Inspection Rules on Rust

PittSpeed Automotive
1

Well, my car just fail inspection again for rust.

Somewhere along its life, my car (Taurus) was jacked up using the unibody seam where the floorpan meets the rocker panel, and not on the subframe.

Anyways, it weakened it, and over time, it began to rust… recently the rust broke the spot welds which hold the seam together. The subframe runs under the floorpan, and its in great shape (no rust). However when my floorpan meets the rocker panel, its spread open.

so tuesday night, i put the car on the ramps, and made a V shaped panel out of spare sheet metal (about 18 gauge). I clamped both panels in the “V” and tack welded everything together. This held the rocker, and floorpan together. then i went over the entire seam and edges with Tiger Hair & resin, and now it’s airtight, or close to it.

So i just got a call, they said “someone just covered up the rust, you need to weld a new rocker panel in”. I said, the structure is not compromised, cause the subframe is on good shape, the unibody is clamped/tacked together, and no fumes can leak in because of the Fibre Hair.

“oh, well our inspection guy is real particular about rust”.

WTF. Read the friggin inspection book, i fixed everything that would cause it to fail, just because you dont like it, or it doesnt look good, doesnt mean you can fail it… WTF. And not only that, its a family shop of a good friend of mine.

Any inspectors with input about how rust would cause a car to fail inspection?

2

Sounds bogus to me. Someone has a particular pet peeve about “rust” and you have to suffer. F that. Go somewhere else.

3

state boys are crackin down… thats the inspectors ass on the line. thats my take on it. :dunno:

4

x2, they had a problem awhile ago where they inspected a car, and something broke, and it came back on the inspector’s fault. so now they have a guy who comes in specifically for inspections.

oh, well i’ll take it to Midas or somewhere tomorrow just to get a sticker.

the shop owner said, everything looks fine, but its just a temp. patch, and the inspect. guy won’t pass it.

5

definitely take it somewhere else. there are so many cars that i have no business being on the road and they’re giving you a hard time about a patched rocker panel?

6

x2, I don’t know how there are so many rotted/rusted out cars with holes in them that are on the road. They either aren’t inspected, or know someone to stick a sticker in the window.

However, a former class mate of mine… well his car got passed after 2 or 3 periods of clipping sheet metal, drilling holes, and pop-riveting the pieces in place. There were 10 or 11 holes, we covered them up and it passed.

7

my car had lots of holes, my guy made me cover/fill them, but he wasn’t picky as long as exhaust gases can’t get in the car. I tiger haired a hole in the floor, and used insulating foam to fill holes in the rockers

8

your patch job sounds valid to me provided the structural integrity of the car is ok. it sounds like it was more of a hole in the floor problem??? correct?

9

I’ve had cars with rusts spots big enough to put a foot through (think 90 honda rust in front of the rear tire)- and after me it’s been inspected a few times now…
and never had a problem getting inspected. had another old celica that you could drop a tennis ball through the hole in the quarter panel from the trunk, got it inspected by three different places with never a problem…

I’ve never thought twice about it, just took it in for inspection…

10

well, they same “contracted” inspection guy failed it again. Wouldn’t give me a reason, just said i need to get a new rocker panel, and weld it on. And he wanted to give me a quote. So i took my keys, and drove to Midas, where it’ll be inspected this afternoon, and should pass with flying colors. Another shop i won’t go to anymore, even though it’s owned by a friend.

oh to respond from above… there are no holes in anything. The plastic ground effects cover the rocker panel. Everything is intact, rust just split the unibody seam. No subframe rust, barely any metal decay, just a split seam.

Then he gives me some line about how an inspection sticker doesn’t improve on the trade-in value. I asked him, “you’ve been workin on cars for how long???” an brand new insp. sticker will give the car a 100% functional status, bringing the value up. I did it on my GTP, the dealer asked when the inspection was due, and I told him it was brand new… No one even went out to look at the car, we sat in the showroom, and dealt.

Some people just piss me off, and I don’t get pissed off. Hate to see the car go, It’s one of the nicest ones I’ve owned. But once the rust starts, thats it.

11

I would call the state on them. Tell them they are failing your vehicle for reasons outside of the manual and that will get something done.

The only rust issues that should be worried about is holes and sharp edges.

12

That sounds beat. Your repair sounds more legit than most DIY fixes, I’ve “repaired” gaping rocker and fender rust holes by using some adhesive, wire mesh, bondo and spray paint and been stickered. Seems like the guy just has a hard-on about rust, he probably wouldn’t pass anything you didn’t pay him to repair.

13

its ok… you can say “duct tape”

14

It’s a good car. I’m 2nd owner on it, and it was dealer maintained before me. I’ve only had it for a couple months, luckily i only own bluebook on it, so i wont be taking a hit, as long as i get bluebook for it. But for a luxury car, it’s been raced, airborne (numerous times). I’ve rear ended someone and my car didnt get a scratch on it, but annihilated the back end of a Tempo. But it doesnt throw any codes, everything is functional on it, its in pristine condition, just has a little rust. Which BTW i painted white this morning, so its not so obvious.

and i had the trans rebuild, BIG $$$$$.

If you want one, there’s a black one FS in the FS section.

15

It is nice, and just keep in mind it will be barn find in 20 yrs. :beer:

16

the only reason for the rust, is because at some point it was lifted by the unibody. The owner’s manual shows that when your using the pinch jack in the emerg. kit, that you should jack the car at the unibody seam.

However, when using a lift, or floorjack, you should jack from the subframe, instead of the seam (which is 2 vertical pieces of 18 gauge steel tack welded together). cause with a lift/floorjack you have a large jack surface. The section of my car that had rusted, was crushed. The crushed area was the size of a pad on a 2post lift. The other side of the car is crushed also, but not as much, and it hasn’t rusted.

17

I really think most people in shops these days have no clue what the fuck they are talking about. My dad recently took our Jeep to his preferred dealer and they failed it for numerous bullshit problems. They said the CV joint which I just fixed, needed replaced (probably thought the tire that rubs on the control arm was the CV making noise), 3 lower control arms (If they aren’t broken I don’t see why they fail?), and a hole in the body. They were really specific about which hole it was, . . . NOT. If it was the most obvious one, it is the typical rear quarter panel rust most ZJ’s get. Has nothing to do with the safety of the vehicle at all. I need a copy of this inspection manual so I can call out the next shop that fails it for some bullshit. I’m really tired of this states automotive bullshit. Yea the cars not “safe” but we will a drivers license to any moron that can stop at a stop sign and park in side a fucking box. /rant
Sorry for the thread jack.

18

the latest: Midas said I did an amazing job on the rust repair. However, i have a broken rear coil spring. I’ts broken at the top of the coil. Since they are special shocks for the SHO, no one carries them, not PepBoys, not even Napa. they would have to be special ordered from Ford. That and the ball joint need changed. He said “I don’t know what the other inspector was smokin, cause this bodywork looks great, and he didnt even see that broken spring”. I agree, he must’ve been smokin somethin. I’m gonna think about turning the guy in. Although, my friend’s familyowns the shop… Not sure if i wanna cause a rukus or not.

Anywho, I’m gonna trade it in anyway with no inspection, it passed emissions. If they can give me low bluebook (what i owe) great. If not, then we’ll just deal the remainder into the price of the truck. If they want to give me next to nothing, then i’ll walk out on the deal. And deal with the car in my own time, or until GM puts the V8 RWD into production early next year.

19

So the ultimate question. Is a car worth more on a trade in, if it has a current inspection…?

Although, taking a 11 year old car with 80k miles to a new car dealership… they might just ship it out.

20

they will prob just send it to auction anyways