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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Safety Inspection
Posted by: JollyRoger ()
Date: October 28, 2014 01:21PM

They gave me a rejection sticker, saying my power steering is leaking and needs to be replaced. Since ive owned the car, ive never had any probs with it and the reservoir for the fluid is exactly where it should be. Does anyone know if I take the car somewhere else, do I have to pay the inspection fee again?

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: Only once ()
Date: October 28, 2014 01:27PM

You only pay the fee once.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: J.C. ()
Date: October 28, 2014 01:53PM

You pay only once if you go back to the same inspection station.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: towman52 ()
Date: October 28, 2014 02:33PM

If you have a problem with an safety inspection you have received, call the Virginia State Police...they are the folks who supervise the stations and certify the inspectors...if there was something wrong with your inspection they will get it corrected for you!

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: xpXEy ()
Date: October 28, 2014 02:38PM

J.C. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You pay only once if you go back to the same
> inspection station.

you have to go back within a certain period of time or you pay again I believe. You should probably get that steering checked as that is a pretty important part of safety in your car. Its pretty easy to check on your own. Start the car and have some turn the steering wheel. Use a flashlight to see if you can find the leak.

If that doesnt work clean all the area around the pump and hoses and see where it gets wet if its a slow leak. It could just be a hose - no big deal. Even if its the pump its not a super expensive repair and you can diy.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: Inpecker ()
Date: October 28, 2014 03:05PM

1st is $16 re inspection within 15 days is a $1 ....... after that it's $16 each time .......

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: Alexander Smith ()
Date: October 28, 2014 04:04PM

Just do what I do:


Make friends with an inspector and get them to just record the details and give you the damn sticker to put on. I have a few very nice vehicles with some modifications that would not allow them to pass (only in VA).


Plus I don't want some random minimum wage asshole playing with my cars, let alone sit in them with their oil-stained pants. No thanks, I'll just buy the fucking sticker each time.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: UbMcK ()
Date: October 28, 2014 04:06PM

power steering is leaking and needs to be replaced.

yes only the hose is leaking - likely a job you can do easily. a ps pump w/o fluid will burn out and be expensive, likely leaving you with hard steering at the worse time

anyway ps fluid is flamable. so if there's any heat (cat) nearby or if on highway and fluid could be BLOWN onto cat, it fails, because ps fluid is known for causing burning cars on the side of the hightway

am i right?

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: Worth The Ride ()
Date: October 28, 2014 04:33PM

Head West on 66 to Gainesville. VA Tire, formerly the Goodyear, will take care of you. Go later in the day and ask for Kenny. Don't work with Harry if he's at the front desk.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: Alexander Smith ()
Date: October 28, 2014 04:46PM

Worth The Ride Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Head West on 66 to Gainesville. VA Tire, formerly
> the Goodyear, will take care of you. Go later in
> the day and ask for Kenny. Don't work with Harry
> if he's at the front desk.


Appreciate it.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: Dr. Neyland ()
Date: October 28, 2014 07:23PM

Bunch of dumb asses on this site. All the info given to this guy is false. Go fuck yourself

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: More ()
Date: October 28, 2014 07:34PM

Get a roll of $6.00 sealing tape at any auto parts store. Wipe everything dry before you go for the reinspection.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: Dr. Welby ()
Date: October 28, 2014 08:13PM

If your steering box is the actual source of the leak, look forward to a very expensive fix in excess of $1000.00.(where your steering wheel rod goes into)

If it is your power steering pump, go to Advance Auto or your parts store, get a new one, and put it in. Easy peezy Japaneezy.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: for real ()
Date: October 28, 2014 08:14PM

You get 2 reinspections within 15 days at no more than $1 each at the same station.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: JollyRoger ()
Date: October 29, 2014 06:50AM

I do all the work on my cars, wasnt till I moved to VA that I was forced to let someone tinker with my cars. What annoys me the most is I know they dont take the time to torque things to spec which I am anal about.
Anyways I took my car somewhere else and they said there was just grime around the pump and no real leak, just as I thought.
Fyi the original place I went to is the sunoco right next to GMU and they had also failed a friend of mine cause of his tree air freshner hanging on the rearview mirror "obstruction of sight" lol. You know whats obstruction? That dumbass sticker we all have to paste on our windshield. How bout we all give VA a safety inspection of the roads? The same thing causing damage to our vehicles that cause us to fail inspections. Fucking racket.

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: fluidfire ()
Date: October 29, 2014 08:48AM

If your steering fluid leaks onto the engine while its hot this could happen:


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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: 9mHnT ()
Date: October 29, 2014 09:59PM

Dr. Welby Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If your steering box is the actual source of the
> leak, look forward to a very expensive fix in
> excess of $1000.00.(where your steering wheel rod
> goes into)
>

it's pretty rare for a hydraulic steering rack to leak these days - maybe some of the older ones that are old and when it was a "newer technology" for cars. and they don't cost anywhere near $1000

newer jap car ones some models can be pricey - but it almost surely isn't leaking in that case, unless you damn ran over a curb and whacked the thing from underneath.

really: a good pothole or curb whack is an "accident" as far as under your car goes. it's very very hard on your car and about sure to cause long term damage.

> If it is your power steering pump, go to Advance
> Auto or your parts store, get a new one, and put
> it in. Easy peezy Japaneezy.

chainging the steering rack might be easier than the power steering pump - less nuts and hoses and no belt to take of

DO NOT forget lock-tite on the nuts and do torque them. have a friendly mechanic check your handi-work

==================================
always keep your fluids fresh and wash your engine once in a while. never overfill your fluids - never fill them to the fill line thats TOO HIGH - that's the maximum

do that, and you won't have leaks. old fluid causes leaks

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Re: Safety Inspection
Posted by: fool ()
Date: October 29, 2014 10:20PM

Alexander Smith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just do what I do:
>
>
> Make friends with an inspector and get them to
> just record the details and give you the damn
> sticker to put on. I have a few very nice vehicles
> with some modifications that would not allow them
> to pass (only in VA).
>
>
> Plus I don't want some random minimum wage asshole
> playing with my cars, let alone sit in them with
> their oil-stained pants. No thanks, I'll just buy
> the fucking sticker each time.

A Honda civic with a cherry bomb muffler is hardly a nice vehicle.

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