When the "solution" is the problem!

[Belugawrx]

Yes, Colorado does the same thing. Here in AZ my 2000 was about $120 for two years but my 2011 was about $650 for the first year, less the 2nd year...

This is the guy paying 650,..he's in Arizona

[Belugawrx]

Somebody's gotta pay for all those "free" social programs in the Great White North.         

Here in NYC, one goes to state licensed service stations/repair shops for inspections and emission tests. In the past, it was never a problem passing even if your car blows smoke like a steel mill. There was always a properly tuned vehicle in the shop that the mechanic, after getting his already greased palm regreased ,  would use.

I always throw in a bottle of stp injector cleaner, then hit the highway and do 120-140 kph to my local e-testing facility,...10min. tops.

Never has this   with 455,000 km or 282,723 miles on it, Failed,.

Oh, and I only pay 75.00 for my annual

[Harry P.]

Yes, population density...similar situation in AZ...outside of the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas, the rest of state is rural empty w/ a few small towns..

Doesn't make sense to me. Metro Chicago and metro St. Louis need to be tested, but the rest of the state gets a free pass?

That's like saying in metro Chicago and metro St. Louis, there are standards that must be met regarding levels of toxins and carcinogens in the drinking water... but for everyone else, no standards!

Huh?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Many state metropolitan areas have mandatory vehicle emissions testing programs, where more rural areas don't. My state is no exception, and last time I registered a car in Az, it was the same way.

The theory is that it's simply more important to ensure clean running engines where the population and vehicle density is high.

[Harry P.]

Many state metropolitan areas have mandatory vehicle emissions testing programs, where more rural areas don't. My state is no exception, and last time I registered a car in Az, it was the same way.

The theory is that it's simply more important to ensure clean running engines where the population and vehicle density is high.

I say either we are either all held to the same standard, or none of us are. Having different laws depending on where you live is inherently unfair.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I say either we are either all held to the same standard, or none of us are. Having different laws depending on where you live is inherently unfair.

I agree. The FED sets the standards that ALL current production cars have to comply with, but state and local jurisdictions are given the option of selectively enforcing them. Makes no sense whatsoever. Government logic at its finest.

I'll never again own a vehicle that's subject to emissions testing for a variety of reasons, among them the knee-jerk aspect of the regs, the arbitrary enforcement, the rampant incompetence or just plain dishonesty of the people doing the testing...geez.

And MOST people just stand in line behind the next little sheepy and think they're doing the right thing, because they don't know any better...or care to know.

Follow the rules. Don't think, don't question. Accept that authority knows best.

Edited April 16, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[dshue76]

Pennsylvania has the hit and miss testing as well. It has to do with the actual concentration of pollution in an area. It acts like fog and stays put. In my area Pittsburgh and its surrounding counties have much more pollution than my county. The polluted counties get testing and we don't. I'm fine with that since I'm lucky and live in a county where I don't have to deal with it! It is a pain, along with all the other time consuming privileges and expenses of being afforded the privilege of driving. Of course Pennsylvania loves their big gas tax that ironically pays for all of the orange barrels that lead to endless detours and idling time that leads to more fuel use. In my area the orange barrel contractors are so permanent that they list in the yellow pages, using the address of the empty lot along the road where they set up camp. I'll tell you if you design a new guard rail shop it to PENNDOT they love upgrading them, though they still won't replace the ones that cause decapitations. Those it seems they are happy with...

All of my non exempt vehicles would pass emissions testing with no problem.

Modern cars for the most part run very poorly when they get to the point that they will fail the non invasive emissions tests. Really in a state like PA the emissions and safety inspection could be combined into one sticker and one visit to the mechanic. Anything that isn't OBD II is visual inspection only on the emissions system which is already included in the state safety inspection. Now the diesel pick up enthusiasts in the non testing areas are canning their own worms, that will be a big mess when it's opened. 

[unclescott58]

Minnesota use to require emission testing only in the counties that Minneapolis and St. Paul were in, and those that immediately surround the twin cities. It was ridiculous that the rest of the state was excluded. Plus most cars were passing just fine anyhow. They finally dropped the testing about 15 years ago, after wasting all that money building special testing stations that used for only about 10 years.

[Draggon]

Several years back, the "people" of California demanded some good old smog-check justice, feeling that in general they were getting ripped off  by unscrupulous smog stations.  California adopted a "test only" system and had separate stations where only a test could be performed, and no repairs. If you fail then you go a different station to get repairs made and test again.

Smog cks have run around $30-40 for a long time. If you get chosen by DMV for a test only, it's three or four times as much. If your car can't pass after repairs there's a convoluted system to petition the state to allow you to keep your car and drive it.

Another swing and a miss for the land of fruits and nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

[lordairgtar]

 

Has anybody in Wisconsin had experience with the new system yet? The idea sounds stupid beyond belief; the garage/mechanic/car dealer gets paid something like $2 to test the car and they are paid by a state contractor and not the state itself. The local paper had a story about great all the new testing places thought this new program would be and they were excited about all the business it would generate for them. Then a couple months later the same shops were complaining that the $2 they get paid doesn't cover all their costs. The old program seemed to run smoothly, so of course it had to be changed.

I have. The system works fine and we don't pay the fee for the testing. I can use my dealer where I bought my car or the tire shop in town. I personally prefer having techs that know something about cars than the chimps that worked at the old DMV places. I had one guy try and put the front wheels on the dynomometer thinking my 83 Mercury fox platform Marquis Brougham wagon was front wheel drive. I banged on the thick plate glass trying to get his attention. In the nick of time a woman inspector from the other lane made him stop and place the proper axle over the dyno.

Edited April 17, 2016 by lordairgtar

[Lizard Racing]

In Salt Lake City area, not only are we discriminated against by having to get tested, but they "encourage" people not to sit and idle for more than 30 seconds!  Good government sense.