This is the first time I've had to get the Drive Clean emissions test done on one of our cars.

I first had to repair the exhaust as is had "come apart" just before the cat, and had triggered the Check engine light. So I welded that up, disconnected the battery and reset the ECU.

Next day I took the car to Canadian Tire. It showed up as "not ready".

I had not driven the car long enough for the ECU to reset. $35

Booked it in for a retest two days later...

This time it Failed AND showed not ready. $20

Booked it in for a diagnostic later that day. $135

The diagnostic showed a fault with the evap valve and would need replaced. $200

We'll take a short intermission here so I can explain a pass V conditional pass....

If your car fails, you only need to spend up to $450 to fix the problem. If you get quoted more than that to have it corrected, you can opt for a "conditional pass" whereby you can forego the repair until the next drive clean two years later.

Yes, it's complete nonsense. Back to the show...

So I had the repairs done, paid the money, and was told to bring it back in a few days for yet another retest once the ECU had reset again.

Took the car in today, got the pass, paid another $20.

And of course the check engine light came back on, on the way home.

Hope that clarifies the process for everyone

That was an expensive experience not to be repeated in the future eh!

Having had all of the 'bad experience' with auto repair shops (CT being the worse) specifically repair shops that also do 'emission tests' with a suspicious feeling its all about the 'money grad'.

From 10 years ago to the present day, I now only ever go to one the those 'drive clean ONLY test centres', no back shop repairs to get you on.

Of course its do the oil change plus the air filter before going, as well as 'get the engine really hot'

Out of the past six e-tests done at the 'drive clean (only) test centre', I have had only one failure for a small thing that was fixed by my local trusted mechanic.

The Drive Clean program is a pathetic joke, especially as it no longer even measures emissions. Even B.C., the first province to have a program like this, has scrapped theirs but of course, in Ontario, our brilliant government won't kill the program.

Sounds like a pain in the posterior!

Glad AB doesn't have any of that crap going on...but I'm dreading the day something does come in, I don't have the connections yet to get a pass for a case of beer!

That being said, I've passed emissions tests in the UK without catalytic convertors fitted (before the rules changed).

With drive clean using the OBD2 plug now under the dash I would advise anyone with a car that uses this method to buy an OBD2 meter. I have reset my cars ECL many times over the winter and usually found both vehicles to be ok in the summer.

Changing the oil and filter does not help now as it's not the actual emissions that they check

Amazon, $30 delivered for a pretty decent one!

Thankfully this has now gone in BC, although certainly for older vehicles it must be quite difficult to fail.

My 1997 Land Rover Defender 300TDI was required to take the exhaust gas opacity test for older vehicles. It has quite a visible smoke trail when doing the sort of acceleration and revs required for the test centre's simulated terrain on the rollers and I was sure it would fail.

The limit was 30 units and it only recorded a peak of about 12, with most much lower, so failing must be quite a challenge!

blink....

magnumpi, would you mind explaining that more on how or what to do & what happens when you 'do it' as well as maybe a link to that particular meter?

thanks

I know you asked Magnum, but here you go:

this is what I use:
its an Aussie with a right hooker, but the principle is the same

so here's how On Board Diagnostics II actually works:

OBD-II - On-Board Diagnostic System

haggis thanks for the diagnostic system link, however my computer doesn't open that youtube link

You mentioned in post #6 that $30 for a meter, can you link that for me where to get one?

thanks

that's the one i thought about

the one in the video/one i have, cost me $55 i think, only difference is the live data and PC transfer functions, but they're not essential!

The one I use was $20. But Haggis user description is pretty much accurate. No one should be without one. A car garage main dealer will charge $75 just to get the fault codes off of your obd2 plug

big smile, thanks Haggis

from post#5 back to resetting the ECL - what does that actually do for the vehicle performance & having to pass the 'drive clean emission test'?

It fails Drive scam oops clean, if the ECL is illuminated and tells u why the engine light is on

But beware, in winter the air is much thicker and fuel to air ratio can be a bit cocked up when cold starting. The meter will give a code, u then run the code via Google and prob find that the car is leaking air into the intake. Usually it's not it's just lean because it's so freeking cold :@)

thanks magnumpi & haggis - I'm up to speed now on this