Thread: NY to PA

Just recently relocated from NY to PA. My biggest question is inspections in PA. In NY my buddy who helped me do my sr20det swap worked at a local shop in upstate who would do my inspections. How are the shops near Philly. My biggest concern is taking it somewhere and trying to explain all my modifications etc. In NY you need all but 2 moniters but some how last year I passed with 3 not set and a check engine light that popped on last second. The car safety wise is good, brand new tires brakes etc. I just don't wanna be told no due to loud exhaust or any of my others mods. Any input you guys have is greatly appreciated.

PA sucks. you can pass with 2 monitors missing, but not with a CEL.

however some places are able to give you an emissions waiver after you spend like $200+ on trying to fix the problem...

why are your CEL's on?

in terms of visual inspection youll be fine depenidng on where you take it..but for emissions...CEL = no pass

PA inspections do suck. It is one of the worst states in the U.S. for it, behind California. How old is your car? My advice: get a classic car plate. $75.00 from PennDot, and you're exempt from emissions and the registration is permanent for the life of the car. The car just has to be 15 years or older.

It varies by county so what county do you live in and what year is your car?

I'm in montgomery county. NY is pretty bad too, about the same laws as PA but having a buddy made it easy. The CEL isn't on now it pops on once and a while usually for fuel trim. I have a JWT ecu, so the knock and egr haven't thrown the light on yet. Im worried about the monitors because they never set, I mean never. I drove from NY to PA twice over 600 miles but the 3 seem to never set, egr, cat, rear o2. I know these cars are marked as having difficult monitors to set which is why in NY it passed because they waive certain early obd2 vehicles.

Also I thought about the classic plates since its a 97 200, but i hear you have to send in pictures to the DMV and they check to see how "stock" the vehicle looks to weed out daily drivers. I don't drive it much only put 4800 miles in NY. I know you can get a emissions waiver under 5k miles but the car has to be registered at least a year in PA i believe.

Last year I went to get my b14 inspected, safety passed no problem but they couldn't even run the emissions with the CEL on. I got it cleared and 5 trips back to the shop and 1200 miles and the monitors finally reset. Its a pain in the ass in PA, glad I am moving out of this state in a month.

What is crazy is you live in the only one county in the entire western side of the state with insanely strict emissions tests. And if your B14's were a 1995 model, you would pass with the CEL on.

THey want the car to look stock or "restored" - if your car isn't, photoshop it. Everyone else does.

What Storm said, you can photoshop like I did with my old truck or even send pics of another car, same color of course. One pic of each side, one of the front and one of the rear, doors, hood and trunk closed, windows up. It should appear showroom stock.

And you are correct with the 1 year wavier. If it won't pass you prove you spent $200 (I think) trying to get it to pass and they'll waive you for the year. Next year buy the waiver if it's under 5k. Ask around, you'll find a garage that'll work with you.

PA is a whore. She'll do what you want her to do, but you have to pay her first.