Passed my 2014 TÜV! Yay!

[cawimmer430]

Passed the dreaded TÜV! The car has zero mechanical faults or problems and is ROADWORTHY. The inspection took about 30 minutes. Everything was checked including the wipers, signal lights, lights, brakes, suspension, fuel tank (for leaks and cracks), various systems within the engine compartment etc.

This is a mandatory vehicle inspection that's required every two years (after three years when you buy a new car, then every two years after that first TÜV) for every vehicle in this country. Germany is extremely strict about this - and they have to considering we have the Autobahn here.


Here's the Wikipedia excerpt on what the TÜV is (in a nutshell).


TÜV for road vehicles

No German-registered road vehicle can be operated on public roads without a vehicle inspection certificate from the TÜVs or one of their competitors. However for the last two years independent inspectors have also been entitled to grant this certification. In most cases the certificate has to be renewed every two years. A pass in the mandatory road worthiness and smog test is indicated by tamper-proof decals on the license plate. The TÜV have become so closely associated with this safety inspection ('Hauptuntersuchung') over the decades that the very word 'TÜV' is often used as a synonym for it. Many German car owners wrongly believe the TÜV is a government organization because of the mandatory safety inspection.

The TÜV and DEKRA are also responsible for administering the theoretical and practical driver's license tests. These two associations also issue driver's licenses once the application has been submitted at the city/county government level by the local Strassenverkehrsbehörde aka Führerscheinstelle (road traffic authority or driving licence post) and both tests have been passed. Most vehicle modifications also need to be approved, from installing tires of a different size to materials used in nuts and bolts. The German safety guidelines are among the strictest in the world, and getting a road permit for custom-built vehicles is said to border on the impossible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%9CV#T.C3.9CV_for_road_vehicles




The 118i at the local TÜV in Mühldorf am Inn.












Here the technician was testing the mechanical status of my brakes, front and rear wheels (I only took a shot of when he was testing the rear wheels because I know what an evil and dirty word "front wheels" are on this forum. 








The technician assigned to evaluating my car looking at some computer readouts...






The TÜV is for all motor vehicles including farm machinery. While my car was being inspected this massive tractor rolled in for its TÜV inspection.






This Golf Convertible was also being inspected for faults.





Shhhhh... wanna take a peek under the skirt of my ride?   












The old TÜV badge which indicates that I need to get this done anytime in July of 2014.




I was obliged to replace my "outdated" 2012 First Aid Kit with an "updated" 2014 First Aid Kit.





The good news on a piece of paper which every car-operator in Germany wants to have: PASSED THE TÜV!

[Northlands]

What does this inspection cost?

[Madman]

Why would a two-year-old first aid kit be considered "outdated"?   

[MrH]

Why would a two-year-old first aid kit be considered "outdated"?   

The human body has changed significantly in the last two years.  There's an outstanding TSB on how to treat cuts & scraps.

[2o6]

The human body has changed significantly in the last two years.  There's an outstanding TSB on how to treat cuts & scraps.

Yep. There was a huge recall on some people made in the USA. Something about faulty ignitions.

[Madman]

The human body has changed significantly in the last two years.  There's an outstanding TSB on how to treat cuts & scraps.

My company requires us to keep a first aid kit in our office.  We've had the same one since 2002.  It must be REALLY outdated!

In fact, I'm pretty sure it contains live leeches.  We keep the iron lung in the supply closet, just in case!

[Galaxy]

What does this inspection cost?

It varies from state to state. Around € 85. Which I guess is almost cheap considering the inspectors are engineers and not mechanics. If  an engineer is necessary here is another question.

Why would a two-year-old first aid kit be considered "outdated"?   

It doesn't, it is dependent on the expire date on the kit.

[Pancor]

There's a whole-lotta WTF goin on there.  They pay engineers to do this work?  A two year old first-aid kit must be replaced?   A first aid kit is mandatory in every vehicle?   Do all farm tractors need this inspection, or only ones that travel highways?     And I though the government here gave us a hard time......

And, do I spy an old Chevy C/K sitting outside the shop?  Does the inspection differ for "classic" vehicles?     

[Galaxy]

There's a whole-lotta WTF goin on there.  They pay engineers to do this work? 

For some reason yes. They get switched around. They do the car test one day, and then certify the design of a new escalator in a shopping center the next.   

A two year old first-aid kit must be replaced? 

No. It depends on the expiry date (when the manufacturer no longer guarantees that the kit is sterile) not sure what Wimmer meant with 2012 unless he bought one which had been lying around a store for several years. Most are at least 5 years.

A first aid kit is mandatory in every vehicle?

Yes. And one needs a first aid course for the drivers license.

  Do all farm tractors need this inspection, or only ones that travel highways? 

All that run on public roads.

And I though the government here gave us a hard time......

Well it does keep the people of the road that would otherwise run their cars with corroded brake lines, or a shot suspension.

And, do I spy an old Chevy C/K sitting outside the shop?  Does the inspection differ for "classic" vehicles?     

The cars have to meet that rules that existed at the time of their certification.

[Byteme]

We don't have inspections in Arkansas and that's probably explains some of the shit boxes you see on the roads around here. 

[SJ_GTI]

We don't have inspections in Arkansas and that's probably explains some of the shit boxes you see on the roads around here.

NJ changed their rules a few years ago. It used to be very draconian, but now they just test emissions. Which reminds me, I have to get mine done this month (been 4 years since I got my first inspection done).

[280Z Turbo]

Damn, Europeans are kept on a short leash.

[GoCougs]

Damn, Europeans are kept on a short leash.

They love it though - just like at the title...

[GoCougs]

And that is one tiny-ass rear diff...

[cawimmer430]

What does this inspection cost?

90 Euros in my neck of the woods. 

[cawimmer430]

Why would a two-year-old first aid kit be considered "outdated"?   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnung_muss_sein



Ordnung muss sein is a German proverbial expression which translates as "there must be order." The idea of "order" is generally recognized as a key cliche for describing German culture.

[cawimmer430]

We don't have inspections in Arkansas and that's probably explains some of the shit boxes you see on the roads around here.

[cawimmer430]

Damn, Europeans are kept on a short leash.

Actually this pretty helpful since it forces owners to take good care of their rides. 

[cawimmer430]

And that is one tiny-ass rear diff...

It's a tiny ass engine with a tiny ass horsepower and torque output (143-horsepower / 190 Nm of torque).

I'm pretty sure that the 130i has a larger differential.

[Byteme]

Damn, Europeans are kept on a short leash.

Let them run wild and you get this.

[Madman]

Let them run wild and you get this.

A Tea Party rally?

[280Z Turbo]

Actually this pretty helpful since it forces owners to take good care of their rides. 

Yes, yes, as long as you fit the cookie cutter that your government overlords believe is proper.

[mzziaz]

A Tea Party rally?

[280Z Turbo]

A tech inspection for a racecar is less stringent than a damn road car inspection in Europe.

Michigan has no tech inspection at all. I'm sure the Germans would assume that we have cars blowing up and losing wheels left and right, but that's not the case. Safety inspections are apparently a huge waste of money.

[veeman]

You can't (or shouldn't) really say Germans are kept on a short leash when they have the Autobahn and Americans have a speed limit which is comical on the interstate freeways. 

I'm (an American) the one kept on a short leash.  I'd gladly pay 100 dollars a year to be able to drive at the speeds Germans do on a daily basis.

[hotrodalex]

Go to the midwest and all of your wildest dreams will come true.

[Byteme]

You can't (or shouldn't) really say Germans are kept on a short leash when they have the Autobahn and Americans have a speed limit which is comical on the interstate freeways. 

I'm (an American) the one kept on a short leash.  I'd gladly pay 100 dollars a year to be able to drive at the speeds Germans do on a daily basis.

Ah, the myth that the German Autobahn system allows unlimited speeds.

From Wikipedia:

German autobahns have no federally mandated speed limit,[1]—although limits are posted (and enforced) in areas that are urbanized, substandard, accident-prone, or under construction. In case of bad weather, speed limits come into play and are frequently enforced. On speed-unrestricted stretches, an advisory speed limit (Richtgeschwindigkeit) of 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph) applies. In 2008, an estimated 52% of the autobahn network had only the recommended speed limit; 15% had temporary speed limits due to weather or traffic conditions and 33% had permanent speed limits.[2] The 16 Federal German States have the authority to set speed limits for any or all autobahnen they control; in 2008 Germany's smallest State, the paired City-State of Bremen & Bremerhaven, imposed a 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph) limit on its last 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) of speed-unlimited autobahn.[3] In 2011, the Socialist-Green Party ruling coalition of Baden-Württemberg decided against imposing a similar 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph) limit on its 675 kilometres (419 mi) of speed-unlimited roads, supporting instead a Federal speed limit.[4][5] In 2014, the ruling coalition of Saxony confirmed its rejection of a general speed limit on autobahns, instead advocating dynamic traffic controls where appropriate.[6]

[Madman]

Yes, yes, as long as you fit the cookie cutter that your government overlords believe is proper.

Low unemployment, fewer working hours, higher pay, higher standard of living, better healthcare, better child care, better schools, better roads, MUCH lower crime, and lower personal debt.

We can learn an awful lot from the Germans......


BBC Make Me a German 720p HDTV x264 AAC

[hotrodalex]

Always hating America....

[Madman]

Always hating America....

Not hating, just looking for ways to make it better.