Why I Actually Miss Having State Mandated Inspections

"Needmoargarage" (needmoargarage) 11/11/2015 at 11:18 • Filed to: Rolling Wrecks, Rants, Sketchy

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This truck didn’t just pull into my lane; it is and has been driving straight down the middle of it. If that doesn’t make sense, picture this: if this truck were driving in a straight line in the mud it would leave 4 entirely separate tire tracks. That’s how twisted the frame is. It was far more alarming to see in motion. Almost crab-like. Also, most of the driver side was missing and or pushed into the cabin.

I can’t believe the garbage that people think is still safe to drive daily in the Metro Detroit area. I see cars that have been literally wrecked beyond repair (with deployed airbags cut out) driving down the road all the time. Since moving here a little over a year ago, I have actually witnessed wheels flying off of vehicles 3 times on the freeway.

I hate sharing the road with morons. Rant concluded.

What’s the worst you have seen?

davedave1111 > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:22

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Jeez. And I’ve had a car effectively written off here for a cracked CV boot.

Urambo Tauro > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:23

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I saw an Explorer on I-275 that had so much negative camber on the LF wheel that you could see smoke. The upper ball-joint had probably collapsed.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:24

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The question is whether any of that would have been prevented by a state inspection. Hit or miss, at best, I would think.

Needmoargarage > davedave1111 11/11/2015 at 11:24

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I feel your pain. I was at first ecstatic about not having inspections as the last state I lived in made me repeat an inspection for a license plate bulb not being ‘bright’ enough.

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:25

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Seen at a Wendy’s in auburn hills

450X_FTW > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:25

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Sounds like my old drive to work down Southfield Freeway. Worst I ever had was a persons POS car in front of me blow a motor (or something along those lines) and started throwing all over. Just so happen I was behind them in my jeep, so I had the pleasure of cleaning oil off my car during a winter month, not fun at all

Needmoargarage > Urambo Tauro 11/11/2015 at 11:26

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Seen a few of these ‘stanced’ cars around as well. You’d think the smoke might be a sign to get things fixed..?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:28

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NC, so anything under 35 years old gets inspected and the vast majority of anything over 35 has been scrapped or fixed enough in recent memory to pass an initial get-it-back-on-the-road inspection. Therefore, the recent-wrecks-still-driving and the paid-somebody-shady models are the sketchy ones. Other than tires and bent suspension, haven’t seen that much, though there was an old squarebody Suburban I saw which had all the rear body bushings collapsed (body slumped sideways on frame).

davedave1111 > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:28

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That’s a bit off, but at least it’s a cheap fix. The cost of the labour to fix the CV boot, plus the retest fee was more than the car was worth - but it had a good 100k miles left in it apart from that.

Needmoargarage > 450X_FTW 11/11/2015 at 11:28

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That’s my commute now, which is why I have all these awesome tales! Saw an engine blow last week....car stopped in the middle lane of traffic during rush hour. Luckily I stayed back as I was fairly certain their car was on fire when they passed me.

Urambo Tauro > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:31

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Part of me hopes the driver was en route to the shop, but then again, I’d hate to imagine a driver willing to drive something like that on the freeway. Scary.

smobgirl > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:31

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Recently saw a Geo Metro with the right rear wheel at a 45-degree angle (below a pickup-sized dent). It was still cheerfully exceeding a semi-residential speed limit by 15 mph so I didn’t manage to get a photo.

Needmoargarage > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 11/11/2015 at 11:32

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I think collapsed body mounts are more common than not out here. Always looks sketchy.

Urambo Tauro > Santiago of Escuderia Boricua 11/11/2015 at 11:33

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HOLY SHIT! Auburn Hills? Looks like the company truck I used to drive !

EDIT: Trim doesn’t match. I really thought that was it for a second, there...

smobgirl > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 11/11/2015 at 11:33

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Depends on the state. I think VA will write you off for any frame damage. We backed our RV into something that dented the frame with no other visible damage and it never passed again even though driving wasn’t impaired in the slightest.

Needmoargarage > Urambo Tauro 11/11/2015 at 11:34

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I wish I had enough faith in people to believe they are on the way to the shop.

When I see the same busted car twice on the roads I want to scream!

Needmoargarage > davedave1111 11/11/2015 at 11:35

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That’s frustrating.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:36

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guess i wont share my winter beaters with you. I live in Kalamazoo and have seen and driven way worse for many years just fine. Thats nothing

Needmoargarage > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 11/11/2015 at 11:37

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I think there were a myriad of other problems as well...like the entire driver side missing/smashed in.

Needmoargarage > Santiago of Escuderia Boricua 11/11/2015 at 11:38

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That owner must have eaten a lot of Wendy’s!

Needmoargarage > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 11/11/2015 at 11:40

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Haha I don’t pass as harsh a judgement for winter beaters so long as they’re not threatening to me.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:44

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I once had to avoid a rogue tire that fell off a van when it hit a rail crossing a bit hard. It was just a few weeks after getting my G1 too.

shop-teacher > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 11:59

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I haven’t seen too much worse, but I’ve seen more or less the same thing many times. I call it dog tracking, it’s like when an old dog has worn out hips.

The ones that tick me off are the rusted out unibody minivans that are full of kids. That really grinds my gears when I see it.

shop-teacher > Santiago of Escuderia Boricua 11/11/2015 at 12:00

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Ha! I forgot about the S-10 I saw that was like that. Dude had hardware store letters on it that read, “YEP ITS BENT”

WiscoProud > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 12:01

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I’ve seen numerous bent frames and suspension damage on the roads here too. Every time is see a car with its frame dragging or with ridiculous negative camber I like to play "Is it overloaded or broken?"

jariten1781 > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 12:01

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Worst I ever saw was a Plymouth Horizon that had somehow killed the entire rear suspension. Rear was dragging on the ground making sparks and there was a plume of smoke along with rubber smell coming from the rear arches where the tires were rubbing. I don’t even know how a suspension can fail like that....rust through the mounts or something I guess.

He was just cruising around like normal too...I expected him to turn into a parking lot or something...but nope, just kept going at speeds up to 50 mph until eventually a cop got him.

Urambo Tauro > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 12:02

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Michigan requires annual inspections on commercial “trucks”, (vehicles over 10,000 pounds). But not on a company’s light-duty vehicles. Ask me how I know...

Unfortunately, the quality of each inspection comes down to the individual technician. I saw the front wheel of a fleet truck (big Silverado Duramax stake truck) collapse in the parking lot due to a severely worn ball-joint. The inspection had taken place just a few months prior.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 12:34

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I’ve seen similar things with other cars on the road.

It’s mainly due to shoddy collision repair. They replace broken pieces and skip the time/expense of doing a proper frame/body straightening.

I’d say that truck had a collision where it was hit on the front driver’s side.

Needmoargarage > jariten1781 11/11/2015 at 12:34

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Rusted mounts. That’s pretty crazy...glad a cop nabbed him. I always wonder how people ignore terribly loud noises, shaking, smoke, fire, etc. and think that there car will still run fine indefinitely.

Needmoargarage > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/11/2015 at 12:35

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This one wasn’t repaired at all, save some duct tape and rope. You were close...worst of the damage seemed to be on the driver’s side doors. It was hit very hard.

shop-teacher > WiscoProud 11/11/2015 at 12:42

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The answer is usually yes.

Scott > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 12:44

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Ohh I wish I had pictures of the car I used to see in the parking lot at work. Not entirely certain that it was not intentional to some degree. Looked like he was attempting to do a home built 4 wheeler/musclecar. It was a truck chassis, with a Ford V8 and rusty DIY looking exhaust system running down the frame. The V8 looked to have the most money and time and quality of work in it. So he clearly must have purchased the engine complete.

Attached to the frame was what looked to be an attempt to build a complete roll cage. He had what looked to have been, at one time, a nice pair of Recaro bucket seats with 5 point racing harness. Unfortunately weather had taken it’s toll and they looked rather disgustingly dirty to sit in.

He had what I think was a 70’s Pontiac Trans Am hood bolted to the roll cage with pipe hangers. Where the shaker hood scoop had been he had a very tall hood scoop. Which made no sense as he also had a snorkel like you would find on a Land Rover. I can’t image needing the snorkel as it would likely float before the water got that high. Since nothing else was water proof what was he trying to save.

He had very large off road Mickey Thompson tires. While he did not have fenders exactly he seemed to be planning for it. He had taken the plastic wheel wells off of something, cut them up and pieced them together to form some wheel wells big enough to go around the tires. Since they are plastic and intended to go inside a metal fender I can only imagine how they flapped about in the wind.

For the floor boards initially he seemed to have taken some thin sheet metal and just welded it directly to the frame. Later on as I recall he replaced it with what looked to be a floor board out of a sedan. It had a transmission tunnel and areas to mount 4 seats even though he only ever had the pair of Recaro seats.

He had initially 2 front doors attached to the roll cage using gate hinges and a lock inspired by Mr Bean. Why he needed a lock I do not know since the only other piece of body was what looked to be an old Jeep tailgate that was made wider. Later on he added 2 rear doors with the same kind of gate hinges and locks. They did not look to be from the same car as they were taller and shorter than the front doors. Why he needed back doors when he had no back seats is beyond me. He did have a windscreen, I think it was a plastic windscreen for race cars that was tucked into the roll cage.

There was just enough vehicle I could kind of imagine what he was attempting to build. It looked like he spent more hours driving it on dirt trails than building it, which I can completely understand. Also I think he spent zero hours planning it and seemed to be mostly buying a part as he could afford it and then trying to figure out after he had the part how he might attach it. It rarely changed over time but the few changes he made as the months turned to years were not always towards a finished product. Sometimes like the floor board he would remove something he had attached and put something new in its place.

With a lot more planning as in even just an hour or two. Quite likely a lot less alcohol while building it , and maybe someone with some genuine mechanical know how I think his vision could have been a cool vehicle. But sadly it looked unsafe sitting in the parking lot. I fear what would happen if he ever opened up that V8 on a trail.... or worse the highway.

PWRandSPD > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 12:57

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Could have also been the u bolts on the rear leaf suspension. I had those go on me once(luckily still in the driveway) and my truck dog trailed like this. Definitely not safe, but it was only 1/2 mile to the shop so I drove it there, but I also had my wife follow me and it was a very slow 1/2 mile. The alternative would have been to get a wrecker large enough for my dually which that garage did not have so I drove it like a grandma(read at a crawl). At least it was not far, but still nerve racking. I could feel the whole body of the truck shift as I hit the brakes.

Autohaus Derp > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 12:57

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I was baffled when I moved to michigan, coming from the UK with our relatively strict MOTs. No wonder you have so many road fatalities here in the USA if plenty of states have cars like this on the road.

Needmoargarage > Scott 11/11/2015 at 13:03

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Sounds pretty cool, but very frightening! Not something I’d want to be behind, in front of, or anywhere near on the road.

Needmoargarage > PWRandSPD 11/11/2015 at 13:24

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This was definitely a collision...the whole side was smashed in. But yeah, if U-bolts fail on a solid axle then the whole rear end will kind of track wherever it feels like it. That feeling is so unsettling.

Needmoargarage > Autohaus Derp 11/11/2015 at 13:25

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That and we hand out driver’s licenses like candy on Halloween. What brings you to Michigan? I came from California for a job.

Needmoargarage > shop-teacher 11/11/2015 at 13:47

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Needmoargarage > WiscoProud 11/11/2015 at 13:50

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Overloaded or broken?

WiscoProud > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 13:52

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I would classify that one as broken, albeit intentionally.

Autohaus Derp > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 13:52

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Work for me too! My company set up an office here and brought me over to support.

Autohaus Derp > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 13:59

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What do you do? I’m guessing because you’re a) in Michigan, and b) on here, its automotive somehow.

Needmoargarage > Autohaus Derp 11/11/2015 at 14:03

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You caught me!

I’m an engineer at Ford. Please don’t tell them I drive a Miata.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 14:15

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An early 90’s Ford Explorer with one wheel missing, and another at a 70 degree angle running a red light.

Needmoargarage > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 11/11/2015 at 14:16

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I so want a picture...

Was there a train of police cars behind him?

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 14:19

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No sr20 and surprisingly not

Autohaus Derp > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 14:34

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It could be worse. You could work for mazda and drive a focus!

shop-teacher > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 15:10

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Overloaded with stupid.

Berang > Needmoargarage 11/11/2015 at 18:43

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The thing is I don’t think most inspections would keep a car off the road for that. Malfunctioning brakes, lights, broken glass, severe rust (some states) but not a bent frame.

Needmoargarage > Berang 11/11/2015 at 22:06

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True. The crushed doors on the driver side might though.

Dru > Needmoargarage 01/28/2016 at 16:47

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Live in SC, no inspections here either. Coming from NC, an inspection state, I see surprisingly few death traps. We do have some of the worst drivers in the country though. The biggest offender tends to be egregiously bald tires, and the Carolina Squat. Google it, I dare you.