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So it's that time again, annual vehicle inspection. We have emissions testing in the county I live in so that's a huge annual worry. It's been passing lately, and I expect it to pass today, but that wasn't always the case.
It's a '07 Mustang GT with a few goodies on it. Full racing exhaust (long tube headers, aftermarket mid-pipe, bigger mufflers), cams, cold air intake, racing tune, and a few other fun parts.
Years ago I had it passing with a tune from a tuner I'll call KT. Then I decided to try and milk a little more power out of it so I took it down to Mike Murillo (Murillo Motorsports) down in San Antonio.
Big mistake. Not only did it have less power, the car failed the emissions inspection. And on top of that, the guy at the Jiffy Lube was a real dick about it failing emissions. He starts giving me a speech about how no one should modify cars, how the State of Texas is going to outlaw this stuff and I'll have to take it all off, etc. I told him it's not his job to give me a speech but to only pass or fail my car and stfu. He had no reason to be condescending like that. I was not happy.
I call Murillo. Murillo wants another ~$450 for a new tune (despite his guarantee it would pass inspection), so that was out of the question. So I called KT. He still had my exact previous tune on his computer and loading it onto my car would take all of 5 minutes. Sure enough, 5 minutes later more power like before. So I know it's going to pass this time....
(In Texas when your car fails you get like 10 days or so to get a free re-try at the same place it failed. If it fails again, you're out the money. If it passes, it passes.)
I'm planning on really having fun now. I'm praying that dick is the one who inspects it again, knowing it's going to pass. I even told my wife to have the bondman's number handy, as I'm going to goad this guy relentlessly when it passes. I was really upset at his attitude and I was very much wanting to express my displeasure in a physical manner. I just had to get him to swing on me.
Sure enough, he comes out. And he does remember me! He starts smarting off about if I fail again I lose my money, did I take off the performance parts, remember it failed bad last time, I can't come back again if it fails, etc. I just smirk every time and say "It'll pass" to everything he says. I'm being a real smug jerk about it.
So I'm sitting in the place waiting with other folks. I hear my car (it's quite loud) take off, come back, and go into a bay. Now due to the mods, the entire place absolutely reeks of exhaust. Big time. I'm smiling like the Cheshire Cat during all this.
Time rolls by. And by. The dick never comes back with the results. Then my car finally pulls up next to the building and it's parked there sitting. Ok, I'm sure now I'll hear the results any time. Nothing. So I go outside and glance at my car and there it is, a new inspection sticker. It passed!!
But where's the dick who inspected it? I'm really smiling now, because now the real fun is fixing to begin. But he doesn't show back up to tell me it passed. Ever.
So I go to the counter and ask what the hell is the hold up here. My car is done but no one told me what happened. Sure enough, the counter guy says it passed. Now while were talking I'm looking all over that place for that dick. I don't see him anywhere. I ask where the guy is who inspected it. He wont say.
I left satisfied in knowing I got that a-hole's goat. And I got it good.
It's a '07 Mustang GT with a few goodies on it. Full racing exhaust (long tube headers, aftermarket mid-pipe, bigger mufflers), cams, cold air intake, racing tune, and a few other fun parts.
Years ago I had it passing with a tune from a tuner I'll call KT. Then I decided to try and milk a little more power out of it so I took it down to Mike Murillo (Murillo Motorsports) down in San Antonio.
Big mistake. Not only did it have less power, the car failed the emissions inspection. And on top of that, the guy at the Jiffy Lube was a real dick about it failing emissions. He starts giving me a speech about how no one should modify cars, how the State of Texas is going to outlaw this stuff and I'll have to take it all off, etc. I told him it's not his job to give me a speech but to only pass or fail my car and stfu. He had no reason to be condescending like that. I was not happy.
I call Murillo. Murillo wants another ~$450 for a new tune (despite his guarantee it would pass inspection), so that was out of the question. So I called KT. He still had my exact previous tune on his computer and loading it onto my car would take all of 5 minutes. Sure enough, 5 minutes later more power like before. So I know it's going to pass this time....
(In Texas when your car fails you get like 10 days or so to get a free re-try at the same place it failed. If it fails again, you're out the money. If it passes, it passes.)
I'm planning on really having fun now. I'm praying that dick is the one who inspects it again, knowing it's going to pass. I even told my wife to have the bondman's number handy, as I'm going to goad this guy relentlessly when it passes. I was really upset at his attitude and I was very much wanting to express my displeasure in a physical manner. I just had to get him to swing on me.
Sure enough, he comes out. And he does remember me! He starts smarting off about if I fail again I lose my money, did I take off the performance parts, remember it failed bad last time, I can't come back again if it fails, etc. I just smirk every time and say "It'll pass" to everything he says. I'm being a real smug jerk about it.
So I'm sitting in the place waiting with other folks. I hear my car (it's quite loud) take off, come back, and go into a bay. Now due to the mods, the entire place absolutely reeks of exhaust. Big time. I'm smiling like the Cheshire Cat during all this.
Time rolls by. And by. The dick never comes back with the results. Then my car finally pulls up next to the building and it's parked there sitting. Ok, I'm sure now I'll hear the results any time. Nothing. So I go outside and glance at my car and there it is, a new inspection sticker. It passed!!
But where's the dick who inspected it? I'm really smiling now, because now the real fun is fixing to begin. But he doesn't show back up to tell me it passed. Ever.
So I go to the counter and ask what the hell is the hold up here. My car is done but no one told me what happened. Sure enough, the counter guy says it passed. Now while were talking I'm looking all over that place for that dick. I don't see him anywhere. I ask where the guy is who inspected it. He wont say.
I left satisfied in knowing I got that a-hole's goat. And I got it good.
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