RMV apparently slips one past us unsuspecting car owners

By roadman on Sat, 07/24/2010 - 12:59pm

Got my car inspected earlier today. As it is model year 1999, I was only expecting the safety check. Therefore, in reading the inspection report, I was suprised to learn they had also done an emissions check as well (BTW, the car passed both safety and emissions fine)

Just checked out the MassRMV "Vehicle Check" inspections page and come to find out that, sure enough, the old "safety every year, emissions every other year" inspection system has been eliminated. So both safety and emissions checks are now required at every inspection cycle.

Now, did I somehow miss prior announcements about this change, or is this indeeed something the RMV had slipped under the radar when nobody was watching?

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Comments

Never heard of alternating years for emissions checks

By MC Slim JB on Sat, 07/24/2010 - 2:20pm.

As long as I can remember, whoever has done my annual car inspection in MA has always done an emissions check. Is it possible that the service stations just always do it, as it's simpler to do an inspection the same way for every car?

I recall alternating years

By adamg on Sat, 07/24/2010 - 2:35pm.

Used to be every year, then they cut it back to every other year (with only the safety part being annual). Could it be just for cars past a certain year?

Air shed compliance

By SwirlyGrrl on Sat, 07/24/2010 - 3:40pm.

I wonder if this has to do with the most recent NOx and Ozone regulations from the USEPA. Going to every year from every other year is a very cheap control to implement as there is already a system in place.

I have hardly ever heard of a car not passing, so long as it has been semi-faithfully maintained. Those that don't pass spew out enough pollution to matter.

I read the current RMV inspections page more closely

By roadman on Sat, 07/24/2010 - 7:22pm.

In addition to now requiring annual emissions tests (OBD) for vehicles 1997 model year and newer, they've completely done away with the 'tailpipe' emissions tests for older vehicles. If older cars emit visible smoke, they will flunk the safety inspection, otherwise there's NO pollution check for these vehicles.

Wonder how many people out there are driving 1996 or older cars and trucks that are spewing measurable pollution into the atmosphere, but haven't been flagged during inspections because it's not severe enough to create visible smoke?

IIRC, alternating years was introduced about ten years ago

By roadman on Sat, 07/24/2010 - 7:26pm.

when the RMV tranistioned from the old 'tailpipe' test to the current OBD test - where they now plug the emissions machine directly into your vehicle's diagonistic port. After that change, a couple of the local service stations I would take my car to stopped doing inspections - a friend of mine who ran one of these stations cited the high cost of the replacement OBD machines as the reason.

When this change was made, new cars weren't subject to emissions tests until the fourth year after they were manufactured. So if you bought a new car in 2002, it didn't require its first emissions test until 2006. All other cars beyond a certain model year (I think it was 1994 at the time) had to have emissions inspected only every other year. For example, a 2003 car would need to pass emissions every "odd" numbered year and a 2004 car would need to pass emissions every "even" numbered year.

As others have pointed out, a reasonably maintained car should pass the current OBD emissions test without problems. Unless of course you can't get the engine check light to shut off - which is an automatic flunk - even though all the pollution controls are working properly (it's never happened to me, but some friends of mine have been less fortunate).