I will not comply. I will not conform. I will, apparently, not pass...

Failed my VA state safety inspection today. "Airbag missing". The same tech at the same station has passed my car (1993 RX-7) with no airbag for the last 7 years with no issues. To further complicate matters, it looks like the state police have a shiny new database for safety inspection results; no more hand-written pink slips. If you fail at one station, then go somewhere else and pass, it sets off a red flag and brings additional scrutiny to that station. So I guess they're cracking down, which sucks.

I will not be putting an airbag back in the car. I do not agree with this one-size-fits-all type of enforcement; this is a track car with a 4-point bar and 6-point harnesses and I wear a helmet. The car has been legal for the better part of a decade but suddenly it's unsafe? It's a mere 2 years out from being a historic and not having to deal with this bullE36 M3 anymore. But that leaves me kind of SOL. Short of giving in, selling the car, or moving to a state that sucks less, what are my options?

Put in an airbag or pull it off the road for two years. Those are probably your only options.

Move?

I would be so pissed. How in the berkeley does pulling an airbag affect the safety of the vehicle for other road users. Which is kind of the point for state inspections, right? Other wise there only goal is to make money and therefore anyone involved with them should be drawn and quartered after having their genitalia removed with rusty forks.

Put in bag, inspect, remove bag, proceed. You only have to do it twice.

I just moved to my first state that has inspections. I really hope they are not stupid about it. I'd hate to spend the rest of my life in prison for beating the low paid guy who is only doing his job to death with a tire iron because of something like this.

mndsm wrote: Put in bag, inspect, remove bag, proceed. You only have to do it twice.

This is the answer.

I'm with mndsm too. Clearly, you aren't ever going to beat the House using the House's cards. Do they know you don't have an airbag because it's an aftermarket wheel? If so, go to JY, obtain OE wheel, install, inspect, remove, repeat next year, then sell OE wheel. Yes, it's a PITA, but it gets you a sticker.

I presume your local DMV doesn't test for airbag function, just airbag presence. OTOH, if you have an airbag light, further annoyance will be involved.

Would the airbag light have to function? IIRC, it lights up with ignition on and then extinguishes about the time the engine starts. A lot like an alternator light, then...

nicksta43 wrote: Move? I would be so pissed. How in the berkeley does pulling an airbag affect the safety of the vehicle for other road users. Which is kind of the point for state inspections, right? Other wise there only goal is to make money and therefore anyone involved with them should be drawn and quartered after having their genitalia removed with rusty forks.

as far as I can tell .. the only thing that state inspections do is make money for the state

In reply to wbjones:

And here I thought it was to keep me from hydroplaning into the school bus full of kids because my tires were bald

Keith Tanner wrote: Would the airbag light have to function? IIRC, it lights up with ignition on and then extinguishes about the time the engine starts. A lot like an alternator light, then...

This is exactly what I would do ... make sure the alternator light works and then go from there.

Not sure about the operation of the light. It's removed, along with all the wiring harnesses and sensors for the airbags. So it'll never work again...

Yeah, I'm pretty pissed. Got the motorcycle inspected this morning. That took about 90 seconds and involves checking my lights and horn. If I'm able to assume the risk of riding a motorcycle, why can I not also assume the risk of driving a car with no airbag.

Some times I really get the feeling these sorts of laws are in place just to discourage people from owning/operating older cars. Auto maker conspiracy -- get people to constantly buy new cars by making it distasteful to deal with owning older ones?

if you pulled all the wiring.. you are SOL. take the car off of the road for two years

Armitage wrote: Some times I really get the feeling these sorts of laws are in place just to discourage people from owning/operating older cars. Auto maker conspiracy -- get people to constantly buy new cars by making it distasteful to deal with owning older ones?

No, they're in place to keep people from driving busted hoopty cars and berkeleying with safety equipment. Its not the fact that your car is unsafe... its that you disabled a safety feature, which is a no-no in VA and many other states.

Sorry, but you got lucky passing for the last 7 years. You were (probably) well aware of the rules when you did it, now you need to correct it. Options are fix it, or un-register the car. Or drive around with a failed safety inspection.

I had an inadvertent airbag deploy on my 92 accord back in the day (from a 1mph fender-bender). I didn't replace it. I just sealed up the hub with bondo and put some stretchy black fabric over it and a new "H" logo, lol.

Passed inspection for the next 4 years until I sold it (and yes, I told them about the airbag when I sold it).

I should be allowed to pull the airbags out of MY OWN berkeleyING CAR!!!

nicksta43 wrote: I should be allowed to pull the airbags out of MY OWN berkeleyING CAR!!!

Nope. It's an extension of seatbelt laws. The car was (in theory) designed as a system for safety. The same reason you have to wear a seatbelt is the reason the airbag has to be there, because if your dumb ass gets hurt it costs the rest of us money.
Note: I may or may not agree with what I wrote.

So my rallycross car will have to be from before airbags. E36 M3.

Or you put a switch on the airbag. It's not difficult to temporarily disable one, even if you're swapping the wheel out.

It would not be a challenge to simulate a functional airbag system, since all you need is something that looks like an airbag and (possibly) a light. Or, since the RX7 is a track car, make it a full-time track car for the next couple of years until the classic rules kick in.

Just blow up a balloon and tape it to the center of the steering wheel. Be sure to write SRS Air Bag on it.

mazdeuce wrote:

The same reason you have to wear a seatbelt is the reason the airbag has to be there.

So the ambulance driver doesn't have to look for the bodies?!

You should be able to put a wheel with an air bag back in there to act as a place holder.
Then wire the SRS or air bag light so its running in parallel with another temporary trouble light, like a check engine light. When they try the accessories, all the lights will light up like they are supposed to and shut off (as long as your CEL is shutting off) like they are supposed to. I think I explained that correctly.
Of course this is just to fool "the man" and pass the inspection you've been passing for 7 years.

It worth a shot.

Well the law is a result of many "Buyer Beware I Don't Care" types that do put in a fake or inactive airbag. Then they sell it to the guy that performs free top of his class world renowed 100% success rate pediatric surguries all around the globe. And he gets hit by a drunk driver while sitting in the left turn lane at a light and dies because his steering wheel is full of nails and broken glass and enough wiring to trick the warning lights instead of an airbag.

The law sucks but at the same time the lawbreaking evil people out there suck way more.

One step closer to the carousel.