mass saftey inspections rust?

ok got a new toy lined up, gonna have to get it inspected, how much rust will cause me to fail the safety inspection?

 

Surface rust no problem, rust out big problem, same for frame rust. Find a small independent garage,their usually more interested in the $29.00 fee than they are in your safety and may overlook a lot. Good luck.

 

A hole from the outside to the inside of the body should do it. Or any rust on the structural components that looks unsafe.

 

just tell Inspector that it s not rust but, "Patina" which adds value.

 

The old rule of thumb for this was a pencil sized hole and/or any visible rot. its amazing what a roll of duct tape and spray paint can hide in 20 minutes

 

Yup...being able to see daylight through a body panle will get you to fail.
Also, like Mr. Mazza said, any rot in structral components...frame, spring perches...stuff like that.
That is, of course, assuming the indpector is flexible enough to get a look under the car.

 

the rule i use is jagged metal. if it can catch skin or clothing it fails at my shop. & tape of any kind is also a fail. it has to be a "permanent repair" fiberglass, sheet metal & pop rivets, or actually fixing it right are all ok. frame rot also fails but that's also a gray area cuz mass doesn't put cars up on the lift, just jacks the front end to check for play. so if a vehicle isn't prone to frame rot it usually gets overlooked. go figure.

 

Painted tape is permanent, isnt it??

 

Yes, we all, as "MASSholes" aim to kill, mame, or emotionally harm all men, women, and small children.

 

Just a quick question.. if the car does in fact have rot in a safety critical area, why would ya drive it on the road anyhow? I can see a small hole at the bottom of a quarter panel being a tad nit picky tho.

 

I just went through this with an O/T truck. The bed had a rust hole and that was enough to fail the inspection. They said that there was a risk of CO getting inside the truck. Huh?!

 

the key points are good, i wouldn't drive it if the frame was rotted out lol, but just wanted to know what i am up against.. thats all..

 

Willy, I must be another Masshole. I use metal tape (painted to cover dime holes in my rocker panels ) on my S10 daily driver. The inspector knows it and accepts it.
I haven't done any maiming lately,though.

 

whoa! strict laws in mass! i did not know that they were that bad. around here, they usually run the lights and honk the horn, and take your 12 bucks.

 

12 bux?!?!?!?! try 29 up here in Taxachusetts.

 

yup.. all to keep unsafe vehicles off the road lol i guess there trying to prevent this
but i haven't heard about a snapped in half jeep toyota or dodge in a while so they must be doing their jobs lol

 

LMAO! Don't forget about puppies and cute little bunnies.

 

Nor me!
I'm sensitive as shit.

 

rust is not just about things falling off but also about exhaust fumes entering, and about acting like a cheese grater if you run someone down at a curb.

 

I had a 70 OT Maverick with rust "holes" in the fender. Brought it to a big name shop and they failed it immediately. Drove up the road to a little mom n pop garage and they passed the car without even mentioning the holes in the fender or the lack of high beams. I guess it all depends on how badly they want $29!

 

totally understand why they do it, i just wanna know what kinda work i am gonna have to do to get it driveable...

 

As long as it doesnt look like Jaws attacked it, someplace will pass it

 

As other have said here, stick to the little one or two man inspection station. They are more likely to overlook certain things.

 

I have never seen a car fail in PA for minor rust holes on a fender lip or something that doesn't affect the passenger compartment or trunk. But holes that might let exhaust fumes into the seating areas, or holes that make the car prone to ... uh, falling apart ... those will make it fail.

 

The whole sticker thing is a rip...just like the excise tax...

 

I might be wrong,but I believe NY state has the most rusted out vehicles being driven daily.Completely shit faced PU trucks with flapping bedsides ,sagging cabs and you can see the drivers legs through the rot holes in the door.In fact it's so bad,the exhaust system isn't part of inspection other than the catalytic converter on vehicles newer than 25 years.80's GM shitbox front drive cars seem to go on forever.I saw one yesterday billowing blue smoke and sparks ,dog legging badly,a rear axle control axle was broken away ,scrapping on the roadway.The driver was just motoring by like nothing was wrong.

 

let me get this right. no matter what year your car is, even if it's 40-50 years old, it can't have any rust? is there no cut off date?

 

srs1, you are correct, no cut off date, no rust

 

and I thought California was bad......

 

hey Bill I used a bumber sticker once. but only once. lol