PA Inspection Question

[PAR1S]

Question for all the new PA Rivian owners (except for TechNerd I guess haha): did you take your new car to get your first inspection right after you received it? I picked up my R1S through the Gaithersburg SC and finally got my PA registration and plates back after a month and a half wait. I know brand new vehicles are exempt their first year in PA, but you still need a sticker for that, right?

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[Yossarian]

Question for all the new PA Rivian owners (except for TechNerd I guess haha): did you take your new car to get your first inspection right after you received it? I picked up my R1S through the Gaithersburg SC and finally got my PA registration and plates back after a month and a half wait. I know brand new vehicles are exempt their first year in PA, but you still need a sticker for that, right?

Sorry that I can't help with your inspection question, and that this question is a bit off topic, but I wonder if you'd mind saying about where in central PA you are.

The reason that I'm curious is that it seems no matter where I change my Rivian delivery address to, my guide keeps saying I need to go to Brooklyn for delivery. I really don't want to do that, as Gaithersburg is not only closer, but also far easier to get to.

Just wondering where the line is now. Until a few months ago, I was using a friend's address in Christiana, DE, but that too now seems to be in the Brooklyn territory. With luck, one of the NJ locations will open before my delivery is scheduled, so my issue may be moot.

 

[SEPA R1T]

Question for all the new PA Rivian owners (except for TechNerd I guess haha): did you take your new car to get your first inspection right after you received it? I picked up my R1S through the Gaithersburg SC and finally got my PA registration and plates back after a month and a half wait. I know brand new vehicles are exempt their first year in PA, but you still need a sticker for that, right?

I don’t know anything about new vehicle exemptions, but I drove mine without an inspection (and sticker) for a full year. I took delivery in March of 2022 and didn’t get a sticker and inspection until March 2023. To be honest, I was waiting for local shops to have some experience with rivians before I took mine in for inspection. Im not suggesting you do the same……drive at your own risk if you do though!

 

[KBabione]

In the next month or so I'll be taking my R1S to have the tires rotated and will ask them (CJ's Tire in Lititz) to do the state inspection as well. I'll report back in this thread. I have the pucks and may stop by there this week to confirm they'll do it.

 

[Zoidz]

Question for all the new PA Rivian owners (except for TechNerd I guess haha): did you take your new car to get your first inspection right after you received it? I picked up my R1S through the Gaithersburg SC and finally got my PA registration and plates back after a month and a half wait. I know brand new vehicles are exempt their first year in PA, but you still need a sticker for that, right?

Google is your friend - you have 10 days to get a new vehicle inspected.

https://www.dot.state.pa.us/Public/...als/Pub_45 Inspections Regulations/PUB-45.pdf

 

[KBabione]

Google is your friend - you have 10 days to get a new vehicle inspected.

Awww - that wasn't nice...Now I can't plead ignorance (especially since I'm posting). "I'll get it done quickly Officer...I promise."

 

[PAR1S]

Ah, so much for pleading ignorance. Thanks Zoidz… and Google

 

[ejf128]

Had my R1S inspected at Just Joe's in Chester Springs (Chester County). I brought in my pucks, and they did a great job.

Having them swap out my tires next week as I barely passed inspection; got 26k miles on the original set.

 

[KBabione]

I took my R1S to CJ's Tire in Lititz last week for a tire rotation and state inspection and it was a great experience. I have my own pucks (they didn't have them) so that worked. The rear puck covers popped out with a finger push on the inner side, but the front covers required a small screwdriver. The other thing I had handy was the torque setting for the lug nuts (190 Nm or 140 ft-lbs). They were going to go and look it up, but I had the owner's manual up was able to give it to them.

 

[ivinio21]

Crazy question. Will Tesla dealership inspect my R1S? I have one right next to my former BMW dealership

 

[KBabione]

Can't hurt to ask - but you'll probably want to have pucks with you because it's unlikely that they'll have a set for a Rivian. I'm guessing that the mechanic will want to do it just for the variety!

 

[ivinio21]

Can't hurt to ask - but you'll probably want to have pucks with you because it's unlikely that they'll have a set for a Rivian. I'm guessing that the mechanic will want to do it just for the variety!

What do they look for in a brand-new vehicle anyway? We barely use the brakes, the tires are brand new, there's no emissions to check, and the car manufacturer must comply with all safety requirements before selling the vehicle to the public. Besides the State getting my money for absolutely no reason, it's hard for me to understand why a brand-new vehicle needs a "safety" inspection.

 

[KBabione]

Besides the State getting my money for absolutely no reason, it's hard for me to understand why a brand-new vehicle needs a "safety" inspection.

If you bought it from a dealer in PA they'd put the inspection sticker on it for you (and charge you for it). I drove our Rivian for almost 5 months before I got the inspection sticker - I waited until my first tire rotation and had the mechanic do it then. Since they were pulling the wheels anyway, they could easily confirm that the brakes were within spec. Other than that they check to ensure that all lights are working, that the horn tweets (mine definitely does not "honk") and that the wiper blades are functional. Other than that there's not much to do - obviously you're not paying for an emissions test (nor are you getting the sticker).

I'll get my next inspection done at the closest tire rotation to when it expires...I obviously don't worry too much about driving with an expired inspection sticker, but I don't want my wife to get pulled over because of it.

 

[ivinio21]

If you bought it from a dealer in PA they'd put the inspection sticker on it for you (and charge you for it). I drove our Rivian for almost 5 months before I got the inspection sticker - I waited until my first tire rotation and had the mechanic do it then. Since they were pulling the wheels anyway, they could easily confirm that the brakes were within spec. Other than that they check to ensure that all lights are working, that the horn tweets (mine definitely does not "honk") and that the wiper blades are functional. Other than that there's not much to do - obviously you're not paying for an emissions test (nor are you getting the sticker).

I'll get my next inspection done at the closest tire rotation to when it expires...I obviously don't worry too much about driving with an expired inspection sticker, but I don't want my wife to get pulled over because of it.

I've heard some terrifying stories about people being pulled over for expired inspection stickers. Managing the risk, it is cheaper to have the car inspected than to deal with the stress of being pulled over by an angry cop who acts as if you've committed a serious crime and issues a hefty ticket.

 

[KBabione]

I've heard some terrifying stories about people being pulled over for expired inspection stickers. Managing the risk, it is cheaper to have the car inspected than to deal with the stress of being pulled over by an angry cop who acts as if you've committed a serious crime and issues a hefty ticket.

Not sure where in PA you are, but in my experience the only time they notice an expired inspection sticker is if you're pulled over for an expired registration. I got a warning a couple years ago for both - I simply forgot to renew the registration and, usually in PA, your registration and inspection expire at the same time. I thanked him for the warning and asked him how he knew (PA got rid of the registration stickers a few years ago). He told me that their system is constantly reading and running plates of vehicles in front of them and only alerts him if there's an issue with a tag. Not a big deal - I renewed the registration online immediately and got it inspected within a week. No fines.

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