Older vehicles tend to have worse fuel economy and pollute more. This could be partially to do with trucks and SUVs lasting longer than cars. It may not have anything to do with the state of repair of the vehicle.
I expect the owner wouldnât have complained about spending $300 for a mechanic IF their car was actually in need of repair.
Seems there are some more complaints about the nonsensical emissions testing readiness monitors,â to wit, from recent Dear Car Talk Column:
I recently took my 2015 Honda Civic in for an emissions inspection so that I could renew my registration. The car has 34,000 miles on it. The mechanic says âYou have not driven the car much. Go drive it more and come back for re-test.â
What kind of nonsense is this?
Go drive it some more? Thatâs the suggestion? Anybody think thatâs gonna work? ⊠lol âŠ
Yes, it can work. The car needs to be fully warmed up to provide normal operating data. Maryland DOT suggested driving on a highway for at least a half hour to give the owner the best chance of passing.
No, OBD-II cars do not get a treadmill test, at least in MD. OBD-II codes are read and a passing grade is based in the results. Iâm sure other states do the same. If I drive past the treadmill lines I can use a self service OBD-II test kiosk on the side of the building. By testing it myself the cost is cut about in half. There is usually a shorter wait too.
1 Like
Rayâs explanation makes sense, concur. The problem is, even if the carâs emission system is in perfect working condition, solving the readiness monitor testing dilemma may require more than the owner just driving here and there. Frustrating situation for the owner to be placed in.
And the rest of the story: âDuring the pandemic, my wife drove that car probably a mile or two a week, and she continues to log no more than two miles per week. Is there a law that people like us, who donât drive much, cannot register a car? â Srikantâ
The battery may have been disconnected during the last 3 1/2 years and the readiness monitors have been cleared. The monitors cannot be completed during a one mile drive.
Follow the directions in the ownerâs manual or use the car for a 10 mile trip once in a while.
1 Like
Interesting. Iâm presuming that method applies to that particular car, 2015 Civic. I think it is great that Honda provided a function that allows the owner to inspect the readiness monitorâs state, and a specific operating/driving directions how to complete all of them in one fell swoop. The solution Honda suggests however isnât the same solution Ray suggests in his column. Any ideas for the differences?
Does Toyota provide similar instructions in the ownerâs manual for the Corolla?