# Failing state inspection due to Power Steering...



## Petrovich (May 13, 2005)

After taking several old cars through inspection, I'm starting to notice a pattern here... In Maryland, they failed several of my and my friends' cars due to "power steering leak" (as in, traces of fluid anywhere on the system). Their solution in ALL cases?... Replace rack, pump, and hoses to the tune of $1400-1800. Naturally, we either went the crooked mechanic way, or the wash-the-engine-and-tighten-hoses way, and all went fine in all cases.
Is it the same in other states that have an anal safety inspection like ours? Are inspection stations just trying to make some quick money, or perhaps say "we don't wanna mess with this car" in a different way?
I'm pissed, if you can't tell. Washing engines to near perfection is dirty, nasty, and getting on my nerves.


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## Maxim (Jul 17, 2005)

That is kind of shady. I had a PS leak (small drip) this past Feb when I got mine inspected and it passed no problem. But don't you guys in MD get your cars inspected like only once or every couple of years? If that being the case I could SORT OF see why Mr. Analwrench is citing you for the PS leak. But if you are like us, every year inspection.. I would say he is taking you for a ride.
Course it is a bit odd that he is he's so eager to jump on the replacing the enitre rack. Sort of like "Oh look, a spot of rust..... yup, your gonna need your entire chasis replaced" Dunno know though. TMO


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## Petrovich (May 13, 2005)

The thing is, in MD, you only do the inspection once - when you buy the car. This is why we have so many junkheaps on the road, and so many decent cars in junkyards. 
What is really weird is that ALL mechanics here seem to pick on power steering when dealing with a car that looks like crap. 
My friend just got a near-perfect, shiny 90' Ford Probe V6 (real nice, btw, quality that I wouldn't normally expect from ford, and it has that coooool digital dash  ) for... $100. The previous owner moved to our state and got a $1500 bill for the steering system when he tried to inspect it. Twice. That is, we have papers from two different stations, both saying that the entire system needs to be replaced. Needless to say, we changed some clip-on hose clamps to adjustable ones, washed the engine, and, checking a week later, we found no trace of power steering fluid anywhere on or under the car. 
I had the same story happen both to my Sentra and Stanza, and I know several other people who faced this problem. In all cases, the steering system was near perfect - either no significant leaks at all, or the kind of small leaks that one would fix by tightening a hose clamp.
Looks like mechanics don't want to do WORK (not install parts) on old cars. They'd rather take my $65 and tell me to piss off, I guess...


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

Our inspection consists of...

guy looks at car... from about 5 ft... asks "Everything work OK?"

You of course reply with "Yes"

DONE


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