Your Texas Vehicle Registration

Registration

It works just like clockwork, every year: file your taxes, pay your insurance for another year and make sure your registration and safety inspection stickers are both up to date.

While you know Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) gets you out and on your way we are often asked, “How do I renew my registration sticker?” There are actually three ways you can renew it: through the mail, in person and online (as long as your county participates). And soon this will be another feature that we offer our customers at Official Inspection Station, making it easier to serve our customers with convenience and safety.

Through the mail you will need to send in the renewal notice (less your portion of the letter), a copy of your current liability insurance, the registration fee plus $1 for the mail in fee. This will all be mailed in to your local county tax office. If you need help in locating the nearest one to you, you can follow this link for locations.

Next you can renew your registration in person. You can simply walk in to your local county tax office. All you will need is your registration renewal notice, proof of insurance and payment. There are also some counties that will allow you to renew at your local participating grocery store.

And for the most convenient option yet, you can renew your registration online. By following this online registration link you can be walked through simple step by step process and as long as your sticker is not expired and you have a valid credit card you can be on your way to being registered for another year!

At Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) we take the safety of our driver’s extremely serious. When you leave one of our stores with a safety certificate we are guaranteeing your car’s safety for you and your family. At Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) we’re keeping San Antonio safe nine minutes at a time.

Exhausting Fumes

The Exhaust System is one of two items checked under the vehicle during an annual safety inspection. (the other item is the brake system) The exhaust system is checked while the engine is running in order for the inspector to properly analyze that the system is working properly.

It is important for you to know some of the causes for failing an inspection. Some of them could be as follows: that the exhaust system is not securely fastened to your vehicle, if there are holes or cracks allowing leakage of fumes or if the tailpipe fails to discharge exhaust from the rear or sides or top of the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

The CDC published an article about a family of 6 traveling from Georgia to Mississippi. The truck they were traveling in had a camper shell cover while three of the five children lay sleeping were exposed to toxic levels of carbon monoxide. Their autopsy reports indicated that the cause of death was cerebral edema, the parents and two other children (who were sitting in the front compartment of the truck) showed to be asymptomatic.

NOTE: Death or serious injuries caused by CO poisoning associated with vehicles is wholly preventable. The above report’s deaths were due to an aging vehicle, a shoddy exhaust system and riders being transported in a poorly ventilated space.

At Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) we take the safety of our driver’s extremely serious. When you leave one of our stores with a safety certificate we are guaranteeing your car’s safety for you and your family. At Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) we’re keeping San Antonio safe nine minutes at a time.

Windshield Wipers: Making Them Last

The lifespan of windshield wipers is equal to that of a simple dragon fly, 4-6 months. As opposed to that dragon fly there are ways to make sure that you get the best you can out of your wipers to ensure your and your passengers’ safety. Below are just three helpful tips:

You’ve heard it before: “The best defense is a good offense.” This comes true with care when it comes to your car. By simply keeping your car clean you can prolong the life of your wipers, which will in turn keep $ in your pocket and possibly from being that person holding up morning traffic cause of a minor fender bender in the rain. Take off heavy dirt, bird droppings or ice and snow by hand in preparation of turning on your wipers. They're not built for tough jobs and will deteriorate quickly if you overwork them.

Be sure to keep your windshield wiper fluid filled to the optimal level, so that when you need it it’ll be there. It’ll also keeps your wipers from running over a dry dirty surface, which can ruin their edge and cause cracked wipers.

Make it a habit to change your wipers at the end of every season. Some people make the mistake of turning on the wipers when they’re frozen to the windshield. This will cause you to pull pieces of the wipers out of the base and could even scratch your windshield. The best thing to do would be to turn on your defroster to warm up your windshield, once it thaws out it’ll release your wipers.

If you are in doubt of whether or not to throw out the wipers, play it safe and just replace them. Better to be safe and prepared than not. And with this Texas weather you never really may be too sure!

Keeping you and your loved ones safe is just another feature we like to offer you here at Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com). We pride ourselves on being efficient and reliable for all the drivers in San Antonio, TX. We’re keeping San Antonio safe 9 minutes at a time. (www.officialinspectionstation.com)

Tint: Is darker really better?

Most of the time we don’t realize how much we need something until we are in dire need of it! For instance, it’s not really until you are sitting in the middle of traffic that you realize in blazing heat that you still have yet to get your windows tinted. Tint serves many purposes for your vehicle: it blocks 65% of sun’s heat as well as 99.9% of harmful UV rays, it protects interior and upholstery, it protects your eyes from glare and eyestrain and makes the vehicle glass safer by holding shattered glass in place, in the event of a collision.

Although all good things are taken in moderation, too much tint can make it rather difficult and dangerous to drive, especially at night. This is why all states have a regulation as to what VLT (visible light transmission) percentage is allowed. This is to keep all drivers as safe as possible on the road.

One thing to keep in mind is that it is perfectly legal to be sold a car that has darker tint than is legally allowed. It is then up to you as the new owner to make sure that the tint is legally where it should be.

Here at Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) we want to make sure that you are safe and secure. Inspecting your vehicle’s tint is another way we vow to keep your car at its optimal safety standards. At Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) we’re keeping San Antonio safe 9 minutes at a time.

Gas Caps: Seal the deal

Gas caps serve as a major point of security on any particular vehicle. Gas caps serve three major purposes: safety, emissions and lower fuel expenses.

Safety: During a collision you already have enough to worry about such as injury to yourself and your passengers. Gas caps will prevent fuel spillage, which can lead to fire and far more serious injury and damages.

Emissions: There are so many harmful elements effecting the environment, your car’s gas cap is actually helping to prevent dangerous fumes from leaking out of your car and contributing to harmful pollution.

Fuel Expenses: All liquids, with enough heat. can and will evaporate. Yet another purpose for your gas cap is to save you money. By keeping your gas in your gas tank it’ll make for a happier wallet, which will make for a happier you!

To guarantee that you will get all the benefits of your gas cap it is best to make sure that you have the correct fitting for your vehicle. This is an additional amenity that Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) provides as part of the 20 point safety inspection required by the state of Texas. We want to ensure that you and your passengers are safe. Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) keeping San Antonio safe nine minutes at a time.

Car Horns: Be heard

This has happened to most of us, we are driving down the freeway and the car in the lane next to you starts moving over into yours. You react quickly and go to reach for your horn but it doesn’t work. All you can do is brake and hope he sees you in time to not collide with your vehicle. Most of us are guilty of not realizing how great the need for safety tools until we actually need them.

A car horn’s intention is to alert other vehicles and bystanders of a vehicle's existence. Smaller cars have a higher frequency horn than those of large vehicles to allow others to recognize by the sound of their horn whether it is a small vehicle or a large vehicle. Usually a low deeper horn will let you know that chances are a truck or bus is honking, while a lighter tone will give a hint of a smaller compact car. Though some people may complain that car horns contribute to noise pollution, horns were initially placed on vehicles for safety and that continues to be the main goal today.

This is yet another point of the 20 point vehicle safety inspection for Texas and most other states. As part of your safety inspection we make sure that your horn works adequately in order to provide safety for yourself and your passengers. At Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) we want to keep you and other drivers on the road as safe as possible. Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) we’re keeping San Antonio safe 9 minutes at a time.

Mirrors: Seeing is Believing

Your vehicle’s mirrors are more than just checking to see if your lipstick is on right or to straighten your tie when it comes to the functionality of your vehicle. You should have mirrors in working order on your car in order to allow yourself to see the other vehicles around you in traffic, it is essential to your safety. All passenger vehicles are required to have an inside rearview mirror plus two outside mirrors one on each front door.

A damaged or missing mirror is not only dangerous but is also against the law. So if your mirror is missing or broken it should be repaired or replaced immediately.

So just remember when you arrive to your destination safe and sound that your mirrors had something to do with that, and don’t forget to check your hair just one more time.

At Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) vehicle safety and upholding the law are part of our core values. Checking your mirrors is just part of our twenty point inspection, your safety is a priority. Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) keeping San Antonio safe nine minutes at a time.