Emissions Testing....Another Form of Taxation?

[Russ]

I was born, raised and lived in the Los Angeles basin for most of my life. The emissions testing started in So Cal in the early 70's and has progressed to what it is now. Every 2 years one had to have the car tested and certified in order to register it. For a long time, if the repairs required to get the car to pass the smog test were over $250, one could get a waiver. Seems to me that has gone by the wayside in the PRK but that's probably where the $450 "waiver" referenced above comes from.

The testing requirement really made a difference for the better in air quality in So Cal. Now with the newer more efficient cars, I don't know if it's necessary any longer. However, businesses offering the test had to fork out some serious money for the testing equipment. Seems to me only a small portion of the total, maybe $6 per car went to the state. When you add it up, that comes out to real money after awhile.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Rock,

Yep, I know. Sorry, I was just trying to indicate what Virginia is still doing.

 

[jimpeel]

3. Vehicle emission testing is always the last reosrt for a state since it is a political hot potato.

When the state wanted to institute vehicle testing for the Denver area only, the representative for Boulder County, Mary Blue, asked if she could have Boulder County included. That's how Boulder County ended up with emissions testing.

It was not the mandate of the state.

It was not because the state "reluctantly added vehicle emission testing".

It was not because Boulder County needed emissions testing.

It was not because there was a severe pollution problem in Boulder County.

It was because of one politically correct, enviro-wacko who was soundly defeated in the next election because of what she had done.

Unfortunately, the testing program is still in effect in Boulder County but Boulder County -- home of the City of Boulder, laughing stock of the nation -- is full of the same type of enviro-wackos that got the program started in the first place. So ending it is impossible; and the money flows ... and flows ... and flows.

 

[biere]

South western ohio has had some shenanigans going on with their testing.

The test stations were shut down for a while while things played around in court, I forget what got decided but the stations are back up and running.

One loop hole in ohio is to have a truck with a gross weight rating of 10,000 or over. If I still lived in the testing counties I would have sold my cars and just kept my truck.

I have taken many vehicles through and I have come to see it as a simple tax.

Of course if someone knows the rules they can make things easier in ohio, one thing is about not letting them pop the hood. All they can check is the exhaust with their mirrors. I also got to the point where I would not let them drive my vehicles on the rolling dyno.

If you have awd or a traction control system driving one set of wheels while the other sits still will mess things up. So for these vehicles all they do is a neutral test, they check emissions at idle and some rpm, maybe 2500 rpm.

I often get the manager of the facility, if it is a busy time he will agree with you since traffic is backing up.

Part of my reason for doing things the way I do is that I had cars fail and then pass. And all I did was wait a couple days. And yes I know all about having the thing warmed up and ready to go.

The local news guy who goes after hustlers did some reports on these testing stations and had some interesting things to say. Few were good.

I can comprehend why people feel someone should be forced to have their vehicle checked before they renew their registration.

But the old way of doing it and the new way described in the article in the first post makes me realize that the concept is not to simply get things cleaned up.

If they scan your computer and want to tell you something is about to break, I fully expect them to start going after the black boxes for airbags so they can tell you to slow down.

And wild alaska could have gotten that 350 chevy in his vehicle if he was prepared to jump through some seriously silly hoops and let a reffere aprove his vehicle. Overall the cost would have been insane to swap in a complete newer 350 and its complete emissions system.