SEMA Urgent Legislative Alert: California Lawmaker Tryingto Sneak by a Bill to Require...

[Geraint Lloyd]

There is another point of view though.

In addition to the 89 200 TQA and the 964 C4, I have an 87 former Group N
British Rally Championship winning Golf GTI (cos its European, it's not just
a GTI)with me in Canada.
The car had an annual MOT safety inspection starting when it was 3 years old
(vehicles in the UK are exempt from testing for the 1st 3yrs) and when I
moved it to France in 2003, it had its bi-annual Controle Technique. Both
included emissions tests that required the car comply with the emissions
spec at manufacture. In fact the emissions tests in the uk started in 93 or
something but still.......  

In Quebec the car was inspected at import in 2005, but there is no annual
test up here at all. I feel a bit odd about this since obviously I don't
have to pay for the test and remedial work if required, but then again the
wad of passed safety and emissions test certificates that I used to silence
the "it's old, dangerous and polluting" brigade stops at 2005. Right now
there is nothing legal to distinguish between my slightly battered looking
(down boys - you know who you are) German built Golf2 and the multitude of
Mexican and Pennsylvanian examples that have done far more winters in Quebec
than mine and consequently have wildly different levels of condition in key
structural areas. Basically mine has a floor.


Al this to say that I actually believe in annual testing. I do believe that
a properly tuned older vehicle has its place on the road. Sure they use more
gas per mile, but none of the assessments of what the emissions are include
emissions created during manufacture. That being said, there is no real
excuse for letting people drive around in any old shed, but I have to say
that I am more concerned with safety on this one. I you want to know what I
mean, come to Montreal some time.

Also, how many of our cars are running with only "original to the vehicle"
and new parts? Surely we should get a proportional carbon footprint credit
for the manufacturing associated emissions of the vehicles that we pillage
in scrap yards? 

So that's my $0.02. Regular testing is ok by me as long as the vehicle is
not supposed to exceed the specifications that applied when it was made.

Geraint