No cats no more...

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Well, the EPA has apparently declared the air in Metro-Detroit to be unacceptable. Obviously the first thing they are going to blame that on is our lack of auto emissions tests... surely we'll serve as the scapegoat so they can feel good about doing practically nothing to improve anything.

The LARGE majority of cars here are less than 5 years old... because people either work for the big 3, or have a family member who work for them, or know someone who works for them, who will get the employee discount on the cars...

...emissions testing here is just going to be an expense that accomplishes nothing... but here it comes

[raroZ28]

Link to a story on this? This is crap. My Conquest will NEVER pass emissions. Everything emissions related was taken out, no cats, huge exhaust, runs rich, etc.... Damn. When does this go into effect?

[Rhode Island Red]

The majority of the pollution is SOOT from power plants ... that big blackout last summer cause a significant increase in air quality as the power plants were shut down... people were still driving car the same when the power was out a study by the EPA noted

seems stupid to focus on cars... focus on power plants

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/04...a01-199439.htm

That is today's story... it didn't specifically mention emissions testing for autos, but I have read others that have said it is coming by 2007.

[MN6WS6]

No grandfather clause? If not, there's going to be a whole lotta upset voters and you will see a drastic change in your state government. That's gonna take a lot of cars off the road if they don't have a grandfather clause.

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

You've got a point... but I think in my case... I broke the law originally by removing my cats int he first place.

[markd79ta]

No grandfather clause? If not, there's going to be a whole lotta upset voters and you will see a drastic change in your state government. That's gonna take a lot of cars off the road if they don't have a grandfather clause.

Unfortunately, it is a Federal mandate. "...no compliance...no highway funding!" States have very little say in it so we need to think about how we vote at the Federal level - who is pushing this kind of stupidity. Anyhow...to the topic at hand...

We just got hit with low level particulate cr@p here is Denver. They (the wonderful exec branch) dropped the max level (changed the rules) in the late 90s so we are now noncompliant which means another round of reformulated gas that went into effect last month as well as power-plant, refinery, and oil well scrubbers. We already have "enhanced" emissions inspections where some yahoo puts our car on a dyno at a state run facility and tears it up. This fine fellow about lost my Vette off the dyno and into the wall the last time I went...errrrrrr!!!!

If somebody had half a brain drafting the Amendments to the Clean Air Act, then the "element of design" clause wouldn't exist...only tail-pipe emissions. The regulation of air-born emissions are justifiable, regulating how I build my car is not justifiable as long as it passes the set air standards. Additionally, there should be exemptions for hobbyist cars. My two Trans Ams are driven less then 2,000 miles a year...combined. I don't think they are going to effect the air quality one way or the other even without emissions equipment. If we could send the oil, gas, and auto industry along with the environmentalists to Mars for a few weeks, we could probably craft a great energy policy that is progressive and favorable to everyone without disrupting the economy or hurting the hobbyists.

[Mirroredshades]

The LARGE majority of cars here are less than 5 years old... because people either work for the big 3, or have a family member who work for them, or know someone who works for them, who will get the employee discount on the cars...

...emissions testing here is just going to be an expense that accomplishes nothing... but here it comes

Yea but your exhaust systems rust out in a year. Worst emissions I have ever seen were from cars in Michigan.

Try to get a car to pass emissions down here in NC. If a bird craps on your car you get deported down to Gitmo for interrogation....

[MN6WS6]

It may be a federal mandate to clean up the air, but it is the states decision as to how to accomplish that. Instead of going after factories, they are going after cars. It's their choice, it's not the feds saying "you must test cars". Therefore it will be the state's elected officials that will pay the price by ticking off probably 25-35% of the electorate by doing this.

We have not had that problem (knock on wood) in Alabama. There are WAY too many old heaps running around for them to try that mess. Emissions testing I would guess would put probably 50% of the cars here in the junkyard, and our state is too poor to test for it and the people are too poor to afford new cars all the time, so it would never pass. We can't even get the government to properly fund the schools now, do you think the people would let them buy all that expensive equipment and the people to run it, all the while making them walk their children to our broke-butt schools? I think not!