Hi Roy,   
      
   On Fri 2011-Oct-28 15:23, Roy Witt (1:387/22) wrote to Richard Webb:   
      
    RW> YEp, Louisiana has the "brake tag" as they call it, once a   
    RW> year as well.  THey're quite strict with it, and woe be to   
    RW> the inspector that takes an under the table to put that tag   
    RW> on your windshield if you didn't pass.   
      
   Roy> I used to pass a $20 to the smog check guy in California to do that.   
   Roy> Eventually the state got smart and tied the smog check machine to a   
   Roy> main frame in Sacramento. No more cheating...   
      
   YEah but remember this is Louisiana .  That costs money!   
      
    RW> ONe of those scandals still in the news when I first moved to NEw   
    RW> ORleans.  Iirc they're not that expensive in Louisiana either.   
      
   Roy> There was a lot of that in California too. The state fixed that by   
   Roy> certifying all of their check stations with state inspectors.   
      
   Yeah these were regular brake tag places iirc, that's all   
   they did.   
      
    RW> Louisiana is quite strict with theirs in fact, a hairline   
    RW> crack in a windshield or lots of other little issues and you won't   
    RW> pass.   
      
   Roy> You can pass here with a cracked windshield, if it isn't a crack   
   Roy> that's traveling.   
      
   YEah that's when I get concerned about 'em too, otherwise,   
   it's where they are I worry about.  IF they don't obstruct   
   sight lines, let well enough alone.   
      
    RW>  Xyl and I had a FOrd Aerostar that the driver's side door   
    RW> couldn't be opened from the inside, you had to crank down the window   
    RW> and open the stupid thing from the outside,   
      
   Roy> Those particular vehicles seem to have lots of problems like that. I   
   Roy> got a call one time to unlock an Aerostar and I couldn't do it   
   Roy> without using an airbag and a reach tool. Normally it's a wedge the   
   Roy> window and slip a tool in the door to unlock too. That and the   
   Roy> steering column ignitions never work right.   
      
   YEah I had our steering column ignition replaced in that   
   one.  NEver tried the slim jim bit, never needed to.   
      
    RW> guy wouldn't pass us until I went and got the parts, took the stupid   
    RW> door apart and repaired it. IT stopped in the required distance at   
    RW> the required speed, lights and horn worked, tires were good, but he   
    RW> wouldn't pass us without the ability to open that door from the   
    RW> inside.   
      
   Roy> In case you needed to make a hastey exit.   
      
   Yup, could understand that I guess.  I just kept avoiding it because it was   
   such a pita to take the door apart to get to   
   it.   
      
    RW> IN fact, getting its windshield to pass that year entailed a bit of a   
    RW> fight with one of those "we fix your windshield on the spot"   
    RW> services.   
      
    RW> WE were rolling down interstate 10 in NEw ORleans east when   
    RW> a dump truck belonging to ORleans parish without a tarp lost some   
    RW> gravel, got a nice little ding in the windshield which would start to   
    RW> expand.  Lady called this service, because we had like 30 days until   
    RW> annual brake tag inspection time. GUy comes out, but it's only in the   
    RW> mid forties that day for temp.  I ask him if he doesn't want to wait   
    RW> on that, because as I've been lead to understand those fixes don't   
    RW> cure properly at low temps.  HE assures me we're in good shape, but   
    RW> then puts in a new windshield as that crack's growing too much.   
      
   RW> I think I've seen this one.   
      
   YEp, and I might be wrong on the temp, but it was somewhere   
   real close to the no go mark for temp iirc.   
      
    RW> NOw remember it's colder than I thought you could do that   
    RW> job in the out of doors.  GUys in the upper midwest I knew   
    RW> that did that work had you bring it to their climate   
    RW> controlled shop.   
      
   Roy> It freezes up there.   
      
   Yep, but I was thinking it was like 38 dg f or something for the no go mark on   
   those.   
      
      
    RW> Finally I told him to either fix it right, or I'd run a full page ad   
    RW> in the TImes Picayune telling folks of my dissatisfaction with his   
    RW> company.   
      
      
    RW> Third time, he fixed it right!!!   
      
   Roy> Had the guy replaced the window gasket when he replaced the   
   Roy> windshield you wouldn't have had that problem. I had a 72 Chevy   
   Roy> pickup that the windshield began to get cloudy on me, so I called   
   Roy> one of those windshield guys to come to my shop and replace it. It   
   Roy> was a top of the line Chevy and so had a chrome strip imbedded in   
   Roy> the gasket. There's no way you can remove the glass without removing   
   Roy> that chrome first. He did! Of course my chrome strip was all bent to   
   Roy> h*** when he finished the job. I asked him how the chrome got all   
   Roy> bent out of shape and he said, well, it's just old chrome I guess.   
   Roy> Oh hum and off he went.   
      
   That don't surprise me none.  That's what i think fool did   
   third time, replaced the @@@@ gasket too, which I knew was   
   what was needed.  HE was the cheapest estimate, understood   
   why, but I made him do it right.  Was telling a lawyer lady   
   I served with on church board I was gonna run that full page add in the   
   newspaper if he didn't.  She told me that if I   
   could prove my case go for it, because if I couldn't he   
   might sue.  I told her I had no problem, he didn't fix it   
   I'd have taken the judge for a ride through a car wash or   
   something .   
      
      
   Regards,   
              Richard   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:116/901)