As a life long resident of Virginia, 50 years and counting, I have been through my share of misery with these inspections. However, it pays to go over your vehicle the day (or week) before and make sure all the small stuff is Ok- lights, turn signals, wiper blades, etc. If you know your brakes are questionable, do them before taking it in. FWIW, I get my Westy ( and all my vehicles) inspected at the same place every time. The inspector knows it well. I just got it inspected two weeks ago, and he was not all that thorough, because I believe he now knows me and knows the vehicle is well maintained. But, if you ever have trouble with an inspector, don't waste your time complaining about him to the Virginia state police-they won't do anything.       Jeff