I'll Never Show You A State Inspection

In this video I bring you along as I perform a routine oil change, NYS inspection and fix a fella's TPMS light. I also piss and moan about the People's Republic Of NY and their broken state inspection system.

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47 S. Main St
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Avoca, NY 14809

Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained.

[Brusselpicker]

Many years ago I rode motorcycles, in the UK an annual inspection is required for all vehicles over 3 years of age. The place I went to was a grandfather built the shop and house next to it and son and grandson were doing the work kinda place. I'd take my motorcycle in and grandpa would come out to do the inspection, then chat about classic British bikes he had owned whilst lending you tools and helping you make any adjustments needed to pass. Never knew his first name. Rest easy Mr Davies.

[vehcor]

I am here to tell you that you are in fact doing it wrong. lol I only know because I am the master of doing it wrong.

[CS-oeog]

When you said welcome to the prnyc, I almost fell over laughing. Great work as always! You are a cool cat!

[leonidas]

Damn Eric, we missed the tire bead fill pop! That’s the best part! 😂

[dustcommander]

I live in a state without inspections, and we still get killed by DUI drivers and cell phone users. Never heard of an accident caused by the equipment, but I suppose it happens. Drivers without licenses or insurance? Hear about that all the time. Go figure! On the TPMS. I'm curious whether the other sensors are expected to fail soon. Seems like they might be close to the same age. I enjoy your videos, Eric!

[MrWoodyBalto]

As a teenager in NJ in the late 80's I learned a lot of shady stuff from my shady boss that was a Retired Shady NYPD. I'm glad he liked me LOL He did everything from selling Alignments without the car ever seeing and alignment rack to selling customers repairs that were not needed (and not even doing the work).
He would rebuild alternators with a dictionary.... Rebuild: Clean and or replace any worn parts, test and reinstall. Basically clean and repaint the customers good alternator. Spill and Fill Radiator flush. Basically top off the rad and leave a little dribble of coolant around the cap so it looks like work had been done. I would never do those things but I learned real fast what a real scumbag is capable of.

[philgriswold]

The fact that you do a state inspection with the same amount of quality and detail that you would use with a complex repair is why you are the shop all of us wish we could use.

[goptools]

In NJ, we only check emissions during bi-annual state inspections. You will pass inspection with bald tires, lights out, dark window tint, etc. but those are still vehicle infractions and you can get ticketed for it. I've heard from several people close to the ticket issuing process (if you know what I mean) that that was done on purpose to increase state coffers. The PRNY is not the only state with a broken system! Thanks for the video!

[hjacobs]

Living in NY I see a major conflict of interest. Some shops will find nothing wrong with my cars so they will make something up to extort money. Like saying the headlights are out of alignment. Then charging $15 to turn one screw for 3 seconds while the lights are randomly pointed at junk along the wall. If you refuse the repair you fail the inspection. They use to scrape off your current sticker before they did the inspection. That put pressure on people to allow any "required" repairs. Decades ago Iowa did away with inspections because people were being taken advantage of.

[davidrasch]

Your shop is the kind of place I would trust.

[wyattoneable]

You have to protect yourself. Always a pleasure to hang out in the shop.

[leosthrivwithautism]

Eric, I learn a lot from you man! And I appreciate it because it helps me understand what to look for when I take my car to get service. And what a good mechanic is. Always enjoy your videos!

[thinman]

PRNY is a good example of why loving one's neighbor is such a challenge. Too many neighbors are PRNY employees in their heart if not in their head.

[tihzho]

A State Inspection story:
When I lived in Va in 70's I had what was basically a 1968 VW race car with real racing headers, not the VW "headers" from the Pep Boys. The collector protruded a fair amount past the end of the car so I had a custom glass pack which snaked around back towards the car. The rear bumper managed to hide it a bit, but it was questionable if it was legal so State Inspection would fail it. No problem, I knew a guy who raced VWs.
At that time I worked at RadioShack and was filling in at a RS in a strip mall and I parked my VW in front of the shop. Later a police car pulled up and parked behind my VW and the cop had a look at the back end of the car. When he came in it was obvious he was a regular as everyone said hello. He then asked about the VW. I raised my hand and he asked why the headers stick out so far, he has a VW with Pep Boy's headers and they're not like that. I noticed his demeaner was friendly as we walked out to my car. I opened the hood revealing the pair of Weber 48 IDA double barrel carbs, his eyes popped out and had a wide grin. He asked me to start it and his grin got bigger! He then asked if he could take around the parking lot. I told him the clutch is stiff and will tend to grab.
So here we are, a cop in uniform almost doing a burnout in the parking lot and taking off like a rocket.
He came back and was impressed, then asked about the brand new inspection sticker. But before I could say anything he laughed told me not to worry as the exhaust is not really a problem - grey area.

He actually wanted to come around after hours to race me in his cruiser which I declined because if another cop saw us with me in front going like a bat out of hell he'll think you're chasing me!
True story!

[mjhcrh]

An honest mechanic for sure... I took my old 84 Jeep Grand Wagoneer to a local shop to have the very expensive new rear leaf springs installed because I personally did not want to remove the skid plate and fuel tank on my back to remove the front leaf spring bolt. Long story short they did exactly what I told them not to do. Yep, they cut my skid plate... After that I do all my own wrenching whether on my back or not...

[Maulzy]

That's crazy about the after hours shops. Here in the Netherlands the inspection system is also far from perfect, but the the inspection has to be entered into a computer system that goes offline after hours. Also once the data is entered, the computer can throw a 'hold that vehicle' notice, which means a national inspector wants to see the car and he will come to the shop to check the work. Bad work means lose inspector license.
Love your stuff SMA!

[white]

Have had bad experiences from a 23mm, I’ll stick with tapping a 22mm on as it helps reduce swelling too

[SimiNelsonFamily]

Reading the comments, I was quite surprised to see how many people in other countries follow this channel. After thinking about it a bit I was actually not surprised anymore due to your high quality work and fine video production. Keep up the great work!

[robertsee]

Florida used to have yearly inspections, but they weren’t as extensive as this. They would check the tires for wear, check the lights and exhaust system. That was it. Governor Graham’s motorhome failed the inspection, shorty after that state did away with inspections. Go figure!

[deuce]

Interesting inspection system ya'll have over there! Do they ever come by for a survey when you pass/fail a vehicle? ( Assuming you have to update the vehicle in the DMV system? ) In my country we can only do inspections during state opening hours, 9 to 5. Each time we pass or fail a vehicle it's 50/50 on whether we get the big red notification on our screen that says "SURVEY!!!". They usually come within 90 minutes ( as required ), if they don't they'll give the shop a call with a code and name to write down in order to pass/fail the inspection on a survey.