I AM WICKED PISSED OFF!!!!

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Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 5:13 pm

Why is Bart angry you ask?

I'll try to keep it short. Last March we bought a 94 Ford Explorer for $800 down in Saco, Maine, about a 2 hour drive from our home. Car looked good, ran great and had a current inspection sticker (For UK and other folk, it's roughly the same thing as an MOT sticker) Registered it, happy to have a nice working car again.

Yesterday, got pulled over because our muffler was hanging low, I knew of this and had intended to get it fixed this weekend when I had more money. Well the officer asks where we got it inspected. I told him that it had that sticker on it already when we bought it (and is a reason why we bought it) Told him we bought from a private party in Saco. Well turns out that the inspection sticker is a phony!! Evil or Very Mad

This has been a problem and several people were busted for selling phony inspection stickers there and next door in Biddeford. Here is the news story it.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/sticker-scam-puts-safety-dead-last_2011-05-25.html?searchterm=inspection+stickers

The officer let us go cause it wasn't my fault for having a fake sticker on the car, I didn't know it was fake. We can only drive the car now for two more days, but after that were screwed. So we have to scrape up some cash to get another car. I'm unemployed at the moment, and what income we get is limited. The state police are still working on the phony sticker case and will be contacting me soon with any other information I can give them. If they get the address of the seller for me I will be going after him legally. Oh and to get the car roadworthy now I would have to spend over $1200 to do this.

I have very little on the person who sold me the car since any vehicle made before 1997, you only need a bill of sale in the state of Maine, no title required.

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 5:22 pm

You don't have the address...?

I'm sure a hit lad or two his way... Laughing

Maine is intriguing as they have vehicle emission inspections but don't require title if made before 1997.

If you had the previous owner's informs you might be able to (long term, I know) get him for damages related to fraudulent representation of a inspection sticker.

What does it need to be road worthy, precisely? I/we are not familiar with regulation in your state.

Almost forgot...

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 5:43 pm

I know nothing about Maine inspections,but I am a State Inspector in Md.

Is there a reason you can't have the vehicle inspected?Also in Md,you can get a 14 day temporary tag that will let you transport the vehicle back and forth from an inspection station.Maybe you have something similar.
I can tell you that here faking a state inspection will get you in deep shit.Lets hope it works the same there.

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 5:50 pm

Well the list of what the car needs to pass inspection:

3 tires (tyres) though honestly I don't get that since only 1 that I can see has a lot of wear.

4 new shocks

Right front U-Joint

1 new brake line

Pipe to muffler needs to be re-attached (I knew of this problem already)

Rust on rocker panel needs to be fixed.

Total for parts and labor (labour) for all of this: over $1200

I am thinking of selling the car as is, get something in better condition, smaller for better mileage and with a legit sticker!!

Anyone on the west coast where there are no state inspections want to buy an Explorer?? Very Happy

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 9:31 pm

^^^ I feel for you over your car.

Just had mine servicied, m.o.t, took 2 days on a 05 vauxhall astra, bill came too £753.50 in US dollars $1130 or there abouts.
Lucky enough my pension just been paid into the bank.

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 9:47 pm

Put it on eBay as "vintage".

When I send the check, cash it a send the overage back to me via westy.

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 10:25 pm

Well some good news.

I went to another garage to have it looked over, one that Mrs. Fargo AKA: Bella Goth, suggested I go to, she heard they were more reasonable. Well the owner was more than happy to put the car on the lift and showed me what was needed to pass inspection. Basically it was fewer items and a lot less money, so tomorrow I can get it all done for just under $500. I should have gone there before. A lot of shops will say you need more stuff than you really need to pass inspection.

I'm still mad about the phony sticker thing, but relieved that it will cost us a lot less.

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 10:55 pm

I can fix it for less... Laughing

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 11:11 pm

Badger,

So do women not find you handsome but do find you handy??

Laughing

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 11:14 pm

Don't be flashing that guy when PF is around! Laughing

See you at Possum Lodge later, eh?

Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 11:17 pm

I'm a man

But I can change

If I had too

I guess.....

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 12:29 am

Bart, I feel your pain when things go whacky wrong. Had awful troubles of my own today -- NO WATER! But I learned how to re-wire and replace a breaker box and got the water well pump running again.

Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed! Wink

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 12:55 am

Glad it worked out Bart and you weren't hosed too bad. Sucks though! That list of repairs is crazy. Here in Texas the only thing I think that would cause you to not pass is the muffler and tires. Seems like they have a vendetta against clunkers. I guess I would have to leave one of my cars here if I had to move to Maine. Laughing

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 2:34 am

^^^ I know in Texas it is common to put very dark tint on the windows.Boy do people get mad when they move to Md.Dark tint fails,and light tint needs to be certified by the state police.They only certify at certain locations and limited hours.I've had to fail more than one recently applied expensive tint job,and the people wind up having to peel it off.We also check the headlight aim,make sure the drivers seat adjusts,and a whole bunch more picky stuff.Dumb thing is you only inspect once,when you are tagging the vehicle.Once you have the tags,you can drive the thing into the ground,as long a something so glaring that it attracts the attention of the police doesn't happen.I've had more than one person tell me that Md had the worst program of any state they ever moved to.

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 2:43 am

Funny you should say that about the window tinting. I took my mother in laws car to get it inspected. She got screwed one time by a dishonest mechanic and has me take care of all her car stuff. This was the first inspection after she bought the car. I was told her factory installed tint was too opaque. The guys were cool at the inspection place and loaned me a razor blade to scrape it off. It was a new one for me. I was told it's been a law for a while but being more strictly enforced.

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 2:54 am

Thats part of the problem-there is no factory tint that is not part of the glass.Any tint that is not part of the glass was installed after the fact.I think in your part of the country it is common for the dealer to install it.When they check it,they use a meter that measures the percentage of light passing through the window.Try telling someone that something that was on the car when they bought it is not legal in the state they are moving into.I've actually had people try to bribe me to keep it on.The potential huge fine,loss of my inspection license,and jail time pretty much makes bribery difficult,though there are some who risk it.

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 3:11 am

True the dealer probably installed it. What gets me is the dealer has to inspect it when they sell it to you. You would think they would know what tint it can have. I'm not sure exactly when they started cracking down on it but they told me they get in serious trouble if the highway patrol pulls you over and you have an inspection sticker and too dark of tint. Of course I'd just say it wasn't that way when I inspected it if I was an inspector.

Back in the good old days you just bought an inspection sticker. That was the code. Instead of saying you want an inspection you said I want an inspection sticker. Not like that anymore at least not around me. Probably for the best though. I'd hate to be on the road with a bunch of people with 4 bald tires and breaks that don't work.

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 12:47 pm

Thanks for the inspection discussion as it reminded me of an errand I need to take care of today. I forgot about it when I re-tagged my vehicle.

When I lived in Tennessee, the inspection sticker was for emissions only.

Where I am at now they check a few more things but not as comprehensive as what doc holliday has mentioned. Tint is an issue here and you can get a $1,000 ticket if the tint is too dark.

Some states need inspection stickers for the safety reasons bravo pointed out. In Michigan because of the heavy use of salt in the winter, you see many old vehicles (rust buckets) with rusted out bottoms and in a couple cases I read about when I lived there, children in the back seat jumped on the floor and went through the floor with extremely disastrous results.

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 4:02 pm

It's threads like this one that make me glad I don't drive!

Going back to the OP, sorry you got stiffed Bart. I wonder if the seller knew the tag was fake?

Quote:

Why is Bart angry you ask?

No. I have learnt from experience never to ask this of Bart. Just nod and smile while backing carefully away. Wink

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 18 May 2011 Posts: 17

One thing you can try if you need expensive vehicle repairs is a local trade school or community college that teaches auto shop. The CC in my area will take in vehicles for inspection and repair work (my state doesn't require inspections). The labor is free, supervised by ASE Master Mechanics, and parts are sold at retail. The catch is that it can tend to take up to 3 times longer to get the work done, so if you're talking about a full day of repairs, it could take as many as 3 days to get them done, but worth the cost in many cases.

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 7:14 pm

Just got my inspection sticker. Down here in da land of cotton, the following is checked:

Headlights
Turn signals
Windshield wipers
Current license tag
That $5 has crossed their palm!

Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 7:29 pm

I finally got a legit sticker on our Explorer, we got

3 new tires (tyres)
exhaust leak fixed
rusty rocker panel sealed up

Total, $406.00 A lot better than the other shop was gonna charge me ($1200)

Sadly our local CC doesn't offer repair work, but this shop I went did a great job, and ONLY work that was NEEDED, not unecesssary crap.

Posted: Sat May 28, 2011 4:56 am

^^^Just think how much more your car is worth now...
And how much safer you are. Good tires, no carbon monoxide coming into the cabin and now you can sell the <strike>piece of junk</strike> valuable classic.

I do have empathy, I had the same thing happen almost 30 years ago with a BMW 530i. I basically gave it away to not have to pay the repairs to the emission system. The dealer was out of business by that time for ... fraud. Evil or Very Mad

Hey Coogie, if you need a ride... Wink

Posted: Sat May 28, 2011 7:30 am

Quote:

In Michigan because of the heavy use of salt in the winter, you see many old vehicles (rust buckets) with rusted out bottoms and in a couple cases I read about when I lived there, children in the back seat jumped on the floor and went through the floor with extremely disastrous results.

I saw a badly rusted car literally start to break in half one time.It was an older Cadillac convertible with a badly rusted frame.Started to raise it on a lift,and it made the most incredible noise when it began to sag in the middle.

Trophy Videos · Posted: Sat May 28, 2011 6:25 pm

Glad you got that straightened out, Bart. Smile

Consider yourself lucky that this didn't happen to your car.
http://www.youtube.com/user/JustForLaughsTV#p/u/44/fgTyiaDmytw

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