Will your car pass the NEW inspection starting this summer?

According to the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, inspections in upstate New York are expected to change significantly beginning July of 2004. Today the upstate inspection consists of the standard safety inspection ($10) plus an emissions inspection ($6) which includes a visual inspection of the air pollution control devices and a gas cap check.

The NEW emissions inspection will now require your car to be connected to a shop computer that inspection stations will be required to purchase. This will scan your vehicle's computer system and send the information to Albany. Currently if your MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) on your '96 or newer vehicle is on, your vehicle will fail the inspection. The new law will require that if any emissions failure codes are present, whether or not the light is on, your vehicle will fail the inspection. The new combined inspection fee may be as high as $34.00.

A word about MIL's. This is also known as a "check engine" or "service engine soon" lamp. It is usually yellow in color and always appears when starting your car. If it is lit while you are driving or intermittently goes on then off while driving, there is a problem. It may not be serious and the car may still be driveable, but you should have it diagnosed and repaired BEFORE you go in for your inspection. If you have modified your exhaust, or even your headlamps or tail lamps, you will likely need to reverse those modifications to pass inspection.

Mac's II has the equipment, education and experience to correctly diagnose your vehicle's computer system and correct MIL failures. We've invested the time and money to become one of the areas leaders in "driveability" diagnosis. If you see your check engine light come on, think of Mac's II. We'll diagnose and repair the problem now, so your next NYS inspection goes smoothly.

We look forward to seeing you and your coupon soon.