Date:         Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:33:14 -0800
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Subject:      Smog inspections..//??
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"

  I live in a no inspection area.
 While polluting vehicles piss me off,  inspection's, as they seem to be run
in most places, are pretty dumb.  Whoever empowers the agencies that do
these inspections, they usually forget the bottom line...how much crap is
the vehicle REALLY putting into the atmosphere?  They seem more concerned
with making a buck and flexing their power than with actually reducing
emissions.
  For example, why should a couple driving a huge diesel pusher motorhome
and towing a Humvee be OK but a Geo Metro with an altered exhaust be "Not
allowed"?  Which would put out the most crap? "bottom line?"
    I really *love* going past a casino in the desert and seeing a Humvee,
all solid black and shiny, locked up and idling in the sun with it's AC on
and the alarms activated...Or a herd of RVs with their motors on while
"momma" shops..
  Or for our Subie-Van cousins, how come Kennedy Engineering conversion kits
are "Approved" but many other Subie conversions aren't even allowed to test
in California?  Many engine conversion companies just gave up and moved out
of that state, not because their 'cars' were polluters but because they were
not on the CARB's paperwork...No matter how 'clean' they actually are, if
the 'inspector' can't find it on his 'screen', it fails 'inspection'..
  It's gotta be a little more 'real' to make sense to me.  A soccer-mom
running all around town every day in an Escalade or an Excursion or a Denali
has to put out a hell of lot more gunk than someone in an <2liter  VW bus
without mebbe a working cat...

  ducking now,
  Don Hanson