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"free" inspection... not!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Marlin, Apr 10, 2006.

  1. Marlin

    Marlin New Member

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    Pennsylvania, like many states, requires a yearly vehicle inspection where they check safety and emissions. I realized last friday that my inspection stickers on my Prius that I bought almost a year ago expired last month. So I called up my dealer, Thompson Toyota of Doylestown, PA, to schedule an inspection for this morning.

    I chose to have it inspected at the dealer for two reasons. One was that I knew they could figure out how to inspect it, and I wasn't sure the Meineke that I always used before would be able to figure out how to do the emissions inspection. But the main reason I chose the dealer is that they advertise free inspections for customers who bought their cars from them. Inspections have usually cost me $40 or so from Meineke, do I figured I'd save a few bucks.

    Well.... I get to the dealer this morning and find out that the inspection itself (ie. the safety inspection) is indeed free, but the emissions test costs $58. Technically, I suppose that the "inspection" and the "emissions test" are separate things, and in fact, they put two separate stickers on the windshield (one for each), but for all practical purposes, they are one activity. You must have both stickers on your windshield, and they are both done at the same time. No other shop, even the slimiest of them, advertise them separately. If they advertise $40 state inspections, then it can be assumed that they are talking about the whole deal. In fact $60 is a typical price for state inspections (including emissions), and if you go to the first shop you find in the phone book, this is likely what you will pay. If you shop around, however, you can generally find it cheaper, like the Meineke I go to which regularly (in fact almost always) has a cupon for a $40 state inspection (including emissions).

    So, my until-now-high opinion of Thompson Toyota has just been knocked down quite a bit. It's a classic bait and switch. They advertise free inspections for their customers knowing full well that people are going to assume that both the safety inspection and emissions test are included. When you get there they tell you that the inspection is indeed free, but the emissions test is $58. Having the inspection done without the emissions test doesn't do you any good, as you must have both to legally drive the car. $60 is approximately what most shops charge for both. So, they lure you in with a promise of a free inspection, and then charge you the normal price anyway.

    If my inspection stickers had not already been expired, I would have turned around and walked on out as soon as the $58 price left the service rep's mouth. However, since I didn't want to continue to risk an even higher fine if I got stopped with expired stickers, I went ahead any paid for it.

    The inspection stickers on my wife's Prius expire in June. Needless to say, I'm not going back to the dealer. I'm going to shop around and find a shop that knows how to test a Prius.
     
    #1 Marlin, Apr 10, 2006
  2. Tom_06

    Tom_06 Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Apr 10 2006, 11:08 AM) [snapback]237493[/snapback]</div>
    In Delaware, right next door, they don't bother with state inspections for 5 years on a new car. That means that by paying the dealer for 5x the yearly tag fee, I ended up with a plate that doesn't expire until January of 2011! Of course, at $20/year tag fee (any size car), that convenience set me back a whole $100. I've managed to sell my last few cars before I ever needed to go through the pain of a state inspection, but I expect to keep the Prius longer.

    Just trying to make you jealous :). I do think your dealer pulled a fast one.

    - Tom
     
    #2 Tom_06, Apr 10, 2006
  3. Springtime

    Springtime Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Apr 10 2006, 11:08 AM) [snapback]237493[/snapback]</div>
    My PA dealer clearly states that the inspection is free, but, the emissions test is not. I think I recall that the price of the emssions test is controlled by the state and the cost of that test went up sharply in 2006.

    So, before you get too upset - you may find that the local shops have had to increase their prices as of 2006.

    Last year my 1994 Tercel cost $20 for the inspection test and $40 for the emissions test. The inspection fee has been waived for the past 12 years because I had it inspected by the dealership. No bait and switch - they were up front about it.

    My guess is that the emissions test ( price set by the state) is now up to $58 and that will be the price wherever you take it for the inspection.

    Springtime
     
    #3 Springtime, Apr 10, 2006
  4. KTPhil

    KTPhil Active Member

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    I am curious excatly how they test the emissions on a Prius. Cali has the toughest regs around and yet they admit they are five years from having a test setup that can test a car which does not idle. I suspect the $58 is pocketed and the "test" consists of turning on power and seeing if the MIL is lit. What a rip!
     
    #4 KTPhil, Apr 10, 2006
  5. Marlin

    Marlin New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Springtime @ Apr 10 2006, 12:29 PM) [snapback]237523[/snapback]</div>
    Well, I don't remember such a qualification on any of the brochures or letters that they've given me. I'll have to go back and check, since they just sent me a letter last week that mentioned it, which was after all why I checked my stickers, found them expired, and then scheduled an inspection with them.

    I just checked their website, and found no qualification about the emissions.

    http://www.1800thompson.com/ou/doylestown-...utus_difference

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("Their website")</div>
    Perhaps "bait and switch" is a bit harsh, but the primary reason I chose them in the first place was the "free inspection" and the expectation that it wasn't going to cost me anything.

    I would tend to believe that the average car owner in Pennsylvania would consider "inspection" or "PA State Inspection" to mean both the safety inspection and the emissions test, even if they are technically two separate activities. If my dealer is going to separate the two and advertise "complimentary PA State Inspections", then they damn well better specify that the emissions tests are not included, and do it in a noticable way.
     
    #5 Marlin, Apr 10, 2006
  6. Begreen

    Begreen Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Apr 10 2006, 09:59 AM) [snapback]237538[/snapback]</div>
    I can see how you felt you were misled. They really should have a statement "emissions test not included" next to the complimentary offer. Send the webpage to your states attorney general for a look to see if they agree.
     
    #6 Begreen, Apr 10, 2006
  7. aaf709

    aaf709 Ravenpaw of ThunderClan

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KTPhil @ Apr 10 2006, 09:39 AM) [snapback]237528[/snapback]</div>
    I got this from the Knowledge Database:
    To get the Prius to maintain a steady idle (such as for emission testing) follow this procedure:

    The following must be done within 60 seconds:

    1)Ignition on (not READY mode)
    2)Vehicle in Park
    3)Step on accelerator pedal twice
    4)Place vehicle in Neutral
    5)Step on accelerator pedal twice
    6)Place vehicle in Park
    7)Step on accelerator pedal twice
    8)Place car in READY mode

    An warning icon in the MFD will be displayed.
    With less than 60% throttle applied idle is 1500 RPM (approx)
    With more than 60% throttle applied idle is 2250 RPM (approx)
     
    #7 aaf709, Apr 10, 2006
  8. Marlin

    Marlin New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Begreen @ Apr 10 2006, 01:05 PM) [snapback]237542[/snapback]</div>
    Alright, so I dug the brochure they gave me out of the glove compartment and it clearly states that emission tests are not included.

    So they were right and I was wrong.

    I'm still annoyed anyhow. However in reality, seeing how my stickers were expired and I risked getting a ticket, I would have taken it to the first shop that could get me in, regardless of the price, and would have taken it to the dealer even if I knew up front that it would cost $60, as long as they could get me in the soonest.

    I'm still going to shop around in June for an inspection for my wife's Prius.
     
    #8 Marlin, Apr 10, 2006
  9. KTPhil

    KTPhil Active Member

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    That "diagnostic mode" does not allow RPMs over 2500, which is part of the Cali emissions cycle. Perhaps other states are different. In Cali, they require a dyno to put a load on the car. It would be foolishly risky to the HSD to load at high rpm, since that mode bypasses the TC (which protects the HSD). I still don't see how they actually test it. Idle-only tests were abandoned 15 years ago here.
     
    #9 KTPhil, Apr 10, 2006
  10. cmwade77

    cmwade77 New Member

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    AT-PZEV Hybrids (Prius) are exempt from smog checks in California until at least 2011 and all cars are exempt for the first 5 model years here. That saves about $50-$60 per year in smog check fees at least, although we don't do inspections of anything else on the vehicle here, such as safety, just a smog check, of course if the check engine light is on, it automatically fails.
     
    #10 cmwade77, Apr 11, 2006
  11. MarinJohn

    MarinJohn Senior Member

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    RE PA tests...When I moved away from PA 30 years ago they required tests TWICE a year which was a certain boon for inspection stations. Back than I once flunked inspection because my brake pedal rubber was wearing and 'had' to be replaced! Total opposite in CA. Inspections for most cars once a year but only for emmissions and believe me some of these cars are such rattletraps that they seem to shed parts as they roar down the freeways. No one inspects for obvious things like brake wear or bulb replacement or tire wear. Kinda stoopid if you ask me...
     
    #11 MarinJohn, Apr 11, 2006
  12. paco-shalom

    paco-shalom Veteran Prius Owner

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    It's definitely interesting to see how different states handle these inspections. I live in Maryland, where there is a required emissions test every two years (performed at a State-run emissions testing facility for $14). I believe Hybrids are exempt. Safety inspections are only required when registering a used vehicle in the state (either as a used-vehicle purchase, or moving here). The emissions test is done on a dynamometer(sp?) for older cars, but for newer cars they just plug into the vehicle's computer to get a reading of the emissions.

    Since I'm moving to Arizona, I've looked into their requirements. It seems to be similar to Maryland, except that the DMV performs all the inspections on-site. I think newer vehicles are exempt as well, to a set age and mileage limit.
     
    #12 paco-shalom, Apr 11, 2006
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