Smog inspections are done to make sure your car isn't emitting dangerous pollutants into the air as you drive around. If your car fails the test, you may have to get expensive repairs done before you can legally drive your car around. However, there are things you can do to help your car pass the smog test without spending a lot of money. Here are 4 things you can do to help your car pass a smog inspection.
Turn off the Check Engine Light
Your vehicle will automatically fail a smog inspection if the check engine light is on in your dashboard. The most common reason for a check engine light is a faulty oxygen sensor in your emission control system. The average cost to replace an oxygen sensor ranges from $207 to $317; depending on the make and model of your car and where the sensor is located in the vehicle. You can save upward of half the cost on the replacement if you can do the job yourself. The check engine light will turn off once a worn out oxygen sensor is replaced with a new working one.
Go for Long Drives
Short drives around town don't give the catalytic converter enough time to heat up and burn up the pollutants in the converter. The excess pollutants could emit out of the converter and into the smog inspection machine during a test – which could cause artificial high readings. Take the car out for long drives a few times before you go for the inspection to give the catalytic converter time to heat up and dissolve the pollutants in the emission system.
Use Fuel Additives
Fuel additives clean out the fuel injectors on cars. Slightly blocked fuel injectors can make your car run less efficiently, and this can lead to a buildup of pollutants in the engine. Clear fuel injectors make sure everything is running at peak efficiency. You should make sure to add fuel additives to the car before you go on long drives to clean help out the emission system.
Fill Up Your Tires
Some smog inspection stations will put your car on rollers during the test. This is done so the car can be put into gear while hooked up to the smog inspection machine while the technician operates your car at near normal traveling speeds to see if any excessive pollutants come out of your exhaust pipe. Tires that are low on air tend to work harder to maintain a consistent speed and this can cause the engine to get overworked. An overworked engine tends to generate an increased amount of pollutants that a smog inspection will be able to detect. Contact a business, such as Advanced Auto Care, for more information.
Share16 February 2016
