I've already received a notice from VEIP about my Corolla, so I know the Z can't be too far behind. This will be my 1st inspection running catless and no codes are showing [thank God].
So my question is, if I have the 02 defoulers on and they seem to be holding steady and I'm not showing any SES lights/codes can I just drive up and pass? Or will they do something else to try and catch me?

And can anyone recommend a good, hassle-free place to take it too around here?

thanks!

 

Depends if they are paying attention with the mirror/visual part of the inspection...

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I am catless and have no codes at all. The car will pass the OBD II scanner part, but will fail the visual mirror inspection if the inspector does their job properly. I lowered decently low and hope they cannot clearly see the underside of the car.

 

Ive passed several times with no cats and no CEL's.

Once I was nervous of the visual inspection which they do with a mirror on a handle.

I took my car in on a miserable rainy day once and they didnt look under, the other time the guy held the mirror under the car for half a second and said "ok" then you drive thru where the rollers used to be (no more of these as of 1.5yrs now) and then its connected to the computer.

Don't sweat it you will beat it.

I had an explanation ready if the guy would have said he didnt see the cats I would have told him they are DIRECTLY after the exhaust manifolds, and cant be seen unless the car is in the air because they are right next to the transmission. Cats actually work better the closer and quicker they warm up so this makes perfect sense and would be enough of an explanation to persuade the dumbest fawk you can encounter

 

Also this ^^^

The lower you are the better, the less angle they have to see up.

I went to the Glen Dirty MVA once turbo and it was all young kids working so they were all asking questions as opposed to trying to fail me. I drove out to a BFE station once and the people there did fail me, they were hating lol.

Fawking kids at Glen Dirty MVA "yo, what kinda intake is that?", looking at my FMIC

 

I don't believe the mirrors are used for anything more then a their insurance told them so type of inspection to make sure the car is safe.

Cats are located all over cars, from directly off the exhaust manifold running down the side of the motor, under the motor, to behind the motor, cats also look like resonators that most exhaust have.

I wouldn't worry about it, take a code reader and run your codes, if nothing comes up, you will pass.
If you do throw a code you will fail.

As simple as that.

 

lol just watch what the emission inspector does with the mirror. walks around the car not looking at the mirror. I went to the one in annapolis, black dude didn't give two ***** about looking at the mirror.

 

LOL I took my Z to the one in Silver Spring. Similar to Alberto's experience, there were a bunch of young guys working there. They kept asking me about my car and I kept thinking they were trying to trick me. Everything went super smooth. I swear my car was throwing a code and I was ready to just fail and get the extension but somehow he said I passed.

 

if your car is lowered and they can't get it in the air then chances are you will pass

 

I usually take both cars to this "hood-tastic" spot in PG County. But with all this talk of the place in Silver Spring I may have to check it out too...

 

passed at the one in GB with the car TT, very easy they didnt even second guess the car lol

 

I went last week and passed easily with test pipes they turned my car on and ran the test the entire garage smellled like straight gas.. You could easily tell i wasnt legal but they couldnt see anything under my car i guess its that low

 

passed...they didn't even use the mirror

 

Just tell them its a massive exhaust leak. lol

 

I passed in Owings Mills with test pipes a day after resetting my own engine light with an OBD2 scanner. They didn't even check with the mirror. Going when its busier seems to elicit a less thorough inspection in my experiences. Also in the off chance they actually do use the mirror, the explanation Alberto gave on the location of the cats will throw off most of those inspectors as they normally aren't trained very well. I have a scanner you can borrow if you need it.

 

I passed for the second time with testpipes a few months ago. I actually recorded my car starting up and shaking the glass in the waiting room. lol

 

Same here... about a 5 second look with the mirror (which he could see nothing due to car so low) and ended up shooting the **** about turbos and track times before he passed me. (With a vented hood and massive intercooler it's hard to avoid questions LOL)

 

My daily passed this week lol

I wanted to ask the guy if its possible for them to "pass" people with CEL's but then a supervisor looking fat POS, I hate my life type of guy, came out and started watching the station I was at. Damnit.

 

My car will likely only have a turn down when it goes in next time....we'll see how it goes. Think it will be bad idea to wear ear plugs in the station when they start it?

 

I took my father's stock 2007 Z to the station in Columbia a few days ago. The dude with the mirror literally walked around the car and did not look once at the mirror. The mirror was dragging on the ground as he walked around the car. Obviously the car passed.

My question: When I go to emissions in my G with no cats and exhaust, will they fail me because they can smell gas all around the car? I have no codes and am not worried about the visual inspection.