If you've never experienced E-Check, here is how it works:
1. Find your nearest e-check facility, which is always in an industrial, out of the way, area.
2. Check ahead to see if they are open. Not open after 6 pm weekdays, Saturday after 1 pm, Sundays, and holidays. Good luck if you have a career.
3. Pull up behind the line of cars in front of you. Even though there are 4 bays, only 1 lane is ever open.
4. Wait for the employee to give you hand signals to pull up. Be careful that you do not hit the employee, who always stands too close to the line. Turn off headlights, radio, and heat or a/c.
5. Hand him your vehicle registration papers and answer his questions. Today it went like this:
Old Crank: Mileage?
Me: Sixty thousand
OC: One five
Me: ????? (silence, as I had no clue what he meant)
OC: Mileage?
Me: Sixty thousand
OC: One six?
Me: Sixty thousand
OC: One six?
Me: Six zero zero zero zero
OC: Oh, sixty thousand? Say it like this: sixty thousand or six zero
Me: (wtf just happened? I've never been told I had a speech impediment before)
6. He then asks you to open your car door, while you keep the motor running. Your VIN is scanned. Then open your gas tank door.
7. Last time, I was asked to open the hood of my car. As in physically get out of car and open it myself. I'm embarrassed to admit I had trouble, and was a bit flustered, as I've never had to do that in the past. I have no clue what that was about unless the guy was clueless on where my catalytic converter was located. I noticed this time that they take a mirror on a long stick and check for it under your car.
8. Take your belongings with you and go sit in the unheated waiting area that smells like cigarette smoke while your car is tested. You can watch through the windows! This involves a hose being put into your tank, a fan blowing on your car, and spinning of wheels (from my uninformed viewpoint).
9. Wait for a cranky man to return and print off your passing certificate.
10. Watch as another cranky man steps on the gas and jack rabbits your car to the finish line inside the garage.
11. You are then called back out to check that your gas cap is securely closed.
12. Drive away until next time a car in your household comes due.
I guess it wouldn't irritate me so much if I didn't see all the black smoke blowing out of every truck on the highway. And these stats I found online relating to passage rates:
• 4 years of age: 2.6 percent failed the initial test.
• 5 years of age: 3.39 percent failed the initial test.
• 6 years of age: 4.15 percent failed the initial test.
• 7 years of age: 5.55 percent failed the initial test.
• 8 years of age: 8.89 percent failed the initial test.
• 5 years of age: 3.39 percent failed the initial test.
• 6 years of age: 4.15 percent failed the initial test.
• 7 years of age: 5.55 percent failed the initial test.
• 8 years of age: 8.89 percent failed the initial test.
• 9 years of age: 9.42 percent failed the initial test.
What, if any, has been your experience?
Of course we had them in California, but it was every 2 years and they wouldn't test the car until I think it was 6 years old. The fee here varied on size of vehicle and for our cars/van was usually around $60.00. Of course that was in addition to the outrageous amount of registration we paid.
ReplyDeleteHere in Arizona, it is just Phoenix area and Tuscon area that have to get the emissions checked and again it is every 2 years and doesn't happen until the car is about 6 years old. Its about $40 here I think. Son's former car had to have it done a year ago and I think that's what he said it cost.
In California there were lots of stations you could take it to that were approved by the state. In Arizona, ADOT has their own shops you got to take it to.
In California you got out of the car and waited while the test ran and happily didn't have to lift the hood of the car (though I did learn how to do that over the years). In Arizona, I'm not really too sure if you stay in the car or what.
New Mexico had checks but we lived there so long ago I don't remember the process. Montana did not.
With some of our older cars, I always worried if they would pass the checks. Advice given by the stations said to take the cars for a long drive on the freeway and usually that helped them to pass.
betty
Those are a lot of different rules. We have to start going every other year once the car is 2 years old. I had not known that taking the car for a long drive helps it pass, but that's great info. Thanks, Betty!
DeleteI've lived in states where emissions testing was required since the late 80s, but I honestly have no idea what South Dakota's laws are. I should probably research that, huh? Or wait until I get a notice in the mail, I suppose!
ReplyDeleteYou might not have it in SD, with a lower population. Another positive aspect of living there, I guess!
DeleteThose pr*cks like to play with you. I hated those inspections. Now we go every 2 years, 5 for a new car and they only check emissions. THey check your vin and plug a macyine into some place on the car and zip zip your done. Easy peasy and no wait. Years ago it was different. My post if you are interested.
ReplyDeletehttps://joeh-crankyoldman.blogspot.com/2015/04/passing-inspection-with-vw.html
I just read it, and like I told Betty, never heard of this 'blowing out the engine.' We have only had issues with the check engine light.
DeleteThis is the one (and so far ONLY) thing New Yerk at least makes less painful than the rest. Our check is yearly but it has been set up to be done as part of the yearly vehicle safety inspection. They require each shop to purchase a silly diagnostic tool that connects to the car computer to read the VIN, check the emissions status, and check for anomalies (i.e. illegal alterations). They do this regardless of the mile or age of the car. There is an electronic report sent to the state and a print-out report for your records.
ReplyDeleteBTW- A friend found out the hard way that some municipalities 'like' that report. He was stopped for a standard registration/inspection stop and was asked to produce his copy of the report. Even though the State Police can access the report online, this municipality apparently demands you keep it in your vehicle. He had to wait while his wife delivered it to him for review, otherwise they were threatening to impound his truck. Jerks.
We do not have yearly vehicle safety inspections. In fact, I wasn't aware there was such a thing.
DeleteI'm always highly suspicious of 'standard registration/inspection stops.' Around here, that equals profiling.
Wait, what? They don't safety check your vehicles? That's whacky, Big Brother (and probably Little Brother) would drive around with failing brakes and bald tires ..... rolling death traps.
DeleteSo do they do anything to ensure road-worthiness of your 4-wheeled missiles? Do tell!
Nope! Never knew there was such a thing. The closest I can think of is when you go to take your road test for your initial driver's license and the cop walks around the car and makes sure your brake lights and turn signals work.
DeleteWe have to pass it every year in order to get a new registration tags each year from the DMV. But I always got to sit in the car while the guy did it. He puts a stick down on the gas pedal so it stays at a certain mph and puts a hose thing in my hood somewhere and after 3 minutes I get a pass or fail certificate.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's interesting that you can stay in your car. I'm wondering if they consider it a safety issue here? It's a hassle to exit the car when you have kids with you. I always tried to do it when they were in school.
DeleteWow, we don't have to do that crap. We have to get them safety inspected every 2 years and pay from crummy registration every 2 years, but no line ups and hoses going in and out. Pffft sounds like a pain in the arse.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to register every year? That's surprising. It's fairly cheap here, $55 if you keep your plates. But I guess $55 is also an expensive sticker!
DeleteNope, we don't have them here. We should, but given your description, I'm glad we don't!
ReplyDelete"Say it like this: sixty thousand or six zero" made me laugh out loud.
It was one of the most befuddling encounters I've had in a long time! We were clearly on two different planets. Lol!
DeleteOh and an aside - my Prius has a wonky gas cap sensor, so the check engine light is on about half the time.
ReplyDeleteOmg, I would be driven mad by that.
DeleteI remember the vehicle safety inspection from when I lived in New York, but they don't have any inspections in South Carolina or Florida. Whenever I see one of those big trucks blowing black smoke, I wish we did.
ReplyDeleteI'm very reluctant to let someone else drive my car, even just a short distance. When I take it to the car wash where they take the car, I always ask, "...and do you know how to drive a stick shift...?" I'd probably tick off Old Cranky asking him that question, LOL.
I'm not sure what the regulations are about trucks, considering they cross state lines. It seems pointless to me to worry about cars when it's the big rigs that are blowing the black smoke.
DeleteThe testing facility had a help wanted sign that specifically said that only those who can drive a stick shift need apply.
"OC: Oh, sixty thousand? Say it like this: sixty thousand or six zero
ReplyDeleteMe: (wtf just happened? I've never been told I had a speech impediment before)"
OMG, I would have literally slapped him across the face after he said that! How freaking rude!
When I had a car and drove in PA, they had a yearly car inspection (which was $80.00 per year). However, when my family moved to Florida we discovered that the state had NO car inspection. Yet, they should have because Florida has SO MANY cars driving around with black smoke blowing out of their tail pipes.
Have a great rest of your week, my friend!
X
I know! Wasn't that guy SO rude? I have no idea why he couldn't understand me. And since they get in your car anyway, why not just look for themselves? So freaking irritating.
DeleteIn the UK we just have the MOT roadworthiness test, which covers everything including exhaust emissions. There's no separate emissions test. I don't see why emissions have to be tested in isolation. And you had to physically open your hood rather than just using the internal hood opener? What's that all about?
ReplyDeleteYes, the opening of the hood last time was really bizarre. I've been taking all our cars for years and only once did they need to look under the hood. That's why I was so nervous and had trouble even doing it.
DeleteHere in the Cradle of All Things Automotive, we have neither emissions inspections nor safety inspections. At least, not state-mandated ones. And our annual registration fees are about the same as yours. . .
ReplyDeleteAltho, I've seen some vehicles rolling down the road that probably should've had 'em. When a guy leaves a noxious cloud for a mile behind him along the road, you think just maybe. . .
I'm surprised, but maybe it has to do with lobbyists in your state!
Deletewe are in Louisiana must check the emission every year.
ReplyDeletehave a great day
Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteLike Xavier, I live in NY. I had no idea that emissions testing was even being done when we bring our car in for its annual inspection! They've got you coming and going. I get so frustrated with all the rules and regulations!! Thankfully, I've never had to pop my own hood, but we do have those same check stations you can go to where you have to wait in a long line despite there being 4 bays.... Go figure. That's the same as when we shop occasionally at Walmart. There are TONS of customers in mile long lines of only 2-3 out of 13 registers that are open. I once asked the cashier why weren't there more registers open? Her reply was that the people scheduled to run the registers didn't show up for work. Ummm, what? That must sure as heck happen a lot because there are NEVER more than 3 registers open. Lol. Good help is hard to find these days. But that's a story for another time.... :)
ReplyDeleteWow, then I guess Walmart has trouble with employees in our state, too! Lol! Thanks for stopping by!
Delete