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Old Town Alexandria Exxon Service Center

From the Shop

Tips, Advice & Auto Know-How

Virginia inspections, emissions and everyday car care, explained by the team at the south end of Old Town.

Service bays and Exxon canopy at Old Town Exxon in Alexandria, where we check the car sitting all week with a dead batteryMaintenance

Car Sat All Week and the Battery Died? What Low-Mileage Old Town Cars Need

Take Metro all week and the car won't start on Saturday? Here's why parked cars drain their batteries, and what oil, brakes and tires need when you barely drive.

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Technician in a service bay at Old Town Exxon in Alexandria, VA, where drivers ask if they can pass Virginia inspection with the check engine light onDiagnostics

Check Engine Light On in Alexandria: Will You Pass Inspection? (Safety vs. Emissions)

A check engine light won't stop your Virginia safety sticker, but it will fail the emissions test Alexandria requires. Here's what each inspection actually checks, and what to do before you come in.

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Service bays and Exxon canopy at Old Town Exxon, a DEQ Air Check station in Alexandria, for a post on federal employee Virginia emissions inspection rules for out-of-state carsEmissions

Federal Employee With Out-of-State Plates? When Virginia Emissions Rules Apply to You

Drive onto or park on a federal site in Northern Virginia? Your agency may need proof your car meets Virginia emissions rules, even with DC or Maryland plates. Here's what the law says.

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Old Town Exxon storefront on S. Washington St in Alexandria, where military drivers can get a Virginia vehicle inspection and emissions testNew to Alexandria

Military Vehicle Inspection in Virginia: PCS to Fort Belvoir or the Pentagon

Keeping your home-state plates, switching to Virginia, or coming back from a duty station elsewhere: what Virginia's inspection, emissions and City car-tax rules say for each case.

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Old Town Exxon storefront on S. Washington St in Alexandria, where drivers moving to Virginia can get a car inspection and emissions testNew to Alexandria

New to Alexandria? Your Car Checklist: VA Inspection, Emissions, DMV and City Registration

Moving to Alexandria with your car? Here's the order to do things in: inspection, emissions, DMV and the City's own registration, with every deadline straight from the agencies.

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Technician in a service bay at Old Town Exxon, a Virginia emissions inspection station on S. Washington St in AlexandriaEmissions

Virginia Emissions Readiness Monitors "Not Ready"? Why Cars Get Rejected, and the New 2026 Waiver

A new battery or a car that sits all week can leave your emissions monitors not ready. Here is what Virginia's rule says, how to fix it, and what changed in 2026.

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Virginia inspection lane along the brick wall at Old Town Exxon on S. Washington St, where drivers with an expired inspection sticker line upInspections

Inspection Sticker Expired in Virginia? What to Do Today (and the "Fourth Month" Rule)

There's no grace period, but police can't stop you for the sticker alone until the fourth month. Here's what the law says, what a ticket can mean and how to get legal again fast.

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Technician in a service bay at Old Town Exxon in Alexandria, where we test batteries and check tires before you winterize a car for Northern VirginiaSeasonal

How to Winterize a Car in Northern Virginia When It Lives on an Old Town Street

No garage, no problem. The four things a street-parked Old Town car needs before the first freeze, plus what the City and VDOT put on the roads and where not to park when snow is coming.

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