After January 31, 2026, your car won’t need to pass an annual state inspection in NH anymore. While there are pros and cons to this change in the law, there’s no denying that some maintenance and repair issues that would have been caught during the inspection will likely go overlooked. How do you avoid letting your routine vehicle maintenance slip through the cracks now that the state won’t require annual inspections? Our team at Redmans Automotive has some tips to help you keep your car in good shape.
Are you worried about keeping up with maintenance after the NH state inspection requirement goes away? Here are our top tips.
Pay attention to your maintenance schedule.
Every vehicle has a maintenance schedule, which is a list of recommended intervals for various maintenance tasks. For example, you should change your oil every 3,000 miles (or 7,500 miles if you use synthetic oil). Your owner’s manual will have a list of all the recommended intervals for your vehicle, and your mechanic can also provide further advice.
Make friends with your mechanic.
Now, we don’t mean that you’re going to join a bowling league together, but it’s always a good idea to maintain a friendly relationship with your regular mechanic. While you can shop around for the lowest price every time you need a service, it’s best to go to the same mechanic whenever you can. If the same auto shop works on your car regularly, they will become familiar with your vehicle and can make more informed decisions and recommendations based on your maintenance history.
Schedule annual safety checks, even though you don’t have to.
The reason to get a safety check for your car isn’t just because you need a little sticker in the windshield. It’s to ensure your car is safe to drive, to protect you and everyone else on the road. To keep your car at that minimal safety standard, you can schedule a safety inspection with our mechanics every year. We’ll check everything that would have been done during the NH state inspection, and we can tell you if you have any repairs coming up.