Oh the Humiliation.....

[Argabarga]

Upon arriving at work the other day, I saw one of the biggest heaps of junk to grace the impound lot as of this year.

It was a Honda Civic Hatchback coupe, from the early 90's.

It might have been a nice car, once upon a time.... but as of now? How many things immediately jump out and scream "Ghettomobile?""

-No turn signals on the left side. Just holes where the lenses/bulbs should be, with a wire dangling out.

-Hood not latched, just resting on top of the fenders. In fact, it looks like it CANNOT be made to latch anymore considering the front valence/bumper is so out of alignment the latch and catch don't line up anymore

-Said front bumper was a different color than the rest of the car (red, not blue), hastily spray-painted over in a THIRD color, (black) which, being rattle-can paint, promptly chipped away from every stone/rock that it hit.

-Trash bag for driver's window.

-Rear rocker panels suffering terminal rust rot

-Front fenders were aftermarket replacements, the unpainted/unprimered kind you can buy cheap via wholesale, never painted, and now rusting out.

-Windshield cracked, and, curiously NOT showing any inspection stickers.

Went up front and checked the paperwork bin, as my curiosity was piqued as to where this hunk of raw waffle-iron ore came from.

Corner of "This" and "That" streets it looks like, tow was requested by...... 911/PD.

Uh oh.....

Under "reason for tow"

PD IMPOUND: DRIVER REFUSED TO TALK TO POLICE.

Well, if I had just been pulled over in that, I wouldn't exactly want to discuss it either.

So, driver wouldn't talk huh? Bet they took him somewhere where he's singing like a canary 'bout now!

[eltf177]

PD IMPOUND: DRIVER REFUSED TO TALK TO POLICE.

I'd love to hear the backstory on this...

[Ophbalance]

I'd forgotten that in PA a cracked windshield gets you a failed inspection. Here in NC it just gets completely passed over. Which, to be honest, I've been grateful for in the past. The Escape went through 2 windshields in the time we were down here (hit both times right above the passenger blade... same damn spot. Cracked all the way across the car). My Elantra also suffered a rock strike crack that I never got around to repairing.

[sms001]

...curiously NOT showing any inspection stickers.

FTFY.

Missouri - cracked windshield, no pass. Illinois is emissions only iirc, Wisconsin, nuthin. The lights woulda gotten him yanked off the road in Mo as well. do you guys have yearly inspections there?

[eltf177]

I'd forgotten that in PA a cracked windshield gets you a failed inspection. Here in NC it just gets completely passed over. Which, to be honest, I've been grateful for in the past. The Escape went through 2 windshields in the time we were down here (hit both times right above the passenger blade... same damn spot. Cracked all the way across the car). My Elantra also suffered a rock strike crack that I never got around to repairing.

In VA it also fails, although IIRC if it's pretty small and not on the driver's side they can let it go. But if it spreads to the driver's side it's automatic fail...

[Argabarga]

FTFY.

Missouri - cracked windshield, no pass. Illinois is emissions only iirc, Wisconsin, nuthin. The lights woulda gotten him yanked off the road in Mo as well. do you guys have yearly inspections there?

Yearly safety/emissions checks, considered some of the toughest in the nation.

You have the usual suspects, worn tires? Fail worn brake pads? Fail Burt-out headlight/taillight/brakelight? Fail

Then it gets even harder.

- cracked windshield? Fail Full stop. Don't argue about length or location.
- Rust holes in body? Fail
- Pinhole leak in exhaust pipe? Fail
- Tires extend out beyond the fender wells? Fail (the rednecks just LOVE this, when informed that thousand-dollar upgrade they made to their jacked-up truck just made it illegal for them to drive it anywhere without some equally expensive bodywork to make the fenders bigger )

For a few years in the 90's, they even failed you for non-factory window tint of any kind.

If you can pass these, you can pass anybody's.

[EricKei]

NOLA area brake tag requirments:

- City of New Orleans/Orleans Parish: 15+ minute, fairly detailed inspection, albeit without emissions checks (afaik); includes having you go forward a few feet and hit brakes, iirc, and/or manually checking for squishy pedal syndrome. They actually set up special arches on the side of the road at certain times of the year, to allow you to get 'er done, if you've not been to a proper inspection station. Cops will be standing nearby to wave anyone over with an expired tag (basically, get it done right there and pass, and they won't bother citing you for "no brake tag")

- Jefferson Parish: 5 minutes. Check that brake lights work (hence "brake tags"), wipers, horn, turn signals, headlights, backup lights...and that's about it. Can be done anywhere in the parish with the proper certs.

Slight difference

[raudf]

Arkansas doesn't do inspections. They used to, but they completely stopped a few years before I started driving. You get to see some... interesting... things moving down the road because of it.

[Argabarga]

Arkansas doesn't do inspections. They used to, but they completely stopped a few years before I started driving. You get to see some... interesting... things moving down the road because of it.

For a little independent verification that you're not wrong, I'm always amazed at how many broken down vehicles there are on the shoulder once you leave this state, and, how many of those breakdowns here have out-of-state plates.....


Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[PastryGal]

Back in New Brunswick inspections were yearly. Here in Newfoundland it's only when buying/selling a vehicle.

[XCashier]

Arkansas doesn't do inspections. They used to, but they completely stopped a few years before I started driving. You get to see some... interesting... things moving down the road because of it.

Same in Oregon. That surprised the heck out of me, considering how nature-minded most of the population here is. You should see some of the foul-smelling smokebombs driving down the freeway here!

[AyreBiskits]

Jefferson Parish: 5 minutes. Check that brake lights work (hence "brake tags"), wipers, horn, turn signals, headlights, backup lights...and that's about it. Can be done anywhere in the parish with the proper certs.

rest of the state is like that. and check to see if the gas cap isnt leaking.

[Kanalah]

Oklahoma used to have yearly inspections. Not anymore. I've lost count of how many cars I've seen held together with duct tape, or with cardboard taped over windows and/or doors.

Combine that with the fact that many people here will make an insurance claim for a wrecked car and then go spend the money on everything else except getting the car fixed.

Edit: Hubs reminded me of the cars with no bumpers/no windshield/no hood that we see sometimes.

[raudf]

Yeah... while I love the lack of hassle, some of the vehicles I've seen shoulda been up on blocks in someone's yard. I've seen cars with frames outta whack, to the point where you want to tell it to go home because it's obviously drunk. Somehow all four wheels are on the ground, but when the front end is nearly in the right lane and the back is hugging the right hand fog line......

[protege]

Yearly safety/emissions checks, considered some of the toughest in the nation.

You have the usual suspects, worn tires? Fail worn brake pads? Fail Burt-out headlight/taillight/brakelight? Fail

I've had cars fail for the check engine light staying on, the exhaust manifold cracked, a cracked windshield, and knackered tires. Yet, I've had one car pass...and it had several things wrong with it. Things like not having seat belts, inoperative horns, and no hazard lights. Anyway, the state's regulations may have some teeth in them, but there are still a few garages that choose to ignore them. Those garages are getting smaller in number, but they're still out there.

At least we have some sort of regulations designed to keep the junk off the roads. I've seen heaps from West Virginia...that should have been crushed. I don't know about you, but a pickup truck should *not* have rear fenders that flap in the breeze, and the body shouldn't look like it was attacked with a can opener.