[s-cars] S-CAR-List Digest, Vol 67, Issue 83

[Harold McComas]

You got it JC,  NH is doing the OBD2 scan so my car is now gone.

I  felt for ya JC. But if non-OEM were illegal would all exhaust shops that 
don't use dealer parts have to shut down?

If you were still in a pinch I would have recommended a quick rattle can 
flat black "stealth" finish so as not to attract attention from the wrong 
people ( inspection and cops). Yes I know a sin on a nice SS exhaust. I 
really dislike those not louder than stock laws.Corvettes exhaust is louder 
than a minvans. Do you honestly expect a cop to know the stock sound level 
for each and every make and model? Have it set at a certain dB and be done 
with it. They have a very specific requirement for motorcycles (at least in 
NH they do):
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XXI/266/266-59-a.htm   For cars it 
is just that mufflers must prevent "unusual and excessive noise".

Harold M
Manchester, NH

> From: "JC" <jc at j2c3.com>
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] MA inspection suggestions?
> To: "'Bares, Vittorio'" <Vittorio.Bares at nuance.com>
> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Message-ID: <CD6D293135FA48DF9D80F5C4A5869E12 at SUPERSONIC>
>
> Re: NH - Yeah, Harold had to sell his '97 Canadian S6 because of the same
> OBD-II testing thing right?
>
> Re: The shop, I'd rather take the high road.  I mean it wouldn't be fair 
> to
> call out a certain Mobil station without giving them the opportunity to
> respond and have equal time, right?  Yep I'll take the high road on this
> one.
>
> By the way, did I mention the weather was beautiful in Andover MA this
> morning while I was waiting for the inspection results?  Really nice
> weather. Right downtown on Main St.  Right near the cop shop.  Boy that 
> was
> nice weather down there.
>
> ---- current ----
> 1995.5 S6 Avant
> ---- past lives ----
> 2006 A4 2.0TQA
> 1998 A6Q 2.8 PES G2
> 1989 200TQA SJM
> 1990 CQ
> 1997 A4 1.8TQ Wett
> 1987 4kCSQ
>
> John J. Cunningham
> jc at j2c3.com
> US Mobile +1 (617) 750-5025
> Main / Global +1 (978) 633-3510
> China Mobile: +86 (0) 136 6080 9560
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Bares, Vittorio [mailto:Vittorio.Bares at nuance.com]
>> Sent: Saturday, May 30, 2009 15:27 PM
>> To: Douglas Landaeta; JC
>> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
>> Subject: RE: [s-cars] MA inspection suggestions?
>>
>> Only one way to respond to the Mass mafia.
>>
>> Publish the address of the Mobil station - then none of us or
>> any other car enthusiast EVER gives the SOB ANY business
>> forever more. That's one of the things the internet is good for.
>>
>> Next, you need to make friends with a mechanic that does inspections.
>> Not that you should have an unsafe car, but it helps in those
>> little things...
>>
>> BTW, I live in NH, its progressively getting worse here too.
>>
>> Vittorio -
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
>> [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of Douglas Landaeta
>> Sent: Saturday, May 30, 2009 3:21 PM
>> To: JC
>> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
>> Subject: Re: [s-cars] MA inspection suggestions?
>>
>> Thankfully you got it resolved in one day! In NJ, it's almost
>> a continuous thing for me with 3 cars due every 2 years. Same
>> stuff with window tint and emissions, DOT headlamps,
>> 'missing' (or tampered) hose on the wastegate, copy of
>> insurance card (must have original). Ugh! but at least
>> they're consistent. In my town, I need to schedule an
>> appointment a few days in advance and no running it through
>> twice in the same day - they want receipts that emissions
>> work was done. Right now 1 of 3 cars is okay for the next
>> 16
>> months.
>>
>> On Sat, May 30, 2009 at 3:09 PM, JC <jc at j2c3.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Actually FINALLY some better news & developments... and
>> have the real
>> Mass
>> > lowdown for any other listers stuck with a similar jerkbag
>> situation...
>> >
>> > Spent the day fuming and calling around and driving around... got an
>> answer
>> > from most shops that this jerk was being extremely
>> conservative with
>> > interpretation of the rules - not just letter-of-the-law but
>> > beyond-letter-of-the-law.
>> >
>> > Basically yes the guy is allowed to fail me at his
>> discretion based on
>> the
>> > fact that "he feels it's louder than OEM would be".  That is NOT how
>> he
>> > described  it and he rather angrily and aggressively told me
>> repeatedly
>> > "Since October XX of 2008, non-original exhaust is an AUTOMATIC
>> FAIL!!!! NO
>> > APPEAL, NO ARGUMENT"....
>> >
>> > The other shops told me he was just being a dickhead, and
>> other names
>> of
>> > that sort.
>> >
>> > The actual rule however is 'it can't be louder than OEM', which Mr
>> Ayyhole
>> > interprets as 'it can't be anything BUT OEM'.  Aftermarket exhausts
>> are
>> > LEGAL (this guy was WRONG) but only if - in the judgement of the
>> inspector
>> > -
>> > they are about as quiet as the OEM would be... so lots of room for
>> > interpretation.  Apparently reasonable shops interpret that
>> as 'should
>> be
>> > reasonably in the range for a street car as long as it's not leaking
>> or
>> > malfunctioning or missing cats etc'.
>> >
>> > Also what he lied to me about was the fact that I COULD
>> have appealed
>> to a
>> > state inspector overseer type dude etc. etc. which while it
>> would be
>> > satisfying to hassle him back, I just don't have time for, but you
>> have
>> > that
>> > recourse as well as recourse to just try other shops and see if
>> they'll OK
>> > it - which is what I did.
>> >
>> > The first shop that would re-inspect me right away did do a full
>> inspection
>> > but then failed me on WINDOW TINT (another PO addition) which Mr.
>> Assbag
>> > has
>> > PASSED me for... It was starting to become comically
>> ridiculous, but I
>> ran
>> > home, fired up the heat gun, peeled the window tint off
>> driver/passenger
>> > front door windows, and then ran back...  NOW I have a sticker, WITH
>> the
>> > Stromung exhaust, and no front window aftermarket tint... (it was a
>> bit
>> > ghetto anyway but when I park in the marina parking lot on
>> hot summer
>> days
>> > I'll probably miss it...)
>> >
>> > What a damn waste of a beautiful day though.  Had to cancel
>> a round of
>> golf
>> > and a music jam session... that bastard really screwed my day...
>> >
>> > Oh yeah, in re: visual driveline inspection - Mass does require a
>> quick
>> > jack
>> > and inspect on front suspension although it's pretty cursory less
>> stringent
>> > than other states that give a tough look at all suspension
>> and brake
>> > components and cranking on the wheels to see if ball joints
>> / tie rods
>> are
>> > dangerous (NH for instance looks at brake lines pretty
>> closely IIRC).
>> >
>> > Finally with the kind sticky-icky.... JC
>> >
>> > John J. Cunningham
>> >  <mailto:jc at j2c3.com> jc at j2c3.com
>> > US Mobile +1 (617) 750-5025
>> > Main / Global +1 (978) 633-3510
>> > China Mobile: +86 (0) 136 6080 9560
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >  _____