New process for car inspections

Things work a little different these days, for drivers taking their cars for an inspection. The Meineke on Carolina Beach Road had to change their receipts to let customers know inspections would no longer come with a sticker.

The Department of Motor Vehicles began it’s electronic inspection program in November. The program puts vehicle inspection and registration info in the same database. As a result, cars no longer need stickers on their windshields.

The only change for the actual inspection is when the mechanic puts the information into the database. For new car owners or someone new to town, the program means a trip to the mechanic first.

“It’s now tied to your license plate. So when you go renew your license plate you have to make sure that the vehicle is inspected before you get a license plate,” said Meineke owner, David King.

The DMV expects it to take about a year before all vehicles will be in line with the new system. once the program is fully in place, cars will have the same registration and inspection dates.

The DMV has created a helpful inspections calculator so you can see when your vehicles inspection is due. For more information on the feature you can visit the DMV website.