# "We can't inspect your car. There's a puddle in the parking lot." Huh? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 23, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394 "2003-07-23T16:11:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/1 "2003-07-23T16:11:17Z")
This morning I went in to get my car inspected, as I should have done no less than 24 days ago. Oh well. I’m a procrastinator. My other car lapsed six months ago, so this isn’t bad by my standards. When I got to the lube place where they do inspections, the clerk said they couldn’t inspect due to a puddle in the parking lot. I looked out the window. The puddle was so small that I could have wiped it up with a towel if I wanted to. The rest of the lot was bone dry. It was, however, a state law with a $500 fine for non-compliance, the clerk informed me, so there was nothing they could do about it. Granted, I know absolutely nothing about cars, but this law just sounds silly. Can anyone explain the rationale behind it? ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/2 "2003-07-23T16:31:34Z")
You should have gone and wiped it up 😛 ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/3 "2003-07-23T16:33:19Z")
Unscrupulous managers were forcing their worker to wallow around in puddles during inspections, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/4 "2003-07-23T16:50:55Z")
“Gee, that’s the air conditioner condensation, you dweeb. I don’t think I trust you to inspect my vehicle, let alone change my oil.” Of course, if it was something else and they actually bothered to check, well, then, we all have foot-in-mouth disease once in a while. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/5 "2003-07-23T16:53:46Z")
What kind of puddle was it? Was it from the AC or something leaking? I know in Maryland when you do the smog testing you can not have any fluids leaking. Why this is I can’t say for sure, but since you are having it inspected maybe they want to have cars on the road that do not have leaks. I do find it kind of fishy though that he said it would cost $500 for doing it, maybe he means that if he let you pass it would be a fine, but for just doing it I can’t see it. Besides how does he know it was your car? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/6 "2003-07-23T17:02:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Edward The Head \* > \*\*What kind of puddle was it? Was it from the AC or something leaking? I know in Maryland when you do the smog testing you can not have any fluids leaking. Why this is I can’t say for sure, but since you are having it inspected maybe they want to have cars on the road that do not have leaks. > > I do find it kind of fishy though that he said it would cost $500 for doing it, maybe he means that if he let you pass it would be a fine, but for just doing it I can’t see it. Besides how does he know it was your car? \*\* Sorry, my OP was really unclear. It was a _rain_ puddle. It rained yesterday. Nothing is leaking from my car. $500 is the fine the lube place would have to pay if they did the inspection despite the puddle. I really wonder how a prosecutorial entity would prove there was a puddle there. Wouldn’t the sun dry it up? Will the state sue the sun for destroying evidence? ---
**Author:** ![something\_clever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@something\_clever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/something_clever)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/7 "2003-07-23T17:45:27Z")
you’re right. they’re wrong. dont ever take your car there because its clear that they are _retarded_ ---
**Author:** ![dadon9x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@dadon9x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dadon9x)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/8 "2003-07-23T18:09:50Z")
Your car cannot be inspected in Maryland if it is wet outside. When I say wet, I mean WET… As in it’s been raining or snowing that day. They do this because one of the inspection points is that no fluids are leaking from the car. Obviously if it’s wet out your car is going to come in dripping everywhere and they may not be able to determine if it’s a pool of water accumulating or some other car specific fluid that shouldnt be accumulating at all. I have never heard of an inspector refusing to inspect a car due to a small puddle of \ **Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/9 "2003-07-24T17:28:31Z") That has to be the single most idiotic rule I have ever heard. As if there were puddle inspectors running around checking… ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/10 "2003-07-24T17:52:56Z")
You couldn`t have simply moved the car 6 feet? ---
**Author:** ![Southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@Southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southpaw)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/11 "2003-07-24T18:00:37Z")
Maybe the guy didn’t want to inspect any cars that day so he used the puddle (and fine) as an excuse. And you get your cars inspected at a lube place? They don’t have state inspection stations where you are - with inconvenient hours and long lines? ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/12 "2003-07-24T18:56:19Z")
What if your car developed a drip, and you were to claim that it was because you’d just driven through that puddle? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/13 "2003-07-24T20:07:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whuckfistle \* > \*\*You couldn`t have simply moved the car 6 feet? \*\* The location of my car was irrelevant. The fact that there was any water of any type on their parking lot prevented them from doing any inspections. > [@](#): > > Maybe the guy didn’t want to inspect any cars that day so he used the puddle (and fine) as an excuse. > > And you get your cars inspected at a lube place? They don’t have state inspection stations where you are - with inconvenient hours and long lines? Nope. Many lube places and small garages in Louisiana are certified to give inspections. They’re also required to all charge the same price - $20 - for the service, which generally takes about 5-10 minutes. The DMV here is also eerily efficient. I’ve been there many times and don’t think I ever spent more than 20-30 minutes there - usually less. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/14 "2003-07-24T20:23:03Z")
It would seem to me that if the concern was that cars would drip on rainy/snowy days and those drips would be indistinguishable from fluid leaks, all they would need is fans blowing heated air underneath the cars up on the lifts. Dry out all the rain or snow, and if there’s anything still leaking, it’s fluid. Of course, a light colored cloth under the car would make it pretty clear if there were leaks – no car fluids look like dirty water, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-cant-inspect-your-car-theres-a-puddle-in-the-parking-lot-huh/190394/15 "2003-07-25T03:56:45Z")
Southpaw, you mean you can’t just pop into an Avislube and get it done? The State actually runs the inspection stations there?