lorida
New member
Recently, I had the "opportunity" to go for an inspection.
I was without my car for two weeks, trying to figure out what was wrong with my car, going to three different certified mechanics along the way, spending fair sums of money. Please, for your sake, read the knowledge that I have acquired and share it with any friend/family who has to go for an inspection.
Do NOT go to CAA to have your car inspected! Here are my reasons why;
1) SERVICE
It's terrible. It mimmicks a true government agency. The people behind the counter are unreceptive and passive, often ignoring what you have to say, or putting their tuna sandwich before your needs.
2) Waiting Time
It took at least an hour every time I had the pleasure of going there. Three hours one time.
3) They Are Too Detailed!
Ask someone who's been there. I've heard stories everywhere I go about some of the things they have failed at an inspection, which has no relevance to the safety of the vehicle.
Someone mentioned a stock spare tire wasn't approved in a thread around here.
4) No Explanation
Service isn't only insignificant when you walk in the door. Firstly, you never speak to the mechanic who verifies your car. The mechanic tells the receptionist briefly, who then tells you the list in a hurry. So, the mechanic tells the receptionist half the story, who tells you half of a half. Get where I'm going with this?
Me: But sir, why did my HID's fail? The bulb is from a Subaru STI?
CAA: Don't know. Stock would pass.
5) Elevated Costs
The price of inspecting your car at CAA is greater than the average. Therefore, you can use the extra money, and put it into gas or towing to go somewhere else. My suggestion?
This place:
Pharand Autos et Camions
200, Boulevard Harwood
Vaudreuil - Dorion, QC J7V 1Y2
Firstly, you walk in the door and are greated with a smilling receptionist. They are happy to help you, and they were able to get my car to the mechanic in 10 minutes and me out the door in 20 minutes.
They are knowledgeable of aftermarket parts, and are able to detect if they are DOT approved, or safe for road use. They passed the same HID's that CAA failed three times.
My car passed the inspection there, but I saw someone fail with a Sunfire in front of me. The mechanic approached the man, and went through the list. He even told him what was most likely broken, and how his mechanic or he should approach the situation.
For instance:
Pharand: "A bracket on your muffler is broken, but it shouldn't cost more than $20 at a garage to have a new one welded on". Or, "Your mirror is loose, but you can take off this panel and check if all the screws are there". He went through every item on the list in this fashion, giving the client the necessary time to write everything down.
All in all, many cars pass the inspection at CAA. I'm sure mine would have too, if it was new from the dealer. Their biggest shortfall is not explaining the repairs, due to a lack of direct communication to the mechanic. I almost spent $400 on stock headlights, because I couldn't get my HID's to pass and nobody knew why.
Many thanks to ABD performance for pointing me to Pharand Auto. If not, who knows how long it would've been before getting my car back on the road.
I was without my car for two weeks, trying to figure out what was wrong with my car, going to three different certified mechanics along the way, spending fair sums of money. Please, for your sake, read the knowledge that I have acquired and share it with any friend/family who has to go for an inspection.
Do NOT go to CAA to have your car inspected! Here are my reasons why;
1) SERVICE
It's terrible. It mimmicks a true government agency. The people behind the counter are unreceptive and passive, often ignoring what you have to say, or putting their tuna sandwich before your needs.
2) Waiting Time
It took at least an hour every time I had the pleasure of going there. Three hours one time.
3) They Are Too Detailed!
Ask someone who's been there. I've heard stories everywhere I go about some of the things they have failed at an inspection, which has no relevance to the safety of the vehicle.
Someone mentioned a stock spare tire wasn't approved in a thread around here.
4) No Explanation
Service isn't only insignificant when you walk in the door. Firstly, you never speak to the mechanic who verifies your car. The mechanic tells the receptionist briefly, who then tells you the list in a hurry. So, the mechanic tells the receptionist half the story, who tells you half of a half. Get where I'm going with this?
Me: But sir, why did my HID's fail? The bulb is from a Subaru STI?
CAA: Don't know. Stock would pass.
5) Elevated Costs
The price of inspecting your car at CAA is greater than the average. Therefore, you can use the extra money, and put it into gas or towing to go somewhere else. My suggestion?
This place:
Pharand Autos et Camions
200, Boulevard Harwood
Vaudreuil - Dorion, QC J7V 1Y2
Firstly, you walk in the door and are greated with a smilling receptionist. They are happy to help you, and they were able to get my car to the mechanic in 10 minutes and me out the door in 20 minutes.
They are knowledgeable of aftermarket parts, and are able to detect if they are DOT approved, or safe for road use. They passed the same HID's that CAA failed three times.
My car passed the inspection there, but I saw someone fail with a Sunfire in front of me. The mechanic approached the man, and went through the list. He even told him what was most likely broken, and how his mechanic or he should approach the situation.
For instance:
Pharand: "A bracket on your muffler is broken, but it shouldn't cost more than $20 at a garage to have a new one welded on". Or, "Your mirror is loose, but you can take off this panel and check if all the screws are there". He went through every item on the list in this fashion, giving the client the necessary time to write everything down.
All in all, many cars pass the inspection at CAA. I'm sure mine would have too, if it was new from the dealer. Their biggest shortfall is not explaining the repairs, due to a lack of direct communication to the mechanic. I almost spent $400 on stock headlights, because I couldn't get my HID's to pass and nobody knew why.
Many thanks to ABD performance for pointing me to Pharand Auto. If not, who knows how long it would've been before getting my car back on the road.
