Auto Service Shops

Discussion in 'Automotive' started by Cody Fousnaugh, Aug 26, 2021.

  1. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Ok, but if the tires are in fine shape, I wouldn't listen to what any manufacturer recommends. Now, if the manufacturer wants to pay for four new tires, that's different.

    Anyway, we are going to buy a Tire Tread Gauge and use it. Just don't want to spend out almost $800 on four All-Terrain tires, if we don't have to, right now.
     
    #16
  2. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Funny, but my 1/2 brother does all, and I mean "all", of his own mechanic work at 77 years old. I say "no thanks" to that! He hates computers and loves greasy/grimmy work. Not me! While I'm on our desktop, here, editing photos I've taken, he's either in Florida or PA swinging a hammer or doing something on one of his vehicles.
     
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  3. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Why do you even ask what other people think or do? All you want to do is argue. Buy tires or don't buy tires; who cares. And why on earth would a tire manufacturer "pay for 4 new tires" when someone has aged-out tires on their vehicle. Good grief how ridiculous.
     
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  4. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    First, are you having a bad day?? Just wondering, because I wasn't arguing with anyone. I was simply asking. If someone questions your post, does that mean they are arguing with you? Then again, if someone questions a post of mine, I would probably think the way you did about my post.
    Anyway, Beth, I was only kidding/joking when talking about a manufacturer paying for them. I wasn't serious. Geeshhhh, sounds like my SIL (wife's sister). She has a very hard time understanding that I joke around.
     
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  5. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I have heard inferences that dealers make as much (or more) on financing vehicles than they do on the sale. There were stories of the rich folks in DC paying cash for luxury cars and costing the dealers a significant amount of profit from loss of financing. But service is a big profit center.

    For the first time in my life, I've been taking a car (2019 Mazda) to the dealer for service. There are reasons I only trust a dealer to service this car (so far it's just oil changes), and they've not ripped me off. We'll see if they start finding issues when the warranty expires this coming March, but I've not heard bad things about them...or about Mazda Corp.
     
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  6. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    As far as our tires go, will get the tread gauge and then decide. If we get the same tires we have on our Durango currently, we will have to drive some 40 miles to get them. The ones we have are: Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrian SR-A P245 70R17. We bought these while still living in Florida in 2017/2018, so there are 3-4 years of driving on them.

    So far, with one more call to make to see if another shop have them, nobody around where we live carry Goodyear tires.
     
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  7. Ed Wilson

    Ed Wilson Veteran Member
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    In Pennsylvania, cars are required to be inspected annually. Tire tread level is something that is checked and can prevent a car from passing inspection. To pass in PA, the minimum tread depth required is 2/32 of an inch.

    The Penny Test – put your penny into the tread. Lincoln should face you and be upside down. If his head is fully showing, then your tread depth is too shallow, and you need new tires.
     
    #22
  8. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    The only inspection we have here in Colorado is smog, nothing else. In Florida, there was no kind of vehicle inspection at all, for anything. I could use a penny, but a gauge would be much better. Come to think about it, there are states that people want to, and do, move to, because there is no kind of vehicle inspection. Not just because of the weather.
     
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  9. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Virginia's safety inspection used to be twice a year. Every 6 months you had to wait in line for that ordeal. I forget when they changed it. Our Emissions Testing is only done in congested areas. Living outside of DC, I was always subject to it once it was introduced. I've not had an emissions test since moving to this rural county where I currently reside because it's not required...they just don't do it here.

    The state of Maryland has never had an annual safety inspection...the vehicle gets inspected when ownership is transferred upon sale. I used to hate driving into that state (driving around the DC Beltway takes you from VA to MD and then back to VA again.) The condition of some MD cars driving on my bumper going 70+ MPH was frightening...and that was the stuff I could see! Even when in Virginia, I always give MD cars a wide berth. And since I moved to central Virginia, DC stopped requiring safety inspection of passenger vehicles.

    I always thought that I would not want to live in a state without safety inspections. But according to Wiki, there are over twice as many states that do not ever require a safety inspection as those that do:

    Fifteen states have a periodic (annual or biennial) safety inspection program [for passenger vehicles], while Maryland requires a safety inspection and Alabama requires a VIN inspection on sale or transfer of vehicles which were previously registered in another state. An additional 16 states require periodic emissions inspections.

    The 15 states requiring passenger vehicle inspections are: Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia. Some other states require inspection of commercial vehicles only.

    North Carolina stops requiring an inspection once the vehicle is 30 years old!

    In Louisiana, you can opt for your inspection to be good for 2 years rather than one...you just gotta pay twice as much. I don't know if the 2 year inspection process is different.
     
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    Last edited: Dec 21, 2021
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  10. Thomas Stillhere

    Thomas Stillhere Very Well-Known Member
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    No change in the rural area but not sure about the city where you need both smog and brake sticker inspections, I suppose they would charge for both or maybe not for the smog. I live rural so only a brake sticker is needed.
     
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  11. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    The thing about the "smog" inspection is that it measures hydrocarbons. A passing grade in Virginia is done on a sliding scale, based upon the year of the vehicle. The few times I have failed, getting the oil changed fixed it. The smog inspection is tied to your vehicle registration here...when it's time to renew your tags, you need to pass the smog inspection or the DMV will not renew your tags.

    Inspection stations charge for both smog and safety inspection (all lights, horn, driver's power window, tires, brakes, suspension, wipers, etc.) My truck recently failed safety inspection because the optional fog lights I had on it did not work. The solution? Remove the fog lights. They are not required equipment, but if they are there, they gotta function. So I just took them off and I passed. Crazy, huh? The fog light switch is still on the dash so there's no difference when I think I've turned them on and they're broken, or I think I've turned them on and they're not there anymore.
     
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  12. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Smog Inspection here is done every two years, before new tags are given. Our last smog was done this past August and we passed (again) without a problem. We were so happy.

    A lot of young folks here try to get away with numerous things when it comes to smog inspection, driving and vehicle stuff. We see cracked windshield all over the place, no bumpers, expired/old tags and even vehicles with no license plate (front/back) at all. Guess because the local police department here is so small, they simply take their car out on the street and drive it, no matter what. They wouldn't get away with most of this stuff in So. California. That state is very, very strict when it comes to driving and vehicles.
     
    #27
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  13. Thomas Stillhere

    Thomas Stillhere Very Well-Known Member
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    My Brothers old school buddy living in San Diego drove a 57 chevy without a front bumper in 1970, he was ticketed and had x number of days to repair it and the ticket would be dismissed. He bolted a wooden two x four on the front and it passed inspection. The law did not specify what a bumper is made of. ;0)
     
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  14. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I had a brother do that with an old GMC pickup truck, except his bumper was a 4x4. Funny how unaggressive other drivers can get around something like that.
     
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  15. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Well, found out (fast) this morning that we need four new All-Terrain Tires! Wife has the day off (NYE), so we went out for coffee. While coming home, it started to snow pretty hard and was definitely sticking. Had the Durango in AWD (All Wheel Drive) that we always use driving in regular weather.

    Went to turn into a parking lot and slid right by it! Went around the corner, pulled into the parking lot and turned switch to 4LOCK from AWD. Braking seemed to be fine, with no sliding. But, coming down a hill, to turn into our apt. complex, we slid right by the entrance. I got control of the Durango, but we had to make a U-Turn to get back to our entrance. In doing the U-Turn, slid again, but was able to make the turn. Very, very slowly, drove up the hill to our complex entrance and made it to our garage.

    Did get the two Tire Tread Gauges in and checked all four tires. All four are close to "Caution" on the tread, so, for a New Years gift to us, four new Wrangler All-Terrain tires (exactly like the ones that we have now)
     
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