Glad the 86 is slow: Keep the Dodge Demon off our roads

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

What dozen parts have fallen off? I'm genuinely curious. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I'm saying that no safety inspection doesn't mean you'll be pelted with bumpers and hubcaps.

Come to think of it, I hit a bump in my girlfriends car and the hubcap popped off, and I've seen another hubcap pop off a different car, so I've actually seen two parts fall off cars.

I agree hubcaps don't count. It used to be so common it was a lucrative business to sell singles.

Well I got hit by the complete taillight assembly for a very ratty Neon (in Ontario but Michigan plates). It fell off the car two ahead of me bounced over the guy in front and hit me square on the front bumper. I had no place to go and a panic stop would have got me rear ended.

What I have seen fly off consists of a mirror, a hood, a rear window (that was spectacular), a bumper, a windshield wiper assembly (not just a blade), a wheel, a transmission (yes the whole thing fell right out on the road I have no idea how) and a few other assorted parts that I do not remember what they were.

Now would inspections have prevent these particular parts from flying off? No, probably not but you can bet you butt that if the cars were that bad then they would have failed for other reasons.

I have personally had the whole door skin fly off a car I was driving. Back in the bad old broke days I drove $100 Junkers and the wife got the fancy $500 cars. The old rotted to death 80 Citation I drove decided to shed it's rear passenger door skin on the highway once and the rust was probably the very least of that cars issues.

It happens on a very regular basis even where there are inspections though since $50 can get you the cert if you know the right people.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

10 years and >90k miles driven in a state without safety inspections, I've never seen a part fall off a car.

Just you wait. If I had a nickel for every hunk of just exhaust pipe alone, well, I'd have at least a couple bucks.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Just you wait. If I had a nickel for every hunk of just exhaust pipe alone, well, I'd have at least a couple bucks.

So what, one every decade?



California hasn't had safety inspections in my lifetime, it's not like there's going to be a shift of cars suddenly falling apart, if anything the chances will get slimmer and slimmer as new cars replace old ones on the road that are less prone to failures like taillights falling off.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

So what, one every decade?



California hasn't had safety inspections in my lifetime, it's not like there's going to be a shift of cars suddenly falling apart, if anything the chances will get slimmer and slimmer as new cars replace old ones on the road that are less prone to failures like taillights falling off.

Cali cars don't literally rust apart. Huge fucking difference.

[Ultramaroon]

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Cali cars don't literally rust apart. Huge fucking difference.

Surprised I wasn't called on that bullshit sooner.

Texas, Louisiana, and Hawaii also have state safety inspections, among others.



The guy who brought up safety inspections doesn't have his location listed, if rust is the only factor and he's in (per some lazy googling) Utah I guess he's fucked. If it's Texas then he's probably all fine and dandy then right?



Edit: Honestly I probably wouldn't have commented if I knew he was in the rustbelt.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Surprised I wasn't called on that bullshit sooner.

Texas, Louisiana, and Hawaii also have state safety inspections, among others.



The guy who brought up safety inspections doesn't have his location listed, if rust is the only factor and he's in (per some lazy googling) Utah I guess he's fucked. If it's Texas then he's probably all fine and dandy then right?



Edit: Honestly I probably wouldn't have commented if I knew he was in the rustbelt.

Haha... You're young, kid. It's ok. What's a little hubris among friends.


...oh wait

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Haha... You're young, kid. It's ok. What's a little hubris among friends.


...oh wait

The quickest way to a sharper tongue is through a hefty verbal beating. There's some more elegant way of saying that but I can't find it at the moment.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

The quickest way to a sharper tongue is through a hefty verbal beating. There's some more elegant way of saying that but I can't find it at the moment.

I like the way you put it.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Surprised I wasn't called on that bullshit sooner.

Texas, Louisiana, and Hawaii also have state safety inspections, among others.



The guy who brought up safety inspections doesn't have his location listed, if rust is the only factor and he's in (per some lazy googling) Utah I guess he's fucked. If it's Texas then he's probably all fine and dandy then right?



Edit: Honestly I probably wouldn't have commented if I knew he was in the rustbelt.

Even many of those places that don't have actual safety inspections still have a way to remove the cars that are usually unsafe from the road.
Ontario has had safety inspections for buying used cars in place for 40 years yet we still had almost total wrecks (usually owned by me) driving around all the time. Then they started doing smog checks. It only took about 3 years after starting the checks for the old beaters to virtually disappear from the roads. The same people that failed the check frequently were the ones with parts falling off, no pads on the brakes, bald tires, etc, etc. The smog checks eliminated these cars since the work and cost to get them to pass made it just not worthwhile. The people that maintained their cars no matter how old would pass the check and the older but still safe vehicle stayed on the road. Would a car that failed the test in California be allowed to stay on the road?

[bkharmony]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Texas, Louisiana, and Hawaii also have state safety inspections, among others.

FYI: Texas currently has a bill moving through the House to eliminate safety inspections. With all the unsafe garbage I see on the road daily, I'm appalled this would even be considered.

(This is how I know I'm definitively OLD now. 15 years ago I would've been cheering this bill on to save myself some money. Now I'm worried about road safety.)

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by bkharmony

FYI: Texas currently has a bill moving through the House to eliminate safety inspections. With all the unsafe garbage I see on the road daily, I'm appalled this would even be considered.

(This is how I know I'm definitively OLD now. 15 years ago I would've been cheering this bill on to save myself some money. Now I'm worried about road safety.)

LOL Yep! There was a day (as I have said) where I would drive things that should not have been driven. Now I look as a car with a bit of rust and think "why the hell are they on the road?". I am a huge hypocrite that way.

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

if rust is the only factor and he's in (per some lazy googling) Utah I guess he's fucked.

Stupid salt lake rain. It's worse than living by the ocean, because the clouds pull the salt water up and then just sit in the valley right on top of you.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

Stupid salt lake rain. It's worse than living by the ocean, because the clouds pull the salt water up and then just sit in the valley right on top of you.

Really? I was always under the impression that water that evaporated was pure. Had no idea that the salt would go up with it. Obviously not enough salt to harm vegetation though?