Another Annual Inspection - Success!

[Urchin]

In the US, individual states determine whether a car needs the equivalent of an MOT [albeit a very low level version] in order to remain on the road.

Maine has the usual set of lights-wipers-directionals requirements, as well as a "no structural rust" requirement. Your brakes must work(some shops remove road wheels to check on the brake components and lines) and all suspension/steering pieces must be strong and tight. You can leak oil, but not gas or brake fluid, and still pass.

So I'm happy to report that the QE IV, my Spider, passed its state inspection this morning. Our local garage, the island's only shop with an inspection license, does a comprehensive inspection. He crawled under the car, checked for rust, loose components, brake line leaks, gas leaks, etc., and pronounced it fit for another year. At 111,000 miles, it still seems to run well.

This year's experience speaks to using the car more often in the fall and winter. In previous years, the wipers have frozen in place from corrosion and/or the headlights won't raise because of a lack of use. Recent trips in the Spider have definitely made a difference.

Jeff

Jeffrey Aronson
P.O. Box 90
Vinalhaven, ME 04863
USA
'80 TR-7 Spider
'66 Land Rover Series II-A [2]
'66 Corvair Monza
www.landroverwriter.com

[windy one]

Here in NE-Philly its basically the same way with state inspections. Do you also have emissions testing there? Here if a vehicle requires emissions and state all the smog components are to be in place and car must pass a sniffer (in the exhaust)test. That is of course for a few exceptions. Tag a vehicle classic or antique, or drive certain year vehicles under 5000 miles a year and they wont bother with emiss. testing.

My inspection mechanic has been so for as long as Ive been old enough to own a car. He is thorough yet lax on any problem points found during inspections. If he finds something that fails or is close to failing, he will still put the sticker on and ask me to fix it in short time. Since I do most all my own work, I love it [:D]

Johnny

[Urchin]

Maine instituted emissions testing for some counties [the more populated areas] back in the '90's. It gave a contract to a private group which established a series of "emission test centers." The results were so horrific that the state stood up to the federal EPA and closed down the program.

There's no emissions testing at this time as part of the annual inspection. My local mechanic knows the work that I've done, or he has done, on the car during the year, and his knowledge does help move along the inspection. At times, he has put a sticker on the car when he knows I'll do the work, or he'll be doing it for me. We're personal friends, too, and he knows I would do nothing to jeopardize his license.

Jeff

Jeffrey Aronson
P.O. Box 90
Vinalhaven, ME 04863
USA
'80 TR-7 Spider
'66 Land Rover Series II-A [2]
'66 Corvair Monza
www.landroverwriter.com

[FI Spyder]

Definitely something to be said about an often used car having likelyhood of having less problems.

Here, we used to have emissions testing but it proved to expensive, too much beaurocracy and it only remained in high population centres like Vancouver....or maybe it was the fact that our polution gets blown directly acrossed the straight to the states.[:D][:D][:D]

We are free, free, freeeeee....[:D]


TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[Urchin]

Same reasons that Maine decided to end the expensive and infuriating experiment with emissions testing.

That said, I'd still like my TR-7 to be reasonably less polluting, so I don't mind knowing results if possible.

And right ho! - driving the TR-7 as much as possible is just wonderful.

Jeff

Jeffrey Aronson
P.O. Box 90
Vinalhaven, ME 04863
USA
'80 TR-7 Spider
'66 Land Rover Series II-A [2]
'66 Corvair Monza
www.landroverwriter.com