One year ago this month I purchased a 2000 C5. My dream car, finally got a vette. Had 85000 mile on it no mods except tinted windows. Purchased from a used car dealer I had done business with before, small problems but overall a good car. Upon purchase the Dealer had the car inspected at the local inspection station and it passed with no problems (typical in NC). There is a 35 (-3 tolerance) window tint law in NC, the law has not changed since I purchased the car. Took the car back to the same inspection station the dealer had it inspected at last year for my annual inspection this year. FAILED WINDOW TINT THIS TIME. I cannot get my inspection sticker until the problem is fixed. Went back to the dealer and without question he agreed to have the tint removed. It is going to cost me $150 to $200 to get it re-tinted to meet the NC requirement.
WHAT CAN I DO? SHOULD I MENTION NAMES OF THESE PARTNERS IN CRIME ON THE FORUM?
I'M PISSED...
RECOMMENDATIONS?
JAFE

 

Thats aweful. I had gotten pulled over for my tint, different car, just had it done for about 2 weeks. Cop pulled me over and said if I dont have it off within 2 days he'll find me and give me a HUGE ticket. I went home that day and took it off. My Vette had tint when I bought it. I kept the rear on for a long time and took the sides off, didnt feel like getting a ticket. I finally took all my tint off. I hate the tint law, but I guess its inforced for a reason. Good luck on your tint issue, I would fight it in court and explain that it passed the first time and ask them whats the differance now.

 

The dealer is standing behind it so that's about the most you can hope for.

 

good luck

 

Take it somewhere else to get inspected

 

Bring it to the inspection station on a nice day with windows down !!!!!!!!

 

Nice to see the dealer standing behind you,but I would like to know why the tint won't pass now. Good luck with this.

 

I used to live in NC. You just have to find the "right" inspection station.

 

Very true my friend.

OP, Do you have any buddies that work at an inspection station? If so, I would give them a call and see what they can do.

 

I just had my windows tinted the other day with the instructions to "not roll down your windows for a couple of days" still fresh in my head as I was exiting the parking lot and there was a motorcycle cop on the street right next to the driveway, pulled over to the curb and eyeballing my Vette. I thought I was screwed. Ordinarily, as soon as I saw him, I would have rolled both windows down, but since they were freshly tinted, that wasn't an option. He pulled a U-Turn to follow me, but must have gotten a more important call and disappeared. That would have been crummy to get nailed with a ticket literally moments after driving away from the tint shop!

 

Hahahaha..........you would have gotten a ticket AND messed up your tint because you would have had to roll down your window to give him your info when he would have asked for it!

 

One thing to do is contact the State police. I'm sure they regulate the inspection station in question. They will follow-up on this. Then small claims court. No lawyer needed.

 

Yes. Probably could have gotten it passed elsewhere (I do have friends in the business). However, the law has not changed and this insp. station passed it last year (the reason I took it to the same station). Now it's in the system as failed and if I read the rules right I have to take it back to this same station for reinspect within 60 days. Fact is THIS INSP. STATION obviously passes anything THIS CAR DEALER takes in for insp.. Which could be construed as an "under the table" deal. Next time I buy a car from any dealer I WILL CHOOSE THE INSPECTION STATION. Screw me once "Screw Me", Screw me twice "Screw You". I would recommend anyone else buying from a dealer do the same, if they want to sell you the car you should choose the insp. station,This is a shady deal...it's
JAFE

 

That sucks!

It sounds like a window tint change will be due, I would think under a $100 for the two fronts

Thanks,Matt

 

Exactly! I was in a very "sucky catch-22". I'm wondering if that same cop pulls that same routine on a regular basis. I felt like I really dodged a bullet (in a manner of speaking) on that one.

 

That's not so easy to do in some places. In Mass, if an inspector gives you a failed sticker, you have to get your issue fixed and bring it back to the same inspector for re-inspection. Other places won't even look at the car. Though, you can find some places around here that'll simply give you your car back and let you know it didn't pass because of XYZ, but they wouldn't give you a failed sticker for it. There's a dealer around my way where I only paid if the car had passed. Most places make you pay first before they take your keys.

 

Grease a palm...

Peace
Chip

 

You should come to Oklahoma! No inspections required! Just don't get pulled over in violation of any laws and you'll be fine. Cops usually don't raise hell unless you **** them off around here.

 

 

I'll finish this story and move on. Dealer stripped the tint today and I passed inspection.
New electronic system in NC, if you fail it is entered into a database (connected to NCDOT I guess). You have 60 days to fix the problem. Once the inspector enters it into the system as "failed" you can't get anyone else to look at it because if the second inspector passes it (without being fixed) the liability falls on the 2nd test guy. So once failed nobody else will touch it accept the original inspector after it's fixed. Know who you are dealing with the first time out, don't take any chances.
I KNOW THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SINCE. ALL STATES ARE DIFFERENT,THAT MAY BE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

Bottom line, if the inspector would have told me upfront without entering into the database, we could have discussed and maybe he could have explained to me why he issued a sticker the year before on the same car with the same tint (safety inspections are somewhat subjective ie..tire ware, window tint, wiper blades) but these guys don't even let you witness the testing.

Anyways, doesn't look as bad as I thought it would, has a factory tint (I'm still going to re-tint). And I will be more selective about who does the inspect next year. So If your on Broadway street in Forest City NC, be careful where you take your car to have it inspected/oil changed, (Broadway street is the "fastway" into forest city) results depends on who you are. Just because it passed a subjective test last year doesn't mean it will pass this year. Several stations on Broadway street.

It just cost me $150.00 plus inspection (the150 would have been paid by the dealer had I known it wasn't to spec. a year earlier, he would have changed the tint or I wouldn't have purchased), but he did remove the tint no charge.

The state is trying to protect the public from "mileage rollers" and "salvage/flood" cars which is a good thing...just don't know if it needs to go to such a detailed inspection. If it even works at all.


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