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.

Vehicle Inspections: A Necessity

In doing my research for the blogs, I came across a few articles in which people were questioning the reasoning for being required by law to have their vehicle inspected annually. So rather than discuss another key point on the 20 point auto inspection list, I thought this more important to investigate.

As the consumer there’s a simple fact: vehicle inspections play a crucial role in keeping equipment in top condition and replacement costs down. There’s a great reason why vehicle inspections are also referred to as “safety inspections”, because they do just that, keep you safe. Think of the scenarios: your brake lights are out, your seatbelt no longer fastens correctly, your windshield wipers are cracked or even missing! Knowing you need these items before actually having to use them is ideal.

That’s what Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) promises to every customer that drives into our store. Peace of mind to know that your car, truck, motorcycle, RV or trailer have been thoroughly inspected and meets standard requirements for your safety. Official Inspection Station, keeping San Antonio safe nine minutes at time.

Brakes: Slow your roll...

Let’s face it our vehicle is pretty valuable to us but our cargo is much more precious. So keeping our cargo and vehicle protected is significant to us all.

While we are on the highway traveling at 65 MPh and traffic slows down immensely other than easing off the gas the only thing that we can rely on is our brakes to slow us down. But what happens if they didn’t work? What happens if at the moment we need them to work in a split second, it takes three seconds? Unfortunately this is when a collision is inevitable.

Taking preventative measures is one good step in the right direction! Per Texas state law if a car is going 25 MPh it should be able to come to a complete stop within 25 ft. Your vehicle’s brakes are tested during an annual state inspection to make sure they meet minimum requirements. They can either be tested on a “road test” which is a marked off section where the above requirements have to be met or they can be tested on an actual brake tester. This is a piece of equipment that is actually driven onto and braked on, the sensors underneath test if your car’s brakes are in accordance to state law.

Keeping you and your precious cargo is something we strive to do here at Official Inspection Station. (www.officialinspectionstation.com) We’re the only safety only inspection store here in San Antonio, that way we can focus only on you and your family’s safety. Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) keeping your family and San Antonio safe nine minutes at a time.

Seat Belts: Stay right where you are

You may have thought you were out of high school, but here’s a little pop Physics class to remind you of why seat belts are so important. If you are inside a moving vehicle going 65 MpH and you are not buckled in, if the car collides with an object inertia will still have your body going 65 MpH causing you most likely to be thrown from the car. (the number one killer of people under the age of 35, according to Oklahoma State University) In order to be safe in this kind of crash is to become part of the car and minimizing your (you the driver) injuries, is to be buckled/attached to your vehicle. In a car accident the best place for you to end up at the end of the collision is going to be inside of your car. These days cars are designed to impact in certain areas while staying impact resistant in others.

Make it a habit to put your seat belt on. If you do something 21 days in a row it’s proven that it will become habit and you no longer have to think about it before you simply just do it.

It’s also a smart move to have your seat belts, along with other safety features in your vehicle, examined especially if you have an older dated car. At Official Inspection Station (www.officialinsepctionstation.com) when a car leaves our facilities we want to ensure you that your vehicle is safe, keeping you and your loved ones as protected as possible in the unfortunate case of an accident. Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com) is exclusively the only safety only inspection establishment in San Antonio.

Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com), keeping San Antonio safe 9 minutes at a time.

BG

It often seems that with the rise and fall of the stock market the one thing that does consistently rise is gas prices, it doesn’t matter if you’re a High-end Executive or an Average Joe we are all looking for the same thing: a way to save money when it comes to filling up at the gas pump. Whether it be making sure that there’s the perfect amount of air pressure in your tires, to removing the unnecessary weight in your car, to even keeping your speed to under 60 MPh, (According to fueleconomy.gov, it would be safe to assume that every 5 MPh over 60 MPh is like paying an extra $0.24 per gallon for gas!) we are all looking for ways to be pro active in the quest for better fuel efficiency.

One thing that people may not consider is maintaining your fuel injectors. Dirty injectors can limit the maximum power your engine can produce. In the more extreme cases filthy injectors can even lead to engine damage starting in cylinder lean out to the point of piston damage. If maintenance isn’t handled from the starting point when you purchase your vehicle, you may find yourself with a $400 bill just to clean your injectors.

A way to prevent this and help your car stay at its best would be to treat your gas tank with BG 44k®. Not only is it fuel economic but it also reduces exhaust emissions. Think of it as “Going Green” while you save some green.

Offering this BG 44k® is yet another wonderful product and service we offer in addition to Texas vehicle safety inspections. Here at Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com), we care not only about the safety of our fellow Texas drivers but about our environment. You could even say our red, white and blue is going “Green” as well!

Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com), keeping San Antonio safe nine minutes at a time.

Wind Shield Wipers

When it comes to driving on any road, one thing is apparent: visibility is absolutely crucial. According to Yahoo Auto 90% of our driving decisions are made based on how well we can see, whether it be oncoming traffic, traffic lights or even pedestrians.

One of the easiest and perhaps most inexpensive upgrades we can do to our vehicles is replacing the windshield wipers. In San Antonio we can go for what seems like months without rain, we often don’t realize the need for them until we are caught in a random Tuesday afternoon downpour the meteorologist never even saw coming.

Since windshield wipers should be replaced every 6-12 months a hint to help you remember to replace them would be to change them out for new ones every time you renew your inspection sticker. It will also become apparent since having wipers in good condition is a standard for the Texas Department of Public Safety in order for you to receive your sticker for the new year.

Official Inspection Station ( www.officialinspectionstation.com ), one of the finest San Antonio inspection locations, offers you the convenience of not only vehicle inspection in nine minutes or less, but also the opportunity of replacing these safety devices as part of our services for a reasonable price. And please be sure to let us know of any questions or concerns you may have about your windshield wipers at the time of your inspection.

Official Inspection Station (www.officialinspectionstation.com ), keeping San Antonio safe nine minutes at a time.