liveaboard

I read that all government deadlines and documents are extended to the end of the year.
Does that include vehicle inspections?

I need to get a new (corrected) registration issued by IMT before my next inspection, and IMT is not easy these days.

Loafing Along

You can try online booking through Cima site :
https://www.cima-sa.pt/

I think there is currently a 5 month extension for cars with inspections due up to June 2021 - there was a special decree in May 2020

liveaboard

Thanks; I don't intend to do it myself, I'll have my local driving school guy take care of it.
The cost will probably not be more than driving 200km to IMT and back a couple of times.

Of course, I have to wait for the driving schools to start up again first.

Pilotabroad

Does anybody have a link or reference (or has confirmed this)?
Like loafing I believe this to be the case, however the test centre in Caldas is saying its not so.
Sadly mine expired over the weekend but can't get back to Portugal until this coming weekend

NataHH

we had that dilemma last February but were able to get a neighbour to take the car for inspection but it was by appointment only.

Loafing Along

This was the IMT notice published in January :
http://www.imt-ip.pt/sites/IMTT/Port...caVeiculos.pdf

English summary on the EPortugal.pt website :
https://eportugal.gov.pt/en/covid-19...-e-transportes
Basically covered most of last year to August giving seven months grace so presumably now expired as not seen any update

liveaboard

I was also confused, because it was reported that all documents had more time; so I checked.
my IPO was due June 6, 2021
The answer is categorically NO.
IPO deadline is as before, no extension.

I had the problem that according to an advisory last year, I needed the reg paper updated before IPO inspection this year, but I had not succeeded in moving an inch.
I took my car in to the inspection station; a sign on the door said by appointment only (6 months ago it was walk-in as usual), but there wasn't much business so they said I could go ahead.
I showed then last year's advisory and told them I'd tried and tried, but IMT does not respond, and asked for an extension to next year for that issue; they hmmed and hawed, and agreed.

Pilotabroad

Thanks everyone for that, at least it seems clear now that the extensions are over.
I'll make an appointment next week and risk driving there as its only 6mins away

dingg

Go to IAC, or mastertest, CIMA are bastards

Pilotabroad

😂

Mastertest are my usual, however a lot of people complaining that the new inspectors in this last year are a bit offside compared to before.... Maybe they've joined from CIMA

liveaboard

I never heard that; there are only CIMA near me, and they aren't particularly near. 50-60 km.

In my youth, I used to perform safety inspections on vehicles where I worked; the tests done here are very comprehensive.
Still, one time I found a very worn out ball joint on my car that they'd missed at inspection.
That can be extremely dangerous if it fails on the road.

I do my own car repairs at home for the most part, I only go out for tires, wheel alignment, and AC gas charging.
And headlight alignment. They're very finicky about that, it has to be done with the expensive specialized gizmo.
We used to just point the lights at the back wall of the shop.

dingg

Its particular to caldas-da-rainha, all CIMA will not be the same 👍

liveaboard

Yeah, the scuttlebutt here is go to Portimao, not Lagos.
There's conflict of interest with those inspection stations, if they do their job and fail things they're supposed to by regulation, then customers will soon go somewhere else.
Especially in places like this, where the average age of cars on the road is on the advanced side.
Anything less than 10 years old around here is a new car.

But the inspection stations get inspected too, they have a lot to lose if they get too lax.

Pilotabroad

Funnily enough headlights is one of the biggest gripes at the moment going around our area, lots of inspection fails for cloudy lens or misalignment that previously would of been deemed OK or quickly adjusted in the past.

liveaboard

I'm having that problem; polishing up the lenses isn't good enough anymore.
Before inspection I took the car to walk-in quicky place to get them aligned, then went to the IPO where they failed them for both alignment and intensity.

I went to a local mechanic I know here (where I should have gone in the first place), he told me they have new German machines (GERMAN!) that are very fussy.
I've ordered new units from auto-doc pt, only 85 each, but he told me those machines might even fail the new ones!
He suggested getting original units, but a pair of those would cost 1/2 the value of the whole car.

New parts should be here tomorrow.