Texas Auto Inspection

stomachmonkey · 03-06-2008, 06:34 PM

Local guys. Need a "friendly" inspection station in FlowerMound/Grapevine/FortWorth area.

Brought 4 cars down from NY, wifes 01 Tahoe, my 911, the 55 190SL and my beater 85 Bronco ll.

Wifes Tahoe failed for the friggin parking brake, in a state that's flatter than my 4 year old sons chest . Since all my tools are in storage till the house gets built I'm stuck with using stealers, err, dealers for service. $750 to fix the parking brake issue. Add in the various fees for "new residents" and one car cost me $1000 to register down here.

So I need someone that can be convinced to overlook (wink wink) minor things like that if necc.

Any suggestions.

M.D. Holloway · 03-06-2008, 07:02 PM

On the right on 407 - Just before Thom Thumb grocery. You can get your car washed as well. Tell them the guy with the old white targa sent ya. It costs me $12 for an inspection there. Good guys.

stomachmonkey · 03-06-2008, 07:29 PM

$12 bucks. WTF???? Wife paid $35!!!!!!!. The Penzoil Place??? That's where the wife went. There is no "fixed" price for inspections? In NY everyone is required by law to charge the same.

OK That's it, I keep threatening this but I need to buy you and the wife dinner. I need the full intel.

We are doing the parents night thing at WinKids Saturday so the wife and i are free.

Get yourself a sitter and pick the place, dinners on me.

Think I'm working from home tomorrow as well.

mattdavis11 · 03-07-2008, 05:14 AM

His car is 25 years or older, no sniffer test for him, safety only which is $12.50. $38.50 is the going rate if they have to hook you up in non attainment counties which Denton county is, i think.

How's the weather treating you? Feel more like home yet? I hope pelican can entertain me today, I gots me a day off.

hardflex · 03-07-2008, 05:22 AM

anything 82 or older is $12 inspections, no smog test, just lights, brakes, etc. Horn always gets me on the 914's. You have to have insurance to get it inspected too.

I have heard of those 'friendly places' but it's an extra $40 for that. Might be cheaper to fix the E brake, especially since you get a free second try. What is it, a broken cable?

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

Pretty fcking cold down there in the Lone Star State of late, snow in Cut'n Shoot apparently, which is mighty close to Houston for that sort of thing, closed IAH for a whole day according to the in laws. Fix all your lights and your horn before you go

Rikao4 · 03-07-2008, 05:29 AM

Stay away from the Oil-change/inspection stations. I have a soooo friendly place, but alas it's in SA.
Lube's place sounds like mine.
Rika

mattdavis11 · 03-07-2008, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hardflex

anything 82 or older is $12 inspections, no smog test, just lights, brakes, etc.

83

Actually you are right, but you can bring up the build date on them though.

Still hasn't motivated me to get checked though. Last year was free!

Joeaksa · 03-07-2008, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

How's the weather treating you? Feel more like home yet? I hope pelican can entertain me today, I gots me a day off.

Guess you have not been watching the news? It snowed heavily in Denton yesterday, so the Texas welcome is trying to make him feel at home with some good NE Weather!

stomachmonkey · 03-07-2008, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hardflex

anything 82 or older is $12 inspections, no smog test, just lights, brakes, etc. Horn always gets me on the 914's. You have to have insurance to get it inspected too.

I have heard of those 'friendly places' but it's an extra $40 for that. Might be cheaper to fix the E brake, especially since you get a free second try. What is it, a broken cable?

Don't know what the issue is with the e brake on the Bronco beater. It's one of those pedal type actuators on the left side of footwell. Seems like the ratchet mechanism is toast as it does not lock in place.

DYI'ng it is the issue. All of my tools are in the storage unit and not accessible.

The Bronco is what we call a "station car" in NY. Any POS that starts reliably and has working heat that you drive to and from the commuter station. The bigger a POS the better. If it breaks you pull the tags and leave it where it died and pick up another one. Saves the good cars from the abuse of short mileage driving and the body damage they get in commuter stations.

The "extra" 40 would have been worth it on the wifes truck, cost 750 to fix at the stealer.
That one burns me because her model year had a whacky e brake system that is prone to premature failure. They recalled the same year Silverados for it but not the Tahoes, same exact system. Even the service manager at the stealer admitted they should have recalled the Tahoes and was baffled as to why they had not.

Funny that in hilly NY they don't inspect for that but here in pancake land they do.

mattdavis11 · 06:03 AM

That's what I was getting at.

They shut down my school (Denton), and now I aint got $hit to do today. 10 miles to my north got pounded.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

You can sometimes get loaner tools from Kragen, used to anyway, leave a deposit

Sounds to me like you could dispute their not doing the recall for your Tahoe, pretty much same truck with different body isn't it?

Scuba Steve · 03-07-2008, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Add in the various fees for "new residents" and one car cost me $1000 to register down here.

Ok now you're making me nervous... what's with the new resident stuff, because I'll get to deal with that in a few months?

stomachmonkey · 03-07-2008, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scuba Steve

Ok now you're making me nervous... what's with the new resident stuff, because I'll get to deal with that in a few months?

The $1k included having to get the ebrake fixed.

I think the DMV hit was around $170 with the new resident "tax" plus $35-40 inspection fee.

stomachmonkey · 03-07-2008, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

That's what I was getting at.

They shut down my school (Denton), and now I aint got $hit to do today. 10 miles to my north got pounded.

Yeah my kids are home today.

What's up with that?

This was nothing.

Back in NY they would not have had early closing or delayed opening for a dusting of 4 inches.

hardflex · 03-07-2008, 08:55 AM

hey now, this is Texas. We don't have Taxes here. Those aren't taxes, they are 'user fees' lol

It would seem you could make a case that the E Brake would stop the car in an emergency, and Park would keep it stationary while parked. So it's not really a safety issue And if you told him of the recall, perhaps the tech would overlook the ebrake problem. Tough to count on that, though.

Joeaksa · 03-07-2008, 09:11 AM

Hey, do not feel bad. Overseas they require the emergency brake to be tested on the rollers and at least one stop up to the same parameters as the normal brakes. For them its a real "emergency" brake and if it is not up to snuff the whole car is failed.

Hope that test never gets adopted here in the states.

Rikao4 · 03-07-2008, 09:29 AM

if TUV type inspection came here...well folks around here would get skinny fast.
ie..jacked up trucks..no-go...
Rika

stomachmonkey · 03-07-2008, 09:53 AM

That's the Euro in me coming out. I call it an ebrake. It really is nothing more than a parking brake.

If someone really believes that those tiny little manually operated shoes are going to stop that monster before it's "too late" then they are smokin some serious stuff.

M.D. Holloway · 03-07-2008, 01:09 PM

My Inlaws are here til Sunday. I have been north of Amarillo for the past few days. The panhandle is so so different than Nord Tejas. Thursday the home got 3+ inches. Kids loved building snowmen - of course they don't have to drive in it with anxious Tejasians either.

StoMo - Yes I will let you buy us dinner! My Wife is a well of money saving intel.