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Monday, March 2, 2009

Have a heart ... or at least a brain ...

I'm feeling very poor these days ... all thanks to my dumb car. No, this has nothing to do with the American-made piece of junk I own that still needs a $750 repair. This one has to do with the state of Utah and their "safety" guidelines.

Yes, it's time to register my car with the state of Utah. It's already a pain that we have to pay so much to register our cars. We had to do Paul's in December, so it seems expensive to have to do mine now. Let me also mention that these fees are painful EVERY time to me and Paul, because in the state of Washington it costs $30 to register your car. It doesn't matter how old or expensive your car is, it's $30 to register. Oh, and that $30 is tax-deductible. Nope, not here. In fact, when we first paid to register a car here, I thought, "At least this $150 is tax-deductible." Oh, to be so sadly wrong ...

So, I've now accepted that I have to pay $150 to register my 2006 piece of junk. What I wasn't prepared for, however, is the ridiculous laws that have changed since I last got a safety test done in 2007. I was sure my piece of junk would pass and was shocked when I got a big, fat FAILURE from the auto shop. Yes, there is a crack in my windshield. I knew about this crack, because it's the same crack I've now had for more than 2 years. I had a chip-repair guy do his thing on both sides of the crack, so it hasn't spread to the drivers' side of the car at all. I was happy about this, because that meant it passed two years ago. So of course it would pass this time, right? Wrong.

Oh, turns out they changed the laws about that. Now if you have a crack ANYWHERE in the windshield (more than 6 inches from the edge and larger than a quarter), your safety test fails. So, that 2-inch crack clear over on your drivers' side? Enough to fail you! I cannot even begin to comprehend the ridiculous legislation that created this new rule. (So much for helping the average joe!) Okay, so my dad's truck passes safety and emissions EVERY time, even though the seatbelts don't work? I'm failing to see how my passenger-side crack (the width of a credit card, approximately) interferes with my safety as a driver! I should probably mention here that Washington also has no safety checks on your cars to register them, either. Grrrr ...

I think I'm even more annoyed because of how dirty Utah roads are. Since moving here three years ago, we have replaced four windshields. Yes, four! This will be number five ...

Well, it's time to call my windshield guy. I've made it clear to him that I don't appreciate the invisible target he places on the windshields he installs, and that I'm sure he has some type of agreement with the construction/trucking companies to leave a little extra debris here and there on the roads. He must think I'm crazy, but at least he has one favorite customer who comes to him again, and again, and again, and again ...

3 comments:

Dashley said...

That is annoying Denise- bummer! I hate spending money on stupid things. Here we are scrimping and saving and then dumb stuff comes up! Saw your other blog posts- love the paint job and love that sister of mine! :)

the Rowleys said...

sorry about the windsheild! That is so frustrating. I guess there are bonuses to living in WA. :) Our car actually had a cracked windsheild, about a foot long in the middle, we got it from the Utah roads, but have since moved back home, and just barely got it fixed, umm... 5 years later. But I guess I could have gotten a $100 ticket for it, when I heard that we fixed it. Sorry, that it always seems that stuff comes at the worst possible time.

Lizzylou said...

I feel your pain! I just registered mine a couple of months ago, and there is nothing worse than getting the dreaded renewal form in the mail. I hate it, especially when your given another dumb thing like a windshield to add on top of it. It sounds like with your bad luck with windshields you need to be carrying $100 deductible on your comprehensive coverage on your insurance. It doesn't cost much more to have it low and glass companies will waive $100 of your deductible making it so you don't pay anything (and those claims won't effect your insurance rates). Good luck!