A Lot of Hot Air About Emissions Inspections

By Brian Klaubert and Brian Warbington

Big problems don’t usually arise suddenly, and they aren’t usually solved suddenly. Big problems usually start out as smaller problems, and grow from lack of attention. Solutions frequently have to address multiple issues, and frequently take a little time to prove effective.

This is true of environmental issues, health issues, and yes – even car care.

I grew up in the 70’s. I can remember the day a major river in my community was declared “dead”. Pollution was so rampant that fish could not live in the water. Laws were passed to force industries and municipal water authorities to clean up their discharges. Conventional wisdom said it wouldn’t work, would cause everyone to go out of business, and would ruin the economy.

Well, none of that turned out to be true. The river was habitable for fish again in the 80’s, and by the mid 90’s it was even safe to eat the fish again.

Today, Atlanta’s vehicle emission inspection program is getting a considerable amount of criticism. The most vociferous criticism comes from those whose vehicles haven’t passed inspection.

In the auto repair business we see the cars that won’t pass. In 98% of the cases, the cars have not been maintained to the schedule established by the car manufacturers. To be honest, they usually haven’t been maintained at all. That maintenance schedule is in the owner’s manual of every car sold. Roughly half of the recommended maintenance items are to maintain the emissions performance of the engine. The other half will extend the useful life of the vehicle.

How you maintain your vehicle has no bearing on whether you are a good or bad person, or a nice or a mean person. Some of the nicest people have the most poorly maintained cars. But this much does seem to be true – if you properly maintain your vehicle it will pass the emission inspection for at least 150,000 miles if not longer.

Almost every vehicle will pass the inspection without performing the recommended maintenance for the first 50,000 miles. So some people become complacent with not performing maintenance. The people who continue to pass the inspection at 75,000 or 100,000 miles are usually spending a few hundred dollars per year on the manufacturer recommended maintenance items.

The people who have failed the inspection are usually quick to point out – almost proud - that the only thing they have done is change the oil. The car is running fine and they don’t understand why it won’t pass. When they are told that they will need to spend $500 or more to remedy the situation, they feel they are being “ripped off”. The recommendation is usually only catching up on half of what the manufacturer originally recommended be performed on the vehicle.

What are the most important maintenance items?

A clean air filter is one of the most important. Proper cleaning of the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve and passages is another. Good spark plugs and ignition wires are very important. Most ’96 and newer cars can go 80-100,000 miles before these need to be replaced, but after that the car will fail emissions without the replacement. All of the sensors on the vehicle must be functional. It really isn’t unreasonable for an oxygen sensor continuously exposed to 800 degree exhaust gases to fail after 80,000 miles and 4-5 years of service. And lastly, the catalytic converter will eventually exceed its useful life.

I believe that 5 years from now we will see the difference in Atlanta. Vehicle emissions will have been reduced to the point where we no longer have Ozone alert days. It is really a small inconvenience and a small individual cost to improve the standard of living for all.

Christian Bros. Auto is holding a free Car Care Clinic on Tuesday, October 8, from 7:00-8:30 pm. It is an opportunity to learn the basics about the major systems on your car, and the recommended maintenance. Refreshments will be provided. RSVP’s are appreciated. Please call 770-271-4080.

Brian Klaubert and Brian Warbington are with Christian Bros. Auto in Dacula.