Originally Posted by
Storm88000 PA needs some reform. You have to get a brand 2014 model inspected in 10 months from date of purchase, ridiculous. Especially in the emisssions areas (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) - it's the same thing with not being able to purchase beer in gas stations and such, the distributor lobbyists.
Ridiculous... not really. Do they want more of your money, I'm sure they do. All laws are brought about for reasons. No beer in gas stations makes some sense - At some point in time, someone probably had just got beer, was driving drunk and killed someone.
Originally Posted by
Storm88000 Same thing.... they want your car up on the lift once a year to find more problems (that either exist or don't exist or somewhere in between) so they can get more of your money.
Their are 2 ways that people usually find out there is something wrong with their car. It breaks down and leaves them stranded or the mechanic discovers it during an inspection. Wouldn't you want to know that your 'ole ladies car tires have steel cord hanging out of the inside of them ???
"BIG BROTHER" wanting your car up on a lift once a year
IS A GOOD IDEA IN MY OPINION and I live in California. To understand where I come from you need to know that I am an auto tech with 20 years under my belt. I am an avid surfer and there is nothing worse then going out to ride and you end up with a meatball (a meatball is a yellow flag with a black circle indicating No Surfing). It totally blows after we get a good rain as the pollution from the water run off in the ocean goes off the chart which means to my pooch & I, no surfing for 10 days. Don't get me wrong, I'm not driving no Chevy Volt or Prius. I just believe that people need to take responsibility for their actions.
Here in Cali, the majority of us have smog every other year once a vehicle is X years old. Smog tests have reduced pollution more that you will ever realize. When I was a kid (in the 70's) there were days that I could not go outside to play because the smog was so bad. How do SMOG inspections reduce pollution? Either the car gets fixed or it gets junked. If it gets junked, it usually means that a newer, more efficient, less polluting vehicle replaces it.
Originally Posted by
Storm88000 I think cars should be checked for good brakes, tires, and lights working. That's just safety. Not a check engine light code because of you removing the EGR etc.
If it was up to me, we would have a basic YEARLY safety inspection in addition to the every other year SMOG inspection. The YEARLY inspection would check Brakes, Lights, MIL Codes, Tires, Suspension and for oil leaks. This would help to ensure safe driving vehicles on the road, pollution reduction as well as help ensure fuel efficiency.
I can not tell you how many vehicles that I have worked on over the years that have steel cord hanging out of there tires or leak oil worse than then Exxon Valdez. Even better yet, vehicles that have NO brake pads left and are running caliper - to - rotor. Yet people refuse to fix their cars. Sitting in California traffic sucks, especially when it is because someone broke down for lack of any maintenance on their car. Would you want someone with brakes like this tailgating you?
California also has a CARB mandate that requires any person who works on a vehicle under 10,000 lbs to check & set the tire air pressure to what it says on the tire placard in the door (thou there are a few exceptions). For example, if you drove your vehicle into a repair shop to just have a wiper blade replaced, the tech would also have to check and set all of your air pressures accordingly as well as document it on the final repair order/invoice. Why? Someone found that a large number of cars were running tires under inflated. This resulted in a loss of fuel economy.
Originally Posted by
Storm88000 Florida doesn't even HAVE INSPECTIONS!
Correct - as of July 1, 2000 Florida ended smog checks. However, if someone sees your vehicle smoking, they car rat you out by calling a phone number.
Florida Smog Checks - Emissions Regulations, FL Smog Testing Stations at DMV.org: The DMV Made Simple
I know that I have taken this thread way off course. I hope that I have opened the eyes a little more to some of the readers here. Flame me if you want... This is my view on the topic.
Ciao