealers have a set labor rate at over $100 per hr.

Techs get much less than that, that is why the techs try to up-sell stuff, plus some dealers give spiffs for up-sells....
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Our rate was $140 and up. Less fir maintenance.
The techs made between $35-$55 per hour flat rate.
This is in a rural part of the country. I can’t imagine what the rate and pay is in urban areas.
 
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