...or just a $26 donation?

It's getting close to the end of the month so I figured I couldn't be too picky about the time or place of my required state inspection. As I'm driving back to the office from lunch I see a service station with no line (probably should have interpreted this as bad sign # 1). I pull into the bay and the mechanic asks with a straight face if the engine is in the back-> bad sign #2. I decide to let it play out just a little futher before running for the hills. Seven minutes and $26 later he's checked one wiper blade, peeked at the engine, filled out the paperwork and I'm home free. Not necessarily in compliance with the spirit of the inspection laws, but I know she's well sorted out and cared for by my favorite independent shop.

Stopped by another service station a couple of weeks ago to wait patiently in line and that mechanic runs over to confront me and emphatically states "I won't inspect THOSE!" He then proceeds to tell me how they scrape his lift and are just too much trouble, all the while looking at me and the car with a pissed off expression. Guess I won't buy any more gas from that station.

Any other good/bad inspection stories?

 

It's a $12.00 donation in Missouri. You barely buy a decent Lunch for that.

 

I got shoved off from 3 stations myself in one day when I had a 996. They think the car is from outer space or something, it is just a car, just superbly engineered......

 

Well, the car is a pain in the *** to get up on a lift. The place I go cannot get me on their standard lift, so they end up putting me on their alignment rack each time I go in there for work.

...but going to an indy avoids the *** raping that I'd get from taking it to a dealer and have them rip the car apart looking for things to fix.