Team-BHP - PUC? Why every six months?

Interesting subject.
I moved recently from Mumbai to Delhi.
Did you know in Delhi the PUC is valid for only 3 months and costs Rs 60/-whereas in Mumbai it is valid for 6 months and cost Rs 40/- 50/-
I have been asked for the PUC many times by Mumbai traffice police however in Delhi it seems traffice police do not check PUC as often.
Even though it seems Delhi is more strict I do see a lot of 2 wheelers (4 stroke bikes) spewing grey smoke from their exhausts but overall Delhi is a far better in terms of pollution being under control compared to Mumbai.
Really dunno when Mumbaikers are gonna WAKE UP. The city is really a big Garbage dump. I digress....

I have lived in Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain and you have to renew your car registration once a year. It is mandatory to complete and pass the car fitness test. You are given a month without a fine to complete ( if the car fails) and believe me it is very stringent. THe checking centers are huge. They check emissions, wheel alignment, brake quality, suspensions, acceleration, interior and exterior condition besides other points. You are not allowed anywhere inside the garage checking area. There is a yellow line (similar to passport control) beyond which you cannot step.

Would like to share an incident here that would give you an idea of where other countries are on this compared to India.
In Qatar, I owned a Nissan Altima. In the month of July while waiting at a red light, a Mitsubishi canter driven by Pathans rammed into the rear of the car ( Pathans answer to the cops that the brakes did not bite so what could he do.) Took the vehicle to the cop station and got the green paper ( green means it was not your fault) the pathan got the Red paper.
I then contacted the Pathans insurance company and got directed to a nominated garage for repairs to the bumper and boot. This involved body work and painting. The car was a pure white metallic. Got it back after 3 days (leased a altima coupe during its absence) and everything was fine ...until.

My registration was due for renewal in the month of September. Confidently proceeded to the Vehicle testing center and handed over the car to the tehnician (filipino) and waited in the lounge area. After about an hour was informed that the car had failed the test. I wanted to know why as everything on the paperwork was in Arabic. The helpdesk arab also explained to me in Arabic. I waited and tried to meet the Arab inspector in charge. He was decent but was speaking in Arabic and well....finally an Indian (Mallu) seemed like his chela, tells me in broken Hindi / English to try again after couple of days.

I try again after exactly 3 days and go in early morning so as to get another officer. This time also the car failed. I waited (the same mallu was trying to extract some money to get the car passed) and met the captain and explained to him the situation. He told me to wait and he would check it during his rounds. Well he started from the drivers door on the right and proceeded towards the rear then a big YALLA and some arabic. He calls me to the rear and is pointing to the boot lid. I look at him flummoxed. I am not able to understand even though he is speaking some words in English. Finally, it strikes me, he is refering to the paint. I move back a couple of feet and look at the rear of the car.

Yes, I now see why they failed the car. The area that was painted after the rear shunt had turned a few shades yellowish and you could make out the difference in color in the bright sunlight.

THe inspector told me to repair/ repaint and then reapply. The Indian in me wanted to argue but my brain and heart felt a lot of respect and admiration for "the system". I did contact the garage and got the work done without any charges and then passed the test and renewed the registration.

Imagine failing due to a difference in shades of paint. It was a first for me. In India, you can pass a vehicle inspection test even without an engine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtxmdpg (Post 2927243)

Yes, I now see why they failed the car. The area that was painted after the rear shunt had turned a few shades yellowish and you could make out the difference in color in the bright sunlight.

THe inspector told me to repair/ repaint and then reapply. The Indian in me wanted to argue but my brain and heart felt a lot of respect and admiration for "the system". I did contact the garage and got the work done without any charges and then passed the test and renewed the registration.

Imagine failing due to a difference in shades of paint. It was a first for me. In India, you can pass a vehicle inspection test even without an engine.

Quite frankly, failing it for a shade of paint is beyond stupid. Next would be to fail it because the Cop didn't like the colour you painted your car.

Inspection should be for safety, not looks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtxmdpg (Post 2927243)

Imagine failing due to a difference in shades of paint. It was a first for me. In India, you can pass a vehicle inspection test even without an engine.

This is why standards in India and other nations are incomparable. The attention to detail and also to make sure a baseline standard is maintained in nations abroad is amazing.

This happened to me in Germany. When I was there I used to get Taxi for my daily commute booked by the organization where I did my consultant work. One day the regular guy did not turn up and someone else came on his behalf. When I met him a couple of days later, I asked him about his sudden disappearance.

He said, he had to take his car for yearly inspection and the inspector asked him to change the exhaust system since it was rusted due to road salts and was in danger of spilling exhaust gases. He made sure he did that by taking it to his favorite dealer in the next city and waited till they sourced the part and fixed it for him. Being a taxi driver he did not mind the loss to his business due to this, but made sure he maintained the standards that his country wanted him to.

So, there is nothing wrong in making sure standards are met irrespective of color, performance, or aesthetic purpose. Go by process and live safe. Nothing more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtxmdpg (Post 2927243)

Imagine failing due to a difference in shades of paint. It was a first for me. In India, you can pass a vehicle inspection test even without an engine.

Honestly, that is going overboard.
Given you mentioned that there was someone who was probably trying to extract money from you - they may have tried to take advantage of your naiveness.

In the U.S. - it is important to get your car inspected. There is a sticker on the number plate with the Month and Year until when the car is certified. They too are very strict with regards to vehicle maintenance (lights need to work, engine needs to be mechanically sound, etc.). However, my paint job was a little shoddy (previous owner's accident repair job gone wrong probably), along with a few scratches owing to the college parking lot.
There were no comments on the paint at all - as long as the mechanicals and safety elements were working fine!

It is a separate topic that the cops there have the power to stop you for non-working brake lights, etc. which the cops here easily overlook.

PUC checks are the least the govt. can enforce to ensure cars are maintained and do not add to the increasing pollution (Delhi smog?), and given the lax attitude most car owners have - its not uncommon to see white smoke and the like escaping from most vehicles.

The bigger issue is misuse of power - many times motorists with well maintained vehicles are stopped for PUC checks and harassed. I too was stopped the day after my PUC expired (my mistake), while polluting cabs and buses kept on plying past. Heck - the skoda had just turned 2, and the first question the cop asked was "New Car?" :Frustrati