NJ auto inspection stations are actually friendly

My car is now five years old. It has 160,000 miles on it. It runs great and I'm very happy with it.

Anytime there is a strange noise or funny vibration, I get it checked out. I've learned my lesson.

If you let stuff like that go, it only gets worse and more expensive to fix. Those things could also lead to the car breaking down or a wheel falling off and could cause death.

Nobody wants that, right?

You would think that should be enough for people to maintain their own vehicles, but no, not in a nanny state like New Jersey.

It's all for public safety, of course. We're all used to getting our cars inspected from the time we got our driver's license and our first car.

There are states that don't require inspections at all.

There are seven total states that have no required vehicle inspections: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, South Carolina, and South Dakota. Michigan and Mississippi also generally don’t require inspections, except for in some extremely specific scenarios.

In Michigan, newly rebuilt vehicles, that is, vehicles built from salvaged or scrapped parts, require a safety inspection.

In Mississippi, vehicles that have tinted windows also need a safety inspection.

In New Jersey, used passenger vehicles must be inspected once every 2 years.

New vehicles are inspected after 5 years (and then every 2 years).

Commercial vehicles must be inspected once a year. You may inspect your vehicle up to two months before it actually expires.

They seem a lot friendlier and nicer than in years past. It had been many years since I had to get my car inspected at an official NJ Auto Inspection Center.

I went to the facility in Southampton in Burlington County and even though is it was the end of the month; it was a breeze.

Nothing to be afraid of and no need to put it off. It just sucks and seems pretty pointless and authoritarian to have to get it done. Here's all you need to know to get through inspection in New Jersey.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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