What is the point of a visual inspection? (refering to engine mods and stuff)

dschrier · Aug 19th, 2003, 01:06 PM

Alright, I don't live in CA, I am in NH right now, but moving to MA, but I always here about people who get headers and CAI's and all that, and they still pass emissions, but then fail the visual inspection. What purpose does this serve? If you don't polute you don't polute, the look of your car isn't going to sicken the air and kill trees. Can anyone from CA or anyone who knows the reasoning behind the law explain to me how something as stupid as a visual inspection could be put into effect? I can see how it might be useful for emissions where someone might have an old rusted up header or something that might fail soon, but with a new piece of equipment? Come on.

James · Aug 19th, 2003, 01:08 PM

it's so the air resource board can create a reason for their own existence... job security.

himilefrontier · Aug 20th, 2003, 01:51 PM

It has primarily to do with cold start emissions.A header that places the cat farther away causes the cat to have a slower light off time-it takes longer to warm up and start working.It can also affect the O2 sensor readings and the evaporitive emissions can be affected by other alterations to the car.

dschrier · Aug 20th, 2003, 02:07 PM

Alright, sounds like a fairly good reason, guess I can't think about how stupid it is anymore.

himilefrontier · Aug 20th, 2003, 02:20 PM

No matter how much technical knowledge I may have of the subject, I still hate smog checks!