Grr. Arg. Feh.

[featherynscale]

I began the biannual ritual of getting my tags this afternoon. This is a black art, but I am willing to reveal its secrets to those fortunate enough not to live in the state of Missouri and have to be initiated into this ridiculous procedure.

1. You pay your personal property taxes. That's right. On your Car. Every Year. 10% of your car's value, every year.
2. You get your car inspected for all sorts of "safety" issues, really important ones. I failed my first ever Missouri inspection because the tint on my front windows was too dark. That's how important these things are. I could have been shielded from the sun! But fortunately, the state saved me.
3. You find your car title and your proof of insurance.
4. You take your property tax reciepts, your inspection sheet, your title, and your insurance card, and go to the DMV.
5. You pay the DMV money, and they review your documents, and then, if you are a good little boy, they give you a shiny sticker for your plates.

Almost all of these things must be done within the hours of 8-5, Monday-Friday, so you will be taking off at least one day of work to get this done. It is the Law. So I took the afternoon off to start the process, but I will not be getting my little happy stickers any time soon. For Lo, my property tax bill on my $1500 piece-of-shit car is $425. And Lo, Also, the nice people at the service station tell me that my brakes are shot, the pads so thin that they cannot be measured by mortal man, and so I cannot pass inspection. They will be happy to fix my brakes for $250. I declined, since I know that a brake pad replacement is $45 worth of parts and 45 minutes worth of labor. At standard rates, that comes up to a little more than half the price quoted. The service guy expressed a profound wish that I would avoid slamming on brakes on the way home, in the hopes but not the certainty that by doing so, I could avoid Flaming Highway Death.

So I can afford to pay either to have the brakes fixed, or to pay my taxes this month, but not both. So maybe I can get my car legal again in December. Or January. The plates only expired in September. Grr.

Comments

[malvito.livejournal.com]

Don't know if this will help or not, but you can renew your tags online. So long as you have your personal property tax receipt and inspection paper, you can do everything online via electronic check. I did mine that way (added to that the fact that I was able to do a 2-year renewal), even from my job, which frowns on using the Internet for anything remotely useful.

For the opportunity to not have to stand in line at the DMB, it was well worth the effort.

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

You can only do it via Internet if you have paid your property taxes (which can be done via mail/internet when you get the bill) and your registration is not expired.

I never made it that organized. I usually too care of everything when I got my first ticket. Usually 6-8 months expired at that point.

[arian1.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they came after me two years later for it and I told them to screw themselves and that I'd been living out of state. :) Which, well, I had.

[malvito.livejournal.com]

'Scuse me, DMV. The state didn't hire me for my typing avilities.

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

An $89 brake job involves pads.

A $250 brake job means he was also going to turn your rotors because the pads were so thing that they could stand to be machine-honed.

If you don't get them done lickety-split, then it is a $475 break job where the rotors are replaces and one or mor calipers are shot.

Sayeth the Diermuid who used to not replace pads until he had to drive and use the emergency brake for a few months.

Damn Scots.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I'd buy that, except that I specifically asked him if that included turning the rotors, and he said, no, just the pads, the rotors were probably fine. So I'm guessing it was just the standard upcharge for the customer having boobies. :( Or, this particular shop just charges an ass-ton more than standard for labor. Hard to say.

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

It could have been for ceramic pads... I seem to recall your car being pretty spiff.

I've never seen the boob surcharge, but I'm really picky about my mechanics, I usually go with guys who have children in the same school as mine or have some other close community factor. Always within walking distance too, because being the sort of person who will never ask for anything I tend to drop off my car then walk home.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Since you used to live in our general neck of the woods, who did you use then? We're partial to the Midas on State Line, but a) they're in Teh Ebil Kansas, and b) they may still charge more than we have to (though not outrageously so).

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

I used Great Scott off of James A Reed and 95th, but another good shop for cheapity-cheap repairs was the one across from the Hypermart (Bannister Walmart) although I usually only went for really cheap repairs to cars I hoped to replace soon.

If nothing else, I ask them to itemize repairs, and then I can determine if I want to upgrade or downgrade brake pads, shocks, etc. For example, if shocks are $19 each and the labor is $50 each, I tend to upgrade the shocks to the $39 each type because otherwise I'm paying a lot to have shite pieces added to my car.

With any garage, it is worth building up a rapport... I tend to set in the wiating room with a laptop and joke with them as they come through and go through their garage dramas. I tend to become more educated, and they tend to become more open to options or even tell me about maintenance things I may not have considered yet, or my fave, telling me which things are really worth it, and which are crap for the car I have. 8-)

[chayam.livejournal.com]

My cars fail inspection every time, save this year. I thought for sure I was a goner this year because I was missing my passenger side external mirror, but miraculously, they passed me anyway. I've failed for missing lights, for alleged holes in my exhaust pipe, and I can't remember what all else, but it's something (MINOR) every time.

I don't know how people in other states manage, not having all their cars inspected regularly! Do you think it's something like it is for us on all our non-inspection days, where, if something is significantly wrong with our car making it dangerous or inoperable, we notice it and fix it, and if there isn't, we continue to drive the car as is?

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I know I don't fix things if they're not important to the operation of the vehicle. The car gets me from point A to point B. I do not also use it to impress people, or pick up chicks. Consequently, the windshield is cracked, I have two colors of paint streaks on the rear passenger's side (one where I bumped a traffic pole and once where triadruid hit my car with his when he was pulling out of the driveway), and the release lever for the fuel door doesn't work. None of these things keep the car from being safe or driveable, they just make it ghetto. And I'm okay with that.

[opaljax.livejournal.com]

So, it's just the pads that need replacing? I can do that. You get the pads (I pay about $35 for mine, it's a Toyota), and we'll set up a time, and I'll (giggling inappropriately) change your pads. I replace mine all the time, because I don't want the boob surcharge. If you are unsure of me doing it, I also can refer you to a wonderful mechanic, who will not charge you a boob tax.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy to come over with some pads if you could help me do it, and have tools. Are you free any evenings this week?

*thinking about the boob tax on opaljax and 'scale*

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Scuse me. I have to go back to work now...

Re: *thinking about the boob tax on opaljax and 'scale*

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Whatever gets you through the day, darlin'. I'm always happy to be a distraction (or part of one, I'm not picky) for you.

Re: *thinking about the boob tax on opaljax and 'scale*

[opaljax.livejournal.com]

::snork::

[opaljax.livejournal.com]

As it so happens, I work late on Tuesday, which would, of course, be today, and Thursday. I don't work late tomorrow, and Friday. I do have children this weekend, and I could bring them (especially the Boy) over to play with the Dog, and we could fix it in your driveway. It's not hard to do, and it takes me about an hour and a half to two hours (depending upon how hard it is to get the tires off) to change the pads in my car. If I come over, say Saturday afternoon, you would not have to endanger your life any further by driving to the Outer Limits and using your brakes. Whatever works for you. And if you'd like, I can show you how to change your brakes for the future. Oh, the back brakes are fine, right? This is just for the front brakes? I have to make sure.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Saturday is pretty iffy; I think we're dealing with the Dallas people then, and also kittenpants has art students then. Any chance I could bribe you to come over tomorrow?

Also, back brakes are fine.

[opaljax.livejournal.com]

Tomorrow would be fine, when do you get off of work? No bribing necessary.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

5:30 -- I am usually home by 6ish.

Note to self: Find the floodlight.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

If you two are going to be working in the driveway after 6, you'll want it. Other option is to clear the left half of the garage and move your car in there, but it may be too cramped.

Re: Note to self: Find the floodlight.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

If you mean the big worklight, I'm pretty sure I know where that is. Also, one of the gentlemen at the office has graciously agreed to loan me some tools and a jack.