Uber Car Inspection

Driver and Passenger safety – The Uber car inspection is the source and the start to make this happen. My one-year driving for Uber anniversary is coming up. Yeah, it’s only been a year and my life has changed like crazy – for the better – in just 12 months! No more boring day jobs, no more rigid schedules or irritating bosses (the last supervisor at my day job asked me if I could help him sign up to drive with Uber when I ran into him…go figure). And I actually spend my time working for something that I am excited about: making transportation more efficient, affordable and flexible, while being on my own schedule.

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Since it’s been one year I’ve been driving for Uber, my annual vehicle inspection is coming up and I’d like to share the experience with you. I get lots of questions like “how do I schedule an appointment with Uber to get my vehicle inspected?” or “where do I get my Uber car inspection to start driving?” So let’s shed some light on that.

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Where Can I Find Uber Car Inspection Stations?

Los Angeles is now packed with Uber car inspection stations. When I started driving for Uber a year ago, there were only a fraction of the inspection stations they have today. I picked the station on 1633 Purdue Ave in West LA, about 15 minutes from where I live. The process itself is very simple: you just pull into an Uber car inspection station, park, register, get your vehicle inspected, upload the documents and you’re done. An Uber car inspection station is usually just a big parking lot with some tables and tents set up. It’s quite basic.

You can find the closest vehicle inspection station here, but first I’ll help you navigate your way:

Select your city:

Click “Get Started” on the menu:

 Click on “Vehicle Inspections”:

If there are Uber activation centers in your city, they will be displayed on the page.

What If There’s No Uber Car Inspection Station Close By?

If there’s no official Uber car inspection station near where you are, no problem. You can get your car inspected by a third party. Make sure to bring the Official Uber Inspection Form with you.

Uber gives you a few options to get your vehicle inspection done:

Option 1: Certain areas and Cities have negotiated a fixed price with participating mechanics. There’ll be a link to a list of participating locations on the page. Pricing is usually around $20 for a car inspection.

Option 2: Get your vehicle inspected at a BAR certified auto shop close to you. BAR means Bureau of Automotive Repair.

Option 3: Uber is partnering with Your Mechanic. Your Mechanic is a service that comes to where you are. You’ll get a fixed upfront price, book an appointment, and then conveniently make your payment. The mechanic will come to your address, complete a full Uber vehicle inspection plus an oil change for $50.

Use our link and get $20 off your first YourMechanic. 🙂

My Uber Car Inspection Report

Last Monday, I finally took the time to get my Uber car inspection done. But before I got myself to do that on the one rainy day in LA in weeks, I needed some coffee, of course. (I guess I really don’t like ‘duties’ like that ;))

Uber Vehicle Inspection: The Basics

Here’s some basic info first regarding your upcoming Uber vehicle inspection: Uber has car inspection stations set up in most cities where Uber operates. See the list of different options to get your Uber vehicle inspection done above. When you bring your car to an Uber Activation Center, they’ll inspect it at no cost and usually pretty quickly while you’re waiting. In certain areas and cities, Uber pays a cash bonus when you get your first car inspection.

What Are The Items On The Checklist?

So what are the inspectors looking for when they check your vehicle? First, they’ll ask you for the year, make and model of your vehicle. Mostly, you’ll have to turn on and off headlights, signal, honk, step on the brake, etc. The inspector will also open and close your doors, adjust your front seats and test the seat belts. The inspection itself doesn’t take more than 10-15 minutes.

This is the complete list of items they will check:

• Lights:
  • Headlights
  • Tail lights
  • Turn indicator lights
  • Brake lights
• Brakes and steering:
  • Brake pads/shoe thickness
  • Emergency/parking brake
  • Steering mechanism
• Windows and other glass:
  • Windshield
  • Rear window and other glass
  • Windshield wipers
• Seats and doors:
  • Front seat adjustment
  • Safety belts for driver and each passenger
  • Doors (open / close / lock)
• Other items:
  • Horn
  • Speedometer
  • Bumpers
  • Muffler and exhaust system
  • Tires, including tread depth
  • Interior and exterior rear view mirrors

Pass Or Fail?

I do take really good care of my car, so I was pretty confident that I’d pass the Uber car inspection. Everything is super clean and well maintained, so all should be good, right? When the inspector was done, he looked at me, holding his report “Hey Aaron, I’m sorry, I can’t pass you today.”….”Oh…Why?”. I have to admit, I was surprised. But, my left brake light wasn’t working. Hmm, so…

What To Do When You Fail The Vehicle Inspection?

If the reason you’re not passing is minor, such as my brake light not working, they can put your car inspection on hold for the day, and pass you when you return the same day with the item(s) fixed. If you can’t get it fixed the same day, you’ll fail and have to do the inspection all over again.

So I needed a new brake light. I just took off to the closest Autozone, got a new brake light bulb and they even put it in for me (no way I would have figured out how to do that…). So that’s done.

Inspection Passed!

Back at the Uber car inspection station, the inspector that started the process had already left. No problem, Brittany, the girl who took over for him, checked my brand new brake light and…I passed!

After that, I decided to treat myself to Uber Eats for the first time. I’ll let you know how that went…

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