What Does A Vehicle Safety Inspection Entail And When Should You Have One?
Vehicle safety inspections are essential to keeping your car in good working order and discovering issues before they become larger. Determining when to take your vehicle in for an inspection often comes down to sounds, odors, and driveability issues that you experience when driving, but safety inspections can also be a regular part of maintenance for your vehicle.
Safety Inspections
Understanding what the technician at the repair shop checks during safety inspections on cars and trucks can help you understand why they are essential. On every vehicle on the road, some parts wear over time.
Safety inspections are essential to tracking changes and the condition of the parts on the car over time. If a part wears too much, it could fail and could result in an accident or collision with another vehicle.
The safety inspection will not take much time to complete and can be a great tool in diagnosing problems before they turn into breakdowns or becomes costly repairs for the vehicle owner.
Inspection Check Lists
Most vehicle repair shops that perform regular vehicle safety inspections have a list of items they will check on the car or truck. The list can vary from one garage to the next, but typically they involve the running gear and all the safety items on the vehicle.
Tires are commonly checked for condition and proper inflation. The brake system, including the pads, rotors, and all the brake lines should be on the list as well. While the tech is under the car, they will look at the exhaust to determine if there are any leaks and check the engine and transmission for damage.
On the outside of the vehicle, the windshield should be free of cracks, chips, or damage that could affect the driver's view, the side and rear window glass should be intact, and the mirrors must be in good shape. After the glass, the technician will check all the lights on the car to ensure they work correctly.
This includes headlights, parking lights, turn signals, and brake lights. The lenses on the lights should also be intact. In some states, the body is checked for rust damage as well.
Required Checks
If you live in a state where vehicle safety inspections are required by law, you may find the list is much longer, and vehicle emissions may also be necessary. Talk with the repair shop about the requirements so you understand the process when you arrive.
If you must have safety inspections, you should be able to get information online or from the state DOT (Department of Transportation) that outlines the requirements for you so you can arrive at the inspection station or repair shop ready for the process. For more information on safety inspections, contact a service near you.