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Air Care News
July 1999

Tighter standards and cleaner cars
by Gary Cagle

New light duty vehicle (LDV) certification standards have changed dramatically during the last five years. New standards address the need to reduce nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon emissions, both of which contribute to the formation of ozone.

Changes in vehicle certification standards have forced vehicle manufacturers to develop very sophisticated engine control strategies, resulting in vehicles that exhibit significantly lower emissions, better gas mileage, good drivability and extended durability. To the public, these changes are transparent. However, to the repair industry these changes may have a profound effect on how technicians diagnose and repair a "broken" new-technology vehicle. How a vehicle is certified will determine such things as fuel management strategies, computer feedback components and catalytic converter configurations.

Understanding the Standards

At present there are numerous sets of standards to which manufacturers can design their vehicles. The chart on this page identifies the different certification categories and standards. Repair technicians must first locate the under-hood emissions label to determine how the vehicle was certified. Typically, this is found in the fine print on the label. If the label is missing, certification can be determined by decoding the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

Gary Cagle is an environmental protection specialist at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Air Pollution Control Division, Mobile Sources Section.

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My car is in another state
by Tom Myrsiades

Q:  "Our vehicle is registered in Colorado but our daughter has the car in Arizona at college. The state of Colorado requires a Colorado emissions test on the car in order to renew the registration. Are we required to drive the car back to Denver and get it tested?"

A:  Most people are not aware of a provision in the law which will allow for the registration of a vehicle when the registered owner is out of the state attending college, performing military service, or working out-of-state on temporary assignment.

Many vehicles are registered under this emissions extension provision. The registered owner is required to submit an Emissions Extension Form (DR2376), along with the renewal card and registration fees, to the appropriate county motor vehicle office. Under some circumstances, an emissions test or verification of VIN number from another state is required. The application is then electronically filed. Applications are reviewed, confirmed, and either approved or denied by the Colorado Department of Revenue. When an application is approved, the registration will be renewed by the county clerk's office and tags sent by mail to the out-of-state address.

As with any special program, there always seem to be a few individuals who will try to beat the system -- like the man who brought his extension form and renewal card into the county clerk's office claiming the vehicle was being used on a temporary job site in New Mexico. The information seemed to be reasonable except for the fact that he did not have a mailing address in New Mexico. After a few prodding questions and a quick look out in the parking lot, the clerk discovered he had driven the vehicle in question to the office. Staff directed the gentleman to the nearest testing station and assured him that if he hurried he could still get that vehicle registered the same day. He did.

If the extension provision is used properly, a vehicle owner is issued a registration marked with a red stamp indicating the vehicle has not complied with Colorado emissions requirements. When the out-of-state address is in an area that requires emissions testing, the owner will be required to obtain that state's emissions test and submit it with the application.

If the other state does not require an emissions test, a verification of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) number is requested and must be submitted with the application. The owner is also advised to obtain a Colorado emissions test as soon as the vehicle returns to Colorado and to get it tested prior to leaving Colorado before the next test cycle. The state Division of Motor Vehicles issues a new registration card when that test is completed. DMV usually will not issue two extensions consecutively.

This system allows thousands of Colorado students, military, and business people to maintain a vehicle's Colorado registration while attending class, serving our country, or working out of state conducting business.

Tom Myrsiades is an emissions compliance supervisor with the Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles, Emissions Section.

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Keeping up is key to success
by Renée Allen

Dorsey Johnson is as much a student these days as he is a technician. It's what you have to do, he says, to stay competitive in an ever-changing industry.

"The way thing change, if you don't go home three or four nights a week and study, you're going to be left behind."

His commitment to education and "reading whatever I can get my hands on," are what give Johnson's repair facility consistently high repair ratings in the Emissions Repair Guide.

Dorsey and his wife Paula own and operate Arvada West Auto Service on 58th and Ward Road. The duo has been in the automotive industry for almost 20 years. At one time they owned several Amoco stations, and they had the city of Arvada towing contract for 10 years. They've scaled back now to the shop and just one Amoco station. Even so, with 2,100 customers (some of them third generation) there's plenty to keep them busy.

The Johnsons have been involved in the emissions program since the early "sniffer machine" days, as Dorsey calls them, when they ran an independent testing facility.

They are and always have been, Paula says, huge supporters of the Air Care Colorado program, especially the registered repair facility part of it.

"We believe the system is working. We know it is. We can tell by the numbers, especially the CO (carbon monoxide)," she said.

The Johnsons say they prefer the current centralized system to the old independent one. However, they think more public awareness of the program is needed.

"The public is not seeing how things have changed, the difference the program has made and is making," said Paula.

Dorsey, a master technician since 1994 and a founding member of the NAPA Auto Care Center board, is dedicated to improving industry standards and public opinion of repair techs.

"We want people to understand that we and others like us are not just 'MO-chanic' on the corner who slaps on a few tires," Dorsey said.

Involvement in programs like ASA and the registered repair facility program, as well as Dorsey's stint as a host of The Auto Answer Man on KHOW radio a couple of times a month, are how Dorsey goes about his mission.

"I try to stress establishing a relationship with your technician. The bottom line is customer trust. It needs to be like the relationships you have with your beautician or house cleaner," he says.

In 1998 Dorsey and his crew of five technicians performed about 130 emissions repairs, making sure to get it right (evidenced by their high repair scores).

As a service to their customers, they take all vehicles they repair to an emissions center for the retest. "It helps us and them," claims Dorsey.

Then it's back to the books, magazines and videos to learn more of the latest technology. Today it's Snap-On's labscope course. Tomorrow, who knows.

Renée Allen is a public relations specialist with Envirotest Systems Corp.

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