Out of Province Inspection - Dealer or Independent?

[spender]

Hello, I am bringing in a 2004 Lexus from out of province. I probably did more due diligence on this car than any vehicle I've ever purchased (I got all his service/maintenance records from Toronto and Florida), and it checked out okay, but the owner pointed out that it needed new brakes (they're at 5% or less) and new tires. I've already picked up the tires (found a new set of Pilot Sport A/S on craigslist), but have obviously not arranged for the brakes to be done. The car is covered by the Lexus ECP until November 2009 (but I find that extended warranties are like dental insuranace - they never cover everything, and are filled with exclusions in coverage.)

So, here's the deal. I've spoken to Lexus of Calgary, and they will of course do the out of province inspection oon the car. However, I already know about the brakes which would cause the car to fail its inspection, so I would automatically have to get these fixed at the shop I bring it to. Now, I know that Lexus will do a good job fixing and inspecting it, but will also be fully aware of all the things that can go wrong with the car (more nit-picky), whereas a small inspection shop (I know a manager of an OK Tire very well) might not.

So, I'm just wondering if it's a better idea to have the new tires put on and the brakes done at the little shop, and have it pass inspection there, rather than at the dealer. I could always take it to the dealer after it was approved for inspection and got registered.

Or is Lexus the kind of car that you shouldn't mess around with by taking it to an independent shop? Please help guys.

Also, what's the rule on inspections? If you fail one and don't want to have the repairs done at the inspecting shop, can you take it to a different place to be inspected and repaired?

Thanks in advance.

[Tik-Tok]

Googles a wonderful tool...

Inspection Deadlines
Vehicles that fail the initial inspection must be repaired within 10 days of the failure notice to avoid an additional full inspection fee assessment. Vehicles repaired and presented for re-inspection within 10 days will be subject to verification of required repairs only. Inspection Certificates are valid for 14 days and vehicles must be registered in Alberta before the expiry date. Should the vehicle owner fail to register the vehicle within 14 days a full OOP Vehicle Inspection will be required again.

And on a personal note, I would just get the tires/brakes/inspection done at an indy shop. They're only brakes ffs.

[spender]

Very helpful - thanks! I'll probably bring it to my guy at OK Tire.

On a side note, when I was at Lexus of Calgary earlier this week, a cool service rep seemed to say to me that they were "too anal" about inspections, and it was probably better to bring it to the small shop...

[85regal]

well, as a mechanic at dealership, we see cars towed in weekly from independent shops and home mechanics who don't know what they are doing...take it to the dealer

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by 85regal
well, as a mechanic at dealership, we see cars towed in weekly from independent shops and home mechanics who don't know what they are doing...take it to the dealer

For brake pads? Any mechanic who cant change brake pads on ANY regular road vehicle deserves to get their license revoked.

[spender]

I will admit that it looks a little daunting under the hood - I think the plastic panels mean " DON'T TOUCH".

I would just hate to go to the dealership and have them tell that they can't pass it unless I pay $2,700 for repairs or some crazy thing.

[edicius]

You don't have to have the repairs done at the dealership for the inspection. You can have the inspection done and then take it elsewhere to have the issues fixed and then back again to finish the inspection.