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First car inspection

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I took my car for it’s first inspection at my neighborhood Valvoline Oil Change location. I was immediately surrounded by 4 young gearheads with rapid-fire questions. They seemed to know a lot about the things they were most interested in.

How fast have you driven this car? 90
How fast will it go? About 145
Will it beat a Hellcat? Not mine but a performance model will
What is your 0-60? About 5 seconds
What is the one that can beat 2 seconds? Model S Raven
Do you the Insane Mode? No. Ludicrous? No
Do you have a charger at home? Yes
Are there enough chargers away from home? Yes with Tesla Superchargers
Can I open your Frunk? Sure
How about the Trunk? Sure
Cool car man! Thanks
Do you drive it - It looks brand new? I take good care of it.

Then when it came time to enter the car in their system and they could not find Tesla:

Who makes Tesla? Tesla
It must be foreign then? No made in California
It must be new then? Tesla has been around for years, this model was new in 2017.
I guess we need to update our software? Yes you do
I have done another Tesla but cannot remember how I entered it!
I will have to enter Other and type it in! OK.
Me: Will the DMV info be correct? Yes
We will have it updated next time! OK

I felt sorry for the other car owners in the other bays. These guys were all around my car for a good 15-20 minutes!
 
I took my car for it’s first inspection at my neighborhood Valvoline Oil Change location. I was immediately surrounded by 4 young gearheads with rapid-fire questions. They seemed to know a lot about the things they were most interested in.

How fast have you driven this car? 90
How fast will it go? About 145
Will it beat a Hellcat? Not mine but a performance model will
What is your 0-60? About 5 seconds
What is the one that can beat 2 seconds? Model S Raven
Do you the Insane Mode? No. Ludicrous? No
Do you have a charger at home? Yes
Are there enough chargers away from home? Yes with Tesla Superchargers
Can I open your Frunk? Sure
How about the Trunk? Sure
Cool car man! Thanks
Do you drive it - It looks brand new? I take good care of it.

Then when it came time to enter the car in their system and they could not find Tesla:

Who makes Tesla? Tesla
It must be foreign then? No made in California
It must be new then? Tesla has been around for years, this model was new in 2017.
I guess we need to update our software? Yes you do
I have done another Tesla but cannot remember how I entered it!
I will have to enter Other and type it in! OK.
Me: Will the DMV info be correct? Yes
We will have it updated next time! OK

I felt sorry for the other car owners in the other bays. These guys were all around my car for a good 15-20 minutes!
Sounds like a fun visit. Yes, they definitely need to update the software. But really, how many Teslas are gonna show up at an oil change joint?
 
Why would you take your electric car to a Valvoline Oil Change shop for inspection?

It doesn't surprise me they don't have Tesla in their database considering it doesn't use motor oil. Probably don't have Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Bolt either.

Because they do NC inspections and have inspected my other cars for years. Most inspection locations are at oil change shops or mechanical repair shops. We do not have any EV repair shops yet.

They only need to do the basic inspection: lights, horn, windshield wipers, etc.
 
For the benefit of other readers as well, what sort of inspection were you getting? Especially at an oil change place? Or was this to show off the Model 3? :p

It was a basic inspection: lights, brakes, horn, windshield wiper, etc. Most NC inspection stations are at oil change shops or mechanical repair shops. We do not have any EV repair shops yet. This one is just convenient and where I have taken my cars for years.
 
Why would you take your electric car to a Valvoline Oil Change shop for inspection?

It doesn't surprise me they don't have Tesla in their database considering it doesn't use motor oil. Probably don't have Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Bolt either.
I assume state software for inspections and same as anywhere in the state for states that have annual inspections. Nothing to do with the actual shop.
 
I assume state software for inspections and same as anywhere in the state for states that have annual inspections. Nothing to do with the actual shop.
I agree with your first sentence.

Nevertheless, software needs updating, whether it's the responsibility of the shop's manager to update, or the Valvoline chain to update and populate to the stores, or the state of North Carolina to auto update the computers of all the inspection stations.

From the original post:
Statement from shop employee: "I guess we need to update our software?"
 
Here in CA they don't care about lights and horns. We only have to get a smog check every other year. But Teslas don't, of course. (Another cost and hassle saving.) But just for fun, I've thought about at the two-year mark taking my Model 3 to our regular smog check station, playing dumb, and seeing what happens. :rolleyes:
I saw a video of a woman who drove a Tesla to a gas station. The folks behind her started videoing. She went hunting around the car looking for a place to stick the nozzle. Finally the guy out of his car, chuckling, and explained to her it's an electric car, doesn't use gas, etc. My guess is her boss sent her on an errand, maybe the car was low on charge and she thought she'd put a few gallons in. Or not. :)
 
  • Funny
Reactions: jdcollins5
Every year I need to do the safety/emissions inspection. I take the Model 3 to the same shop I've used since my ICE days. If it's a new tech, they will struggle. Can't start the car. Can't find the mileage. Can't get the registration out of the glove box. Can't figure out what to enter into their computer for a car with no emissions test needed.
 
  • Funny
Reactions: MichaelP90DL
Every year I need to do the safety/emissions inspection. I take the Model 3 to the same shop I've used since my ICE days. If it's a new tech, they will struggle. Can't start the car. Can't find the mileage. Can't get the registration out of the glove box. Can't figure out what to enter into their computer for a car with no emissions test needed.
...While the other techs are trying to stifle their laughter.
 
I saw a video of a woman who drove a Tesla to a gas station. The folks behind her started videoing. She went hunting around the car looking for a place to stick the nozzle. Finally the guy out of his car, chuckling, and explained to her it's an electric car, doesn't use gas, etc. My guess is her boss sent her on an errand, maybe the car was low on charge and she thought she'd put a few gallons in. Or not. :)
Yeah, I saw that too. I couldn’t decide whether it was staged.
 
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Reactions: tvad
Every year I need to do the safety/emissions inspection. I take the Model 3 to the same shop I've used since my ICE days. If it's a new tech, they will struggle. Can't start the car. Can't find the mileage. Can't get the registration out of the glove box. Can't figure out what to enter into their computer for a car with no emissions test needed.

I wanted to drive the car in the bay and perform all of the functions but I was told that they had to do this. So I rode in the passenger seat and helped him with anything he needed.:)