What's wrong with this picture?

[JST]

No, Virginia didn't make me get an emissions test, though I was sort of half expecting that they would. But the requirement to get a "safety" inspection on a brand new car continues to baffle me.

 

[jerry33]

Most states have a similar laws. I believe it's so that the police don't have to guess which is a new car and which is an old car when they see one without a sticker. We don't pay police enough to get officers that have memorized every possible model and year.

 

[Doug_G]

Most states have a similar laws. I believe it's so that the police don't have to guess which is a new car and which is an old car when they see one without a sticker. We don't pay police enough to get officers that have memorized every possible model and year.

That's silly. In Ontario you simply can't get the license without a safety. No need for a separate tag on the car.

 

[jerry33]

That's silly. In Ontario you simply can't get the license without a safety. No need for a separate tag on the car.

Agreed, but here the safety sticker comes from the state and the license goes through the county (even though it comes from the state). Just too many layers of government. Federal--State--County--City--School District.

 

[JST]

VA requires an annual safety inspection, which is conducted by private inspectors. After you get the safety inspection, you get a huge and annoying sticker in the center of your windshield.

But the safety inspection is not tied to the DMV. You can get ticketed for not having a sticker, but you can get plates from the DMV without having a safety inspection.

If you have an ICE, you also need an emissions inspection (in certain cities and counties). That is tied into the DMV, for whatever reason. You can't get a plate without an emissions inspection.

Tax, though, isn't handled by the DMV. It's assessed by the county or city you live in. The DMV thus charges a flat fee for registration, and it's up to the car owner to register and pay their tax bill with the county.

How do police know you've done that? Another giant sticker in the center of the windshield, of course.

 

[ZBB]

Dumb.

 

[reddy]

Texas required one for me too. Some areas of Texas have a smog check, so perhaps somebody could chime in here about whether Tesla gets a pass on that.

In any event, we have a choice of places to get our inspection, so I chose the most obvious..... Jiffy Lube.

 

[jerry33]

Texas required one for me too. Some areas of Texas have a smog check, so perhaps somebody could chime in here about whether Tesla gets a pass on that.

They plug in the VIN and what to test comes out. Basically it means that the Model S costs $10 to inspect.

 

[Electroman]

$15 for Leaf. Whatever they do for an ICE minus emissions.

 

[purplewalt]

They check function of: headlights, turn indicator functions (front and rear), brake lights, horn, wiper blades and a quick drive to check the brakes and steering.
Just the minimum amount they CAN actually check on a Model S (since it does not have a tailpipe).

My local neighborhood shop was baffled that there was no tailpipe...hehehe.
The writing is on the wall.

 

[scaesare]

VA requires an annual safety inspection, which is conducted by private inspectors. After you get the safety inspection, you get a huge and annoying sticker in the center of your windshield.

But the safety inspection is not tied to the DMV. You can get ticketed for not having a sticker, but you can get plates from the DMV without having a safety inspection.

If you have an ICE, you also need an emissions inspection (in certain cities and counties). That is tied into the DMV, for whatever reason. You can't get a plate without an emissions inspection.

Tax, though, isn't handled by the DMV. It's assessed by the county or city you live in. The DMV thus charges a flat fee for registration, and it's up to the car owner to register and pay their tax bill with the county.

How do police know you've done that? Another giant sticker in the center of the windshield, of course.

Hear, hear on the annoying stickers...oof...one of the things I had to get used to when I moved to VA from CA.

I have a good relationship with my mechanic, and the initial "safety inspection" was an excuse to give the guys in the shop their first tour of one up close, then to put it up on the lift so we could all check it out from underneath... they were impressed with the engineering. Then I let him take it for a spin.

 

[jthompson]

Here, here on the annoying stickers...oof...one of the things I had to get used to when I moved to VA from CA.

I have a good relationship with my mechanic, and the initial "safety inspection" was an excuse to give the guys in the shop their first tour of one up close, then to put it up on the lift so we could all check it out from underneath... they were impressed with the engineering. Then I let him take it for a spin.

I did the same thing!

 

[ElSupreme]

In Georgia we don't have any stickers or safety checks, and EVs are exempt from emissions testing. But they don't actually check emissions any more. They just hook up to your CAN bus and check to see if you engine threw any fault codes, and you have driven 50 miles since the last reset.

I had a VW/Audi tool and three tries and my Dad's TT passed with flying colors. The first two were failures. The following years he cleared out the faults ahead of time, and passed on the first or second go. Not a single time would they or did they actually check what was coming out the back of the car.

Oh they also test you gas cap, to make sure it doesn't leak.

 

[jerry33]

Not a single time would they or did they actually check what was coming out the back of the car.

I don't think many places actually check the exhaust anymore. My guesses are 1) They trust the car's diagnostics and 2) The amount of complaints, calls, smog testing equipment purchases, and smog testing equipment maintenance cost more to handle than the revenue from the test. (Inspections are 90% about revenue and 10% about anything else.)