New Jersey ends car inspections next week; emissions testing still required after five years

[SAmadei]

The Motor Vehicle Commission announced two weeks ago that the agency can no longer justify the expense of about 2.4 million inspections per year.

While the state has cut vehicle inspections, the federally mandated emissions program will remain in place. The state will, however, push back emissions inspections, making them mandatory after five years rather than four, for an additional savings of $6 million per year.

Chief administrator Raymond Martinez said cars' emissions do not need to be tested as often because they are "made cleaner, more efficient," with less than 6 percent of newer vehicles failing the tests.

The agency decided to end the inspections program after reviewing other states' studies that found little evidence of improved safety, Commission spokesman Michael Horan said Wednesday, pointing to a seminal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report in 1989 that dissuaded the federal government from instituting a nationwide mandate.

New Jersey will join 29 other states and Washington, D.C., in forgoing mechanical inspections for brakes, lights, tires, windows and other features.

Washington, D.C., canceled its vehicle-inspection program last year for lack of evidence for safety improvements, but Pennsylvania commissioned a study in 2009 that convinced its leaders to keep its state-operated inspection centers.

New Jersey is negotiating with privately owned Parsons, and it is uncertain how many, if any, layoffs that could mean for its 540 employees statewide.

"There have been numerous meetings and we're still hashing out the details," said Parsons spokesman Michael Turner, whose company is two years into a five-year, $260 million contract.

As part of the new regulations, all vehicles that failed mechanical inspections before Sunday will have to be re-inspected but if a vehicle was due for inspection before Aug. 1 and has never had one, it can be waived.

Whole story Here

[SAmadei]

After 35 years of the DREAD of waiting in line for hours... to pass everything, but be failed because there is a small chip in your side view mirror... I say HALLELUJAH!

Ironically, I am in the process of fixing up a car for my sister. After buying it, I realized that the side view mirror is cracked... you can't even really see it... but I KNEW that it would cause the car to fail. Otherwise, the car is fine... I'm going through it with a fine tooth comb, as I won't see it for a while. So, I just spent days tracking down a replacement and installing it, just so the car can be inspected... Side view mirror glass can be a real PITA.

And after Aug 1... I could have run the car through without a door. LOL.

Granted, I don't think this is going to make a difference in the average safety of cars on the road. Most people have safe enough cars... or get a sticker illicitly for their deathtrap.

I see cars with fresh inspection stickers all the time with super dark tint all around, pink headlights pointed like Marty Feldman, green blinkers, screwed up wheels 3" beyond the fender. Yet, I can't squeak through because the rear view mirror popped off in my hand while waiting in line (yes, this has happened to me... and I would have fixed it sticker or not).

I'm not too worried about emissions. Anything OBD-II or newer, they pretty pass anything without a CEL. And I can tweak many cars to pass the sniffer...

I think I need to celebrate!

[CSpec]

Great news. Christie seems to be doing a good job there.

[balthazar]

I haven't 'sat in lines for hours' for many years after learning the ins-n-outs of a local, rural state agency- so no complaints there.

My truck's current inspection us up tommorow... so what I want to kno is- can I scrape the sticker out of the window now??

This gets me more mindful of getting the COE on the road....

If only they didn't implement this 20 yrs ago- the mayhem I could've caused.

[Cory Wolfe]

I really wish PA would follow suit.

[XP715]

So a state that doesn't even trust you to pump your own gas will now allow any rolling deathtrap on the road? Makes perfect sense to me.

[Robert Hall]

Interesting... don't think I've lived in a state that does safety inspections. I do remember road side ones (horn, tires, lights, wipers) in Ohio back in the '70s, though. I don't know about Michigan, Illinois, or Florida (lived there, never registered a car there) but I've had emissions every two year inspections in Colorado and Arizona.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Z-06]

Interesting... don't think I've lived in a state that does safety inspections. I do remember road side ones (horn, tires, lights, wipers) in Ohio back in the '70s, though. I don't know about Michigan, Illinois, or Florida (never registered a car there) but I've had emissions every two year inspections in Colorado and Arizona.

None in MI and FL.

[Intrepidation]

I don't see what the big deal is. If your car is safe you pass, if it isn't you fail. Neither of our cars have ever failed inspection, for safety or emissions. I really like the inspection place in Athol. I used to have to wait 45 minutes, now it takes about 10.

[Cory Wolfe]

Personally, it's a waste of money. Cops can and will issue you a ticket if they feel your car is unsafe or breaking a law. States without them seem to operate just fine without an increase of "rolling deathtraps".

Emissions testing, eh, I don't have to deal with it. However, if we were ever subjected to one, the Sunfire wouldn't have a chance in hell of passing.

[daves87rs]

Speaking of scarping PA stickers off...

[SAmadei]

I haven't 'sat in lines for hours' for many years after learning the ins-n-outs of a local, rural state agency- so no complaints there.

Even recently, last trip was just under 2 hours for me at Mays Landing.

My truck's current inspection us up tommorow... so what I want to kno is- can I scrape the sticker out of the window now??

Still have emissions testing, so don't scrape that out too quickly...

So a state that doesn't even trust you to pump your own gas will now allow any rolling deathtrap on the road? Makes perfect sense to me.

If its unsafe you can still get a ticket. So, we're joining a bunch of other states that allow "rolling deathtraps". You better just stay safely at home.

Don't worry, I know plenty of ways to get a "rolling deathtrap" though inspection. And many people just buy stickers illegally. So whats the point?

I don't see what the big deal is. If your car is safe you pass, if it isn't you fail. Neither of our cars have ever failed inspection, for safety or emissions. I really like the inspection place in Athol. I used to have to wait 45 minutes, now it takes about 10.

I don't know MA inspection... but I know a lot of states require paying for an inspection at a private location, well, then they will be friendly any take your money... failing for a minor reason means non-repeat business. We can pay to have a private inspection in NJ, but I

But in NJ, we have free inspection... at the moment... so you had incompetent state employees (later Parson's employees) on an ego trip justifying their job by failing anything they wanted. It didn't always, but it happened enough.

Here are some of my firsthand or secondhand stories...

10 year old Chevy Prism... failed for small rip in the fabric on the back of the seat. Argued that he could touch metal inside the seat, which could cut someone in the right circumstance. Solution... duct tape...

Renault Encore... IIRC... failed for not having a lit-up gear selector... which it didn't have from the factory. Solution... took to another inspection station.

Old Tempest... failed for brake equalization. Trouble is, the technician missed the pad sensors with passenger side tires! He claimed it "didn't matter". WTF? Solution... took back though on different lane.

Old Wagon... failed for a tiny rust hole. Solution... duct tape.

Old Blazer... would have failed for massive rust. Solution... massive duct tape.

'98 Sunfire... failed for no catalytic. But it had a Catalytic. After a second check, it was "reinspected" on the spot and passed.

Dad's Old Cube van. Failed for cracked side view convex mirror. Solution... removed mirror.

Guy in front of me had a '90s Sable wagon roadster registered as a 'Classic' car. These are only inspected to certify that mileage is below 2500 miles a year... Inspection guy held up for 15 minutes the line arguing loudly that he would not sign off a safety inspection for such a car. Problem is, he was not there for that. Granted, NJ should not have allowed that to be registered as a 'Classic', but thats the states' call... not the inspectors.

Sexy lady friend would have failed for a non working horn. Inspector says 'Car horn beeps?'... she shakes her head no... He ignores her and asks again... She says 'BEEP!'... Passed.

I'll stop there. In general, I've had a lot of trouble getting older classic cars though, as they rarely see older cars... and expect the old cars to compare with the modern cars... which even brand new, they didn't. Not only that, but just in general, they don't like people having something unique. Sure, you'll have no problem getting your Toyota appliance though.

For the record, I have never habitually driven a vehicle I felt was unsafe. Sure, I've limped home a few times with an exhaust leak or braking problems... but they got fixed by me fairly quickly and would not have been caught by inspection, anyway. I've only had one mechanically related close call... total unexpected brake loss why driving something home after buying it, causing me to run a red light. Again, would not have been caught by inspection, as the master cylinder suddenly let go a bad time.

Actually, the only legit safety fails I've generally had were for the parking brake. And the only time I use the parking brake is... during inspection. And a few for emissions... but usually off by so little that taking it back though on a different day passed.

In the end, the inspection process has been an expensive sham... protecting us no better that 3oz liquid bottle limits on airplanes or the war on drugs.

[Intrepidation]

MA requires inspection places be licensed and certified to perform it. It's $29 for the inspection, once a year. If you fail for emissions you have 60 days to get it fixed and reinspected, if you fail for safety it must be fixed right away. They have different fail stickers for each. First reinspection is free.

Things a car here can fail for is...bald/rotted/unsafe tires, structural rust, lights that don't work or are not aimed correctly, suspension problems (ball joints, cv joints, broken springs), steering problems (badly worn tie rods, etc).

[SAmadei]

MA requires inspection places be licensed and certified to perform it. It's $29 for the inspection, once a year. If you fail for emissions you have 60 days to get it fixed and reinspected, if you fail for safety it must be fixed right away. They have different fail stickers for each. First reinspection is free.

Well, we have biannual inspections... another reason mechanical safety is a moot point... a lot happens in two years.

Well, besides the "state run" (actually Parsons run) free inspection, you can pay a mechanic to inspect the car. They have to be licensed and certified and have the IM-240 equipment. Its something like $39 or $49 + plus the costs of repairs. Of course, there is a conflict of interest here, as a car failed for too much stuff won't get repaired... so they usually overlook most things but will do a "injector flush" that will somehow get the car through... as the emissions seems to leave the largest data trail. NJ is actually quite active in busting crooked private inspection places... going under cover. I know of several shops that lost their license. There is generally no second inspection at private places, as it passes or the car don't get repaired/gets repaired someplace shadier.

If you fail at the state run places, you get the same red sticker. It give you either 14 or 30 days to repair (I forget)... the problem is this period starts when your original inspection runs out. So if you get the dreaded red sticker... its sometimes better to peel it out. Otherwise the sticker is a real cop magnet. It used to be a $28~$42 ticket for a uninspected car. But a decade ago, the state started really sticking it to people... it was something like $128, but now its higher, $200 or so...

Of course, if your car is over 25 years old... the escape from this is to register historic. No inspection at all, but you have limited use. But this is usually rarely enforced.

Things a car here can fail for is...bald/rotted/unsafe tires, structural rust, lights that don't work or are not aimed correctly, suspension problems (ball joints, cv joints, broken springs), steering problems (badly worn tie rods, etc).

Oh yeah... those all can be cause for failure. Plus Horn, Brakes. Parking brake. Visible smoke, obvious fluid leaks, exhaust leaks, loudness, missing equipment... they get you for rust because the car cannot have any "sharp edges". Mirrors are a big one. You can fail inspection if you don't have your driver's license with you... or give them a out of date insurance or registration... even if you renewed and got them mixed up. the funny thing is that in some cases, if you had something on the car... it had to work. So if you put an extra mirror on... and it was cracked, you could pass by removing it.

Inspection sure has changed. I remember in the '70s going through with my parents... you used to drive your own car though inspection. then they would do the brake test for you. Now they don't even like you to watch too closely...

I'm dying to see how it is in a few days when I take the new (to me) car through...

[balthazar]

>>"Even recently, last trip was just under 2 hours for me at Mays Landing."<<

South Brunswick - last visit was maybe 10 minutes. Not a practical option for you distance-wise, granted...

-- -- -- -- --

>>"My truck's current inspection us up tommorow... so what I want to kno is- can I scrape the sticker out of the window now??"<<

>>"Still have emissions testing, so don't scrape that out too quickly..."<<

Should've specified - I have a non-commercial diesel over 8501 lbs GVWR- exempt according to state. I should be able to remove the sticker... but I'll leave it in for now.