Often I hear members ask "Why do we bother with Touring Inspections?".

First, let me reminisce a little. Many years ago when I was a fairly new member of the Club, I attended an annual event at the Nottawasage Inn in Alliston. The event was a show with judging, trophies and what was known then as a "Safety Inspection."

All participants had to have their vehicles go through a really thorough "Safety Inspection." I can remember teams of inspectors going over each vehicle in minute detail and checking for any badly worn or inoperative components. In some cases a "Safety Sticker" was not granted. The owners had to perform the repairs and be re-inspected. 

One long-time member had his vehicle checked and at one point the Inspector, who was underneath the vehicle, reached up and grabbed a tie rod to pull himself out from under the vehicle. Yep, the tie rod ball joint let go!

Well turns out the owner was "gonna, gonna but didn't get that tie rod changed." And yes, before the judging portion was completed on his vehicle, he had put the new tie rod on the car. You see, he already had the component in the trunk!

From time to time, I have heard from a number of sources that although the annual "Touring Inspections" by each region are being done, some events are not taken seriously. Comments such as "nobody going to tell me I have to have my car inspected" are quite common. How unfortunate it is that that party does not really appreciate the time and effort their fellow members put into this event as they are really doing a "free" inspection of their vehicle looking for potential "gonna,gonna repairs" such as I mentioned earlier.

If one joins an organization and there are guidlines and procedures within the organization, then why are they reluctant to adhere to them? After all, it's not likely somebody twisted their arm to join. 

Each Spring, this event should be on every region's Calendar of Events. Look for it. I'm certain the majority of the membership attend these events to have their vehicles checked over. Who knows, you may even broaden your knowledge of your paricular vehicle's mechanical well-being and also enjoy the fellowship with members of your club who you may not know that well.

Click "Inspection Form" in the menu on the left to obtain a sample copy of the Touring Inspection form.

Details about the significance of this event, the role of the National Touring Inspection Co-Ordinator and role of his/her regional counterpart is explained on the next page.