Owning a quick lube shop comes with more responsibilities than just offering routine maintenance. These shops have a critical yet often overlooked role in ensuring vehicle safety. Quick lube shops are in a prime position to provide essential vehicle inspections to make sure cars are roadworthy and safe. With recent updates to California’s vehicle safety inspection laws, these shops have an opportunity to spotlight their inspection services as a valuable safety measure. By offering these inspections, quick lube shops can help customers comply with the new regulations and expand their services, increase revenue, and establish themselves as trusted industry experts.

As a California-based fuel and lubricant supplier, we’ve worked with many quick lube shops and know how essential their services are to the community and their customers. These shops are trusted experts who can be relied upon to deliver sound vehicle maintenance advice to their customers. By educating their customers on the new safety inspection laws and how they keep consumers safer in used vehicles, quick lube shops can find new ways to strengthen their brand loyalty and grow their customer base.

What are the new California vehicle safety inspections?
The new regulations for vehicle safety inspections, known as AB 471, passed in July 2024. The new law expands inspection criteria from existing brake and lamp inspections to a new program, the California Vehicle Safety Program (CVSIP). This program adds inspection assessments for salvaged vehicles’ airbags, seat belts, and windshields. Under the new program, safety certificates can be electronically submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), an added convenience for consumers.

Why are these safety inspections needed?
The old inspection rules didn’t do enough to protect consumers from vehicles with potential safety violations. In the press release announcing the new law, the president of CAWA, Rodney Pierini, said: “[Under the old law] many of the revived total loss salvage vehicles could have additional safety concerns beyond lamps and brakes, including cracked windshields, illuminated or damaged airbags, faulty seat belts, etc. Yet they still pass inspection and are sold to unsuspecting consumers who think they are purchasing a safe vehicle. The implementation of this law will ensure consumers who purchase a salvage vehicle are purchasing a safe vehicle.”

How are automotive repair shops affected by these changes?
Under the new law, the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) will collect and display repair certifications, such as ASE and I-CAR, on a public website as an added measure to help consumers identify qualified repair shops. According to Dave Kusa, Chair of the Automotive Service Councils of California (ASCCA) Governmental Affairs Committee, representing Automotive Service Professionals, this measure is long overdue: “Automotive Repair Professionals spend a considerable amount of time and money training automotive service technicians to properly and safely repair vehicles. Under this new law, these training certifications would be included on the BAR public website to assist customers to easily identify auto-repair shops that have proper training and certification credentials. I think it’s a win-win for both consumer and automotive repair shops.” This process will make it easier for consumers to find certified shops and technicians in their local community. Shops that invest in training and continuing education certifications for their technicians could have an advantage over their competitors by publicly displaying their accomplishments for consumers.

What are California’s full vehicle inspection rules?
While the new vehicle safety updates are a welcome addition, a vehicle must pass other inspection requirements in California to be roadworthy. These inspections include both mechanical and emissions testing.

Emission testing requirements
According to the California Energy Commission, 50% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions are from transportation. To mitigate these emission numbers, emissions inspections are critical. Emissions testing is mandatory for most vehicles in California, and includes:

  • Visual inspection of the emission control components and systems
  • Functional inspection of the check engine light, ignition timing and exhaust gas analysis
  • Smog emissions inspections are also required for vehicle registrations at approved DMV-authorized smog check stations, except if your vehicle meets certain conditions. You can check for the specific smog inspection requirements here.

Mechanical testing requirements
The complete list of mechanical checks required for a safety inspection is in the Bureau of Automotive Repair’s Vehicle Safety Inspections Manual. But typical inspections include:

  • Assessing the vehicle for any mechanical damage or limitations, including checks for leaks, fluid levels, and mechanical integrity.
  • Comprehensive brake checks, including inspection of the brake pads and lining.
  • Tire inspection
  • Quick lube shops that intend to offer vehicle safety inspections should familiarize themselves with the handbook and the complete guidelines required for vehicle safety.

Is there a penalty for missing or failing a vehicle inspection?
California drivers are liable for maintaining their vehicles and ensuring they remain roadworthy. Most vehicle insurance requires passing safety inspections. Additionally, the DMV enforces penalties for failing to comply with safety inspections, with fines and registration restrictions dependent on the type of inspection required and the severity of the failure.

For vehicle owners who require financial assistance to complete emissions-related repairs, the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) provides eligible vehicle owners up to $1,200 for emissions repairs and upgrades at approved repair stations. Additional state assistance programs for vehicle retirement can offer financial aid for purchasing a new vehicle. Quick lube shops can benefit from these requirements by becoming certified to provide these repairs and educating their customers on these programs and the eligibility requirements.

Why quick lube shops should embrace these new safety inspections rules
The quick lube shop market is competitive, and these new regulations can be an opportunity for shop owners and managers looking for ways to make their businesses stand out. By qualifying your shop to offer vehicle inspections, you can attract more customers looking for reliable automotive repair and maintenance service to keep their vehicles compliant with the new rules. In this challenging economy, adding vehicle inspections to your service offerings is a great way to increase your revenue and establish more brand loyalty among your customer base. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the new rules and find creative ways to educate your customers on the value of compliance for their safety. As always, we’re here to support your shop with any lubricant or automotive shop supplies you may require to offer these services. We also offer fleet fueling services that help you and/or your customers save!