Most states today no longer test older vehicles. I have a 2018 Toyota HL. Just got my plate renewal but has to go in for the test first. The old polluters are no longer even required to be tested. The VAST majority of the cars that have to be tested do not pollute according to the site I take my car to. What a waste of time and $$. Once a government program starts it never ends.

Maybe partly because some will take emission control parts off, like catalytic converters.

Income generator for the state. For example, the state sets up a emission test program through independent test facilities. Facility has to be licensed. License fee to the state. State gets a portion of the test fee, balance goes to the test facility. At tax time that balance now is considered income, taxed.

Persons performing the test usually has to be licensed or certified. Licensing fee to the state, again, testing employee in some cases gets a portion of the charge collected by the business, at tax time, personal income.

I'm in one of the few counties left in Ohio that does emissions testing. We don't pay for it (they scam some other way to get paid) and it's stupid. I will have to start getting my car tested (it's a 2018).

The state legislators made sure to make sure their county didn't have to be tested. It's basically just Cleveland and surrounding area now that have to be tested.

I really want to remove my catalytic converter so I can boost my hp.

In my state they stopped emissions testing 2009 and newer back in 2009. In 2020 they stopped all emissions testing.

quote:

Originally posted by heavyd:
Maybe partly because some will take emission control parts off, like catalytic converters.

I would if we didn't have testing. I'd like to get down pipes for my car, but it will make it fail emissions.

I'm glad we don't, because my engine light has been on for three years. It's a torque converter lockup problem that I don't feel like chasing down and has nothing to do with emissions (other than 1-1.5 mpg loss). But you won't pass if it is on. And it doesn't do any good to clear the code(s) and light and head straight over to the testing center before it comes back on. They've got that covered.

Emissions ?
Never had to, New Mexico is mostly free of emissions testing.
I think just Albuquerque area gets tested and maybe in Santa Fe

My 91 land Cruiser gets it's pipes sniffed every two years, no visual inspection. OBD1
The 69 Blazer I had before it didn't get anything.
I think 1975 and older is exempt.

My 2018 Accord just gets plugged into, no test is performed.
No codes and it passes.

I would also imagine the state’s legislature or state’s EPA would have to repeal emissions law. As we all know that’s a political mess.

quote:

Most states today no longer test older vehicles. The old polluters are no longer even required to be tested.

How old is too old to be tested?
My 1999 Chevy Tahoe has to pass emissions if I want to renew the plate in St. Louis County.
But some counties in MO don't require emissions testing at all. Go figure.

In Ohio they used the Tobacco settlement money to fund the testing. Like Chowser says there probably isn’t 10 counties out of 88 that get tested. If I lived a mile down the road I wouldn’t need it. But to be fair, in the next county, there sure are some junkers on the road. But it’s a poor county, and full of drugs so maybe that’s part of it.

Why would they stop? They pass the cost off on the garage owner and car owner.

Someone greased the proper palms in Missouri several years ago. They built a bunch of stand alone testing sights specifically for emissions testing and a couple years later they were all shut down and stand abandoned.

Now they just plug into the OBD port in your car. So as long as your car isn't throwing a code for emissions you pass which is a total joke because you can lose your catalytic converters and through tuning or using MIL eliminators your car will not throw an emissions code and you will pass despite having horrible real world emissions.

It's mostly a money grab pure and simple. A two year old car doesn't need to be tested.

We (Washington State) stopped last year I believe.

You think that's bad, read this:

In California we do smog tests every-other year. Also, the car pool lanes here are open to Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles (ULEVs) (you know, like a Prius).

ULEVs are, logically, defined by the emissions of the vehicle.

Well one year, when I had my GTO smogged, I noted the emission numbers and also noted, my LS1 engine burned cleaner than a Prius two tests in a row. Sooo, I contacted the DMV for my car pool sticker as a ULEV.

Talk about some heads bursting in CA - a Pontiac GTO burning cleaner than the Prius.

DMV and I go round and round to include two additional tests ($39 a pop) at two different licensed test facilities they directed me to. 18 months later, the DMV agrees however, since my next smog check was due in six months, I was told to wait until then, get the car smogged and, resubmit.

Next time I get it smogged, the emission numbers are no longer provided, only a pass/fail and because they no longer provide the numbers, only those vehicles designated as ULEV by the manufacturer are provided that sticker.

How's that for some BS!!

In NC not only do we do the vehicle inspection (a check engine light fails), but you get to pay an extra $12 or so every year if you have tint. And if it’s illegal they aren’t supposed to pass it.

I think 35 years? is the cut off. At that point you can register as an antique or something and you have a flat tax fee and no inspections. Something like that.

Not all counties do the emissions, but all have inspections. Then you have to pay the registration and taxes together. My Jeep is up and I think it’s around $300 for tax/registration plus the $35 or so for inspection with tint surcharge.

Why would you have to pay for tint. What a crock.

Some years back we went to a dyno system that cost shop owners an obscene amount of money to have installed. Lots of places couldn't swing it and had to give up doing inspections. Then not all that many years later they dropped it. "Oh well, too bad for you."

quote:

Originally posted by heavyd:
Maybe partly because some will take emission control parts off, like catalytic converters.

I know many cars (even older ones) will still easily pass the smog test without a catalytic converter. They might only fail if the tester looks and sees it missing.