Just want to make sure I have this right...your dad bought the car in NJ but lives in PA so the car is getting PA tags, etc, right?
I'm pretty sure that in PA if a car is bought at a dealership, it has to pass PA state inspection...the same may be true of NJ, but I don't know.
However, straight from NJ's Motor Vehicle Commission website, it states that:
"To pass a safety inspection, vehicles are expected to be maintained according to the original manufacturer’s specifications, including but not limited to: brakes,
suspension, steering, wheel alignment, headlights, taillights, tires, horn, windshield wipers, window and hood operation, glazing, turn signals, mirrors, etc."
http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Inspectio...erstanding.htm
This site may help you out.
Is it a well known dealership, or Joe Blow's Corner Auto Sales? If it's a well known dealer, I'm sure they will take that back or you can fight them like hell. They wouldn't want to tarnish any reputation they may have.