Auto Inspection Regulations In Massachusetts

[foxtrot]

The following overview describes the inspection process in Massachusetts;
http://www.mass.gov/courts/docs/lawlib/500-599cmr/540cmr4.pdf

 

[DRIVEN]

Got enough big brother yet?

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

I have found many aftermarket parts are inferior to factory parts.

 

[TURNA]

<------- see my location

 

[403Olds]

No mention of Harley's with straight pipes. That's worse than any car I've heard IMO.

 

[UNGN]

Rust buckets are a lot more unsafe than "modified" cars. Cars that burn oil pollute way more than cars without catalytic converters.

The more the NE cracks down on old cars, the smaller their tax base will become, and the fewer skilled mechanics the state will have.

But....the "petition" proposes solving the problem of too much regulations with even MORE, better regulations. I hope NONE of these people move to Texas. More regulations has never really solved anything. We expect people to be responsible enough to follow all of the regulations, so why don't we just make them responsible for the consequences of their actions?

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

I wonder how many modified cars are also rustbuckets. In the NE, most cars will end up as rustbuckets thanks to the vast overuse of roadsalt every winter. Its not uncommon to see people hotrod rustbuckets without performing proper repairs or half assing repairs that quickly fail.

 

[Monte Cristo]

I wonder how many modified cars are also rustbuckets. In the NE, most cars will end up as rustbuckets thanks to the vast overuse of roadsalt every winter. Its not uncommon to see people hotrod rustbuckets without performing proper repairs or half assing repairs that quickly fail.

I took my '83 Monte off the road in '96. So, it spent 13 years and 12 winters on the road in the NE. When I checked the bottom out recently, I was surprised that after all of these years outside, and without a garage, the bottom of the car is in reasonable condition. The gas tank bolts came out with just a little penetrating oil. I even got a little bolt holding the ground wire for the fuel gage out no problem. That wouldn't have happened if it had stayed on the road here in the NE all of that time. I spent one winter down in Florida. The most dangerous stretch of road there was one leading to the orange plantations because the illegals were driving junkers along that highway to work. These cars had wheels that came off just driving to work!

With regard to mufflers, I would like to see one sound limit stated in decibels for ALL cars, trucks, motorcycles, lawnmowers, or whatever. A performance exhaust is the best way to increase performance. However, I don't want to get woken up at 4 AM by some A-hole either. There is no need to declare the exhaust system must be as quiet as stock either that way.

As for the cats, if the car isn't on the road much, so what if it doesn't have them? I consider maintaining old cars and keeping them on the road as saving Americana, parts of American History and culture. Keeping a stock emissions system on an old car is damn near impossible. Even if the knowledge of how it worked is maintained, it becomes impossible to get parts. It's not just the little do-dads, but even something as basic as the wiring harness that can't be found. If everything needs to be stock, then the manufacturer should be required to keep making those things indefinitely too. I suspect that there are fewer 75-86 cars on the road than 63-74. It is more money and work to keep them street legal, and less freedom to modify them. The result is fewer of them will survive for later generations to appreciate them. For those of us that consider the automobile a work of both engineering and art, that is a loss to us all.

 

[motorheadmike]

Before I start I want to state that petition reads like it was written by an entitled, narrow-minded, child having a tantrum.

1. Modern cats do no have an appreciable impact on performance - it is there for safety as much as it is for emissions, and there is no reason something comparable cannot be installed. Our TBSS runs 11s through the cats and passes the OBDII tests just fine - that is about 650hp of legal power. That being said, my BBQ puts out more pollution daily than my classic cars do monthly;
2. Brodozers can go away fast. Nothing impacts public safety more than raised bumpers undermining crash standards and oversized way oversized wheels/tires sticking outside the fenders and effecting braking distances;
3. Slammed on stretched tires can take a walk too. Steering angle, suspension travel, and braking are all fundamental responsibilities of motorists. Self-expression be damned if your car is a rolling road hazard; and
4. Mufflers? Don't care about this whining either. We have cars with bypass valves installed leaving the factory now so there is no reason to have the complete absence of noise control devices. QTP has a nice product for when your better-half needs to be drowned out at the flick of a switch.

When our wagon went in for safety the inspector was floored at the improvements that were made - the only thing that needed to be addressed was the slight tightening of the brand new PS front wheel bearings. A 1/6th turn.

In conclusion, it is getting out of hand - which is why regulations are imposed. It is time to get onboard and stop creating new problems for ourselves. If it is built like a bag of crap it doesn't belong on the road. Period.

 

[Wraith]

Sounds like someone isn't manly enough to move out of Masshole and would prefer to try and dictate terms back to the state.