State Opens Vehicle Inspection Site in Brooklyn Center
A shuttered tire shop in Brooklyn Center now has a second life as a state-run vehicle inspection site.
“The primary thing that Minnesotans will see here is that if they purchase a vehicle that was declared a total loss by an insurance company, they can have confidence that it was repaired legally through the inspections that we do,” said Greg Loper, Driver and Vehicle Services program director.
State officials were in Brooklyn Center Friday morning to celebrate the grand opening of the Brooklyn Center Vehicle Inspection Site, located at 5501 Xerxes Ave. N. The building was formerly home to a Big O Tires location.
The state signed a 10-year lease for the property to help expand vehicle inspection capacity in the metro.
A car undergoes an inspection at the new Brooklyn Center Vehicle Inspection Site.
Background
During the pandemic, there was a shortage of inventory at car dealerships, due in large part to a lack of vehicle computer chips. Drivers then turned to salvage vehicles — vehicles that have been declared a total loss by insurance companies — because they found it easier to buy and repair those vehicles.
However, salvage vehicles require a state inspection in order for drivers to renew their tabs.
“We have a number of salvage vehicles in the state of Minnesota that need attention,” said Bob Jacobson, Minnesota’s public safety commissioner. “We want to ensure that Minnesotans are safe and those who are driving these vehicles are safe. So to have the opportunity on a timely basis to be able to get in to do those inspections to ensure that they are safe, with the proper parts on those vehicles, that they’re safe for all Minnesotans, I think is imperative.”
The Brooklyn Center Vehicle Inspection Site is the largest in Minnesota.
Related: Brooklyn Center Approves Plans for New State-Run Vehicle Inspections Site
