Starting this month of January, 2021, Car and Motorcycle owners have to send their vehicles for inspection at the New Inspection Sites in Metro Cebu, much to the disapproval of some netizens. So how important is it really? We will try to explain it briefly.
Imagine this – you’re lining up in traffic in the South Road when suddenly another car “rear-ends” you. Your car is badly damaged and the driver just tells you he suddenly lost his brakes and he doesn’t have money nor the insurance to cover the damages! How do you react?
Sigh? Go wild? See, this is why vehicle inspections are actually really important. It aims to rid the streets of unsafe and dilapidated vehicles.
Here’s everything you need to know about it.
Vehicle inspection is the process that your vehicle has to go through to make sure that it’s up to standards of roadworthiness. It has to be done in an LTO accredited facility or a Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (PMVIC). This inspection is a pre-requisite to the renewal of vehicle registrations.
In the Philippines, vehicle inspection has been a regular process for all motorists although the Government ran system had so many loopholes. The old process was called Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS).
I had the chance to visit one of the Authorized Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers called Rocket Cargo located in CSSEAZ Reclamation in Mandaue City. I was quite impressed by thispurpose-builtinspection facility. The center is design so you can drive through and get it inspected. You will need to bring the Certificate of Registration of your vehicle and your Official Receipt of registration from the last year.
According to the Mr. Junix Almario, the Rocket Cargo PMVIC Head, the Motor Vehicle Inspection System Report(MVISR) practically covers almost all the aspects of theinspection.
The process starts with the Visual Inspection of Above and Under Carriage, Exhaust Sound Test, Emission Test(updated to 2017 Euro Standards), Slip Test (a handling and alignment test), Speedometer test and Headlight tests for vehicles below 4500kgs. They will also check Lighting Equipment, Steering System, Braking System, Suspension System, Tire and Wheel, Engine and Transmission and other General Items like chassis and body floor boards.
The entire process takes minutes, but the duration will differ for different vehicle types. For example, gas powered cars usually take around 10 minutes, but diesel-driven cars can take longer due to the additional Smoke Testing.An inspector will drive your car through the inspection lane to do checks, so you can kick back and relax for a while!
Inspection fee for light vehicles below 4500kgs is P1,800 while Motorcycles are P 600.
If your vehicle passes the inspection test, then you’re free to go. However, if it doesn’t pass, you’ll have to come back and do a re-inspection.
All in all, vehicle inspection is something that no vehicle owner can skip out on, as each driver will need a certificate stating that their vehicle is roadworthy before it can be registered. While it may seem troublesome to us motorists, if this system is consistently operated well, I’m sure it will benefit all of us in the long run.