Two auto garages that reported problems with the newly-installed state vehicle inspection systems are back up and issuing stickers.
Both MV Autoworks in Vineyard Haven and Cars Unlimited in the Martha’s Vineyard Airport Business Park began issuing new stickers on Thursday, three days after a new computer system went into effect.
Registry of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Judith Riley initially told The Times that issues were with the individual stations, not the system, but state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, D- Falmouth, in an email said it was a statewide issue with Applus, the new vendor.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Riley wrote that 1,509 of the state’s 1,589 inspection stations were issuing stickers.
Angel Figueroa, owner of MV Autoworks, said he had to do a work-around to finally get an Applus rep on the phone. He called Connecticut, which also uses Applus as a vendor, and got someone there to connect him. By last Thursday, he was doing inspections again.
Both Mr. Figueroa and David Pothier of Cars Unlimited reported days of not getting messages returned. “Getting through to them was the challenge,” Mr. Figueroa said.
With the implementation of a new computer system, glitches are to be expected, but the state could have done more to help stations, he said.
As for the system itself, Mr. Figueroa said he likes it. The new sticker system requires photographs of the car’s VIN, its plates, and odometer to avoid fraud.
