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Re: Sermon on Abusing Collector Plates

To: JustBrits@aol.com (IPM Return Requested)
Subject: Re: Sermon on Abusing Collector Plates
From: William Elliott <William.Elliott@mail.mei.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 8:13:19 -0500
Your attitude is not appreciated, but I understand your point.  I normally make 
every effort to comply with vehicle laws.... as long as they make sense.  This 
particular law falls into the category of arbitrary speed limits, IMHO.  I 
guess I "don't belong in the hobby" because I generally ignore those as well.

But, in answer to your criticism:  It's not the cost of the tags; it's the 
extortion by MD state "safety" inspectors.

Works like this:  No annual inspection, but an inspection every time a title 
changes hands.  Inspection takes several hours, cost $50-70, and is probably 
more "thorough" than a British MOT.  Rip in a seat cover?  Fail.  (No kidding; 
an inspector can declare that "unsafe" due to the possibility of a spring 
coming through and disrupting the driver.)  Rust hole in the trunk floor? 
Fail!  Alignment out of original factory specs by 1%? Fail.  Any evidence of 
ANY leaking fluids? Fail.  You get the idea.  Trying to get a 3-yr old car 
through one of these "subjective" inspections is difficult, a 30-yr-old car 
damn near impossible.

What normally happens:  You get an inspection failure along with an "estimated 
repair" bill.  If you agree to let the inspection shop complete the repairs and 
pay the estimate, you get a "pass".  Repairs are sometimes even completed.  If 
you decide to do the repairs yourself (or have them done by another shop), you 
can bring the vehicle back to the inspecting shop within 30 days for a free 
reinspection.  They reserve the right (and usually exercise it) to reinspect 
_anything they want_ and fail you on items previously passed... and present you 
with a new "estimated repair" bill.  Of course, if you go to a different repair 
shop, the process starts over.

I'm sure that there are some very honest inspection shops in MD, but they are 
few and far between.  This is a real cash cow for both the shops and the state 
which charges very high license fees for the inspection certification.  I've 
noted that typically the "estimated repair bill" is often related to the 
customer's ability to pay and the vehicle itself.  It cost me around $1000 to 
get a nice clean '87 Allante through inspection, but only $325 for a Jeep CJ5.  
The absolute best I've done was about $150.  I finally established a nice 
relationship with a reasonable mechanic who generally charged me a flat $200 
"repair fee" with each inspection.  (I bought and sold several cars a year, so 
these costs quickly add up.)

Using collector tags (legal for limited driving up to 2500 miles per year) 
exempts one from this inspection shakedown.  BTW, though I did not meet the 
spirit of the law on driving purpose by often using them as a daily driver, I 
seldom exceeded the mileage limit. (I generally keep 6-8 cars insured and 
licensed at any one time, always at least a couple with "normal" plates.)

So, have all the attitude you want; my conscience is clear.

Bill Elliott
Lake Mills, WI

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