Sb1588 to eliminate most vehicle inspections

[roadkill]

Hm - can someone enlighten me as to whether this bill just eliminates the 'safety inspection' component of the annual check, but leaves the smog test intact? If so, we're still trooping off annually to ensure compliance with smog, it's just the bald tires/turn signals/horn/etc that'll be dropped.

Since there is no smog test in rural counties, I would say it all goes away. And I have never had my tires checked, or horn for that matter. Like others said, it's basically drive in, turn on lights, pay, go on your way. Waste of time and money.

I really wished all 4 wheelers had to go thru the same requirements as CMV's. Pulled over to check the vehicle and/or log book, no PC required. And the weigh stations where they could go into and check everything out. Especially those with a pit where they can easily look them over top to bottom and write tickets for oil leaks, brakes, over loaded, driving beyond the hours of service, etc. CMV's can literally be placed out of service for anything yet we see complete piles driving past us everyday and never get stopped by LEO.

[puma guy]

Haven't read the bill but it looks like this bill will eliminate most vehicle inspections. It passed the Senate today.

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLook ... ill=SB1588

Hopefully, it won't pass. I live in NM where we have no inspection. I'm tired of Junkers that shouldn't be on the road, with headlights adjusted into your eyes and running lights so dim to be non existent . And by the way, usually no insurance. I would have no problem with an inspection requirement here.

We have all that now. Illegal headlights, smoked out taillights, blackened windows (even widshields) LED light bars on hoods and eyebrows, etc. Multiple blinding lights. I saw a vehicle with 16 different lights on the front of the truck. The limit is 8 including turn signals and running lights, but all that is left to police to enforce not the inspection stations. The only check done by inspection stations is for brakes, wipers, functioning lights, horn and emissions with a $25.50 fee. There is an added fee on your registration now for inspection supposedly by LEO's which is a joke and just another tax.

[nightmare69]

We are only 1 of 15 states that has vehicle inspections. I say do away with it, we pay enough to drive on Texas roads.

[powerboatr]

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup ... ill=SB1588

awaiting house to move it along..

[KD5NRH]

IIRC, some eastern state has optional inspections; if you're current, any equipment failure is an automatic no-cost fix-it ticket. Shows you make a reasonable effort to keep the car roadworthy. Illegal equipment, or failures without a current inspection are officer's discretion.

IME, most of the cars I see with safety issues have a current sticker. Considering that even if you crack down on too-easy stations, a problem can go for as much as 364 days before the next inspection, pretending it's really improving safety is silly.

[KD5NRH]

Same was true when I lived in Maryland. I had a car that I blew the engine on so I stopped paying the insurance. Sheriff showed up on a Saturday morning to collect the plates. I was young and a bit foolish and the time, so I was just happy he wasn't their to collect me!

Last beater I had blew the engine and coasted into a sloped parking lot. Kept liability insurance on it for a couple extra months until I found a buyer just in case the parking brake failed. (no compression on the engine, so being in first gear wouldn't have slowed it down much) Insurance company tried to talk me out of dropping the U/UMC on it, but I wasn't too worried as I was just looking for somebody to haul it to the scrap yard.

As it turned out my cousin had a 15 year old he wanted to learn about cars a bit before he got his license, so they paid $100, hauled it home with a tow bar, stripped it down explaining each part of the engine and transmission, sold the wheels for more than the original $100, and put the starter, coil pack, alternator and a few other parts on Craigslist to help fund the flatbed they'll need to get the carcass to a scrapyard.

[Abraham]

So how is it I can't get my license registration renewed unless I provide proof I've had my vehicle inspected and insurance?

Oh right, all the inspectors are crooked and insurance is a scam. Right. Yes. I know some scam the insurance with a single payment for the card and they too should serve time. Preferably, breaking rocks and wearing funny clothes...chained to each other with armed guards on horse back wearing mirror shades as per "cool Hand Luke" with a warden like Strother Martin, who uttered the memorable, 'what we've got here is a failure to communicate..."

Sure, some might be scammers, but my opinion is if you're caught with a bogus inspection and/or no insurance, you and the inspector ought to do time...could happen if law was enforced.

I want as many rattle/death trap smog producers off the road as is possible.

I've spent a lot of time in 3rd world places with their horrible, carbon monoxide spewing, brake faulty, etc., vehicles.

I want us to be a better place to live.

Oh, but I'm poor and need my smoking wreck of a hoopty to get to McDonalds.

Walk, lardo...or get a junky bike or a better job or an education loser.

Rant off!

[cyphur]

When I used to run a modified Trans Am(no, not the 1970s/1980s model), I had no cats, long tube headers, deleted one of my emissions systems(it was utterly useless anyhow), modified exhaust, etc. I never had an issue getting it inspected.

Underchassis running lights are illegal too, and they arguably cause more of a distraction issue than emissions - and those pass inspection all the time. Let the cops focus on unsafe cars instead of setting up speed traps to reign in some more revenue.

[KD5NRH]

Walk, lardo...or get a junky bike or a better job or an education loser.

Maybe you should stop being dependent on "losers," then. You think someone with a good education is going to unclog your toilet, mow your lawn or stock the shelves at the grocery store?

[mojo84]

Here comes the warning to stay on topic or the thread will be locked.

[Abraham]

KD5NRH,

Don't recognize 'mostly tongue in cheek ranting?

[nightmare69]

Stuck in the House committee still.

[chasfm11]

Regarding auto insurance, there was a big push about 5 years ago for the insurance companies to send information to the DPS. I got caught up in that because my insurance company mis-typed the VIN on our RV and I got a letter saying that I had no insurance. It took a bit to get that fixed.

Regarding safety inspections. Here is a link to the requirements.
https://www.dps.texas.gov/rsd/vi/inspec ... teria.aspx
I have a diesel powered RV that is not subject to the emissions test so all I get is the safety check. Does any reasonable person truly believe that a business can verify all of the things on that list for $7. So that results in two choices
1. Omit the checks on many of the items to keep the time spent by the inspector. Most garage rates are at least $40 an hour (I've paid $195/hour on the RV).
2. Find additional charges to make up the difference. I was flunked for "too many cracks" in an accessory drive belt, even though the DPS requirement says that isn't a criteria for failure. Pennsylvania is really good at add on charges. They top off your windshield washer fluid for $10, charge $50 to repack your wheel bearing and a number of other things. I expected to pay $100 every time I took a car for inspection in PA, those inspections were twice a year, not once and it has been a number of years ago that I lived there. I thought it was wonderful when we moved to NJ where the State Police do all of the inspections, including driving the car onto a skid pad and jamming on the brakes. There, I flunked for not having my license plate attached in the right location.

I'm pretty sure that the emissions inspections are a Federal mandate. I think it was about 15 years go that Texas set up separate emission stations and there was a big bru-ha-ha over that. I had a Honda Civic that had almost always flunked the emissions check from the time that I brought it to Texas in 1988. I had to pour treatment into the gas tank before I took it for inspection. One of the inspection guys told me about that trick. I was really concerned about the separate State inspection location but it turned out that it was less stringent that what I had been going through with the Honda. Anyway, I think it was less than two years later that all the State emissions sites were closed. I had another Honda throw a check engine code for the EVAP system and it cost me $1,000 to get that one fixed so that it would pass. It takes special "smoke" equipment to diagnose it since that system cannot be manually checked. I'm a guy who normally does much of my own work and this one just frosted me.

[nightmare69]

Regarding auto insurance, there was a big push about 5 years ago for the insurance companies to send information to the DPS. I got caught up in that because my insurance company mis-typed the VIN on our RV and I got a letter saying that I had no insurance. It took a bit to get that fixed.

Regarding safety inspections. Here is a link to the requirements.
https://www.dps.texas.gov/rsd/vi/inspec ... teria.aspx
I have a diesel powered RV that is not subject to the emissions test so all I get is the safety check. Does any reasonable person truly believe that a business can verify all of the things on that list for $7. So that results in two choices
1. Omit the checks on many of the items to keep the time spent by the inspector. Most garage rates are at least $40 an hour (I've paid $195/hour on the RV).
2. Find additional charges to make up the difference. I was flunked for "too many cracks" in an accessory drive belt, even though the DPS requirement says that isn't a criteria for failure. Pennsylvania is really good at add on charges. They top off your windshield washer fluid for $10, charge $50 to repack your wheel bearing and a number of other things. I expected to pay $100 every time I took a car for inspection in PA, those inspections were twice a year, not once and it has been a number of years ago that I lived there. I thought it was wonderful when we moved to NJ where the State Police do all of the inspections, including driving the car onto a skid pad and jamming on the brakes. There, I flunked for not having my license plate attached in the right location.

I'm pretty sure that the emissions inspections are a Federal mandate. I think it was about 15 years go that Texas set up separate emission stations and there was a big bru-ha-ha over that. I had a Honda Civic that had almost always flunked the emissions check from the time that I brought it to Texas in 1988. I had to pour treatment into the gas tank before I took it for inspection. One of the inspection guys told me about that trick. I was really concerned about the separate State inspection location but it turned out that it was less stringent that what I had been going through with the Honda. Anyway, I think it was less than two years later that all the State emissions sites were closed. I had another Honda throw a check engine code for the EVAP system and it cost me $1,000 to get that one fixed so that it would pass. It takes special "smoke" equipment to diagnose it since that system cannot be manually checked. I'm a guy who normally does much of my own work and this one just frosted me.

Emissions testing have kept me from moving to bigger cities. I drive older vehicles for work and I know they would fail emissions. I know how costly it can be when they check engine light comes on.

[KD5NRH]

I know how costly it can be when they check engine light comes on.

About $13 on Amazon for a Bluetooth reader and $5 for the app that tells you what the most likely cause is.

Reset it as you pull in for the inspection, and hope they get done before the light comes back on.