Driving Force

Driving Force was Originally Posted on April 1, 2012 by lavarock

Here in Hawaii we are required to get a safety check on our vehicles before we can renew our registration. Sounds easy enough, yet sometimes is not.

It was near the end of the month so I had to hurry. Tuesday I was aksed to helpwith a project, Wednesday I had a bad headache and Thursday I worked at the Coop. Friday I had a project at the house to complete so Saturday morning I went up the road to the place I have done inspections for years. “I don’t inspect anymore” was the welcome I got when I entered the place with paperwork in my hand. I was directed to a car parts place up the road. So after a 10 mile drive, I pull up and the car repair place is closed! A 10 mile driva back home is now in order so I can regroup.

Monday is a holiday. I go Tuesday. I pay my $17 and they inspect my car. They tell me my front tire will not pass. I consider finding a temporary tire but decide that I will probably have to replace all 4. Months ago I had a broken tie rod and had it replaced. Not long thereafter my car was pulling to the right. On my driveway it is easy to knock the front end out. I was going to get an alignment but wanted to wait for my bad tire to be replaced before I spend $100 or so. I had replaced that tire with the spare.

So now the spare was failing inspection, but the real front tire is at home (the opposite direction from COSTCO and new tires). Thursday is Coop day and I decide to get the tires Friday.

Friday I drive to COSTCO early and get there about 10am. This is a 20 mile one way trip. I am 7th in line and get 4 tires at a “drive-away” price of just over $500. Then it is about 10 miles south to the inspection station. They check off the repair and then back up north alost to COSTCO to get the registration completed. This is the next to last day before I’m late and the price goes up. The state recently increased the registration price considerably and my cost now is now $160.

So after many miles of driving, $680 and a few days later, I can drive legally another year.

I do love that we do not check emissions here as we did on the mainland. One reason is that smog drifts off the islands in minutes. However we also have a giant polluter (the active volcano) that spews more vog (volcanic smog) in minutes than all the cars could emit over many years.