Brake & Light inspection needed in San Jose area

[roger]

I need advice on easy brake and light inspection shop in San Jose, Ca area.

I have my SB100 number.

[Danielrx]

I used Auto Electric Specialist in Santa Cruz and they were great and fast.

 

831-427-1221

 

226 Benito Ave, Santa Cruz, Ca, 95062

 

Total cost including a fix to license light, $ 168.00

 

Any questions Dan Richland 760-574-6420

[Sean]

I went to Akin's Auto Repair on Park Ave., near the San Jose CalTrain station. They are down what looks like an alley just west of the underpass for the train track bridge, so a little hard to find. Here is what I wrote about it on the California Caterham Club forum back in 2011:

B&L: checked low/high headlights, turn signals, running lights, brake lights, and emergency flashers (they did not check the back-up light). They glanced at my brakes and paperwork, asked if the components were new - which was obvious - and did not check further, as I suspect the brake part is aimed more at salvaged vehicles rather than new kits. They did not ask about or check for the functionality of the parking brake.

Same-day appointment.

No wait; 5-10 minutes of activity.

Polite and inquisitive demeanor.

 

I cannot recall the cost, but that would be irrelevant after this many years anyway. Best of luck.

 

-Sean

[nick47]

Good luck. My B&L inspector took half the car apart and charged me $300 bucks. And almost failed me for not having side markers.

[randychase]

The place I used in San Diego... well... if it had not been an SV there was no way the guy was getting in. And he insisted on getting to test brakes.

 

He also tried to fail the car based on the lack of side markers, but when I told him it was registering as a 1965 car, he said it was fine. That markers were required as of 1974, but that replica cars from before 1974 would not need them.

[Sean]

Wow! The guy I used never even physically touched the car. And while I don't recall the exact cost, it was less than a hundred bucks (in 2011).

 

As for side marker lamps, 1974 (or any other year) is meaningless. Side lamp markers are simply not required in California. I know of one vehicle code section which applies, and it is written to permit a car to have them, but does not require them:

25106. (a) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with lighted white or

amber cowl or fender lamps on the front. Any vehicle may be equipped

with not more than one amber side lamp on each side near the front,

nor more than one red side lamp on each side near the rear. The light

source of each such lamp shall not exceed four standard candlepower.

(b) Lamps meeting requirements established by the department for

side-marker or combination clearance and side-marker lamps may be

installed on the sides of vehicles at any location, but any lamp

installed within 24 inches of the rear of the vehicle shall be red,

and any lamp installed at any other location shall be amber.

 

Don't you just love it when some entry-level bureaucrat wannabe abuses his authority so far as to just make up his own requirements? :banghead:

 

Best of luck on the brake and lamp inspection, Roger. My advice to you would be to not get too attached to any one shop, and be ready to go to a back-up in case you get a rogue B&L inspector wacko.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Sean
corrected misspelled word

[jimrankin]

I used the shop in Santa Cruz a few years ago. I was the first SB100 he had done and I had luckily brought a lot of the SB100 paperwork and the 1960 auto requirements (used for 0000 year on kit cars) part of the DMV material with me. He could not find a stamped "minimum" thickness on my obviously new Wilwood rotors and almost failed me on that but relented and wrote "new" in the requirement box. Had me drive the car at speed and stop it with the emergency brake which only passed after I set the mechanical Wilwood single rotor caliper so tight it dragged and had to reset it before I drove home. Really did a thorough inspection making sure all my lights had DOT emblems and my headlights were aimed properly. checked for dash warning lights for the emergency brake and high beams and made sure my reverse light was operated by the transmission. If you have it all working it's not a problem, got passed after about two hours, but you might want to go where the operator isn't quite as diligent.