tarheel365

iTrader: (1)

Ok...my safety inspection is due at the end of Jan.

My fiance is off for the day so I have her take my car in for the inspection. She takes it to a local Goodyear place thats been pretty reliable.

She calls me and says I need new rear brakes and a new front motor mount or they can't pass it.
They also said my headlights were not alligned properly. They were gonna charge me 450$ for all of that. Plus they said i need front brake pads replaced really soon....so they said about 700 for everything.

I told her to wait and i'll shop around. I was able to get a sticker from a family friend. So I figured I have time now to check it out and do it myself. I ordered the necessary parts.

So this morning...I pull the drums off...I measure the drums and they are within spec (200mm).

I look at the shoes....and they have the same amount of brake material on there as the oem replacement shoes I just bought.

I didn't get a chance to look at my front motor mount very carefully. But nothing seemed to jump out at me when i glanced over it. I still have to pull the brake pads and check those. And to align my headlights( which they estimated would be a 50$ job)

So i have a few questions now...
Did Honda start making slimmer brake shoes recently? I had my brakes done at around 35k miles and my brake shoes still have the same amount of padding as a new one...Though its slightly less near the bottom of the shoes but still plenty of material.

What do I need to look for when inspecting the front motor mount? I don't notice that much vibration. I used to have a problem sometimes when I'm stopped and I hear some rattling up near the battery area but thats about it and I only notice it if I listen for it.

Is 50$ to adjust the headlights a good deal?

And what are the chances that my brake pads are prob good too?



Ok i'm done...I'm gonna put my drums back on and pull the brake pads.
Thanks

Boilermaker1

iTrader: (16)

Yeah.... you just went to a place that was looking to charge your fiance because they didnt think she'd know any better.
Time to find another place to get your inspection done. A place that doesnt look so hard.
you can tell if the front MM is bad by looking at it, its got a rubber bushing in it that has a tendency to rip.
It sounds like the rear brakes can use an adjustment, but i doubt you need new ones. As far as a headlight adjustment... ummmm point the car at a wall, turn it on and level the beam (the adjuster is on the back of the headlight).


Find a place that flips the lights on and off, sticks a flash light in the wheel and yanks the seat belt. Thats the place you want to go.

tarheel365

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Boilermaker1.

I actually didn't mind them telling me that my brakes needed replacing...etc...its usefull info when its accurate. Kinda makes me wonder what led them to believe my rear brakes were bad. They actually told her they needed to be replaced right away.

oh well

Boilermaker1

iTrader: (16)

Well... you're looking for 2 different things.
For the inspection sticker... you want the quickest, fastest check ever. Slap the sticker on and go would be best.
For having the car looked over.... thats something that you should have your regular mechanic do... not the the guy looking to slam you with a big repair bill because its the last day of the month and its due.

i dunno.... to me VA inspection is kind of corrupt, because you have people with a vested financial interest in finding problems being authorized by the state to go looking for problems.

tarheel365

iTrader: (1)

Well...pulled my front brakes....and
I still have plenty of material on my brake pads. in fact i still have a few mm of that engraved part of the pads.

oh well at least i have the replacement parts whenever I need them