How recalls really should be done

Just do it like the Government does it with aircraft. Something
called airworthiness directives (ADs). Call it roadworthiness
directives (RDs). The advantage is we are not dependent on
Toyota's largesse to do what is right.

 

It isnt just Toyota who would be affected by this...therefore it might
be a good thing

 

1/2 the Government Motors vehicles would come off the road for bad
manifolds. Hard sell for a debt ladden mongral like Obama.

 

Ah, yes... mandatory roadworthiness certificates.... It would certainly help
out with rush hour traffic... That would take a lot of cream puffs off the
road....

Be carefull what you wish for... you just might get it (along with a public
transit pass).

 

In PA, the state with the weird liquor laws, it is called state inspection.

Jeff

 

about as exciting as your insurance company billing you by the mile

 

I don't miss that. There was more fraud and rip offs with state inspection
than you'd ever imagine. Shops that tried to sell you things you don't need
like ball joints or brake jobs, shops that took your money and put the
sticker on but never inspected anything but the lights. Only reason they
checked them is because it was visible in case the state was checking up on
them.

As a teenager, I took my shoddy cars to a shop owned by an old guy that
could not take a tire off any more. He never raised it on a lift. we'd BS
for 20 minutes (the time an inspection should take) and he'd put the sticker
on and take my $6.

Here is CT we have no inspection are cars are no better or worse than they
were in PA

 

You want it done like the FAA?????
You are sure about that?????
That's right - you Americans don't like health care either.

When an aircraft is subject to an AD it is the OWNER'S responsibility
to get it fixed. At HIS expense. Using CERTIFIED parts only. By a
specialized shop who is authorized by the manufacturer to do the
repair.
Many AD's require "grounding" the vehicle - immediately. Means your
car would be sitting in the driveway untill you could get an
appointment at the DEALER to get it fixed, where you would pay
exhorbitant prices for certified, traceable replacement components to
be installed.
Also, you would not be allowed to do ANY repairs on your vehicle - and
ONLY original, traceable, certified parts could be installed. NO
modifications would be allowed without expensive paperwork. The are
called STCs.
You would also be required to maintain a detailed log book - and if
the vehicle was used for ANY commercial use there would be a mandatory
teardown for inspection every X number of hours of operation -
regardless of miles or condition.

With the very low number of planes in the air, the waits are not
terribly long - but with the millions of cars on the road it could be
a major inconvenience waiting with a dissabled vehicle in your
driveway.


Be a GOOD American, and keep the Government OUT of your life as much
as possible.

If you are a Canadian, just rememberhow long you sometimes need to
wait for theat "free" healthcare - and remember, you do not have a
choice. Do you want your car's "health" to be treated the same, but at
your expense????(American health system)

 

The state inspection is NOTHING compared to FAA regulations - and only
covers the "gross" stuff.
Can you imagine having to replace the main bearings on your engine -
and every (chevy V6) engine on the road in North America because they
(the goverment agency responsible) determined there were a few that
MIGHT possibly fail in the next 2 years - and you had to replace them
NOW?????

 

Here in Ontario safety inspections are on transfer only. Emission
tests on transfer or every 2 years. Both are invitations to be ripped
off if you don't know where to find an honest mechanic.

 

Some advice may be in order...

I am licenced to perform many mandated inspections.... by either government
or other accreditte regulatory bodies... Any of these could audit me in a
heartbeat if there was a complaint. An audit could, depending on the
infraction, mean that I would be banned from performing these inspections.
Bear in mind I care more about my integrity than some others...

These inspections were never designed to be a licence to print money....
They were designed to promote vehicle roadworthiness. If you have a concern
with a shop, report them to the regulatory body... If you have a concern
with a shop, have them show you how your vehicle contrevenes the regulation.

If they wont or can't.... there is a problem.... but you wont report them
because they do other stuff cheap.... cheaper than I will. But that
encompasses a whole range of other considerations...

Many people visit me because every one else has had a "crack" at the
repair... and failed.... All of those techs have "checked everything" -
including your bank balance. Back when you first noticed the concern, I was
"too expensive" and now, here you are.... I'm still "too expensive" except
now all the cheap guys have your money.... all of your money.... and that
makes me a bad man... especially when I find that your cheap guy missed
something simple about $3000 ago....

Auto repair is a two edged sword....

50 percent of all doctors graduated in the bottom half of their class.....
most people will visit the cheap doctor up until they need the expensive
guy - unfortunately, by then it may be a bit late...

 

While your answer is correct, it is not practical or what people want. At
the time I live in PA, the inspection was done twice a year. It is now only
once but you need emissions testing. If you did not have the proper
sticker, you got a ticket. Drivers don't want tickets.

So, you go to the inspection station. All you want it to pay your $6, get a
sticker and be on your way. I found a couple of shops that did just that
for me. I knew what was or was not needed, I took care of that myself.
Quick and simple, I was happy. There was also a black market for stickers.
You gave some sinister character your registration and $10 and the next day
he gave you a sticker. That was a convenience for people that had serious
problems with their car and knew it may cost $200 or more to repair it.

Other shops looked at inspection as work generation. Yes ma'am, you need
brakes. It is not safe to drive home. So the lady pays for brakes and does
not know she is getting ripped so she cannot report the slime ball.

Another scenario is the marginal car. Yes, maybe the idler arm is a little
worn or the drag link bushings are loose. It is a judgment call. So the
guy says you need a wiper blade or suggests you buy a $2 bottle of some
additive, you buy it and he thinks those joints will last a bit longer.
With no set guideline, who determines if the shop was right or wrong if you
report him? (they did come up with a gauge for ball joints though) Fact is,
you got your sticker and you don't care.

New Jersey had state inspectors that had no monetary interest in the
outcome. A friend that lived there took his truck and it failed every time.
He sent his wife back with it wearing a low cut blouse and it passed every
time.

 

Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Here in FL, inspections were done away with, they were only checking
emissions anyway, and with all the new cars, it was a ripoff: $20.

 

Are antique cars exempt from inspection?

 

Why is it that people don't understand that recalls are for safety
defects not product quality? I don't think we see many manifolds
causing accidents!

 

Here in the UK every car has to undergo a test yearly that includes all
safety related issues, rust and emissions which get tighter every so
many years. Without the certificate (called MOT) you're not allowed to
road tax your car and cannot keep it on a road. Further, you have to
declare to the authorities that you car has been properly removed from
the road and will not be used, called SORN (statuary off road
notification) if you don't you get fined for not doing so. It's not
easy to get around as most police cars carry automatic registration
recognition equipment which is continually linked to the central
registration computer in Swansea and if you car doesn't come up as being
MOT'd and Insured you'll get pulled over for your documents. Failure
to come up with these can see you in court with a hefty fine, points on
your licence (12 is an automatic ban) and a likely chance that you
vehicle will be crushed.

 

While recalls are for safety defects, the automakers also have TSBs for
other things. The TSBs often let the owner get the problems fixed for free.

Jeff

 

A defective manifold could well be leaking poisonous fumes into your car
that you can't smell, but will send you to sleep and into a tree to kill
you if everyone else is lucky, or you just might smash into an oncoming
vehicle killing both you and them, is that fair?

 

Some years ago (I'm guessing 12 or 13) I left my car at a local shop for
a state inspection (VA) while I went to work with instructions to call
if they found any discrepancies (I am a DIY'er, and I know the condition
of my cars when I take them in for inspection).

Mid day, I got a call saying that they needed to replace the rear brake
pads. Of course they expected me to give them the go ahead with
whatever POS pads they had in stock or picked up at the local parts
store. I told them I would be there in 5 minutes. I borrowed a
co-worker's vehicle and asked to see the pads. I am an engineer with
calibrated eyeballs - I looked all around the pads, and they were
clearly nowhere near the low limit. The guy said "I'm going to fail
them anyway". I asked if they had any calipers. They didn't, but the
guy grabbed a tire tread depth gage. They were way above the limit, so
I said, so now we're OK, right? "I'm still going to fail them."

I went to the counter and asked for them to get the state police on the
line. Turns out that the trooper who handled inspection issues in the
area was not available that afternoon. So I had them go ahead and
reject it, and because life is too short, I got new pads that evening
and put them on, but I saved the old pads and left a message for the
trooper to call me.

He called and arranged to come by my workplace the next day and I
brought the old pads in. The fact that I had replaced them myself
prevented any official action (the shop could claim that they weren't
the same pads). Fair enough. But the trooper told me that he would
make note of my complaint, and that they could send a plant car into the
shop to see if they could catch them pulling a similar thing. All I
know is that about 2 weeks later, the shop's state inspection sign
disappeared from their building for a few weeks. I like to think I had
something to do with that.

 

It is called the same in Texas, but is essentially worthless.