Date:         Fri, 8 Oct 1999 16:28:23 EDT
Reply-To:     AndrewD158@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Dunn <AndrewD158@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Inspection Horror Story!
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Let me preface this by saying that the sign at the inspection station
read,"Not responsible for damage to motor or car."  NY city inspection
Station.  First the guy admires the '89 Gl for its spaciousness(a good sign
huh?). I JUST BOUGHT IT, I'm proud to own one.  Then he backs it up the
emmisions testing ramp(the elevated type with the rollers).  He then procedes
to back it right off of the back end of the machine, a straight drop of about
9 inches.  Anyway it lands hard on the suspension arm mounts, and hard on the
round tranny bushing mount(its now bent up or indented about a 1/16 of an
inch).  Well maybe no serious harm done yet, I hope.  He then attempts to
drive it back up this small vertical incline.  It looks like a mountain to
me.  Of course he knocks rubber off of the nearly brand new tires.  STOP!(my
wallet is having a mild heart attack).  Well obviously driving up a nine inch
curb, isn't going to work.  So here it is straddled over this emmisions
machine in a tiny cramped shop, andt like all mechanics, there is always a
solution, right? Before I know it, the guy's jacking the thing up from the
tranny in the rear.  I suspected that this wasn't a good thing to do, but it
was too late for me to do anything(you can't see what the guy is doing on the
other side of a van).   Well, they eventually block the rear wheels up with
phone books and spare batteries.  These paricular blocks are not my idea of
good "cribbing" when I do rigging. We roll it off onto the testing machine.
The exterior is covered with greasy hand prints, and the guy runs it throught
%&$&# whatever rpm emmisions tester etc.  I've never observed this process
before(now I know why they post a disclaimer).  Its all too violent for me
for a vehicle not in motion.  Its chained down to this treadmill, its
blowhole has a pipe stuck to it, and a guy runs it through its gears and revs
with the gentleness of a tv wrestler.  All the while, the tires squeak and
the thing bucks as if trying to get the determined rider off.
    Well, I'm sad for the little white beast(I thought of it as a delicate
riding friend who will take me places).  I'm not sure if there was real
damage done.  I checked the manual and it warns against such tranny jacking
follies.  I wonder if anyone has any insight or comfort to give?
    By the way, they didn't even check the rest of the car, brakes, lights,
etc.  I guess they figured I had had enough, or they just wanted to go home
early.
Help me assuage my fears, along with my paltry bank account.
YOurs,

Andrew Dunn