AkumaKuruma

Im getting a new car and it has been modded a bit so far.
I need to find an inspection place that wont nail me on stuff like entire exhaust system being aftermarket. or having aftermarket IC and hardpipes.

I used to know one where guy didnt care about mods as long as the car itself was safe.

im in Columbia area.

Fd3BOOST

iTrader: (7)

Every place I have ever been for the initial inspection have been ball busters. Good luck.

NewbernD

iTrader: (1)

What do you think will be hard to pass? If you don't have a cat on the car I doubt you will find even a sympathetic tech will pass you unless you know him personally. That could mean EPA fines for them.

Aftermarket exhaust doesn't automatically fail. Fart cans, or "chambered pipes" are not a legitimate muffling device in MD and won't usually pass but this isn't California... If it's a canister style, can you borrow a factory style exhaust from someone?

Hard pipes and intercoolers aren't part of the emissions system and they shouldn't care.. you are allowed to buy non-factory replacement parts for your car as long as you don't modify the emissions system or increase the noise level.

My suggestion.. look for a place in the sticks.. if the car is foreign, take it to a place that only does domestic work. They will be less inclined to want to do work on it. If they're used to hearing a lot of hillbillies driving around in their open header pick-em-ups they'll be less inclined to care about your exhaust.

When I bought my FD it was inspected in western MD.. had Apex N1 exhaust, open intake, intercooler, pipes, window tint, ... passed with no problems. Turns out the tech wrote the VIN down wrong so I had trouble registering it. I thought I'd take it somewhere local (Rockville) out of convenence and the local inspector flagged a lot of stuff that the country guy didn't care about. I wound up convincing the original guy to fix his mistake and mail me a new inspection.

AkumaKuruma

well my main issue was the fact that from the turbo back is all aftermarket.
its got a divorced downpipe but i'm getting that fabbed to dump back into the pipe. it will be blatantly aftermarket but still fully sealed and functional. cat they cant tell since high flow looks just like OEM...and its got a turbo muffler that looks like a fart can (but not).

i'll just take it and sweet talk the guy. in MD, the law says the muffler has to be OEM or OEM style. i had an ANSA muffler on my other car that actually looked stockish...***** would NOT pass it unless i got a generic POS from Midas....needless to say i took it to another place that passed that part...but found out my front wheels were about to fall off (something the first guy didnt notice at all since he was eyeballing my muffler)

drivelikejehu

go to hyattsville, MD. or anywhere in the land of 1000 body shops.

find the sketchiest run down shop that does inspection, and ask them how much it costs to pass. thats what i did. i think it cost me 80$

just dont wear your rolex that day, and keep an eye on you and your car. the guy literally just filled the form out right there on the counter. didnt even look at the car.

F1blueRx7

iTrader: (5)

It does really depend on where you go. Some of them want to make money off you, in fact the girl I sold my Cherokee to got taken for a ride since they told her, I **** you not, That the after market (B&M mind you) Trans cooler and Trans temp gauge was a SAFETY ISSUE.

There is no box on the MD inspection for trans cooler.

They made her buy new trans lines and charged her an arm and a leg to install them. Funny since it passed when I bought the thing used.

I was so pissed I was ready to go to the guys shop and yell at him in front of customers for being a thief and a liar. Despite the fact that I had no basis and wasn't even involved in the transaction.

The difference? Columbia VS the redneck side of harford county (East of bel air towards hickory). Actually we have a yuppie *** BMW dealership now so I guess I can't say that anymore

Attila the Fun

iTrader: (1)

Indeed Motors
Westminster, MD
(410) 876-5872

The bad news: They will rigorously inspect and enforce safety stuff.

The good news: I've never had an issue with properly installed mods.

Call and talk with Dave Fulco.

AkumaKuruma

that sounds perfect. if its an actual safety issue, i want them to be a bit picky and point out every flaw. the place that finally passed my last car held me up for 3 days untill i fixed the headlight switch because it did not click into place. "If you accidentally graze the switch, theres the possibility of turning your headlights off at night. Not a good thing to do when its dark and no streetlamps."

Attila the Fun

iTrader: (1)

Be careful what you wish for.

I used to take my cars to Indeed for pre-purchase inspection, so that I would know exactly what I was buying. However, once the car was bought, I went to a different inspector, because he needed a seeing-eye dog when he was sober, and he was rarely sober. The cost of mandated repairs was dramatically less at his shop. Unfotunately, the great state of Maryland sends state inspectors with purposely disabled cars to check on regualr inspectors. He's no longer in business.

Now I have to take the cars to Indeed for the official inspection, and it's much harder to pass.

George