Inspection Reflection
I got my car inspected yesterday. It should have been done in February, but when the state doubled the price, I decided to move things up a month every year. At the end 13 years, I’ll have gotten the equivalent of a free year’s inspection. I know it’s lame, but it’s the principle of the thing :)
For those of you outside the US, most states require a yearly inspection of motor vehicles to determine whether the vehicles are fit to be on the road. This could be a matter of kicking the tires and making sure the windshield is clean enough to see through or could include all kinds of tests including emissions. Massachusetts does the latter type of inspection and charges the driver $29.00 for the privilege.
Years ago, I drove an Oldsmobile Cutlass. I loved that car. It was big enough to be comfortable yet not so big that it was hard to maneuver or be a real gas hog. And it had a digital dash. Man, I thought that was the coolest thing on wheels. In fact, the car came to be referred to as the “Starship” because of that awesome digital display. (Aside: One morning when we were getting ready for work and both in the bathroom, I mentioned to Myria that I had dreamed the Starship had been broken into. Her puzzled eyes appeared over the top of the shower door. “The starship was broken in two?” This seriously tickled my funny bone and I giggled to myself for days whenever I thought of it) Unfortunately, after a year or so, the display became sulky and intermittent. It would only actually display anything when the car had been well warmed up - say 6 hours or so. Even then, it might decide to offer the information in Medieval Martian, rather than in conventional English.
This became problematic for me regarding inspections because I knew they wanted the mileage and the digital odometer usually refused to cooperate. I went for about a year without getting the car inspected because I was afraid they’d give me a rejection sticker - good for about two weeks during which time you’re supposed to get the problem fixed and then get the car re-inspected. Except there was little money for what I saw as an essentially cosmetic repair. I acquired two warnings and three real tickets during that period of time. The tickets cost $50 apiece - initially.
In Massachusetts, car insurance (also mandatory) is regulated by the state. And the state, in it’s supreme wisdom, regards any ticket as a moving violation. Therefore, it goes on your record and your insurance costs go up proportionately - for the following 7 years.
I know, I know - it was stupid to avoid the inspection in the first place. After the last ticket, I finally decided to see what would happen and I brought the car in. The new microscopic inspections hadn’t been instituted at that point. You drove your car into the bay and an inspector stood outside the car and checked tires, shocks and ball joints. Then he’d have you run through the head, tail and directional lights and hit the horn. At that point, they would generally lean in the driver’s window to check the odometer. This time, the inspector simply stood beside the door and asked me what the mileage was. Stunned, I gave him my closest guess which he wrote down on his clipboard. One sticker and $15 later, I was on my way - legal for the first time in a year.
Inspections aren’t nearly so distressing now. I’m a little smarter about things and my last two cars have been good cars. But getting myself into the station to actually have the thing done is still a bit unnerving. The inspector could tell me that the frammis is gone and has to be replaced because the knobjig could implode at any moment. And what could I do?
The station I usually go to is a family business. The son runs the main garage now and Dad has taken over inspection duty. He is pleasant and polite in the way of older men who have never understood or accepted the sexual revolution. He returned Lily after about 15 minutes, handed me my registration and the printout that said Lily was in acceptable condition and said, “Thank-you dear. Have a nice day!”
I thanked him, went out to admire the new sticker and then went home.
Trauma over for another year :)
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Ah well, all I can say is that vehicle inspection is a lot cheaper and quicker than in the UK. It’s every bit as nerve wracking though. I used to drive a 15 year old car, so the inspection was always an occasion for chewed finger ends lol.
Pam - I’m just waiting for the state to decide that having empty soda bottles in the back seat is legitimate cause for rejection :)
