California brake and light inspection

[dlud]

I'm in the process of registering my GTM in CA and part of the process is obtaining a brake and light inspection. With normally manufactured vehicles the inspectors have specifications available for rotor thickness/runout, pad thickness and technical specifications for headlight alignment (apparently much more technical than the headlight alignment process described in the build manual).

Has anyone been down this road and obtained all the required technical specifications?

Thanks!

[Tuftster]

Sounds like it is highly dependent on where you go. For mine he looked at the brakes through the wheel and said "looks good" then had me let the car roll about two feet and use the parking brake to stop the car. That was everything for the brakes.

[lewma]

I had a hard time finding a shop that would do a brake and light inspection on a SPCN vehicle. When I did find one, they adjusted my headlights, checked all my lights worked then had me drive down their back alley and hit the brakes hard to make sure the car stopped. They did not look at any 'specs' but commented that the parts looked brand new so they must be good to go.

Good luck
mark

[crash]

Sounds like it is highly dependent on where you go. For mine he looked at the brakes through the wheel and said "looks good" then had me let the car roll about two feet and use the parking brake to stop the car. That was everything for the brakes.

Yep. My last brake and light inspection was pretty simple. Mechanic put it on a lift, looked everything over and signed it off. IIRC he did write down things like pad thickness and rotor appearance but it did not take long and the mechanic was not hugely critical of anything.

I think a lot of the light and brake inspections are done on salvaged vehicles, not the almost new vehicles like the GTM and other kit cars. Could be wrong, but I would bet the inspectors get a feel in about 2 seconds if the vehicle has potential problems or not.

[dlud]

I've not had a lot of luck so far in San Luis Obispo County. Three different brake/light inspectors have refused to look at it. BAR does put out handbooks for both brake and light inspections which have separate sections for Specially Constructed Vehicles telling the inspector exactly what is required. Shouldn't be that hard. I'm still looking.

[crash]

As you may know, California Certified Brake and Light Inspection Stations are licensed by the state of California and I think I might talk to the BAR if they are refusing to look at your vehicle. Maybe you have already?

[DSR-3]

Mine (downtown San Jose) took less than 5 minutes. All they did was verify operation of all lights & functions. It was also about $200 less than the shop closest to me.
As others have noted, it's almost funny how random the whole process is.
Thankfully, if and when it goes right, it's a damned good set of rules we get to use!

[dlud]

As you may know, California Certified Brake and Light Inspection Stations are licensed by the state of California and I think I might talk to the BAR if they are refusing to look at your vehicle. Maybe you have already?

Yes I did contact them. All they did was send me a list of the shops that do brake/lights. I replied that I already had the list and that wasn't the problem. No response.

On a positive note I have an appointment with a shop for next week Spoke with the owner and he doesn't see a problem doing the inspection. I'm cautiously optimistic. I thought the brake/light would be the easiest part of the process. So far, the most time consuming and difficult.

I did pull the California handbooks for Brake inspections and Light inspections. Very useful as there are categories in both manuals that describe the process for Specially Constructed Vehicles. https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Lamp_Handbook_9.3.15.pdf; https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Brake_Adjuster_Handbook.pdf. Very helpful.

[Kay_B]

Yes I did contact them. All they did was send me a list of the shops that do brake/lights. I replied that I already had the list and that wasn't the problem. No response.

On a positive note I have an appointment with a shop for next week Spoke with the owner and he doesn't see a problem doing the inspection. I'm cautiously optimistic. I thought the brake/light would be the easiest part of the process. So far, the most time consuming and difficult.

I did pull the California handbooks for Brake inspections and Light inspections. Very useful as there are categories in both manuals that describe the process for Specially Constructed Vehicles. https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Lamp_Handbook_9.3.15.pdf; https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Brake_Adjuster_Handbook.pdf. Very helpful.

This is a fairly strict system for assessing the quality of brake lights, and on the other hand, it is very effective. With this approach, you will drive a car that works 99% properly.

[dlud]

This is a fairly strict system for assessing the quality of brake lights, and on the other hand, it is very effective. With this approach, you will drive a car that works 99% properly.

I agree 100%. But confused as to the refusal of some licensed brake/lamp adjusters to even conduct an inspection on a Specially Constructed Vehicle.