My Car Failed It's "Emission Test"

[r_w]

MOVE

[r_w]

OK, passed the cap test does mean something.

Either you have a bad pressure regulator (that would probably make it hard to start) or an old fuel pump that doesn't make enough pressure.

That is my guess as a non-expert who has tried to wrench my own check-engine issues (and done both of the above). 

[billt]

$642.00. Bad EGR Valve. Bad Pressure regulator. A bunch of bad vacuum hoses. Bad oxygen sensor. And a bad pressure return something or other. They'll fix it, take it back to the buffoons, and have it back to me by the end of the day. It's not bad considering over the last 20 years and 150,000 miles the car has never failed me, and I really haven't put much money into it over the years. The last big bill was a new A/C pump 3 years ago. Both vehicles still look good, run good, and drive good. License tags are only $50.00 a year, and the insurance is cheap. Cars are a necessary evil, and I do not look forward to the day I've got to buy a new one.   Bill T.

[Timothy]

Your downwind neighbors will be happy you've passed the litmus test of how to make money in a bad economy.....

Out here, both my cars have never even been tested for emmisions.  I have 120K on one and 80K on the truck.  They just plug them in to the diagnostic, read the 'puter' codes, and if the safety is good, you're free to pay your 29 bucks and be on your way...

It's a joke, but I'm repeating myself again....it's about the money, nothing more, nothing less....

[Hazcat]

In FL we don't have any of this stuff and when I lived in PA they stopped doing it.

[Sponsor]

[Timothy]

In FL we don't have any of this stuff and when I lived in PA they stopped doing it.

When I lived in CT, the local Hartford TV station took a Honda Accord and deliberatly "de-tuned" to force the car to fail emmisions.  They then took it to 15-18 different inspection stations and the car passed emmisions testing in all but a few of them.

At the time, they were run by a contracted company hired to test and maintain the equipment rather than have the state do the work.

It proved convincingly that the system was broken and wasn't really doing anything to stop those evil, smoke belching automobiles...

[billt]

In Arizona they are turning off all of the speed cameras next week.

http://www.azfamily.com/outbound-feeds/yahoo-news/Freeway-speed-cameras-to-be-turned-off-this-week-98237994.html

 They said few were paying the fines because they came in the mail. They didn't have enough process servers to serve everyone within the 3 month time limit before the ticket became invalid. They can't even organize well enough to TAKE your money. Imagine if they had to EARN it by actually doing something productive. Score yet another victory for Jan Brewer. If this woman keeps this up, she'll be walking on water before you know it.   Bill T.

[twyacht]

I remember when Fl. DID have vehicle inspections, the problem was all cars were due at the same time. The lines at the very few inspections stations were longer than gas lines during the Carter Admin.

Literally took you all day to get a stupid sticker, and they never did an emissions check. (Back than they still sold "leaded" gas).

Too bad billt, but it's fixed, I know you could have bought a couple more "items" but 91 Mustang 5.0's are good cars. I had an 86 5.0
tickets were my problem....

[MikeBjerum]

Couple comments:

First to Billt - $642 would be eaten up in a few months of car payments or replenishing the car fund.  The cheapest car is almost always the one you already have ... still sucks though;

Second on emission testing - I am actually a fan of emission testing and safety checks.  Haz can verify what commercial vehicles need to go through annually to assure they are sound for the road.  Then  you turn around and let any rust bucket with bald tires on the street.  What if the twenty year old family bomber blows a tire, has burnt our lights, drops a piece of exhaust on the road, can't keep its windshield clear because of bad wipers, fails to stop safely due to bad breaks or stalls in the middle of traffic and causes an accident?  When enough of us fail to maintain our vehicles safely we forfeit the right to operate any old piece on the road.

Sooooooooo, what do I see as the biggest problem with testing and safety checks?  In many states or regions, when the care reaches a certain age or value (old enough or cheap enough) they will not enforce the issues.  In other words, if your car is worth $1,000 and it needs $900 in repairs they will let you go without fixing it.

I'm starting to rant, but that is what comes from putting up with other drivers for too many miles a month.

[twyacht]

m58, I agree. Here in Sunny S. Fl., seeing a 1978 LTD, with duct tape holding the brake lights on, more bondo, more duct tape, no bumpers, (pretty much a Mad Max looking POS), OBTW, it has 9 Hondurans packed in it, and the tallest one is 5'2, and drives like he's had his license for oh,....2 days, makes me get the hell away from him quick.

For an International Adventure in driving, we got NYC traffic beat.

I drive a company service van, everyday, and have more than one "close call",,,with junk cars, and the texting schmuck in his new BMW...