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Yearly car inspection....

Junkman

Extra Super Moderator
Had to have the car emissions and safety inspected. $29 (cash only)..... Needed to have the two catalytic converters replace .. $244 parts, $150 3 hours labor, $12.20 tax. Total $406.20......
4 new tires.....$376.16, $39.80 install, disposal fee, road hazard guarantee, lifetime balance & rotation, $18.81 tax....Total $434.77
Check engine light not working needed to be done at a Ford dealer.. $3.00 for the bulb.... $82.95 one hours labor to change bulb... $8.51 shop supplies and EPA Compliance fee...Sales tax..$5.67. total $100.13 Total time worked on car 35 minuted from driving it into shop and driving it out to parking lot ..... Why is it that the independent shops don't have this $8.51 additional cost and high labor charges. The tire dealer mounted the tires, balanced them and then disposed of the 4 old tires. The muffler shop removed the old catalytic converters, installed new ones and disposed of the old ones. The Ford dealer wanted approximately $1200 parts cost for the catalytic converters, plus 3 hours labor, a hazardous waste disposal fee, plus the shop supplies and the EPA compliance fee. I also priced the same tires at the dealership and they were $20 per tire more expensive, plus they charged for mounting, balancing, & disposal, shop materials and EPA Compliance fees. All that would have added more than another $100 to the cost of the tires, which were already over priced. It is no wonder that the car dealers and the American automobile manufacturers are having a hard time winning back customers. The interesting thing about the Ford dealer was that they were so slow work wise, that they took it in immediately without an appointment. There were a few mechanics mulling around outside, since there was no work for them inside. I wonder if the dealership screwed the mechanic by only paying him for 1/2 hours labor... I wouldn't doubt it..
I expect that they will be installing pay toilets in the dealerships soon, since toilet paper prices have gone up a few pennies this past year.
 

HGM

New member
Junkman said:
I wonder if the dealership screwed the mechanic by only paying him for 1/2 hours labor... I wouldn't doubt it.. .


The answer is, more than likely, no.. But, he probably only got $18-22 of the $82.95...
 

RoadKing

Silver Member
Site Supporter
Junkman said:
Had to have the car emissions and safety inspected. $29 (cash only)..... Needed to have the two catalytic converters replace .. $244 parts, $150 3 hours labor, $12.20 tax. Total $406.20......
4 new tires.....$376.16, $39.80 install, disposal fee, road hazard guarantee, lifetime balance & rotation, $18.81 tax....Total $434.77
My Dear Junkman, You obviously haven't grasped the finer points of getting an inspection sticker in oru wonderful state. What you have to do is go to your nearest large city and find a minority owned garage. Personally all my cars get inspected in Lowell at a garage owned by a recently arrived Cambodian gentleman who can hardly speak english and doesn't read it at all. This is my third year going here, all he's ever checked are the lights, I've never been on the dyno. He sticks the wand in the tailpipe but doesn't put the sensors on the engine. The state inspectors are somewhat strict with garages but they will not mess with minority owned garages because they're afraid of bad press and the garage owners know this.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
As RoadKing said, there's nothing like a "lick-em and stick-em" kind of inspection shop but they're getting hard to find.

Junk - I was 80% into your post thinking it must be a MB until you posted it was for your new Ford.

One of the main reasons I dropped the Mercedes was the exorbitant prices I had to pay for "routine" maintenance.

Sorry to hear about your plight.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Junk, move to Indiana. First, the inspection is free. Second, it only has to be done once every other year (or is it every 3rd year?). Third, they only check the emissions, not the idiot lights and other stuff.
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Move to Ohio..........as long as you don't live in Hamilton County (Cincinnati) or Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), no e-check is needed.
 

AndyM

Charter Member
OhioTC18 said:
Move to Ohio..........as long as you don't live in Hamilton County (Cincinnati) or Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), no e-check is needed.

What counties are included in the Ohio E-Check program?

The 7 Ohio counties currently participating in the program include: Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit.


Darn, I wouldn't have to have my tailpipe probed if I lived across the street!
No testing required over there-- The air must be cleaner on the other side of the road. :(
 

Junkman

Extra Super Moderator
bczoom said:
Junk - I was 80% into your post thinking it must be a MB until you posted it was for your new Ford.

One of the main reasons I dropped the Mercedes was the exorbitant prices I had to pay for "routine" maintenance.

Sorry to hear about your plight.

Actually this is the old Ford Explorer that I hit the deer with last fall. I bought the wife a new car and kept this one since it had almost no value. I drove it all winter and this past summer, I fixed the deer damage with used parts. I have parked the Mercedes and am going to turn in the plates tomorrow since I have only driven it 7,000 miles in the past two years. We have 1 truck, 3 cars, and 2 antiques registered. I have decided that I am giving too much to the insurance companies, so the truck and Mercedes are going into long term storage. The Mercedes needs some work, and I don't think that it is worth putting any money into it. It also has no value due to the defective engine harness that all of the 1992 - 1998 Mercedes suffer from. Mercedes is charging $1400 for the replacement and about 5 hours labor. I keep hoping that there will be a safety recall, but at this point, I don't think that it will happen. It also needs a exhaust system for about $800. The car is a 95 E320 with about 85K on the clock. Even the Mercedes dealer turned it down for a trade in. So much for there stellar resale value.
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
AndyM said:
What counties are included in the Ohio E-Check program?

The 7 Ohio counties currently participating in the program include: Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit.


Darn, I wouldn't have to have my tailpipe probed if I lived across the street!
No testing required over there-- The air must be cleaner on the other side of the road. :(

Sorry Andy, I only knew of those 2.........
Okay move to Franklin County and drive whatever piece of crap that starts. I see a bunch on the roadside here every day
 

dzalphakilo

Banned
How many here though have to pay an annual tax on the value of your vehicle every year??

Been in N.C too long, forgot some of the other states laws, but don't ever remember having to pay yearly taxes on cars.

Another interesting thing in N.C, get a ticket with points while driving, if you don't get a lawyer, general rule of thumb is one point = 100 dollars per year on your insurance premium for three years (a speeding ticket is 3 points, that comes out to $900 for three years "extra" on your insurance.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Junkman said:
The car is a 95 E320 with about 85K on the clock. Even the Mercedes dealer turned it down for a trade in. So much for there stellar resale value.
So much for their cars... period. :puke1: I know I won't buy any more of them.

Mrs. Zoom now drives (a pair of) Audi A-6's. The older one requires maintenance but the new one just seems to run.... like a Honda. :thumb:
 

OkeeDon

New member
Move to Florida, there is no vehicle inspection. For a couple of years after tey did away with inspections, some state troopers would randomly pull over a few of the worse looking cars and inspect them on the spot, but lately they seem to have forgotten they can do this.

There also is no annual tax for the car, other than the registration fee, which is pretty reasonable at $27.60 to $45.60 depending on weight. There is also a $10 fee when they issue a new metal plate instead of a sticker, which seems to happen about every 6 years.
 

Junkman

Extra Super Moderator
CT has a tax that is the cars actual blue book value times your towns mill rate. MA has a tax that is determined by a depreciated value of the cost when new. I don't remember the rate that MA uses.
The Federal Government originally mandated the emissions inspections for all the states that had air quality issues. I was told that about 5 years ago, that they dropped the emission inspection requirement, but the states want to keep it since a portion of the money paid for inspection is returned to the state. I know that of the $29 that MA charges, $14 of that goes to the state. I see this as just another form of taxation, but that is what states do.... tax everything that they can. In MA, a vehicle title cost $50!!! A friend in MA recently pointed out to me that it cost less to register a antique car with regular plates that have no restrictions on use, then it is to register it as an antique.
 

RoadKing

Silver Member
Site Supporter
Junkman said:
I see this as just another form of taxation, but that is what states do.... tax everything that they can.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but how's this for fair. I live in Taxachusetts I own a 2002 Harley, I ride with friends in Maine one owns a 2000 Road King his insurance is $272 per year. The other friend owns a 2005 Road King and pays $358 per year. I have the highest driver grade posible have not had an accident, moving violation or insurance claim in over 20 yrs. My insurance bill for '06 is $1667.00.
 

DaveNay

Klaatu barada nikto
SUPER Site Supporter
RoadKing said:
I don't want to hijack the thread, but how's this for fair. I live in Taxachusetts I own a 2002 Harley, I ride with friends in Maine one owns a 2000 Road King his insurance is $272 per year. The other friend owns a 2005 Road King and pays $358 per year. I have the highest driver grade posible have not had an accident, moving violation or insurance claim in over 20 yrs. My insurance bill for '06 is $1667.00.

I'd bet that has nothing to do with your driving ability, but the statistical likelyhood of the bike being stolen or wrecked based upon your place of residence.
 

RoadKing

Silver Member
Site Supporter
DaveNay said:
I'd bet that has nothing to do with your driving ability, but the statistical likelyhood of the bike being stolen or wrecked based upon your place of residence.

I understand that's part of it, but I still think the disparity is to wide. Secondly, because the state dictates the rate structure major insurers Geico, Progressive etc. refuse to write in this state. That surely doesn't help to get competitive rates.
 

HGM

New member
RoadKing said:
I don't want to hijack the thread, but how's this for fair. I live in Taxachusetts I own a 2002 Harley, I ride with friends in Maine one owns a 2000 Road King his insurance is $272 per year. The other friend owns a 2005 Road King and pays $358 per year. I have the highest driver grade posible have not had an accident, moving violation or insurance claim in over 20 yrs. My insurance bill for '06 is $1667.00.


I always though it was a pretty bad scam too..... The fact that a guy that pays $15-25k for a bike that typicaly,in stock form, will never see over 100mph and is driven by mostly older, settled down guys, will still pay a high insurance premium because he is grouped in with the entry level riders on $2-8,000 crotch rockets with a high (stupidity factor) incident level.... I never understood it, but its rare that you can be treated fairly(insurance wise) on a bike... I was looking recently and State Farm told me it would be $1200 per year, but they also admited they didnt want to insure a bike..:pat:
 

Junkman

Extra Super Moderator
RoadKing said:
I don't want to hijack the thread, but how's this for fair. I live in Taxachusetts I own a 2002 Harley, I ride with friends in Maine one owns a 2000 Road King his insurance is $272 per year. The other friend owns a 2005 Road King and pays $358 per year. I have the highest driver grade posible have not had an accident, moving violation or insurance claim in over 20 yrs. My insurance bill for '06 is $1667.00.

Register and insure the bike in Maine and save the $$$$$$. If someone should ask, then tell them that it is primarily used at a get away cottage. MA has stupid laws concerning the insurance companies and does everything to get the rest of the state to subsidize the people that live inside the 128 loop. That is where the bulk of the insurance costs are the highest because of the accident rate and the crime rate. Unfortunately the people as far away as the Berkshires have to pay high rates so the Boston people can get a break. Personally, I think that they should make everything inside of 128 another state and let them pay for everything.
 
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