Car inspection woes

by Terry 36 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Terry

  I'm sure Texas isn't much different from any other state.

  We want clean air. So, the auto manufacturers came up with a glorified box of charcoal that "filters" out the pollutants (simultaneously making the energy output less efficient requiring yet more fuel) called a Catalytic Converter.

  Most cars' converter lasts about 10 years.

  I'm driving a Honda Accord from 1998. The coverter has given up the ghost and I don't pass the Nox tests.

  So...

  I can't renew my Registration and have to spend about $1700 to replace that stupid box of charcoal.

  That is...unless somebody can suggest a way to pass (legal, of course) without paying that kind of cash.

  Anybody have any ideas???
• 

  laverite

  Yikes! $1,700!!!!! I hope you find a solution, Terry. That's terrible.
• 

  Robdar

  Your car is 13 years old. This is just the beginning of things that will eventually go wrong. Take the $1700 and put it down on a new Toyota. 0% financing is awesome!
• 

  undercover

  Find one in an auto salvage yard. Or search on-line for an after market one. Don't go to the stealer dealer
• 

  Yan Bibiyan

  I'd go with undercover's suggestion. You should be able to find a relatively new converter from a busted couple-year old accord. It is also a part, that I believe would be less likely to have compatibility issues - it's a damn box full of charcoal.

  Good luck!
• 

  BurnTheShips

  Florida used to have the same situation. There aren't any inspections here now, however. Gov. Bush cancelled them over a decade ago. In some cases a twenty-dollar handshake to the inspector was a lot less expensive than replacing the catalytic converter. The whole thing was a fraud in any case, mechanics were making out like bandits.

  It seems to me that you are being quoted at least twice as much as you should on an installed replacement cat. The part shouldn't be more than $500, and really, it is an easy do it yourself kind of job. A shop should be able to do the thing in an hour.

  BTS
• 

  aquagirl

  Can you bypass it w/a straight pipe and find an inspection station that will let it slide? Here,where I live different stations have different regulations and all that.The cats are often destroyedafter the car is junked because they have salvagable metals in them.About 30$ worth.Good luck..
• 

  james_woods

  I assume everyone knows that it is not really "charcoal"?
• 

  Terry

  The whole "clean air" auto thing is almost (not entirely) a fraud.

  No, there are some clunkers that spew filth in the air--I realize that.

  But, those could be identified very easily and removed from the highways.

  I only travel 20 miles a day. How much pollution am I capable of adding to the planet?

  My Honda drives perfectly; no knocks, sputters, shimmy or problem of any sort.

  During the recent ice storm it started immediately and drove without fail.

  The transmission was replaced four years ago. It doesn't burn oil.

  So, these are reasons I don't want the expense of a "new" car when the old car is dandy.

  Make sense?
• 

  thetrueone

  Since most cars have their catalytic converters in-line and apart of the exhaust system of the car, replacing one

  is not really considered an easy self installation.

  It would be an idea to see if you can find one from a used parts dealer and have it installed by a muffler shop.

  Another thing to take notice of cars with high millage tend to burn oil which shows up on anti-pollution tests.

  Adding a couple of cans of STP oil additive will thicken the oil of the car so it will not burn as much.

  Using a gasoline that has ethanol in it will also (10%) lower your emissions test.

  Putting in new spark plugs is another way of getting better test results, something the owner can most likely do.