new inspection law

yes 4000p is a bit expensive... because my scoot was in storage for two years and when i took it to an emissions testing center (ETC) this year... i paid somewhere around 12-1300p total for everything which included the smog check + a "processing service" fee which paid for an ETC employee to go to the LTO... submit all of the required documents and to bring my plate tag back to the ETC... and then about a week or so later they called me to get my plate tag... however if you decide to NOT pay the "processing service" fee to the ETC and instead opt to take your scoot to the LTO... and process your documents and get your plate tag yourself... then something "peculiar" occurs... because now the LTO will require you to get a "mechanical inspection" done at their inspection center on the right side of the LTO... which includes checking your horn, headlights, turn signals, brake lights, etc... a simple inspection indeed... but nonetheless an inspection that is not done if the ETC goes to the LTO for you... so i'm of the opinion if you plan to return in less than 2 years... perhaps it's best to wait until you return to the PI and pay the ETC in-person to handle everything for you.

 

Been at Hi Point smoke test center today, was there 5.20 am was number 6 in the motorbike line, out 7 am, cost 1400 pesos, they text me when I can pick up the paper, they process the paper, it's included in the 1400 pesos, dirt cheap for registration and insurance

 

i went to EVM for the smoke test... but before going i purchased motorbike insurance (300p) at cebuana lhuillier... nice to know you can buy insurance at the smoke test center too.

 

Like others have already suggested, it would seem to me that there's no way just 2 test centers could possibly handle all vehicles over 3 years old once a year. Yes it would be good if a once a year testing process that concentrates on safety issues was in place, but you'd need to organize it by licensing garages/workshops to do the testing (with frequent random inspection checks of their work by LTO) if you want to have any hope of a functioning system that has enough capacity.
A proper test would take at least 30 minutes or so per four wheel vehicle if not longer and maybe 20 minutes for a motorbike. That would limit capacity at the two testing centers combined to at best say 30 cars/trucks or 50 bikes per day if each has a single testing bay. But even at double that you get to barely 5000 cars and 10000 bikes a year. I don't know, but my gut tells me that's maybe half the cars and 10% at best of all bikes.
If you add in the usual corruption the numbers will probably go down quite a bit (takes more time to abuse the system I would assume).

 

update this oct 14. the vehicle inspection building being constructed looks like drive in and drive out, open both ends. appears to be large enough for two lanes, maybe three. parking lot the size maybe of one of the lee plaza parking floors or as a large service station. three to four times the total footage of a typical emission test center. (this emission center in daro)

DISCLAIMER No engineer or architect or city official was killed or injured ( or consulted) in the making of this post! No photos were taken, no measurements made. This post is the sole product and responsibility of this dumaguete info member made while riding a bicycle past the site in the rain while trying to avoid dogs and their rapidly liquifying excrement, dodging pedestrians walking in the street instead of the available sidewalk and txting motorcycle drivers (some of which were using the sidewalk) ; all as a free service in the hopes of helping someone somewhere. If i have made any factual error (other than spelling and punctuation) i will beg Gods forgiveness. Please advise

 

They take 50 cars a day in Hi Point Daro, after that, they ask you to come back another day. I never heard about anyone failed a smoke test and believe the same will happen with the new inspection law, all will pass, it's all about money

 

Sounds a lot like the inspection center I've been to 5 years ago in quezon city at the main LTO branch. They've had about 8 lanes I would say and in my case they actually checked lights, wipers, and presence of these triangular things you put on the road in case you break down. FYI, you gotta have two of them here...

No capability to check brakes or shocks as they have elsewhere and I doubt they will introduce that for real now. anybody can pass such a visual inspection with a bit of preparation.

 

Theyre going to so swamped, the inspection will be smog and on you way chum.