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Massachusetts Vehicle Inspection Station
Get StartedWelcome to Bernardi Nissan's Service Center, where we will inspect your new or used vehicle.
Every year, the state of Massachusetts requires all vehicles to be inspected by a certified testing facility to ensure that the vehicle is safe to drive and isn’t emitting harmful pollutants into the environment. With that said, if your car is due for an inspection and you’re searching for a certified testing station, we’d like to let you know that Bernardi Nissan is an official Massachusetts vehicle inspection site. During the inspection process, we not only conduct a thorough examination of your vehicle’s various safety systems, but we also check its emissions status. In this way, we can help keep both the roadways and environment safer for everyone. Read on if you’d like to know more about what is done during a state inspection and what happens when a vehicle cannot pass its inspection.
Emissions Test
Due to the seriousness of air pollution in both our communities and environment as a whole, an annual emissions test is required for vehicles with onboard diagnostic systems that were manufactured after model year 2008. Transportation is the single greatest contributor to smog and pollution in the U.S., and testing vehicles through the Massachusetts Vehicle Check Program ensures that they’re not harming the environment. During the test, the levels of pollutants in your vehicle – such as hydrocarbons, oxygen, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide – will be measured. If your car fails its emissions test, it will need to be repaired and re-tested within 60 days.
Safety Inspection
There are several reasons why a vehicle might be unsafe to drive, ranging from a cracked windshield to worn tire tread to engine trouble. Even a rusted-out floorboard will be cause for failure, since it can allow engine exhaust – and therefore dangerous carbon monoxide – into the cabin where the driver and passengers can breathe it in. For that reason, it’s crucial that your vehicle is in good shape so that you aren’t putting yourself and others at risk.
During the safety inspection, the following components will be checked:
- Certificate of registration, license plates, and vehicle identification number (VIN)
- Brakes
- Exhaust
- Steering system and suspension
- Horn
- Windshield and wipers
- Mirrors
- Wheels and tires
- Check engine light
- Lighting systems
- Bumpers and fender
- Seatbelts
- Airbags
- Fuel tank and fuel tank cap
- Altered vehicle height
If your vehicle fails inspection, any issues that prevented it from passing need to be repaired and re-tested within 60 days of the original inspection. Some issues are considered too much of a risk for the vehicle to stay on the road. In that case, the inspection technician will affix a safety-fail sticker to the windshield, and the car must not be driven until all of its issues are corrected.