Texas car inspections

[sroepke]

I have a car that has the engine light on and the door handle broken inside the drivers door, is that going to make me fail the inspection here in Texas?

[War Beagle]

If you are in one of the environmental quality non-attainment zone counties (or whatever they call it), you have to have the emissions test, which is about $35-40. Interestingly, one of the most common reasons for failures is due to gas caps. State inspectors don't make much money from the inspections since the price in determined by the state, but they are good at making people pay more than necessary for gas caps if people don't know what is going on.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by sroepke

I have a car that has the engine light on and the door handle broken inside the drivers door, is that going to make me fail the inspection here in Texas?

Yes, you will likely fail inspection with an engine light on - it is often related to emissions, so it could be the PCV valve or the gas cap, both of which are relatively cheap to fix.

The door handle, no big deal, or didn't used to be. Drove a car most of my time in college that I had to tie a string to the inside door handle and pull it out between the frame/door whenever I got out, so that I could pull the string to open the door (the outside handle did not work, only the inside). Never had trouble with inspection .

[War Beagle]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Yes, you will likely fail inspection with an engine light on - it is often related to emissions, so it could be the PCV valve or the gas cap, both of which are relatively cheap to fix.

He's right. Just make sure you go in and have them check the gas cap first, or at least make them aware of it. That could help prevent unneeded diagnostics that will cost you more money than was necessary.

[RomaniGypsy]

Originally Posted by juggler

They also check the headlights & headlight aim. As a former Austinite, now living in Portland, I really wish we had mandatory inspections up here. You would not believe how many cars I see with one (or both!) headlights out, not to mention lots and lots of burned out tail lights and brake lights. I suspect most drivers are either oblivious, or simply don't care.

Mandatory inspections suck. I lived in Oregon for a while and it was awesome not having to get inspections. Lots of old cars on the road... eye candy for a guy like me, that's for sure. When I lived there, in 2002, I had a 1972 Cadillac. Another guy pulled up and parked right next to me in a parking lot one time... and he had a 1972 Cadillac.

As for Texas inspections, where I live (Killeen), the inspection isn't so bad. Before I moved here, every time I put a vehicle through inspection (in NJ and PA), it failed for something even if it wasn't my vehicle. Down here, I've passed on the first try with vehicles that they'd just laugh at in NJ. (And, you know, there was nothing unsafe about them. It's just that Texas is smart enough to know that.) It costs me $14.50 and can be done in 10-15 minutes. They check lights, turn signals, horn, tire tread... and they'll drive it around the block to make sure it isn't falling apart. I'm pretty sure that the "Check Engine" light cannot be on - if it is, you'll fail.

[Wambatown81]

These inspections sound like a huge inconvenience, especially for somebody with an older and crappy vehicle like mine. For example the catalytic converter on my pickup was cut out and stolen a few years ago and the oxygen sensor was cut in the process thus turning on my check engine light, nor would it pass emissions tests if needed. I was never willing to shell out the cash to do any more than just replace the converter with a cheap pipe(at least it sounds better now, lol). Texas seems like a great and common sense state in most ways with it's low regulations so I'm surprised that this somewhat intrusive policy goes on here. I guess theres always something annoying regardless of what state you're in.

[Mzr23]

Yes, it'd be totally cool if you could drive a car without the guvment telling you do clean up its emissions or not have bald tires. I ripped the computer out of mine slapped a good old Holley on it; I know more than those greedy car companies

[AlfredB1979]

Originally Posted by Mzr23

Yes, it'd be totally cool if you could drive a car without the guvment telling you do clean up its emissions or not have bald tires. I ripped the computer out of mine slapped a good old Holley on it; I know more than those greedy car companies

Cute. I'd rather not live somewhere that resembled 1960s LA where it stings the eyes upon walking outside.

But, you know more than engineers working for automakers...

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by AlfredB1979

Cute. I'd rather not live somewhere that resembled 1960s LA where it stings the eyes upon walking outside.

But, you know more than engineers working for automakers...

Ironic, Catalytic converters produce SO2 and SO3...which contribute to acid rain. And to add to it, Catalytic converters have zero effect on CO2 which contributes to the Greenhouse effect. Vehicles equipped with 3-way catalyic converters are required to burn more fuel thus creating my CO2. The so called clean exhaust diesel big trucks are examples. A pre-2010 Semi-tractor for example burns less fuel than a post-2010 tractor thus creating my emissions.

Anyhow, inspections can be annoying but it has it's place.

Safety Inpsections run $12.50 and check all the safety equipment like brakes and seat belts. They also visually verify that your vehicle has it's factory emissions equipment. They will fail check engine lights. Emissions plus Safety runs $40 and does everything the safety does as well as make sure your vehicle's emmission equipment is functioning and you vehicle's emmissions is operating within limits.

You have to have your vehicle inspected in the county it's registered in. You can say live in Dallas which requires safety & Emmissions and have your vehicle tested in a smaller non emmission county. Now a non-emmissions vehicle can have their vehicle tested in an emmission county but it is subject to th same rules as a vehicle registered in an emmission testing county.

Non-emmission inspection stickers differ from emmission stickers...currently, emmission stickers have a green outline while non-emmissions are purple.