Boycott V.I.P. -parts, tires and service

[higheye]

I will not so much as buy a bottle of windshield washer fluid from them ever again...

brought my car to them for an alignment, and state inspection...dropped it off the night before; I wrote down what i want done and made sure they wrote it down too.  I get a call the next day they said i was all set to come pick it up...i get there and i asked how the state inspection went.  They guy said..."oh yeah the 12 point inspection went great, looks like you just had alot of work done on the front end." i said "you mean the state inspection?"
"oh no, looks like they dropped the ball on that...damn, it was written down too...uh when can you come back on monday?"
"the inspection was due last month, i need it done NOW"
so then he went and spoke to his manager and came back and said ok have a seat ill be done in an hour.  So i said ok ill just come back in an hour.

So i come back in an hour and they tell me my truck failed inspection and said i need to have $200 of work done on it...(strange since i just got it back from my TRUSTED (non state inspection station) mechanic and he said it looked great) anyways...the parts that i needed came out to be $10 and labor was about $190 (ive never heard of any inspection station checking for this peticular "problem")

so i paid for the parts and the alignment...i get out to my car expecting to find the key in the ignition since they didnt give it to me in the store...nope...had to go back into the store to get my key...they lost my key...finally they found it in the bottom of a bucket that the guy threw it into after he pulled my car out of the garage...so now im pretty ticked right?

i start driving home to the seacoast (this is londonderry VIP) and i notice my "alignment" is worse than before i brought it to them...with the wheel straight i drive off the road to the right...so i call up the manager and tell him whats goin on he says
"well people make mistakes"
and
"i dont think youll be able to find anything better at this service level"

not even a "sorry"...he told me to come back in on monday...so now im really pissed and i tell him about "service" means i paid you for a service that he not only did not complete but worsened the condition of my vehicle and ill call and tell them when i can come in to have it fixed!

ruined my weekend for sure!

[Nicholas Gilman]

   I once had a vehicle inspected and the inspector told me my windshield wiper blades were
worn out.  I had changed them less than an hour before the inspection, but they had gotten
dusty during the drive down a gravel road.  Pulled the receipt for them out of my
billfold and they suddenly said it passed. 

[Spencer]

What are you people talking about?  The government of NH requires cars to pass regular inspections that include an assessment of a person's windshield wipers?  Please tell me that this is not true.

[Ogre]

Well, in reality, the government requires you pay them a little extra money each year you want to drive your car on the road.  They just don't want to call it another tax.  And since they call it a "safety inspection," it's for the Children -- and therefore, good.

[J’raxis 270145]

Well, in reality, the government requires you pay them a little extra money each year you want to drive your car on the road.  They just don't want to call it another tax.  And since they call it a "safety inspection," it's for the Children -- and therefore, good.

How much money does the state get out of inspections? The inspections are mandated by the state, but performed by private mechanics—do they collect a percentage that the mechanics make?

[Ogre]

The inspection station pays a $25 fee yearly to the state government to receive protection permission to perform inspections.  The station also pays $2.50 per sticker to the state for the inspection stickers.

I can't find anything in the laws that states a fee level that the inspection stations require.

[Nat F]

The inspection station pays a $25 fee yearly to the state government to receive protection permission to perform inspections.  The station also pays $2.50 per sticker to the state for the inspection stickers.

I can't find anything in the laws that states a fee level that the inspection stations require.

The fee schedule is pretty much dictated by the testing requirements.  When the state moved to OBD II based testing recently they required inspection stations to go through an authorized company (I believe only one company is authorized) to provide the testing equipment.  That company leases the equipment to each station in exchange for a payment for each inspection performed.  The stations also have to provide an internet connection (dialup is acceptable) for the testing equipment to update itself.  Most inspection stations raised their inspection prices by approximately the amount they pay that company (locally they went from ~$20 to ~$30), at least if the rates charges by that company haven't dramatically increased since my father last operated an inspection station (in MA) a few years ago.

-Nat

[Recumbent ReCycler]

The inspection code is over 100 pages long and pretty vague in some areas.  It lacks definitions for some of the terms used, so inspectors tend to interpret them however they like.  Unfortunately many inspection stations interpret the regulations in a way that will require the most work ($$$) for them in order for the vehicle to pass inspection.  I once went to an inspection station station in Somersworth, and they told me I needed to replace a couple parts, so I bought the parts and replaced them myself.  I brought my vehicle back a couple days later, and they told me that I needed a steering stabilizer because it had a class 1 oil leak (a light oil stain).  They showed me in the inspection manual that is says that you are not allowed to have any oil leaks.  Obviously a light oil stain is not a safety issue, and the original intent of the code was most likely to keep vehicles from dripping oil onto the road or into the brakes, so was supposed to stop class 3, and sometimes class 2 leaks.  If you live in the seacoast region, there is a shop in Hampton or N. Hampton that doesn't jerk people around by requiring repairs that are not really needed.  If you are going south on Rt. 1, there is a racing/welding shop on the left.  You would take the next left after that shop, then a few blocks down, there is a road on the right that has a shop about 25 yards down the road on the left.  I don't remember any names, but they don't require an appointment and can usually take care of you in less than a half hour.

[grasshopper]

  In the So. NH. area, go to Lennies Chevies in Danville, behind the Danville garage.  Tell Lennie or Russle that Ed sent you, they'll be fair and most likely if you have a problem they won't put you through the ringer.  Hell, Lennman will fix your lights there for free if it only takes a few min.
  In the Manchester area you can take it to American Classics Auto Restoration to get it looked at.  Chuckie Moorshead owns the shop, he is semi retired and owns the Electronics shop I work at so he doesn't need to pork people.
Lennies Chevies is 603-382-4235  ask for Russman or Lennman.
American Classics Auto Restorations is on 403 Amhearst St. Manchester NH phone is 603-669-4628.  Chuckie believes in the rite to keep and bear arms, in this neighborhood he is the enforcer!  The neighbors love him!  Tell them both Ed said Hi!

[Little Owl]

I can one-up you all.  I took my car in for a state inspection.  Because of a mysterious oil leak, I was advised to scrap and replace the entire car!  Nevermind that they could not locate the leak, or that there is NO OIL STAIN on my garage floor, or that the car has not increased oil consumption over its life.  Nevermind that this car functions perfectly, I was to throw it away and buy another because of a supposed oil leak that they cannot show me and leaves no physical evidence.

What a stroke of luck that this inspection site also sold cars!

After we get the state government out of the education business (and frivolous education lawsuits become punishable by imprisonment and/or death), we need this state inspection scam repealed.

[E-ville]

Ohh I think I found my button pusher for NH, I will not register my car in NH if this is the case I'll get a mail box in south dakota or somthing..

Car inspections, what utter crap.. this has to change.

[Dreepa]

There was a bill (and a thread someone here) on try to get the inspections every other year.... btw they used to be TWICE a year.

[J’raxis 270145]

There was a bill (and a thread someone here) on try to get the inspections every other year.... btw they used to be TWICE a year.

http://newhampshireunderground.com/forum/index.php?topic=2568.0

[Spencer]

Maybe we should open up an inspection shop that does the bare minimum and interprets the 100-page manual very conservatively.

[Rochelle]

I take mine to Lee's Custom Exhaust (I think that's what it's called; it's on Willow St before it becomes S. Willow) and I've not had any problems passing inspection.

Though just to prove how useless the damn things are, I got mine inspected on a Wednesday in July...and two days later my car battery exploded. The inspection did nothing to prevent that, now did it