Georgia emissions testing (boooo!)

[prim2]

"* They said that I am alone in reporting this type of failure. I'm the first they know of that failed for this reason. Personally, I have a sneaking suspicion that they will be getting some more calls in the next few weeks as more 2005 Prii are scheduled for their test. (Anyone Prius owner that passed the GA emissions test, I'd be interested to know what you scored for CO+CO2)"

Someone in that department is either ignorant of the facts or is outright lying to you. This issue made the national television news last year and was specific to Georgia.

[ron69424]

I also live in the Atlanta metro area and was dreading having to get my emmissions testing done to get my '08 tags. So I decided to try to get my new tags without the test. I have an '04 and an '05 Prius and both tags were due by the end of Dec. Low and behold, they gave me my new tags without asking for the emissions test! I live in Clayton County so it may be different where you are. Good luck.

[MaulWalker]

Originally Posted by dogfriend

I like to speculate about what is going on behind the scenes:

I would almost be willing to bet money that the original software for testing was written by a temporary contractor or possibly by a permanent employee who is no longer available.

Originally, one of the major telecommunications firms (who has since been acquired) wrote the software, provided the PC, printer, and telecom links for the GA emissions program. I don't know if we still have the contract.

Lynn

[dogfriend]

Originally Posted by MaulWalker

Originally, one of the major telecommunications firms (who has since been acquired) wrote the software, provided the PC, printer, and telecom links for the GA emissions program. I don't know if we still have the contract.

Lynn

Did they provide for updates and bugfixes in the original contract or was it a one time contract and they handed it off to the Georgia Clean Air organization?

My speculation is basically that no one in the Georgia Clean Air organization understands the software, so they cannot update it to accomodate the Prius.

[joerdie]

This whole thing is just silly. I truly can't imagine that a letter to a congressman wouldn't fix tis issue in like half an hour. Someone in GA is an idiot.

The funny thing is, I heard about this issue three or more months ago and assumed it would go away. It's sad that it is still plaguing us to this day.

[hhoyal]

Originally Posted by prim2

"* They said that I am alone in reporting this type of failure. I'm the first they know of that failed for this reason. Personally, I have a sneaking suspicion that they will be getting some more calls in the next few weeks as more 2005 Prii are scheduled for their test. (Anyone Prius owner that passed the GA emissions test, I'd be interested to know what you scored for CO+CO2)"

Someone in that department is either ignorant of the facts or is outright lying to you. This issue made the national television news last year and was specific to Georgia.

I hear what you are saying prim, but you misunderstood. Normal Prius failures of the GA emissions test are that the test aborts, which is equivalent to a failed test in the eyes of the law. My test finishes (didn't abort), but I still failed. So it's my type failure that they are saying is an anomaly. I don't believe them, but that is what they are saying.

Yes, there are other Prius drivers in GA failing due to aborted tests every day. Yes, the testing problem has existed since last year, which was the first year 2004 Priuses were tested in GA. The GA Clean Air Force though thinks that since they can get some Priuses to pass with their special steps this year, that they have fixed the problem. They have not.

GA made a mistake in forcing testing of Toyota based hybrids that their testing software doesn't handle properly. They continue to get bad press for it, and they are about to get some more from me. Keep on fighting the good fight, as they say...

[bigdaddy]

I have a 2005 and was dreading my emissions test in Ga. At the last possible minute I went to the inspection station, the operator did the magic test movements (hit power twice, hit accelarator twice, hit power again, or something like that). In 3 minutes I passed and was out of there, no problems at all.


Also, that morning I sent an email to the State Testing authority, here's the exchange:

From: ------
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 7:35 AM
To: info@cleanairforce.com; waivers@cleanairforce.com
Subject: Prius inspection

Sir or Madam:

Please send us information on how you plan on inspecting the Prius this year (2008) and what changes have been made or are planned. I am not able to find this information on your website.

Also, please note that I also plan on posting this info on the PriusChat online community (priuschat.com) to share with approximately 40,000 other drivers, many of them Georgia drivers.


Best regards,
-------


--------------------------------- The Response -------------------


Thank you for contacting Georgia’s Clean Air Force.


The Prius has controller area network (CAN) technology installed in it. These CAN-equipped vehicles will not pass the OBD test due to non-communication; therefore your vehicle will receive a two speed idle (TSI) test. Inspectors have received instructions on how to test your particular vehicle.

We are in the process of rolling out new software to the emissions inspections stations that will test all CAN-equipped vehicles to communicate during an OBD inspection. All emissions inspection stations will have upgraded software by July 1, 2008.

Please call Georgia’s Clean Air Force with the city you live in and we will be happy to provide you with a list of stations who have already upgraded their software, thus allowing your Prius to communicate during an OBD inspection.

Georgia's Clean Air Force
cleanairforce.com




Just sharing what I know and have experienced with my fellow GA drivers....

BigDaddy

[mingoglia]

As others have said I find this thread comical. I certainly regret the hassle you're going through, but the fact that the most fuel efficient automobile on the road is being denied an emissions certificate is indeed ironic.... Solving problems such as this when they're completely 100% out of your control is frustrating. It's laughable, but unfortunately expected when dealing with a government sanctioned facility. I would have taken the advice of another posted and sent a letter to my congressman. Better yet I would have sent a letter to my congressman and CC'd your local Toyota dealership as well as Toyota's corporate offices (using certified mail). Heck, just for giggles I would have probably CC'd one of those local news shows that investigates consumer issues....

Mike

[hobbit]

Heh, and did you then spend the rest of your trip in
inspection mode? Good thing it wasn't snowing, huh?
.
_H*

[hobbit]

I'm dredging up an ancient thread because I encountered something
equally ancient today that just made me chuckle.
.
I went for inspection [in Mass, not Georgia] to the garage I
usually go to, where by now they really should have had any number
of Priuses through their premises, but they were still pretty
shakey on getting a good OBDII read on the thing. The guy said
that he had gotten instructions from the Massachusetts RMV on how
to handle these things, and waved a battered, crumpled piece of
paper he'd pulled off the windowsill. I asked him for a closer
look, and found that it's the same printout of my idle instructions
that I had given them last year. They still had it there to
refer to. But even with all that and the personal attention I've
given them trying to bring them up to speed on this, they clearly
still had no idea what was really going on, and started talking
about needing the key to "start the car" when it was already powered
up and only needed a foot applied to pedal to make the engine run.
.
Eventually, they just brought me into the bay and had me do it.
.
At least they figured out that they needed to unplug my Scangauge
to get their reader connected up.
.
Unrelated note: if you're going for inspection soon, and you've just
come through the winter, check your lightbulbs before you go. Lamp
filaments are more likely to pop when cold and then hit with full
supply voltage, and of course many of our cars have been through
a stem-to-stern salt soaking and higher likelihood of connector
corrosion. This time it wasn't one of the license plate lamps
which it was a previous time and was briefly whacked back into
life enough to pass; this time I'd lost a front marker light and
fortunately had a couple of spare 168 type wedge-base 5W bulbs
kicking around to pop in there before setting off.
.
I want to start replacing various lamps with LEDs, but it's hard
to determine from product pictures if LED modules will be bright
enough in the right directions to be within spec and work well
with the existing reflectors, etc etc.
.
_H*