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Originally Posted by shallowreef  In illinois all cars after 96 do not get a sniffer test. Instead they plug into your cars somputer and test everything through there. Wish i could help out but i am trying to figure out why they aren't running the test through your cars computer? |
It's been discussed because the pass-rate for OBD-II cars is ludicrously high -- over 97% I think -- which makes people wonder if it's really worthwhile going through a $36 sniffer test every two years on vehicles that monitor themselves. I think that there are at least two issues blocking that path though:
1) It's too easy for tuners to modify things to make it appear cars are passing. I can have a tune that will shut off my rear O2 sensors and never see a MIL while I run hollowed-out cats and a plug-in scanner may never be the wiser. Indeed, my MRT cats appeared to be hopeless at idle but I never saw an MIL, probably because the tuner disabled the rear O2s or something.
2) There are too many shops now with a large amount of capital invested in the rolling-road dynos and computer systems to simply decree that 90% of the cars on the road no longer need to use them. It would financially hurt shops that rely on e-testing for a good portion of their revenue. I don't know if the government ever thought of this when instituting the law in the first place: someday testing won't be required...what do you say to the shops that bought all this equipment?
But that's government for you...