Jessamyn

My car is "It's ok that the check engine light is on, you can still pass state inspection" years old.

However, "the computer" won't pass it. My mechanic thinks it's because my car was built in Oct. and is 15 and 362 days old. Cars must be "over 15" to pass w/ a check engine light on (just an EVAP code, not a safety issue).

I think some programmer made the computer look for a number that was 16 or over in the "car age" slot. Got a new appointment on Monday. Wish me luck! #ComputersWereAMistake

Oct 28 at 5:47pmWeb
Show threadJessamynNov 3

Update from November: the build date of the car was not the problem. No one knows what the problem actually is.

My mechanic's scheduler/admin person (out today, her sister's having a baby) needs to call the inspection software's IT staff to figure out what went wrong and, if possible, to manually override whatever brokenness is going on so that my car passes inspection, a thing everyone agrees it already does in every way but in the software, the final boss.

Show threadJessamynNov 7

Update from the state DMVs IT staff (supposedly, as relayed by my mechanic who I both like and trust). No one knows why this is happening, my car should be passing inspection but the software is saying it has failed. They are now suggesting I come back in January so that my car is fully 16 years old according to calendar years.

This is, of course, a ridiculous thing to suggest so I have (politely) escalated this to the DMV Commissioner, my local representative and my regional DMV inspector.

Show threadJessamynNov 8
I did ask Reddit (consensus: don't bother with inspection) Later on (5:30!) I heard from the regional DMV inspector who said that yeah the big deal is that cars 16 yrs or NEWER need emissions testing, so it's a bit of a fencepost error where we were understanding the rule wrong. So he said I can easily get a temp waiver and once it's expired my car will be old enough not to need it. But also suggested that in 2026 my car will be the "right" age according to the software, so still slightly weird.
Show threadJessamynNov 17

Actually, I can not get a temp waiver. The inspection machine takes in my VIN and says it doesn't qualify for a waiver. My mechanic called the people who make the software and they said they do not know why it won't allow me a waiver. Common reasons are

1. already got a waiver before (no)
2. car is eligible for warranty repair (called Honda, no)
3. cost of a repair is less than $200 (hell no)
4. car didn't fail emissions (no)

Feeling a bit like this at the moment, will keep working the problem

Show threadJessamynJan 9

It is 2026, my 16+ year old car is, apparently, finally the proper age to pass inspection with the check engine light on. But! The software still wouldn't pass it until it had failed once (that day) and they had "synced the data" twice on the inspection tablet device. The "sync twice" tip they had to get by calling the guy at the software company. Totally normal way to spend everyone's time.

🎉 tl;dr my car is finally inspected and this thread is closed! 🎉

Show threadJanice in GAJan 9
@jessamyn 🎉
Show threadTrisha Lynn 🇵🇭 🇺🇸 🇨🇦Jan 9
@jessamyn Huzzah!
Show threaddjohngoJan 9
@jessamyn Hooray! But also, at first I misread "car" as "cat" and thought this was an elaborate but concerning metaphor regarding felines.
Show threadmikesuszJan 9

@jessamyn congrats! i used to have a problem every january because the battery would die in the ranger (parked out in the cold) so it would lose its oxygen sensor/emissions control data, so i would fail inspection then have to drive at least 100 miles and come back in to get it checked again.

but now ... we have no state inspections in NH? wheee, i guess

Show threadC PufferJan 9
@jessamyn what a journey
Show threadAxomamma, Antifa from birthJan 9
@jessamyn Where do you live that a car with the check engine light on can pass inspection? My car was well over 16 when I took it for inspection with the light on. The AZ DMV paid for the repair so it would pass. I think at the time they'd pay up to $500? They increased the amount shortly after.
Show threadJessamynJan 9
@Axomamma Vermont. They changed the rules fairly recently to "grandfather" in older cars. I think in Vermont the baseline is $200 in repairs. Nowadays newer cars come with longer warranties for things like emissions but they didn't back when my car was built.
Show threadHTTP 1.1/418 TeapotJan 9
@jessamyn Yay!
Show threadJeff HobbsJan 9
@jessamyn (sent with balloons)
Show threadjohn lehetJan 9
@jessamyn We had a 2001 Subaru, check engine light always on. Finallly at the end when it was on, they figured out that the problem was that the top of the gas tank stuff was rusted so open to air. Probably not safe! (And that’s why we smelled gas!) And nobody wanted to try to get up there, figuring that taking a wrench to any of the rusted bolts on the way would crumble stuff to dust. End of the car. Probably good they chased the CEL down to that.
Show threadJessamynJan 10
@johnlehet That was definitely a good outcome for you. In my case they knew why the check engine light was on, and it wasn't a particularly big deal in an older car, it just wouldn't get past the software.
Show threadDinah 🕊🇺🇦Jan 10
@jessamyn THAT was a journey. jeez. Congratulations!!
Show threadSte GrainerNov 17
@jessamyn 5. Software has a bug and they just haven’t realized it yet.
Show threadJessamynNov 18
@stegrainer I AM SO SURE IT IS THAT!
Show threadJeff Zugale - Z FactoryNov 18
@jessamyn oof, being an edge case is a drag 🫤
Show threadRob 📚Nov 8
@jessamyn This is the thing that surprised me with my former car. In Mass, after 15 years of age the car can skip emissions testing. I though "Isn't that when they should be checking for failing engines and pollut-y smog creators?" Good luck with your car. Its great to hear of vehicles lasting a long life.
Show threadgenehackNov 8
@jessamyn all cars, like horses, age one year on midnight of New Year’s Eve
Show threadAnneHNov 8
@genehack @jessamyn Good luck checking the cars' teeth😂
Show threadKiesaNov 7
@jessamyn Oh goodness. That’s quite an answer. I hope you can get it resolved soon.
Show threadJessamynNov 7
@kiesa Yeah it's sort of wild that this is the final answer but I'm fairly tenacious about it so I feel like the story's not over.
Show threadPaul SomeoneElseNov 7
Wow that's nuts, also I would love to work on the DMVs IT staff and not suggest things like that. Usually all of the jobs are in Montpelier it seems though.
Show threadJessamynNov 7
@pkw Yeah with all of the return-to-office orders I bet those jobs are less fun than they might have been when you could do them remotely. Unfortunately this job just seems like it's about supporting vendor software that isn't good (I'm gathering, could be wrong) which I know from my years in libraries is not that great.
Show threadGreg KnaussNov 8
@jessamyn Have you tried various religious authorities?
Show threadDirtyOldTownNov 3

@jessamyn Can you buy one of those cheap devices (Amazon has plenty) that let you read and clear error codes?

I drive a 2010 Nissan Rogue and I have a code that I clear before inspections and I don't have any issues passing.

There are codes that matter and those can be waved away. Get a device that lets you wave them away and see if that helps. Mine was $21.

Show threadJessamynNov 3
@dirtyoldtown I do have such a device, thank you. They're just dumb EVAP codes and the software that inspects here can also, I've been told, detect if they've been cleared recently. The good news is that my mechanic and I are a team trying to figure this all out (it happens to him with other carts occasionally) but if one more visit doesn't sort it, that will be my next attempt.
Show threadDirtyOldTownNov 3

@jessamyn Gotcha. My error is a CAT code (catalytic converter at diminished capacity) that is real, but can be rendered functionally irrelevant by using premium gasoline. So that's a horse of a different color.

Good luck untangling this!

Show threadAlan is @cogdog 🇨🇦Nov 3

@jessamyn @dirtyoldtown That was my suggestion! I have the blue tooth code reader and its been valuable, was able to clear codes a few times.

Good luck! My 1998 F150 which made a few trips to Vermont just died. I'm crushed.

Show threadBen LambNov 3
@jessamyn This is a really interesting failure mode to me on the part of the software, although I'm sure it's a pain in the butt for you and the mechanic. I wonder if the software is written so poorly that it checks if it's been 15 calendar years (so it will only 'flip over' iyswim) in Jan 2026, and this only becomes a problem for 15 year old cars both built and with a tag renewal in the back half of the year with minor emission codes set in the ECU. (so not a huge sample size).
Show threadJessamynNov 3
@bennyfactor That seems possible! I am SO CURIOUS about the software parameters and I don't think I'm likely to ever figure out what the deal is but I am definitely going to try to figure it out the next time I am in there.
Show threadberserk du soleilOct 28
@jessamyn in this scenario in the past . . . my check engine was on bc of the o2 sensor, and my mechanic told me he could reset the computer or something so that the light itself would turn off for, hopefully, long enough to go do the inspection. so, in case that sort of idea might help you too, depending on what your check engine light is about.
Show threadJessamynOct 28
@aetataureate Thank you. My mechanic and the car inspector are the same person and he's as baffled as I am. Basically if it still won't pass someone at the state will have to go into "the computer" and pass it anyhow. I hope.
Show threadberserk du soleilOct 28
@jessamyn yeah i hope it all works out!! you need the equivalent of YOURSELF who has like "car inspection drop-in hours" haha. good luck!!
Show threadGemma SeymourOct 28
@jessamyn @aetataureate The usual cause of an EVAP code is that the seal on your gas filler cap is no longer working, and you just need to replace the gas cap.
Show threadGemma SeymourOct 28
@aetataureate @jessamyn This is not true, for the most part. There is a flag in the engine control unit specifically for the purposes of emissions testing. When you clear the codes, the car has to go through a process of observing the emissions sensors for long enough to trip the bit that tells the emissions testing computer that everything is operating and you didn't clear the codes just to pass the emissions test.
Show threadGemma SeymourOct 28

@aetataureate @jessamyn There are ways to "trick" the ECU into resetting that bit as soon as possible, and if you are lucky, you can make it to the testing station and through the test before the ECU decides to throw a code again, but it's an iffy thing, and the exact procedure varies from model to model.

The computer actually looks for patterns in your driving in an attempt to prevent you from fooling it.

Show threadGemma SeymourOct 28

@aetataureate @jessamyn In any case, in order to do this, you have to have a code reader hooked up to the car, so that you can see exactly when the bit flips to the ready state, and then *immediately* have the car tested.

An O2 sensor is usually a cheap part, but replacing it is often a huge PITA job, because of where the O2 sensors are usually located, and there are usually two of them in modern cars, one upstream of the catalyst and one downstream.

Show threadGemma SeymourOct 28

@aetataureate @jessamyn This article explains it pretty well. I have managed to get a car through the inspection process in NJ with a bad O2 sensor once, by doing the "drive cycle" with a code reader on board, but the repair still had to be done, later. In any case, that car wasn't 15+ years old.

https://repairpal.com/drive-cycle-emissions-readiness-monitors

Show threadJessamynOct 28

@gcvrsa @aetataureate Thanks so much for spelling this all out. But yes, just for those following along, in this particular case, we're not clearing the codes because they're for a thing that isn't required for me to pass inspection.

So my mechanic, who is also the guy at the inspection station, isn't sure *why* it wasn't passing, since it hits every mark it's supposed to hit because of its age (and yeah I did get a new gas cap which unfortunately didn't fix this)

Show thread64 Islands Aroha CooperativeOct 28
@jessamyn “get out of here this car is under 5.04922e8 seconds old!”
Show threadJakeOct 28
@jessamyn We don’t have inspections in Michigan but I bought a contraption on Amazon to figure out why my engine light was coming on and it allows me to reset it. Not sure if this would be helpful in your scenario but in case you didn’t know (I didn’t know until a woman at AutoZone told me).
Show threadJessamynOct 28
@gloriousnoise Yes, I have that contraption! The issue isn't the presence of the Check Engine light it's apparently literally the program for the inspection machine computer won't let it pass and the only issue the guys could figure out was that it was not quite 16 yet. But I may do that anyhow, belt and suspenders.
Show threadMorgan AldridgeOct 28

@jessamyn @gloriousnoise Part of the problem with emissions-related codes is — of which I'm sure you and your mechanic are already well aware — even once reset, the car must be driven for a certain amount of time and under different conditions for it to self-check all the various emissions controls.

This is an entirely separate, absolutely annoying programming thing! I would have thought that the computer would've read "older" because vehicle model years start selling in prior calendar year. :(

Show threadJessamynOct 28
@morgant Yes, I would have thought so too! I'm actually a little surprised that they know to-the-month when it was built and I understand that sometimes you just have to have bright lines in coding that may not make sense from a vibes perspective. I just have the sneaking suspicion that this one was coded wrong, but it's probably impossible to tell in any real way.
Show threadMorgan AldridgeOct 28

@jessamyn I believe only the model year is encoded in the VIN, but the manufacture date is usually marked on the door and is more useful for matching parts for mid-production changes. So, probably just a late build/assembly in the model year production, especially for a popular make & model (I think you mentioned Honda?)

Fun — not really — stuff!

Show threadMorgan AldridgeOct 28

@jessamyn @gloriousnoise Maybe the ECU was replaced at some point in the vehicle's history? Maybe under a recall or something, which wouldn't be as obvious and likely would've been partly into production (or well after)?

Not that it matters, just interesting to think about. I tend to agree that computers may have been a mistake, especially in vehicles. And yet, I still find them fascinating to work on.

Regardless, good luck at the next appointment!

Show threadAaron OOct 28
@jessamyn welcome to the my car is old enough to drive club...
We have a honda about drinking age, they sure do grow up fast.
Show threadJessamynOct 28
@m750 Yep, this is also a Honda, those CRVs just go and go.
Show threadTrisha Lynn 🇵🇭 🇺🇸 🇨🇦Oct 28
@jessamyn We have a 2010 Honda Accord and I’m looking forward to its quinceañera.
Show threadbesseljOct 28
@jessamyn depends on the state, but my car In CA was able to pass on second inspection after driving something like 20 warmup cycles and 100 miles even though the computer had a permanent fault code that wouldn't go away.
Show threadFritz AdalisOct 28
@jessamyn @morgant
It's very unlikely a 15 year old car's ECU will have a time-of-day/calendar clock. Besides, the 15 year part is a state law; for example in PA if you have a classic (15) or antique (25) registration you don't need emissions tested but there are mileage or time of day driving restrictions.
Show threadJessamynOct 28
@FritzAdalis @morgant Yeah I am super curious about all of it. We'll find out (maybe) on Monday!
Show threadMorgan AldridgeOct 28

@jessamyn @FritzAdalis While I don't (yet) own an electric vehicle, I've wanted to do a custom conversion for a couple decades and this whoole discussion reminds me of an anecdote from back in the day (post GM EV1, but definitely pre-Tesla Roadster):

Someone living in California had done an electric conversion, but still had to pass a smog test. They expected to pass with flying colors, but the test facility required them to have a tailpipe to connect the equipment to! (Had to add a dummy.)

Show threadMorgan AldridgeOct 28

@FritzAdalis @jessamyn Agreed that the ECU of a 15 year old car probably doesn't have a calendar/clock, but the identifying firmware probably does report the date of manufacture or something.

While the 15 year thing is VT state law, they switched to a digital inspection process a number of years ago, so it has all sorts of integrations and even goes as far as requiring photos of the vehicle from all sides for verification that it's free of rust! (Not long after they switched to salt brine too!)

Show threadChris VreelandOct 30

@jessamyn My Celica says hello to your car- they are compatriots. Sad to report I’m selling it- it has been such a trooper.

And yeah, glad to have a mechanic who can clear the code long enough to inspect it, then do so in one fell swoop. 😀