So no ****, there I was, at the POV inspection line and I'm just getting in to get inspected. First thing I noticed was that the guy was giving me a little attitude when he saw that the steering wheel was not attached. No big deal right? Maybe it's not an attitude but just a different culture.

Long story short, he said that my Z didn't pass because...

1. There was no airbag and that the car came with it, so it must have it. (Aftermarket wheel with quick detach)

2. APR wing is out of regulation, because it's not a standard factory wing.

3. Car is too low at 8-9.5 cm.

No fucXing way right? Maybe someone from Deutchland or a fellow soldier can chime in and enlighten me on if this is for real or a bad case of d!ckheadism.

 

You can take your car off-base and get it inspected. I heard they're not as strict, even with the ride height. Don't quote me on this, but I believe it's 11mm on base and 13mm off base. As long as you get that stamp, you're golden. Just curious, how much are you dropped? I'm a little worried myself since I have to get mine inspected soon and I'm dropped an inch.

 

wow that sucks. One more reason I am glad I left the G at home when I moved to Italy. My 350zTT woulda never made it past inspection probably lol.

 

angelo, my car is not that low at all. I may be dropped an inch up front, but the rear is so close to stock that its ridiculous. The guy was measuring from underneath the car while it was up on a lift. The type you drive onto and it lifts from under the tires. So he was measuring from the lowest points, like the bottoms of my GTSpec braces. I would go as far as to say that no stock 350Z could meet the standard of 11cm. I will have to look into going off post to find a reasonable inspection.

The thing that really gets me mad is that there are tons of VWs that are so slammed that it would be impossible to even get on the lift, but mine is a nogo. Aaaaaaand, I had my car inspected a couple years ago before I deployed out of here and there was absolutely no issues with the suspension, the same suspension that is still on the car. And the wing thing? No way.

jumpin, Italy may be different, but you would think with such a racing history in Germany that there would be no gayness with car inspections. Hmmm, guess you just never know.

 

I know what you mean, there doesn't seem to be a definitive standard that all must adhere to. I see countless BMWs with wheels sticking out of fenders and dropped like they're on air bags, but somehow they manage to drive on the streets. I would seriously consider looking for a civilian inspection station if I were you, or perhaps you know a G.I. at the installation inspection center that could hook you up with that coveted stamp.

I just got my 300ZX inspected today and this car WOULD NOT STAY RUNNING unless you stay on the gas. The inspector literally had to start it up everytime he had to move it up the lift with the BOV disrupting at least 5 offices around him. The odd thing was, I only failed for the headlights (my Z32 is JDM so they just need to be adjusted to focus on the opposite lane). Do you know someone in the UK or anywhere else in the EU? You can get your tags from other coutries as well. Good luck.

 

I'm going to go off post to see if the guy on post just has a hard on for me for whatever reasons. Hopefully all turns out well since I need to have a current registration to ship it. My time here is almost up. If all else fails, I'll jack the thing up like a 4x4, take off the wing, and reinstall the stock wheel. I hope it doesn't come to that.

 

It's come to it. I went to check on an inspection from a German shop and they said that they couldn't do it since it's registered on post. Another shop also asked if it's registered as a German vehicle or "American" and that if it's a German registration he could inspect it. I am assuming that since it's registered through the Army, I can't get it inspected off post. Time to get the tools out.

 

I spent over 13 years in Germany and I saw cars dropped going through inspections without a problem. Understand though, I've been gone since Nov 2005. A lot of things have change since then. We were never able to get inspections off post. If you could, you wouldn't want to. I was in a car club there and all of my Germany friends said that they would spend days at the inspection places. They would get checked for everything and have to pay extra taxes on the aftermarket stuff. Your best bet is to lift it up for the time of the inspect and have some one send you a steering wheel. After you pass, tell them to go to hell until next year.

 

Yup, that's what I did. I took the wing off, raised up the coilovers, and put the stock wheel back on. Then the wing went back on, slammed the car down more than it was before, and the sparco wheel went back on.

For future reference, if the vehicle is registered on base, it can't be inspected off post. Best bet is to go to another post that doesn't have a d!ckhead working as an inspector.

 

There's a d*ckhead inspector here and I think he's in serious trouble. Often these guys fail random people to give their buddies that own small shops some kind of business.

Congrats on your car, at least it passed. My 300ZX still needs to pass, that's why I'm looking for some 18" V1 Touring wheels and tires. I really don't want to spend all that money on some 16" summer tires.

 

Yeah, the inspector over here tried to give me some speech about how he is just doing his job after he passed me. I think I'm going to send a complaint on the ICE thing. He ran my car over the brake tester thing kind of hard the last time I was there.

 

Nice Guy where are you stationed? I'll be in suttgart come sept 10th

 

I'm in Graf.

 

Niceguy, next time if you find yourself in Wiesbaden, go to the Mainz-Kastel inspection station. They have always had good respectable people there. It's a drive but less hassle.

 

I read somewhere that if u have HID's you need wipers for the lights...anyone still in germany ?

 

^^ Wipers aren't mandatory, just sprayers and that's only if you have a European spec vehicle. US spec vehicles with HIDs have neither, and that's fine.

 

Yup. I have no clue about the euro spec cars, but my HIDs were fine. I'm almost positive that this guy didn't cut me a break on my inspection. I have an 03 with HID so there is no sprayers or wipers.

 

i would like to assume u both are military...where u stationed and what branch...ill be PCSing here in a few weeks

 

I'll be landing in Stuttgart on Sept 9th.... would be nice to meet up with some Z guys!

 

even allthough i´m not in the army(or american), i would like to meet up with you guys too
maybe in the stuttgart area would be fine