Car "Fixed", Still Fails Smog Check
Aug. 7th, 2021 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerIt's been good news/bad news on the car front the past few days.
Bad news: Our Xterra failed a smog test on Tuesday. Repairs would cost over $1,200 and could go higher.
Good news: The car was fixed mid-day Thursday, and the bill came to "only" just under $1,200.
Bad news: The car failed the smog test again on Friday. Twice.
The reason for the failure was quick. The technician hooked up a scanner to the car's computer via the OBD-II port and it immediately reported that the oxygen sensor was not registering.
"What? I just got it fixed!" I exclaimed.
"You just need to drive it around a bit longer first," the tech explained. "Come back later today."
So I did, and that's when it failed a second time. Second time Friday, that is. Third failure overall. The oxygen sensor still wasn't reporting.
"Wait. I'll print you instructions," the tech offered. And he came back with a detailed list of driving instructions to make all the sensors register. It reads like one of those childhood games of patting your head while rubbing your stomach. "Accelerate to 53-60 mph (56mph is best), then hold the exact speed for at least 3 minutes, if you move the accelerator start over, then come to a stop and accelerate to 30 at least 2 times in 10 seconds, then...."
We drove the car today and I tried to follow some of those instructions. Do you know how hard it is to drive at a constant 56mph for 3 minutes anywhere on the roads in this area? I mean, I did it on the freeway, but at times it felt dicey with how many people were whizzing past me at +20mph. And we'll see on Monday— when I go in for test attempt four— if any of it helped.
Update: the vehicle passed smog the next Monday.
Bad news: Our Xterra failed a smog test on Tuesday. Repairs would cost over $1,200 and could go higher.
Good news: The car was fixed mid-day Thursday, and the bill came to "only" just under $1,200.
Bad news: The car failed the smog test again on Friday. Twice.
The reason for the failure was quick. The technician hooked up a scanner to the car's computer via the OBD-II port and it immediately reported that the oxygen sensor was not registering.
"What? I just got it fixed!" I exclaimed.
"You just need to drive it around a bit longer first," the tech explained. "Come back later today."
So I did, and that's when it failed a second time. Second time Friday, that is. Third failure overall. The oxygen sensor still wasn't reporting.
"Wait. I'll print you instructions," the tech offered. And he came back with a detailed list of driving instructions to make all the sensors register. It reads like one of those childhood games of patting your head while rubbing your stomach. "Accelerate to 53-60 mph (56mph is best), then hold the exact speed for at least 3 minutes, if you move the accelerator start over, then come to a stop and accelerate to 30 at least 2 times in 10 seconds, then...."
We drove the car today and I tried to follow some of those instructions. Do you know how hard it is to drive at a constant 56mph for 3 minutes anywhere on the roads in this area? I mean, I did it on the freeway, but at times it felt dicey with how many people were whizzing past me at +20mph. And we'll see on Monday— when I go in for test attempt four— if any of it helped.
Update: the vehicle passed smog the next Monday.
no subject
Date: 2021-08-17 01:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-08-17 05:25 pm (UTC)