If you've received notification that it's time to take your car in for an emission test, you want to make sure that it passes on the first attempt. Failing an emission test can cause costly and timely delays when you're trying to register your car. In fact, if your car fails more than once, it could end up on the gross polluter's list, which will prevent you from registering your car until everything is fixed. That's the last thing you want to deal with, especially if you depend on your car. Before you take your car in for its emissions test, take the following precautions to make sure your car passes the test on the first attempt.
Make Sure Your Check Engine Light Isn't Illuminated
Before you take your car in for its smog check, you want to take a close look at your dashboard. Specifically, you want to see which maintenance lights are illuminated. If your check engine light is illuminated, you'll want to get those issues taken care of before you have the emissions test performed. If you try to have the emissions test performed while the check engine light is illuminated, your car will automatically fail the test. Avoid the automatic fail by having the check engine light issues addressed as soon as possible.
Take Precautions if Your Battery has Been Disconnected Recently
If your battery has recently been disconnected, you should postpone your emissions test for a few days. You may not realize this, but when you disconnect your battery, your onboard computer is reset. Unfortunately, when that happens, your onboard computer will provide the wrong readings during the emissions test. To make sure that doesn't happen, you'll need to drive your car a few times to reset the onboard computer. Start by driving your car around town once. Next, get on the highway and drive for a few miles. Finally, park your car overnight and then start it up as usual in the morning. Your car is now ready for its emissions test.
Take Your Car in for a Tuneup and Oil Change
If it's been a while since your car had a tuneup or oil change, schedule those before you schedule your emissions test. Without the tuneup and the oil change, your emissions may run high, which will give a false reading during the test. Once you've had the tuneup and oil change, you'll be ready to schedule your emissions test.
To learn more, contact a company like Teloloapan Muffler & Brakes II Inc.
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