I am in NH and it is similar here. I do not have the same issue as you, but I have heard the same story many times here. We have used the same shop for 25 years and my wife grew up with the owner. He is realistic about inspections and we just had three cars done with no issues. Safety inspections are useless. The only reason they exist is to generate income for the state. Statistically, states without inspections do not have more vehicle accidents due to mechanical failure. Actually, studies show that people who live in states without inspections maintain their cars to a higher level than states with required inspections.