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Old 01-03-2013, 08:48 AM   #1
radbitt
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Default Massachusetts Inspection

So I know inspection is one of those iffy subjects on car forums, but I'm just looking for any advice or help I can get.

I bought my car about a year ago in RI. They told me no need for inspection on a new car for a few years... awesome! I recently moved to Mass and when I registered the car, they told me I have to get it inspected... not awesome.

I've only done a few things to my car; tint, stage 1 and a few minor visual things, so I wasn't really worried. Brought it to some place in Norton yesterday and they failed me because my tint is too dark. I have 30% and apparently the limit is 35%.

So here I am, with a cool red "R" on my windshield

I plan on going around to a few places around the Attleboro/Norton/Taunton area and seeing if they can help me out before I have them take it into their garage and charge me $30 to fail me again. Is this the best course of action?

I'm sure other people here are tinted and have managed to pass inspection. So any advice or private messages would be appreciated!
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Old 01-03-2013, 09:07 AM   #2
amart21
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Roll your front windows down before inspection.
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Old 01-03-2013, 09:40 AM   #3
silverwrx666
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just peel it off and get legal tint. You will have a hard time now that you have the big red r on the car. I would roll down the windows in my old truck that had 8% back when I lived in mass.
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Old 01-03-2013, 10:28 AM   #4
radbitt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by silverwrx666 View Post
You will have a hard time now that you have the big red r on the car.
I was kind of thinking about that.

I just feel like rolling the windows down won't help as it's pretty obvious since it's winter. And the back windows don't go down all the way. I imagine any shop that will take the time to check your tint will also take the 3 seconds to put your windows up.

Probably just have to bite the bullet and rip it off.
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Old 01-03-2013, 10:58 AM   #5
XplicitRacingDesign
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How did they know it was 30% and not 35%? That's not really a huge difference to be able to tell 100% by eye. And I've personally never seen a shop pull out a tint meter and check (if they did, sucks for you) I could see if you had 20% or darker.
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Old 01-03-2013, 11:04 AM   #6
MarkTheShark
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XplicitRacingDesign View Post
How did they know it was 30% and not 35%? That's not really a huge difference to be able to tell 100% by eye. And I've personally never seen a shop pull out a tint meter and check (if they did, sucks for you) I could see if you had 20% or darker.
Every place I've been to have always pulled out the tint meter.
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Old 01-03-2013, 11:07 AM   #7
tysonmcneely
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Let me know how this ends up. I'm in the same... err I mean I have a "friend" who may have just below legal tints too.
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Old 01-03-2013, 11:14 AM   #8
ETacv
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radbitt View Post
I plan on going around to a few places around the Attleboro/Norton/Taunton area and seeing if they can help me out before I have them take it into their garage and charge me $30 to fail me again.
You won't get charged again so long as you take it to the same shop and you've rectified the problem.
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Old 01-03-2013, 11:18 AM   #9
radbitt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XplicitRacingDesign View Post
How did they know it was 30% and not 35%? That's not really a huge difference to be able to tell 100% by eye. And I've personally never seen a shop pull out a tint meter and check (if they did, sucks for you) I could see if you had 20% or darker.
Like Mark said, this place must have pulled a tint meter. They did the inspection in there big repair garage and I didn't see whether they surely did or not.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tysonmcneely View Post
Let me know how this ends up. I'm in the same... err I mean I have a "friend" who may have just below legal tints too.
It's looking like I might have to rip it off. Mostly because this shop still did the full inspection and logged it all in the system. Might look shady if one shop failed me for tint and then a day or so later, another shop passed me... although it's really no different than if I rip my tint off today, get it inspected, then have tint reinstalled.
The system sucks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ETacv View Post
You won't get charged again so long as you take it to the same shop and you've rectified the problem.
I understand that, and I may end up doing that. Just sucks to rip off my tint and pay $200+ to have it redone. (Obviously I'd have it redone a legal 35%)
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Old 01-03-2013, 11:38 AM   #10
Jack
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It's logged into the system. No shop will pass you unless you pull it off. They won't risk losing their inspection license and this is just the kind of thing the Mass RMV will to to test a station. Yes, they do have people running around, trying to get a station to pass a clearly failing car.

I'm going to guess that whoever put on the tint failed to recognize that the windows already have a small amount of tint in them.....so putting on 35 makes the reading 30.

Welcome to Mass. Feel lucky that they're able to easily find "Subaru" in their system. (Lotus is not in the "normal" car list)
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Old 01-03-2013, 11:42 AM   #11
wit2003
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Do you have a receipt that states the tint is 35%? Because your windows have a natural tint to them so even if you asked for 35%, it may show on the meter as 30% or some other number.

SO essentially you would need to get 40%(random number for arguments sake) to acheive a 35% light transmission to the meter.

You could also ask the station to show you how they determined the tint was too dark.

Like stated, you are already on the system and most shops wont want to turn the blind eye for ya now.....not that they do that anyway.

EDIT: Jack beat me to it
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Old 01-03-2013, 11:49 AM   #12
radbitt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack ffr1846 View Post
It's logged into the system. No shop will pass you unless you pull it off. They won't risk losing their inspection license and this is just the kind of thing the Mass RMV will to to test a station. Yes, they do have people running around, trying to get a station to pass a clearly failing car.

I'm going to guess that whoever put on the tint failed to recognize that the windows already have a small amount of tint in them.....so putting on 35 makes the reading 30.

Welcome to Mass. Feel lucky that they're able to easily find "Subaru" in their system. (Lotus is not in the "normal" car list)
Quote:
Originally Posted by wit2003 View Post
Do you have a receipt that states the tint is 35%? Because your windows have a natural tint to them so even if you asked for 35%, it may show on the meter as 30% or some other number.

SO essentially you would need to get 40%(random number for arguments sake) to acheive a 35% light transmission to the meter.

You could also ask the station to show you how they determined the tint was too dark.

Like stated, you are already on the system and most shops wont want to turn the blind eye for ya now.....not that they do that anyway.

EDIT: Jack beat me to it
When I got my tint in RI, I asked for 30. I'm not trying to contest the fact that I'm at fault, but if I do get it redone later, I'll make sure it will be legal.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm most likely going to rip the tint off and get everything taken care of.
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Old 01-03-2013, 01:09 PM   #13
vision.dynamix
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First thing a shop will do is roll up your windows, especially in the middle of winter.

Yes, they all use a meter. It's part of their equipment.

Once you have a rejection logged into the system, nobody will pass you.

The law is Net VLT. They don't care if you paid for 40%..if you meter below 32 you technically fail.

I have spare untinted glass I use to get my car through inspection.
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Old 01-03-2013, 01:10 PM   #14
BradX978
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I have 5% all around but windshield and I have passed all my cars with it.

Just need to develop a repor with the shop, offer them 50 bucks, or go in with the windows down haha.

And if a cop asks you where you got it done, say you don't remember, or a shop out of that city.

Is this fool proof? No. Have I just been lucky? Yea probably. (Til you look at my ticket record haha) but there are ways around tint laws.
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Old 01-03-2013, 01:59 PM   #15
iamrazor
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maybe its the old man in me, but I'd take a legal car over tinted windows any day....

Are you THAT hell bent on having tint? From your post it looks like you had the tint installed. Did you knowingly chose a % that was illegal or is this a discrepancy b/w MA and RI? One I can fault you for, while the other I cannot.

If it was me I'd remove the tint, but I like to be legal and not get hassled..
my $.02
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Old 01-03-2013, 02:16 PM   #16
mattminer
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Well, all tint is illegal in RI. So that answers the above question.
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Old 01-03-2013, 02:20 PM   #17
vogun16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mattminer View Post
Well, all tint is illegal in RI. So that answers the above question.
That's why you register in the "live free or die" state....
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Old 01-03-2013, 02:30 PM   #18
TheFirstScion
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Never had an issue with 20% tint, no cats (I had the CEL removed as part of my tune) , 3" exhaust, complete turbo kit (on a normally NA car) and I just went to the dealer...
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Old 01-03-2013, 04:10 PM   #19
silverwrx666
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vogun16 View Post
That's why you register in the "live free or die" state....
ha no front tint at all in nh.
I was pissed I had to remove my mass legal tint when I moved to nh.
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Old 01-03-2013, 04:32 PM   #20
leach0789
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Just gotta find a guy at a small shop who will pass you for a nice tip. That's what...my friend..does when he needs an inspection
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Old 01-03-2013, 04:53 PM   #21
iamrazor
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or buy some sunglasses...
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:22 PM   #22
BradX978
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leach0789 View Post
Just gotta find a guy at a small shop who will pass you for a nice tip. That's what...my friend..does when he needs an inspection
I found the opposite is more true, someone who owns their own shop has more to lose then the hourly employee who works for a dealership or whatever. Hourly employees are always more applicable to handouts then owners in my experiences.

With that said, do NOT go to magic fuels in leominster for inspection, if your car looks like a "street racer car" (his words) or if you have anything modded at all he will fail you. My friend has a Camry with nothing wrong with it and he failed due to an exhaust leak.. That he doesn't have. So just a heads up.
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Old 01-03-2013, 09:16 PM   #23
psm04wrx
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Some Small shops use state inspections as a selling tool for work that may not even need to be done ....for example I work at a dealership(not that it matters) we have customers who come in saying they need work done inorder to pass inspection because shop x said so when in fact they dont need any work peformed. Its not right.
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Old 01-03-2013, 09:19 PM   #24
Jimmy S.
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I have all tint, 20% from CA on my infiniti and my local gas station passed my car when I moved. Thought I was going to have to take it off but it passed. Awesome.
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Old 01-04-2013, 07:28 AM   #25
radbitt
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Thanks for all the comments guys.

I ended up taking my tint off of all the door windows. I brought it back and passed but learned that the shop didn't seem to know what the tint laws were... I mentioned to him that I didn't take the rear windshield tint off, but I could if it would be a problem. He said the state doesn't care about the rear window and then he couldn't answer my questions about what percent tint was actually legal... whatever. Won't be going there again.
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