Mark and AMH - you guys remind me of the old days. Yes inspections were cheap but what a PITA every six months.

I follow Jim Freeh's approach (except for the $5 - maybe that's next) For the last couple of years I have had very good luck on my inspections at a station in Springfield. Show up last month in the 500SEC - car fails. When you release the e-brake, the e-brake pedal doesn't travel far enough back to hit the switch to douse the dash light (that tells you the e-brake is on). Never has as long as I have owned the car. No inspector has ever failed it until now. If the dash light ever bothered me, I just reached up with the toe of my left foot and pulled the pedal back - light out.

Until this inspection the severity of the potential safety issue involved never occurred to me!

One thing we Virginians need to keep in mind, as an earlier poster noted, the state police license the inspectors and pose as civilians with cars to test the inspectors - and do pull licenses. I have a feeling that may have occurred here because I had never seen this particular inspector before. So if the state police gigged this station and its inspector, future inspections will most likely involve serious nit picking.

Now - on the hunt for a new inspection station.

Oh - I installed a spring to bring the pedal travel back - not exactly OE but got the job done. And I don't blame the inspector - they have been dealt a lousy hand.

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63 220SE Cabriolet
78 450SL (under construction)
84 300SD
85 500SEC