| Author |
Message |
    
ess
Citizen
Username: Ess
Post Number: 2084
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 12:17 pm: | 
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Something on another thread reminded me that it's time to get my car inspected.
Does anyone know where the nearest inspection station is? (Nearest to Maplewood, that is.)
Thanks in advance. |
Virtual It Girl
Citizen
Username: Shh
Post Number: 4515
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 12:22 pm: |
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You mean the State Inspection Station, where you don't have to pay? I go to Westfield, though I believe there's one in Montclair & Newark too.
Be forewarned however, directions from the website got me totally lost for about 40 minutes. Last time I took a different route and had no prob, but that was a few years back.
Find the info online njdmv.org or something like that and call for an appt. I had basically no wait time (but have to go back with fixed wipers ) |
ess
Citizen
Username: Ess
Post Number: 2087
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 12:26 pm: |
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Hmmm...it wasn't on the website, but let me check again.
Is having an appointment a new thing? I don't remember ever doing that before... |
Hank Zona
Supporter
Username: Hankzona
Post Number: 5625
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 12:32 pm: |
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make the appointment...Westfield is easy to get to but I find going to Rt. 22 easier than Route 10. Depending on where you live in M-SO, Montclair may be easier.
I have gone with and without appointments...if you are lucky and dont have an appointment, you can breeze through, but if they are booked, you'll sit and wait a long time to get your turn. |
Wendy
Supporter
Username: Wendy
Post Number: 2527
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 12:52 pm: |
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I believe you are required to make an appointment (simple) at Westfield, which is where I go. Here is the site: http://www.patdas.com/appointments/. Let me know if you need directions to get there and I can talk you through it. VIG can too now I bet. Just make sure you've already renewed your registation before you go. That you can do online as well but via the dmv site instead of the appointment site. |
ess
Citizen
Username: Ess
Post Number: 2088
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 12:58 pm: |
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Wendy, thank you so much!
I navigated the site and made the appointment for Monday at the Montclair station. Fortunately, I had renewed my registration online, and got my new driver's license yesterday. This is the only missing piece (and not a moment too soon). |
las
Citizen
Username: Las
Post Number: 1783
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 1:02 pm: |
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Ess, I'm new at this. How do you know you need an inspection? |
Mayor McCheese
Supporter
Username: Mayor_mccheese
Post Number: 1574
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 1:02 pm: |
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Don't go to Westfield. They are awful. They failed my car because they said that my new tire was too thin. Of course they didn't actually tell me that. The woman told me that I failed, and when I asked why she stopped to yell at me that the papers were in the car, and to get in my car and leave. So, off to Firestone. They gave me paperwork saying that all the tires were fine and I took the car back a few weeks later. They refused to look that the paperwork and ran the car through the test again, and this time it passed. What a waste of time. |
ess
Citizen
Username: Ess
Post Number: 2089
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 1:07 pm: |
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Ah, thanks Mayor, now I am happier about my decision to go to Montclair. Sorry you had that unpleasant experience.
Las - I know my car needs to be inspected because it has an "05" inspection sticker. I don't think I had it inspected before, as I got some sort of new car extension that was good until last year. With all this talk about checkpoints, I am a little concerned.
Your car, since it is much newer, should be fine. The inspection sticker on the driver's side will tell you when you need to take it in. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14535
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 1:15 pm: |
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Many have written here about good experiences at Westfield. I had a good one, too. Too bad the woman was so unpleasant with you, Mayor. I guess everywhere you go is a crapshoot. I was stunned at how easy it was in Westfield. I got my appointed time precisely. In and out in about 20 minutes.
Subarus are exempt from the emissions test, since they don't have the equipment to test full time all wheel drive vehicles! 
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ess
Citizen
Username: Ess
Post Number: 2090
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 1:32 pm: |
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Oh, excellent. I have a Subaru. Yay!! |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14537
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 1:36 pm: |
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Not that we expect our Subarus to fail, of course.
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greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7860
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 1:38 pm: |
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If your car fails, check all the paper work before you leave; even if you are getting yelled at.
Last year, our 1991 Mazda failed. OK, it needed a new catalytic converter. Our mechanic found a used one for us. It failed again. Back we went to the mechanic. Turns out that the vehicle was tested at the wrong weight class.
It wasn't as simple as taking it back for another inspection. A car can only fail so many times. So, you want every erroneous failure off the car's history. We had to get the 2nd failure removed, which our mechanic did for us (bless his heart). |
catmanjac
Citizen
Username: Catmanjac
Post Number: 237
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 2:10 pm: |
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I went to the Westfield station with my '99 Subaru several years ago, and even though it is exempt from being tested on the treadmill like thing (I can't remember its name), and I told them that and showed them the warnings in my owner's manual about it, the stupid, brainless, idiot did it anyway, and it ended up being a police matter.
At the time, although exempt from that test, other emissions testing was done. Now, most vehicles newer than 1996 are "plugged" in electronically to test them.
Good luck, and keep your eye on them the whole time.
Two years later I went to Montclair, and although they didn't make the same mistake on my Subaru, they damn near ruined a guys AWD Porsche, and the attendant obviously couldn't drive a stick as he kept stalling it trying to get it into the station.
As I said, Good luck. |
ess
Citizen
Username: Ess
Post Number: 2092
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 2:28 pm: |
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Oh, great. It used to be so easy - drive up, drive through, go home.
I don't have a manual transmission, and the car is newer than 1996, so I hope I don't encounter the issues mentioned above. However, thanks for the warnings!!
[Edited per Greenetree's post, below.] |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7861
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 2:32 pm: |
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Newer than 2006? That's brand-new, right? Anything newer than 2002 shouldn't be due for inspection, since we're now on a 4-year schedule. |
ess
Citizen
Username: Ess
Post Number: 2096
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 2:48 pm: |
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Thanks for the catch. I fixed it. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14544
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 2:56 pm: |
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What do you mean a police matter? Are you saying they drove it off the conveyor belt and collided it into something?
Someone who can't drive a car in first gear shouldn't have that job! Same for someone who doesn't understand that an all wheel drive car won't stay still on a single pair of rollers.
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catmanjac
Citizen
Username: Catmanjac
Post Number: 242
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 3:09 pm: |
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They set the parking brake very firmly, which locks the rear wheels. The dynamometer then forced the front wheels to turn fast with the rear wheels locked, something the car is not intended to do. The station manager didn't give a sh;t, so I had to call the police and sign a complaint. I also filed with the DMV and Parsons (the lame company operating the inspection stations). They paid for the car to be towed to the closest Subaru dealer. Subaru was not able to determine if any damage had occurred without dismantling the AWD transfer case which they said they never do-- they just replace them if they go bad. Parsons knows about the "Subaru problem" and claims to have retrained their people regarding them and other AWD vehicles (If you believe that one...) While I haven't had any trouble, I was told that what the inspection people did was probably the equivalent of 100,000 miles of wear and tear on the AWD system. |
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