Official NJ State Inspection Thread

[WildBillyT]

Got a question? Here's where to ask.

Before you read further, here are some things to note. Keep in mind that these are FACTS and aren't just WBT running his mouth:

1a.) It is a violation of FEDERAL law to remove, hollow, or tamper with your cats. That means that it is still illegal to mess with them even if you are in states that don't check in all areas. Technically moving your cats for a long tube header install is tampering and therefore illegal. This is because cats operate best at a particular temperature and if you move them closer to or further from the engine then that changes their effectiveness. Cat location is not always checked for in NJ.

1b.) Today's catalytic converters are a lot more efficient than the old pellet-style ones of yesteryear. Don't expect a ton of power if you remove them, but expect a pain in the ass when you go to inspection.

2.) It is ILLEGAL to run a fraudulent inspection sticker or one you bought from a guy who knows a guy. Do not ask on this site where you can do that. Anybody who can answer you will probably not do so on a public forum. And yes, members of law enforcement organizations read the site regularly.

3.) State inspection facilities have been known to fail people with SLP Loudmouth and other very loud exhaust systems. If you have a loud exhaust, be prepared to have them bounce you.

4.) Tinted front windows are not legal without a medical reason to back it up. If you go to inspection, you will fail. If you leave your windows down, they will simply roll them up and fail you. If you pull the window fuse and say it's broken, guess what. They will fail you.

5.) If you have a collector's registration you will be issued a triangular inspection sticker and you will not have a formal inspection. They will only check to make sure that you have a working odometer. Please see the registration sticky if you think that this may be an avenue you wish to pursue.

Fake-quoted for readability.

If you have some more facts and have evidence to back it up, feel free to post it up and I will add it to this post. Your original post may be pruned but I will add your username to the fact so that people know who to talk to for clarification.

All off-topic posts will be deleted

If you have questions about what will pass, go for it. If you have some tips about how to get a car through state inspection without breaking any laws, do that here as well.

[//<86TA>\\]

here is a link to the EPA's regulations on engine switching (engine swaps)

I found it interesting

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resour.../engswitch.pdf

From what im seeing, you can modify your car, remove equipment, move things, ect, as long as the car still passes the tail-pipe test. So long tubes and relocated cats are technically ok.

As for engines, you can swap a newer engine into a older chassis, but not an older engine into a newer chassis. Its legal if you retain all the systems and emissions controls as the original setup.


And as a side note to bills post, if you have collectors status, dont miss your instpection date! You will lose you status and have to re-apply, which is a much harder thing to do now than it used to be.

[sweetbmxrider]

i would recommend giving your car a good once over before going for inspection. replace any burnt out bulbs, remove everything from the windshield area including oil change stickers, and don't go if you are 1996+ and have a check engine light lit! it will save you time and aggravation. make sure you have your current driver's license, valid registration, and insurance card with you. also, for the manual guys especially, make sure your parking brake holds the car AND has sufficient reserve. you shouldn't have to pull the brake lever all the way to the stop for it to hold the car. autos should hold the car still in drive with the parking brake set.

[BonzoHansen]

I dealt directly with the state folks for 5 years and all they wanted to know is what happens from the second the customer presents a car for inspection until the end of the transaction. Never once was I told nor did I read anything about reporting stuff in non-inspection situations. I am not aware of any changes to that law since I left the business.

PS: expect WB to clean this thread soon, so this line of chatter may be condensed..

[89 Trans Am WS6]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

1999 and older can have two monitors = not ready
2000 and newer can have one monitor = not ready

clearing the computer resets the monitors and each one has specific criteria to meet before it will read, "ready"

so no, that won't work. at all.

2001 and newer is one monitor not ready.
00 and older is two.

If you have a aftermarket cat and header and get no check engine light then your car will pass the OBD portion of the test. (assuming the monitors are ready) I cant tell you for sure tho if its going to pass the visual check it all really depends if the inspector looks and/or notices/cares.

[Mike]

you WILL pass nj inspection with an airbag light on

[89 Trans Am WS6]

Just a update for you guys.

The state has completely reworked the inspection program in NJ.This included mandatory recertification for all of its inspectors, including parsons employees. Some of the changes will be apparent right away, some of them nobody other than a inspector will even notice. It really depends on what you own, and how its registered. For the most part your fbodys wont be effected at all.

Commercial vehicles have a lot changing, one of the biggest being yearly inspection. Regardless of weight or fuel type if you have a vehicle registered as commercial (that includes limos and omnibuses) you will be required to get it inspected once a year. Buying a NEW commercial vehicle will no longer give you 4 years of inspection either. That new rack truck or mason dump (or anything new and commercial) needs to be inspected right away and then yearly after that. The thinking behind this is that commercial vehicles are used much differently, and harder then passenger cars and thus the state wants to inspect them more.

Omnibus 2 is a new registration category that probably has no interest for people here. Its for small buses that are not for hire. Think of it like a bus that is owned by a ski resort and is used to move people from the lodge to the slopes. You dont pay a fee directly for the bus, just to get into the ski resort. This does NOT include vehicles registered to churches or other religious organizations.

OBD Testing.

96 and up GASOLINE and now 97 and up LIGHT DUTY DIESEL receive OBD inspections. Previously light diesels (volkswagen, mercedes, jeep) received only a safety inspection and a pass. Now 97 and up LIGHT DUTY diesels are treated just like a 96 and up gasoline car. I will double check my new book to let you know the cut off weights, etc. Some have changed.

Medium duty diesels now get a visable smoke test. This is NOT the same as a opacity test used on heavy duty diesels.

PIFs and DECs are now the same thing. The programs and training were combined so any private inspection facility can now inspect heavy duty diesel trucks (over 16k? pounds) if they purchased the new opacity meter addition for the new inspection machines. This is funny because you DO NOT need a CDL to inspect the heavys, just a inspector license, however part of the testing for a heavy can include driving the rig. haha, smooth move jersey.

Some previous failures are now advisories, but nothing to major.

Dynos which have been dead since april are now dead for good. Anything pre obd and certain heavy weight gas vehicles will receive a tail pipe test. The exact type of test is determined by the weight of the vehicle.

Gas cap testing is no longer needed on 01 and newer vehicles, as it redundant anyway as these vehicles have enhanced evap systems.

All the facilities now had to purchase all new equipment. They are fully CAN compliant so there is no longer a exempt list at PIFs. Inspectors now login with a fingerprint, not a id card.

And the question I know all of you care about the most! The 2012 stickers are blue. They are the same design as the purple 2010, but I know how alot of us worry if the color is going to look goofy. My TA will have the blue.

Ill try to remember to grab my book and get you guys all the proper weights and stuff.

Hope its helpful.

Edit: WE have NO idea when this is going to take place. Our machine was just delivered and setup, but now its sitting idle until the state is ready. Still some people have not received their machines. The original go date was Jan 1st, but I have a feeling we wont use it till march.

Edit 2: http://njinspections.com is the new site the state is promoting now. Its supposed to have all the new updates.

[WildBillyT]

Thank you very, very much Joe. That information is great to have.

[sweetbmxrider]

they are saying mid january the new equipment will begin getting used. though software supposedly still isn't available? also, check with your local private shop to see what they opted for. they could have purchased equipment for just obd-II, obd-II and tailpipe, obd-II and diesel, or all three.

[89 Trans Am WS6]

Good point. We opted for both obd and the gas bench option, however if yourf a pre 96 guy or otherwise non obd and your used to going to a certain shop keep in mind they may not be able to help you anymore if they only bought the obd option.

And from what SGS is telling us the software is ready, we initalized our machine but they are just saying the state is not ready. Who really knows.

[89 Trans Am WS6]

Still dont know when the new equiptment will be used, but a message came over the wire the other day saying that the changes to commercial inspections will start january 1st. If you got a X plated vehicle and your due in <3 months you may wanna inspect it now so you can get 2 years instead of 1.

[NJ346]

quick question: I currently run no front plate on my car and can't seem to find it. Will I automatically fail for no front plate? Car is cammed so if I get an ******* can he fail me for the front plate? Everything else is "legal" on the car(high flow cats, no SES light, etc.)

[Tru2Chevy]

No, lack of a front plate is just an advisory during inspection.

- Justin

[MonmouthCtyAntz]

Originally Posted by NJNETSFAN

quick question: I currently run no front plate on my car and can't seem to find it. Will I automatically fail for no front plate? Car is cammed so if I get an ******* can he fail me for the front plate? Everything else is "legal" on the car(high flow cats, no SES light, etc.)

7 bucks to replace it...go get another one. You should always keep it in your car regardless...

[sweetbmxrider]

you only need one plate and it doesn't even need to be mounted to the car. hell, it could be crumbled into a ball and unreadable. just needs to be present.

[NJ346]

cool...thanks guys

[FASTEDDIE Z]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

you only need one plate and it doesn't even need to be mounted to the car. hell, it could be crumbled into a ball and unreadable. just needs to be present.

Just a note , Ive been ticketed twice for no front plate Once I even had it on the dash . The cop didnt care . "It was not visable to him "

[sweetbmxrider]

Originally Posted by Eddie D.

Just a note , Ive been ticketed twice for no front plate Once I even had it on the dash . The cop didnt care . "It was not visable to him "

yes, i said in reference to inspection. you can get tickets for lights out too, still will pass inspection though. they changed alot of it because the state has to pay $20 per reinspection at state facilities. they were losing lots

[BarneyMobile]

I've failed for having a tag lamp bulb out. I had to run to Pepgirls and get a new bulb then get back in line for reinstection.

[sweetbmxrider]

Originally Posted by BarneyMobile

I've failed for having a tag lamp bulb out. I had to run to Pepgirls and get a new bulb then get back in line for reinstection.

yeah you used to, now plate lights are advisories.

[FASTEDDIE Z]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

yes, i said in reference to inspection. you can get tickets for lights out too, still will pass inspection though. they changed alot of it because the state has to pay $20 per reinspection at state facilities. they were losing lots

Sweet !!

[BurntTreez28]

ive always been curious if having no front plate on my 78 is legal because its registered as a classic, would anybody here happen to know if it actually is legal or not? because i have had my balls busted a couple times but no actual tickets

[WildBillyT]

Originally Posted by BurntTreez28

ive always been curious if having no front plate on my 78 is legal because its registered as a classic, would anybody here happen to know if it actually is legal or not? because i have had my balls busted a couple times but no actual tickets

Do you have collector's or antique registration? No such bird as "classic".

[BurntTreez28]

im pretty sure its registered as historic, i have QQ plates

[89 Trans Am WS6]

What is legal and what passes inspection are two different things. Another smooth NJ move. A cop can write you for not having a front plate no matter how your car was registered. Historic or not. If you were given two plates from MVC, your supposed to use both. Bikes and trailers, and im sure theres a few other things. (in tranist equip, etc) that can run one plate legally.

For inspection, you (from what we are told now by the state) dont need EITHER plate mounted, they just need to be there with the rest of the credentials. To me that sounds 10000 percent crazy, but its how it is. There are tons of things that you used to fail for, and now you are only given a "Advisory" and told to fix them. You still get a sticker. As said above it all had to do with a amount of $$ the state was paying parsons and the amount of times a failed car returned to the lanes.

So to answer your question it is Illegal to have only one plate. Will you pass inspection?
Yes. Can you leave the inspection station and get pulled over and ticketed for you? Yes. Will saying "But I just passed inspection, look!" help? Nope.