Prius can't pass emmission test (OT)

[Brad Lustig]

Tim, looks like you won't be able to pass your state inspection with that Prius you were planning on buying.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/16/prius-cant-pass-georgia-emissions-test/

[Don Coatney]

Another case of one rower trying to do the work and 8 fools steering the ship in circles.

[TodFitch]

Not being able to have the engine just sit and idle for a smog test is a known issue with the Prius since the beginning. I know because this was covered by the dealer when my wife bought her 2001 (first series) Prius in 2000. There was talk of a special California state run (rather than service station/garage) smog check for it. But I have not heard anything about that recently.

This issue has not come up yet here as it has not needed a smog cert for renewing the registration. The time will be coming up soon and I wonder what California will do.

[Norm's Coupe]

I would think California and Georgia would get with the times. First of all, what's that $25 test fee for? We don't pay anything for a test unless the car fails the test 3 times. We also don't take our cars to service stations or garages for a test. We have special testing centers that do the test, and that's all they do.

As far as testing goes. On newer cars, you don't even have to run the engine to make the test with the computer equipment at our testing centers. Just pull the car into the garage, they plug it into the computer and it reads the information in the car's computer. That tells them if the emission equipment on the car is working like it should. No need to let the car idle or build up speed. That's done with all cars with the OBT II systems. For older cars, they do the idle and run test. If the car has the OBT II system you are in and out of the testing station in about 5 or 10 minutes tops.

I would have thought states with such high standards for emissions would have those systems in place.

[Young Ed]

MN got smart and ditched the testing all together. I really don't think it did much. Probably helps get a few of the late 70s early 80s cars off the road or repaired but in MN most of them have rusted away by now so its not much of an issue!

[BobT-47P15]

Evidently the Year One company is re-creating the Smokey & the Bandit TransAm.

Looks like they even got ol Burt back in the picture.

The finished product.

And now there is a new Buick Riviera concept car.

You Brits better be watching the speed limit.....they now have Ferrari police cars in the jolly old UK.

[Brad Lustig]

I was surprised that GA still had a test. SC did away with theirs years ago because it would cost the shops more to do a proper test than they charged (I think it was $10 at the time). So, they'd usually pull the car in, put it on a lift, raise then lower it and back it out. Give you your sticker and receipt. SC finally caught on that the testing was useless. Just glad they did away with it instead of raising the cost.

[james curl]

Texas as part of their yearly safety inspection still does theirs in clean air non obtainment areas, Dallas, Ft Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, The areas around these cities must also take the test. Test costs $27.50 for emissions tested cars and $12.50 for cars 25 years and older. You must have proof of insurance before you can get a safety inspection/emissions test, then pass the safety/emission test before being able to buy license plates. If your 25 and older car came with emission equipment it must be on the car and hooked up, the inspector does a visual inspection under the hood and also under the car for cat. convertors if car came so equiped.

[PatS....]

Our gov't vehicle inspection only lasted from '69 to '71. They discovered that 98% of the vehicles that went through had only very minor things wrong. Also, vehicle failures accounted for almost zero accidents here.

One look around finds almost nothing on the road here older than about 85, so I don't think excessive emissions is a problem here.

The old inspection building is now the gov't surplus sales center.

You'd think Hybrids would get a waiver for the emissions inspection BS to encourage people to buy them

[Norm's Coupe]

You'd think Hybrids would get a waiver for the emissions inspection BS to encourage people to buy them

Pat,

We have to keep the emission testing. If we didn't people like Al Gore wouldn't have anything to cry "Chicken Little" about. Not only that, he wouldn't be able to support his self writing books, doing movies and giving alarmist speeches about the world coming to an end. Then we would have to support him and his large energy bill for his house. Or, worse yet, he might decide to run for President again, then we would really be in trouble.

[Brad Lustig]

Didn't you know he's saving the world by buying carbon credits, Norm? Meanwhile, he expects the rest of us to reuse toilet paper.

[BobT-47P15]

They still do safety inspections here in MO. I think they are $8 or $10 now, might even be a little more....can't recall from last year. If you buy a new vehicle, it is exempt for the first two years..... They are supposed to pull the right front wheel off and check suspension like tie rod ends. Haven't seen that part done for a long time. Maybe they do it if the car seems run down and not in good shape. One quick lube place does the easy stuff like lights and signals and horn, and take a look at the underside from their pit area. then they drive it out, park it in their farthest bay for a few minutes....I don't think they do a darn thing there.....then you are done. Probably trying to give the illusion they pull the wheel.

The one thing that got them in a tizzy a few years ago was the chrome exhaust tip I had on my 79 Toyota. Guess they felt they could not see if the very end of the exhaust pipe was tattered or not. I finally had to take it off.

[Plymouthy Adams]

That Buick concept car is one heck of a concept..it is a Muriano with a slight top chop..get real...the Porsche Cayenne has been out that too many years to jump on this style car...give the car buying people what they really want...money left in their account...

[Normspeed]

I have to agree Tim, nothing new about the Buick concept car. GM is a crackup. A few years back they ran TV commercials here where a GM engineer was saying how proud he was of the daytime headlights concept. Said he had spent six years working on it. Hel-looooo?: