Bump! Another update!
In order to get the money from the insurance company, I had to have the title branded "salvage." Fine. I took the car through emissions, paid the state $60 to renew my registration through 2011 (they offered me a discount if I paid through 2012), and had the title branded. Lady at the counter took my money, I signed the receipt, she handed me back a fresh registration with the spiffy "11" decal for the tag, and a freshly printed title for the Galant branded "salvage."
This past weekend, I got pulled over because my tag was no good. Not expired, not illegible - not in the system. I handed the officer my current license, insurance and registration. He comes back a couple minutes later saying he ran the VIN and the car is salvaged, so the DMV canceled the plates. You gotta be kidding me.
No worries, says the officer, just go online and print a 30 day tag to keep you legal until you can get in to the DMV and get this all sorted out. Inconvenient, but at least I have an option to pursue. I get home, enter the VIN and my credit card info on the website and get a big fat F-U from Arizona: "Salvage vehicle - Not legal for highway use."
You have got to be shitting me.
So now my fully operational, mostly cosmetically damaged Galant is unfit for the road and I'm fucked into cocked hat. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif
Driving the car to and from work this week has been a flagrant violation of the law. I might as well be driving without a license. I'm supposed to leave for MOD in SoCal Friday afternoon. The lady at the DMV who I spoke to said the earliest appointment she could get me for the $50 level III inspection to get the restored salvage title (which makes the car legal for the road again) is on the far side of town at 1pm on Friday.
They tell me that, at this inspection, they're going to check all the VINs, make sure all the glass is intact, all the safety equipment is in place, and that all the doors open easily. Okay. Whatever. Here's the OFFICIAL info on the AZ DMV website.
3) What Does It Take To Pass An Inspection?
All equipment to meet the requirements of the road must be in good condition and in good working order.
*** Should I pull the bulb for the ABS just in case?
4) What Documents Are Needed For An Inspection?
* Proof of ownership, usually a title
* Valid driver license
* Receipts or invoices for all component parts that have been repaired or replaced.
*** Yet another instance of our mindless consumer whore society sticking it to those of us who aren't inept. When I do repairs myself, there are no receipts. No parts are being replaced in this situation. (Only existing parts being bashed with a hammer to clearance things a bit.)
5) Why Is A Level III Inspection Needed?
To help reduce auto theft, restored salvage vehicles require the more comprehensive Level III inspection that is conducted by specially certified MVD officers. Level III is necessary to verify all major component parts which include front end assembly, engine, transmission, as well as rear end assembly for trucks and truck-type vehicles.
Ah, this will be nice. It's an 18 year old, turbocharged, AWD Mitsubishi. The front end has been wrecked before. I have a JDM front bumper, headlights, fogs, and corners. Pretty sure the fenders were replaced at the same time as the front clip and hood. What you wanna bet none of the VINs ahead of the firewall match.
I have a really, REALLY bad feeling about this. Wanted to vent.