AUTOMOTIVE & LIGHT TRUCK - Transportation

1 & LIGHT TRUCKAUTOMOTIVEMANUALVEHICLEINSPECTIONV ersion December 2009 BLANK Welcome Administration Inspection Standards Attachments Motor Vehicle Lighting Inspection Guide Inspection Regulation Newsletters Notes Alberta Motor Vehicle Inspection Program Inspection Technician Manual AUTOMOTIVE & LIGHT TRUCK BLANK Vehicle Safety Section Main Floor, Twin Atria Building 4999 98 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6B 2X3 Telephone 780-427-8901 Fax 780-988-7628 December 2009 Technicians and Facility Managers: Thank you for participating in Alberta s Vehicle Inspection Program. As our partners in road safety, licensed technicians and facilities have the responsibility to perform their duties in accordance with our inspection criteria and this work contributes to keeping our roads safe for all users.

2 The purpose of the new AUTOMOTIVE & LIGHT TRUCK Inspection Manual is to provide a description of the vehicle inspection procedures in order to ensure quality inspections are performed and to minimize or eliminate any confusion related to the Program. This manual is based on the Vehicle Inspection Regulation (AR 211/2006), which came into effect January 1, 2007. A copy of the regulation has been included in the manual to provide you with a better understanding of the requirements. Note that the Regulation may be amended from time to time and the original regulation should be consulted for all purposes of interpreting and applying the law. You will notice that this manual is more detailed and provides additional information for the technician to complete the inspections.

3 A list of revisions that have been made in the new December 2009 manual has been added for you attention. Please remember that all technicians are required to obtain a copy of this manual and send a completed Manual Registration form (attached) to the Vehicle Safety Section. This new and improved AUTOMOTIVE & LIGHT TRUCK Inspection Manual is available free of charge, from the department web site at Alternatively, you will be able to purchase the new manual from Riley s Reproduction and Printing, you can contact them by phone at 1-800-563-1542 or visit their website at Finally, I would like to thank the; technicians, facility managers, training institution experts and our Vehicle Safety Section staff that participated in the creation of this new inspection manual.

4 BLANK Vehicle Safety Section Main Floor, Twin Atria Building 4999 98 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6B 2X3 Telephone 780-427-8901 Fax 780-988-7628 AUTOMOTIVE & LIGHT TRUCK Inspection Manual Registration Form By registering the December 2009 AUTOMOTIVE and LIGHT TRUCK Inspection Manual, I understand and acknowledge the following: - It is my responsibility to maintain a copy of the AUTOMOTIVE and LIGHT TRUCK Inspection Manual and any amendments. - I may be asked to produce a copy of the AUTOMOTIVE and LIGHT TRUCK Inspection Manual and any amendments at the request of the Registrar or a Vehicle Safety Investigator. I , Vehicle Inspection Technician number (Print Technician Name) (Technician signature) , confirm that I have read, understand and will comply with the current (Number) AUTOMOTIVE and LIGHT TRUCK Inspection Manual and the guidelines noted above this date of.

5 (mm/dd/yyyy) Email address*: *All Vehicle Inspection Program newsletters and bulletins will be sent to this email address. If your email address changes, please contact Vehicle Safety. You are required to register this manual with the Vehicle Safety Section of Alberta Transportation . Please return this registration form to Vehicle Safety: Email: Fax: 780-988-7628 BLANK AUTOMOTIVE & LIGHT Vehicle Inspection Manual 2009 Revisions Page 1 of 2 AUTOMOTIVE & LIGHT TRUCK Inspection Manual 2009 Revisions LIGHT Vehicle Inspection Manual, July 2003 Version LIGHT Vehicle Inspection Manual, December 2009 Version Spiral Binding 3 Ring Binder Motor Vehicle Inspection Program, Out of Province and Salvage, Inspection Methods and Standards Manual, Car, Van, SUV, and LIGHT TRUCK AUTOMOTIVE & LIGHT TRUCK , Vehicle Inspection Manual Bar coded, self addressed detachable card Manual registration via fax or email Guidelines for Inspection Technicians.

6 Pages A-1 to A-5 Vehicle Inspection Program Administration, Administration, pages 1 to 27 1 Table of Contents 4 Tables of Content No structured sequence for items to be inspected. Inspection criteria within Sections 1 - 12 is laid out in a structured path that takes the Technician from the drivers seat (interior items) to the exhaust system (under vehicle) in an efficient and sequential order. Section 1 Power Train - Powertrain section has been removed as items within it are now addressed in Sections 1 Pre-Inspection, 2 Onboard Diagnostic Systems, 7 Under Hood, and 11 Under Vehicle. Section 1 Pre-Inspection - New section developed to address Facilities inspecting without a request, VIN discrepancies, and vehicles created at Registries not being accurately described.

7 Although "Road Test" does not appear in the current manual it has always been a requirement to verify the speedometer operation. Additional items identified and included in are : Brake system performance, drivability problems, seized or failing components, vehicle handling concerns. Section 2 Suspension - Suspension is now addressed in Section 8 Steering and Suspension. Section 2 Onboard Diagnostic Systems - New section developed to address a large number of vehicles being passed without being scanned for diagnostic trouble codes. Requirement to scan for ABS and SRS diagnostic trouble codes exists in the current manual on page 3-7, item 11e (ABS) and page 8-7, item 10f (SRS).

8 Additional systems or components to be verified include: Powertrain Control Modules (PCM) must now be scanned as they have become an integral component of stability control systems and other OEM installed safety systems. Section 3 Brakes - Brakes are now addressed in Section 10 Brakes. Section 3 Interior - New section developed to gather all interior related items into one section to maintain a logical and sequential order of inspection. Added Video Entertainment System to inspection criteria. Section 4 Steering - Steering is now addressed in Section 8 Steering and Suspension. Section 4 Glass - New section with all glass related items placed within it (existing manual has glass included in Section 8 Body).

9 Simplified windshield reject criteria (review of all other Canadian jurisdictions was done). Added note regarding safety glass. AUTOMOTIVE & LIGHT Vehicle Inspection Manual 2009 Revisions Page 2 of 2 LIGHT Vehicle Inspection Manual, July 2003 LIGHT Vehicle Inspection Manual, august 2009 Section 5 Instruments & Auxiliary Equipment - Section has been removed as items within it are now addressed in Sections 1 Pre-Inspection, 2 Onboard Diagnostic Systems, and 3 Interior. ** NOTE: If a Technician were to follow the order of the items to be inspected in the current manual, Section 5 would have a technician that has been inspecting under hood, under vehicle, and asbestos covered brakes inspecting interior items included in Section 5** Section 5 Lamps - Remove requirement for lamps to display SAE or DOT markings (lamps must still be SAE or DOT approved), Clarified DRL inspection requirements, added obscured by tint to High Mount Stop Lamp, Clarified headlamp alignment requirement, Added licence plate lamp, Added emergency lighting.

10 Section 6 Lamps - Moved to Section 5 Lamps Section 6 Exterior, General - New section includes items previously covered in Section 8 Body. Added aftermarket equipment. Section 7 Electrical System - Section has been removed as items within it are now addressed in Section 3 Interior Section 7 Under Hood - New section gathers under hood related items from the existing manual into one section. Added hazardous oil leaks. Section 8 Body - Section has been removed as items within it are now addressed in Sections 3 Interior, 4 Glass, 6 Exterior, General, 7 Under Hood, 11 Under Vehicle, 12 Structural Integrity. Section 8 Steering and Suspension - New section combining old Section 2 and 4.