Exxon Tries to rip me off doing a state vehicle inspection

The BBQ Pit
21

And be sure to write “BRAAAAAIIINNSSS” every other sentence.

22

We no longer have to get vehicle inspections in Colorado, but I really dreaded the days when we did. It seems like they would have to actually disassemble the car to find all they things they said were wrong.

To this day, I never buy tires from someone who does other auto repairs. I can pretty diagnosis (but not necessarily fix) car problems and I don’t believe some mechanic I go to to buy tires when he tells me all the other problems he found. I am a firm believer in going to an independent mechanic who comes to your residence to fix the vehicle.

Bob

23

I live in Maryland, and had to get my car inspected when I moved here. I was moving from Virginia which requires it every year or two. I always find a gas station that can do the inspection but does not do repairs. They have no incentive to screw you. Luckily I can get it done on base in VA, which was perfect.

24

I don’t live in Maryland, but from what I can tell, the place to report auto repair fraud is the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office.

25

Ah, memories! When we moved to MD in '04, I took my van to the dealer for inspection. The upper brake light was out, and when I tried to replace it, I broke the housing. Had I just let them replaced the damned bulbs, it would have been a lot cheaper than replacing the whole bloody thing. But at least they didn’t rip me off.

26

This sort of thing is so prevalent I just assumed it was legal.

I went into my dealer for some recall repairs and my inspection was just about up so I asked them to do my inspection. The dealer told me that I needed to replace the bushings on my front tires and the quote seemed pretty high so I called my mechanic and he quoted me a much lower price so I told the dealer I would be back and took my car to my mechanic and he told me that my bushings were fine. This sort of shit happens all the time.

I once told my wife that she should get her own oil changes, so she went to Jiffy lube and came back witha receipt for over $300 for things like repalced air filters and shit like that. So now I do all that stuff, I think she planned it that way.