Comment by retatop
7 hours ago
I have never met anyone who properly fixed an emissions problem, and I think that's what GP meant by willful violations. Any car old enough to have emissions problems isn't worth enough to fix properly, so you cheat it by doing things like buying a spacer for the O2 sensor. Personally I'd be shocked if emissions inspections had a significant effect on total vehicle emissions, and I think that the most effective things are done at the manufacturer
I can personally name 3 people who had their catalytic converter replaced to pass an emissions inspection. Trying to cheat the system when they stick a hose on your tailpipe and test the emissions isn’t trivial.
I'm just one person, but I replaced the catalytic converters on my FJ Cruiser so it would pass the emissions test
How old was the car? Was the old one faulty? Thinking of getting an FJ but not sure the thought is coming from a sensible place.