Motorhome Emissions Testing

[twstatler@yahoo.com]

I am a resident of Colorado Springs and own a diesel pusher motorhome. I doubt that I drive more than 400 miles a year along the Colorado front range. Colorado has an emissions law that requires diesel vehicles ONLY to have a dynamic emissions test every other year in some front range counties. The law does not apply to all front range counties. I believe the state has this law only so they could "cash in" on federal funds. This emissions test costs $85 to $100 plus the time and mileage to drive to the testing facility. As one of hundreds of other front range residents with diesel motorhomes, I believe this law is unfair to us. We do not use these motorhomes daily to drive to work, school, or shopping. I would like to see the law changed to exempt these vehicles from the emissions test.

[DoggyDaddy]

In Calif we have mandatory emission contol SMOG inspections for all licensed gasoline

driven vehicles, but not in all counties. Example, Plumas County is an exempt because

of all the trees (forests) within the county. CA Politicians and environmentalists are continually

trying to pass additional emission control laws for Diesel vehicles and lawn mowers, and

prohibit wood burning fireplaces wood/charcoal barbecues, and smoking on the beaches.

[Guest Wayne77590]

Ssshhhh! Please don't tell Texas. We do not require it on Diesel (yet).

[tbutler]

The environmental laws are a patchwork, applied in some places, not in others. It seems unfair but what is really being done is enforcing stricter rules in places where they are needed and not enforcing those rules where they aren't needed. If the same laws were enforced everywhere then you would have many more rules to deal with because there are even stricter rules in other parts of the country.

In California, the rules are really strict because the air pollution problems around cities like Los Angeles are extremely bad. Thus they have many controls including special requirements for automobiles sold in California. Where I lived near St. Louis we had these vapor recovery systems on the gas pumps. If you lived far enough from the city your pumps didn't have them but in and around the city (50 miles or so), all the gas pumps were required to have these recovery systems. They cost the stations plenty to install and maintain but they help keep the air cleaner in the metropolitan area. Every automobile in the area had to pass a pollution test to get a license plate. I was in the Lake Tahoe area a few years ago and couldn't get my engine cleaned (steam washed) because the local laws prohibited it. This was their way of ensuring that Lake Tahoe wouldn't be polluted. Farmers all over the US are being required to install waste collection and purification systems for feed lots and hog/chicken confinement areas. Compare the cleanliness of our streams to those of third world countries where there are no restrictions. Where would you rather go fishing?

These environmental laws will only get stricter as the population density increases. States like Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas with very little population have very few regulations. Meanwhile, the Octomom in California has 14 children. Individually your 400 miles of motor home mileage is insignificant but the law applies to all diesel vehicles in the Colorado Springs, Denver and other population centers along the Front Range. If you can't file for some kind of exemption, your only other choice is to move out of the area. Since that is likely not desirable, consider the cost of the inspection to be just another cost of living in a very desirable area, just like higher property taxes and high priced housing.

You could get the motor home out on the road for a few more miles each year and then when you amortize the cost of the inspection over the increased mileage it will be a smaller percentage of your cost of operation! You might even have enough fun that you can almost forget about the aggravation and cost of the inspection.

[Guest Wayne77590]

The cost of inspection in the United States is nothing compared to the cost of inspection in Japan. An average automobile will cost $385 back in 1980. It was about a 1 hour inspection. You ran you car up on rollers, and with you at the controls, told you what speed to get it up to and then put on the brakes. Then the drive wheels went up and they would tell you to run the speedometer up to 45Kph. If it did not match with what they had on their gages - fail. All four wheels were puled and everything inspected. Let me sum it up this way. If you had a manual transmission with the gear shifter on the floor you had to have a manufacture shift pattern on the top of the knob. If you didn't, you could tape one there that you could make up. If ANY part of this inspection failed, the entire inspection failed. You had to take your car to a service place and get it fixed. And when you returned, it cost $385 again. You always made sure everything was in top notch condition before you brought it for the annual inspection. In 3 years time I paid more for inspections than I did for th purchase of the car.

$100 is not really that bad, is it?

[rollingrver@yahoo.com]

Hi

Read your initial post and did some research. Turns out Colorado testing stations will not validate whether you

must have a test or not - they just test and collect the revenue.

Further investigation revealed that Diesel vehicles are not subject to standardized emission testing in Colorado. They must

have a "opacity test" - they put a monitor on your exhaust pipe and test. If your RV is like mine, the diesel

exhaust is virtually transparent.

I didn't dig deep enough to find out the fee for this type of testing, but have to believe it is less expensive than

a full blown emission test.

Here in Nevada, we get a waiver for Diesel RV's so never have to face the testing routine.

You might want to check into this whole thing deeper. Good Luck

John

[Chunkybeastracin@aol.com]

I live in Colorado and in a County that requires the emmissions testing. Whether you own a gas or diesel you are required to get a full emmissions test on your rv before you are allowed to purchase or renew your lic. plates.

The test than is valid for two years. Another way this state screws the consumers is that if you already have a valid emmissions test on your car or rv and decide you want to sell your vehicle you are again required to furnish the buyer a brand new emmissions test even if the one you have is not yet expired.

[pianodan]

Once upon a time, many years ago I was a Colorado resident, even joined the Navy from the Denver AAFES station. It was just a short period of time though, from August of '71-Jan of '75 that I had the dubious honor of experiencing the "Rocky Mountain High". I loved the mountains, I drove all over them, graduated from high school in'72 in the shadow of the Rockies. At that time, all of Colorado had a bi-annual vehicle inspection law, twice a year, any vehicle that was owned and driven had to have a valid month sticker in the lower left corner of the windshield. I think it cost $22 each time, when you pulled into the inspection stations (gas stations, auto dealerships.....) they immediately scraped the sticker and commenced the inspection. If any portion failed (cracked marker light lense, rusty shocks, etc.), you didn't pass. You couldn't drive it home to correct it either, they had to fix it for you, amounting to bigger bucks than normally carried around. When I left for the Navy, my Dad told me the safety inspections were deemed overly expensive and too often by the feds, so they went to annual inspections, but included smog as well. There were no vehicles grandfathered. If it was 1964 model year or later it had to pass what was currently required in '75 or '76.

It appears the legislature there has changed the laws, but it hasn't improved, all who wish to have the grandeur of the Rockies in their front or back yards must pay the fee to enjoy it 24/7. I still enjoy taking trips out there, I've ridden over Independence Pass on my motorcyle, been through Eisenhower Tunnel through Glenwood Canyon many times, but I can say I'm glad I don't reside there anymore. No emissions testing here in MN, but the state income tax system is getting out of hand. Hopefully we can afford to retire in the next 5 years, and maybe find somehing better (and warmer).

[kkriepke]

Diesels Only on west Alameda does RV testing for $85.

[manholt]

The biggest fee in Texas on RV's is License plate. It's by weight and mine is $832 per year!

[jleamont]

WOW, Carl that's nuts!

The biggest fee in Texas on RV's is License plate. It's by weight and mine is $832 per year!

[obedb]

Hey! No state income tax . They gotta get the cash from somewhere.?

[wildebill308]

Also in Texas they have done away with the inspection sticker. You still have to have the inspection (no emissions for diesel just basic safety) before you can get your plates but no sticker on the windshield.

Bill

[tbutler]

So Carl, how much do you weigh? Not you, your coach! Our license this year and we have the specialty plates (Texas Parks and Wildlife) with personalized plates (VGER1 - think Star Trek), $433.00. I didn't think we were lightweights but I guess I'll have to reconsider. Our empty weight is just under 30,000 pounds. It must be a sliding scale of some kind. Your coach couldn't be twice our weight could it?

And we pay more than in our lifetime home state (Missouri) for sales tax and electric rates. On the positive side, that all is more than offset by the fact that I don't have to file those miserable Missouri State Income Tax forms. The forms were onerous, requiring computing taxes for each individual separately before combining the income and figuring the tax bill. Now I just have one tax document to prepare and file.

Taxes are the investment we make in this wonderful country of ours. Consider it like the civilian version of serving in the military. And yes, the military do pay taxes also. That is why we are so grateful for their willingness to step forward and put their lives on the line for the rest of us. Having traveled extensively in other "second world" and "third world" countries I can tell you that despite what you hear, we are heads and shoulders above the rest of the world. Better roads, even in their current condition, better utilities, better water, better electric services, better communication, you name it, we have what the rest of the world would love to have. That is why so many people want to come here. That is why over the history since Columbus brought back word of this land to Europe, there has been a continual flood of immigrants to this country.

At this point I'll stop before I step over "the line" if I already haven't done so.

Have a Happy New Year!

[hermanmullins]

Well said Tom. Telling the truth is never stepping over the line.

You and Louise have a safe and Happy New Year.

Herman

[jleamont]

Well said Tom. Telling the truth is never stepping over the line.

You and Louise have a safe and Happy New Year.

Herman

Yes, I agree with Herman, that was interesting to read. The things we don't think about on this side of the lake.

Thanks Tom!

[aztec7fan]

Diesels Only on west Alameda does RV testing for $85.

In Colorado, also try this guy.

Dynoman Diesel Emissions

10420 E 106th Ave Ste B, Brighton, CO

Very reasonable and fast.

[manholt]

Happy New Year, Tom, and thanks for the reminder!

Have no clue as to, how DMV computes the weight/cost! I asked the little Blake girl, but all she did was stare at me...I get to do it again

next week on all my vehicles!

Carl