I am going to continue by saying that this inspection process is made out to be a lot harder and more frustrating than what it needs to be, and I think that the biggest problem is that nobody seems to understand what needs to be in good order for the vehicle to pass. That being said, I have decided to document and post what needs to be, and what needs not be, to pass.
First, since my occupation is fleet mechanic, while you get to deal with this in the commonwealth of pennsyltucky once per year, I get to deal with it on a monthly basis. Second, inspections and making vehicles of many types pass inspection the first time is a crucial part of my job.
You will need the following items to check your vehicle...
A tire tread depth gauge or a penny
Tools to remove the tires
A flashlight
safety glasses
jack stands and a good jack (your factory supplied jack may not get the vehicle high enough)
The first thing you want to do is check out all of your exterior lighting. It all needs to work, including any aftermarket lighting that may have been installed. To check your reverse lamps, set your parking brake, turn the key ON but do NOT start the engine, place the transmission into reverse and see if the reverse lamps are on.
Put the vehicle into park, turn off the key, and walk around your vehicle. Are there any rust holes that would allow exhaust gasses into the interior? those need to be repaired. Are there any parts of the car that are sticking out that could injure someone walking by? Fix them.
This is a problem
Push the front end of the car down a few times. Does the car continue to bounce or does it stop moving relatively quickly? Do the same thing to the back. you are checking the shocks and springs. More than two bounces after you stop pushing the car down and you might want to replace the shocks and/or springs.
Check the glass (the inspection manual calls this "glazing") for cracks and chips. If your windows are broken chances are the car will fail. The windshield is a little different. If the chips and/or cracks do NOT come into your field of vision then the vehicle MIGHT pass. it depends upon how bad the damage is. It also depends on the inspector (and in my case it depends upon the severity of the damage). Frankly, you should replace a cracked windshield.
Check the tread on the tires. 2/32" is the absolute MINIMUM and if the wear bars are visible across or on any part of the tire, it fails.
Go ahead and open the hood. Is the battery secure? Are the vacuum lines intact, connected, and not damaged? Is oil or some other fluid all over the engine?
It only looks intimidating
Now the hard part...
Jack up the front of the car slightly by placing the jack as shown in the photo below, just enough so that the tire is off the ground. Use a tire tool or other tool to try to raise the tire and pay attention to the area right behind the tire. There are ball joints there, upper and lower. Those should move with the tire and only the tire. If they move on their own or if there is any looseness present, they are bad and need to be replaced.
Remove the tire and check the brake parts. Do the pads look thin? Rotors look chewed up? Wet spots? These are trouble signs that must be addressed.
Any wet spots or fuel smell are also signs of problems that need to be addressed sooner rather than later. Check out any lines while you are under the car for rust on the severe side. If the brake and fuel lines are severely rusted you might want to have them replaced. Surface rust is another issue, as almost any line that is not stainless is going to have some sort of surface rust. I have found that if you take some scotchbrite and rub it against the line, if it cleans up to shiny metal within 10 to 20 strokes then it is probably ok. Any more than that and it's a ticking time bomb.
It's now time to check the exhaust out. Typically, the exhaust mist be intact, with a catalytic converter present, a muffler, and no holes or leaks present in the entire system. The exhaust must exit away from the body in most cases (no turn downs or electric dumps permitted) and the hangers must be present. If you have a small hole or two in the exhaust (see below picture) you can certainly patch them with an exhaust high temperature wrap or weld them shut. If you have a whole section of pipe that is looking like swiss cheese then this is something that you will want to replace.
This is not that bad so I will weld it closed...
Finally, the emissions portion of the test is just a check to make sure that the emissions control items are in place and operational, but this is not a visual check only. The inspector is going to hook your car up to a machine via the diagnostic port under the dash and read any codes stored by the engine computer. Here is a hint: if the check engine light is on, your computer is storing a code and will not pass inspection, no matter what the light is on for. If the check engine light is on, there are places that will check it for free and tell you what it is that is causing the light to come on. Of course they are also going to try to sell you a part to install, so that kind of comes with the territory.
Finally, there are some things I am going to say here just because before I got my inspection license (no I cannot inspect your car, sorry) I got the run around from a number of shops all over the place...
1.)If your ABS light is on, this is NOT an immediate fail. This light just means something is wrong with the ABS system, it does not mean you do not have working brakes.
2.)The only colors of lights you can have on the front of the car are white and amber.
3.)The only colors permitted on the rear of the car are white, red and amber.
4.)Any aftermarket lighting must work.
5.)You typically have 30 days to make safety corrections. 10 days for emissions.
6.)You do not have to use the inspection place you go to make the repairs. You can do these yourself or take it to another shop (but the other shop will NOT just pass your car, it must return to the original inspection station for any free re-test)
7.)MOST places will give you one free re-test should you fail. Ask them about this when you make your appointment. Personally, if they do not do one free re-test then I would find another shop.
8.)If your check engine light is on, chances are you will fail.
9.)There is no candlepower limit on headlamps, this unfortunately includes those annoying lights that are brighter than the sun and seem to be more blue than white.
10.)Have your valid registration and valid proof of insurance in the vehicle. This is part of the process.
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