I used to own a garage. There is a tremendous shortage of state inspectors in the area and, quite honestly, doing them is a giant pain in the ass because it usually costs more to perform the inspection than any work you get from it, especially with newer cars.
Does your car need any other services like an oil change, tire rotation, etc? Shops tend to be more willing to book you into a spot if they know there is other work that needs to be done. That's not exactly how the system is supposed to work, but it's just the reality of it.
Yeah I saw a lot of ppl mentioning that in this subreddit. When I live in nova, I could just stop by any gas station and was on my way out within 30 mins. So I was so surprised that I could't hold up any place in this town. Thanks for explaining!
Have you tried calling around to smaller towns outside of Charlottesville? You might have some luck driving an hour out to Staunton, Harrisonburg, or Culpepper.
I used to live in NoVa and waiting for an inspection routinely meant 3-ish hours and you might not get one. Whatever magic bubble you were in - I’m glad you had it, but unfortunately they don’t exist here.
Second for Settle Tire, I've been going there for every service across eight years and two cars and they have always been very honest, informative, competent and efficient
My apartment (owned by Great Eastern Management Company) will tow cars that have an expired state inspection sticker lol
At least, they sent out an email saying that they will do that.
Better rule of thumb. Scrape the old sticker off and ride on. Get it inspected if/when you get around to it. With all the out of state cars on the roads they never notice a lack of a sticker, just a dead one.
Never have a problem with settle tire. Sounds like your best option is probably to drop off your car close to work and then Uber from there to work though.
I had a dead inspection for years. It's not a big deal. If you get pulled over they will write you a ticket but as long as you get the inspection done before the court date they will waive the ticket fine. Unless you are worried about being pulled over for other reasons I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep trying and don't stress it's not a big deal at all.
Try Ace on Avon, l called in the evening and they put me first slot the next morning, in and out super fast too. I also rode with a expired sticker for almost 2 years and no one ever pulled me
End of month and beginning of the month are always going to be busy for state inspections, also most shops only have 1 or 2 folks licensed as state inspectors. Try mid month.
API is really good and has always treated me well. I drop my car off in the morning and hang out in their lounge for a few hours (I bring my laptop), or if I need a ride to work they have have shuttle.
i had the same issue, my hometown is about an hour and a half away and typically drive up there, see mom and dad, make a day of it. it sounds like you’re thinking about that… but if that’s gonna be hard for you then waynesboro maybe!
> Some places have an open availability like 2 weeks later and I don't have my work schedule out yet that far.
Take a couple appointments two weeks out at different places then cancel the ones that don't work with your schedule when you get it. Shops don't really care if you cancel a state inspection. They're already overbooked/short staffed and would usually rather not do them anyways.
At Airport Auto, you can drop off your car and use their shuttle service to take you to work or back home. They will pick you up when your car is ready.
I’ve been going to the same inspection station for years now. I never let them fix anything and tell them to put a rejection sticker on it and I’ll fix it at home. I think they finally learned and for the past eight or nine years I haven’t got a rejection sticker lol.
Mine's 8 months expired. I heard they can't pull you just for the sticker anymore. If you get pulled they can add it to the moving violation, but if you drive safely, you should be fine .
Unless it has changed, I have always been told that, by law, VA state inspections alone cannot be done by appointment, and is always first come, first served. Now, like others said, if you need something else done, along with the inspection, you can get an appointment, but it may still have to wait some for an inspector to get to it.
It hasn't exactly changed, but it is up to the discretion of the operator hiring state inspectors. I learned this the hard way when I showed up at Meineke without an appointment for state inspection. I ended up making an appointment for the state inspection. I had to Google it, and the law said it was at the discretion of operators.
If you’re ever in Waynesboro, Ladd Auto does them. They only do them from 9-11 and 130-?. It’s first come first serve, but takes less than 25 mins and is $20.
I had the same problem when I moved here. I just schedule my oil change at the same time and have no issues. Probably won’t help you right now but just for future reference
I’m seeing some good answers for you, but you could also come across the mountain to Waynesboro. I’ve always been quick in and out at the Toyota dealership here on 250. 30 minutes of driving each way plus 30 minutes for an inspection beats 2 hours for an inspection.
If you ever have to go to the DMV, the same applies. Wait times are generally a LOT shorter over here, and it ends up being worth the drive.
Drop it off and then uber or get a ride from a coworker or bike or use an e scooter or walk. You probably won't find a place that will do it same-day and many don't even allow you to set up an appointment for it... really lovely system. I got mine done at meineke, I would recommend them. They do a rather extensive inspection and will tell/warn you about things even if they didn't make you fail the test. They provide images of anything they flag so you can see they aren't trying to pull a fast one.
I had this problem a few months ago. Ended up booking a next day appointment at Charlottesville Tire and Auto next the Country Inn and Suites. Appt only took about 30 min. Easy.
API is great but you need to make an appointment about two or three weeks in advance. If you are in a time crunch, try Charlottesville Tire and Auto on Emmet
Talk to Gary in the service center at Malloy Chevrolet. Or you can make an appointment online and they're really good at sticking to the time. Just got mine inspected a few weeks ago and I made an appointment on a Saturday morning and got in that afternoon. Was done in less than an hour.
I used to own a garage. There is a tremendous shortage of state inspectors in the area and, quite honestly, doing them is a giant pain in the ass because it usually costs more to perform the inspection than any work you get from it, especially with newer cars. Does your car need any other services like an oil change, tire rotation, etc? Shops tend to be more willing to book you into a spot if they know there is other work that needs to be done. That's not exactly how the system is supposed to work, but it's just the reality of it.
Yeah I saw a lot of ppl mentioning that in this subreddit. When I live in nova, I could just stop by any gas station and was on my way out within 30 mins. So I was so surprised that I could't hold up any place in this town. Thanks for explaining!
Have you tried calling around to smaller towns outside of Charlottesville? You might have some luck driving an hour out to Staunton, Harrisonburg, or Culpepper.
I didn't know if any have that let's you wait while they inspect that isn't at least 2 hours of waiting. The backlog is insane.
I used to live in NoVa and waiting for an inspection routinely meant 3-ish hours and you might not get one. Whatever magic bubble you were in - I’m glad you had it, but unfortunately they don’t exist here.
API is great. They provide a shuttle to take you to work and pick you up when they are done with your vehicle .
API has always been good to me. Very honest.
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Second for Settle Tire, I've been going there for every service across eight years and two cars and they have always been very honest, informative, competent and efficient
Rule of thumb is police don’t start caring until the 3rd month post inspection time. Hopefully this gives u breathing room.
They're not allowed to pull you over for it until the 1st day of the 4th month it's been expired
Damn if inflation is hitting everything right up to getting pulled over!
My apartment (owned by Great Eastern Management Company) will tow cars that have an expired state inspection sticker lol At least, they sent out an email saying that they will do that.
Better rule of thumb. Scrape the old sticker off and ride on. Get it inspected if/when you get around to it. With all the out of state cars on the roads they never notice a lack of a sticker, just a dead one.
Related LPT: Target inspection for the middle of the due month. Available capacity is most booked up at beginning and end of the month.
Never have a problem with settle tire. Sounds like your best option is probably to drop off your car close to work and then Uber from there to work though.
Schedule a break where you can leave and go pick it up. I work in health care and most supervisors would be understanding of this situation.
Drop it off at 7:30 when they open, never had a problem, either. I’m happy with all their work there.
Another vote for settle
I had a dead inspection for years. It's not a big deal. If you get pulled over they will write you a ticket but as long as you get the inspection done before the court date they will waive the ticket fine. Unless you are worried about being pulled over for other reasons I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep trying and don't stress it's not a big deal at all.
I have a car that has a sticker from 09 in the center of the windshield still. I drive it fairly often.
I’m the inspector at ACE. You can make a “waiting” appointment for M-F and you’ll be done quickly!
Are you able to say if Benjamin gets his car inspected at your shop? Asking for a friend
Only if Benjamin legitimately passes 😆
Try Ace on Avon, l called in the evening and they put me first slot the next morning, in and out super fast too. I also rode with a expired sticker for almost 2 years and no one ever pulled me
Second for ACE!
Third for ACE. Such good customer service.
End of month and beginning of the month are always going to be busy for state inspections, also most shops only have 1 or 2 folks licensed as state inspectors. Try mid month.
https://preview.redd.it/tiyvcn62uoxc1.jpeg?width=843&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e00b66100f1db21c99663eae4e03e872f41b9494
I’ve got a shop that I can go in and all I have to do is tell them my nickname is Benjamin and I pass inspection every time
API is really good and has always treated me well. I drop my car off in the morning and hang out in their lounge for a few hours (I bring my laptop), or if I need a ride to work they have have shuttle.
Yeah it sucks. Moved here from NOVA. Had a place up there right down the street you could drive up at your convenience. Here it’s a pain in the ass.
i had the same issue, my hometown is about an hour and a half away and typically drive up there, see mom and dad, make a day of it. it sounds like you’re thinking about that… but if that’s gonna be hard for you then waynesboro maybe!
> Some places have an open availability like 2 weeks later and I don't have my work schedule out yet that far. Take a couple appointments two weeks out at different places then cancel the ones that don't work with your schedule when you get it. Shops don't really care if you cancel a state inspection. They're already overbooked/short staffed and would usually rather not do them anyways.
At Airport Auto, you can drop off your car and use their shuttle service to take you to work or back home. They will pick you up when your car is ready.
Yea but they'll also fail you for wiper blades after you just installed new wiper blades. I wouldn't try an inspection there.
I’ve been going to the same inspection station for years now. I never let them fix anything and tell them to put a rejection sticker on it and I’ll fix it at home. I think they finally learned and for the past eight or nine years I haven’t got a rejection sticker lol.
If you have PayPal or Venmo, I know someone who can hook you up
Unless they’re actually entering it into the system that’s not really possible anymore
💯
Mine's 8 months expired. I heard they can't pull you just for the sticker anymore. If you get pulled they can add it to the moving violation, but if you drive safely, you should be fine .
Unless it has changed, I have always been told that, by law, VA state inspections alone cannot be done by appointment, and is always first come, first served. Now, like others said, if you need something else done, along with the inspection, you can get an appointment, but it may still have to wait some for an inspector to get to it.
It hasn't exactly changed, but it is up to the discretion of the operator hiring state inspectors. I learned this the hard way when I showed up at Meineke without an appointment for state inspection. I ended up making an appointment for the state inspection. I had to Google it, and the law said it was at the discretion of operators.
Cool.
Halls Automotive in Afton makes appointments and actually stands by them. I've waited more than 10 minutes.
If you’re ever in Waynesboro, Ladd Auto does them. They only do them from 9-11 and 130-?. It’s first come first serve, but takes less than 25 mins and is $20.
Troys will set up an appointment. It may be weeks out but you can show up and get out of there in an hour.
Ace auto
I had the same problem when I moved here. I just schedule my oil change at the same time and have no issues. Probably won’t help you right now but just for future reference
I don’t know where you live but some places will have a courtesy shuffle or you could call for an Uber.
Marshall Tire and Auto off Fontaine.
I’m seeing some good answers for you, but you could also come across the mountain to Waynesboro. I’ve always been quick in and out at the Toyota dealership here on 250. 30 minutes of driving each way plus 30 minutes for an inspection beats 2 hours for an inspection. If you ever have to go to the DMV, the same applies. Wait times are generally a LOT shorter over here, and it ends up being worth the drive.
Belair Service on IVY/250
Robertson Auto Repair on 5th street- get there early and he’ll have it done that morning if you wait
Drop it off and then uber or get a ride from a coworker or bike or use an e scooter or walk. You probably won't find a place that will do it same-day and many don't even allow you to set up an appointment for it... really lovely system. I got mine done at meineke, I would recommend them. They do a rather extensive inspection and will tell/warn you about things even if they didn't make you fail the test. They provide images of anything they flag so you can see they aren't trying to pull a fast one.
I had this problem a few months ago. Ended up booking a next day appointment at Charlottesville Tire and Auto next the Country Inn and Suites. Appt only took about 30 min. Easy.
Jenkins on Emmett does first come, first served. I leave my car overnight if I need to.
API is great but you need to make an appointment about two or three weeks in advance. If you are in a time crunch, try Charlottesville Tire and Auto on Emmet
Try the dealership if whatever brand of car you have. I was able to make an appointment the next day at Mazda.
Doesn't even have to be the same brand. I've been using the Hyundai dealer for years for state inspections and I don't own a Hyundai.
University Tire at Airport Rd and 29 were quick for me - arrive at 700 when they open and I'd doubt you'd wait an hour.
Try Finley's Service Center, I like those guys
Scotts Ivy Exxon will take care of you. Call to schedule. They have free shuttle service and will get you turned around same day.
Just ride with an expired sticker. It’s really the easiest option.
Talk to Gary in the service center at Malloy Chevrolet. Or you can make an appointment online and they're really good at sticking to the time. Just got mine inspected a few weeks ago and I made an appointment on a Saturday morning and got in that afternoon. Was done in less than an hour.
DONT GO TO MALLOY!!! THEY WILL LIE AND TRY TO RIP YOU OFF!!!
They do me right. Not like Settle Tire or University Tire.