Emission Testing your Vehicles in Denver
Today we are talking about getting your vehicles regularly tested here in the State of Colorado. In the Denver-Metro Area, you can only go to the Air Care Colorado Emissions Testing Stations. When you arrive at one of these locations you will pull into a line and will be directed into one of the six bays depending on your vehicle. At the Emissions Stations, they have a two-wheel drive or a four-wheel drive testing Station. This is really important when getting your car tested because they are two totally different tests. Even though both of the tests look the same, in reality, they provide totally different results for the vehicle.
When the vehicle goes into this process they go on a “treadmill” which makes the car seem like it is on the road. While the car is on the treadmill, an inspector will go around and measure different criteria so that they can know how your car is functioning while it is on the road. Some of the major differences that we are looking for today are the two-wheel drive and the four-wheel-drive dominator. Because they both look the same the difference from a two-wheel drive to a four-wheel-drive dominator is that the two-wheel-drive dominator is designed to only have one driven axle. What this means is that if your car is a rear-wheel-drive vehicle they would put the rear and front wheels onto the treadmill and begin testing. Because the car is a rear-wheel vehicle it will have resistance when it the driver applies gas to the test. This is different from the front wheels because they do not have the power to stop the vehicle as the rear wheel tires do. An all-wheel-drive is very similar to the sense that when the vehicle is put on both set of rollers (treadmill), all the rollers themselves will pull on the tires because all of the wheels have built-in resistance.
Very recently we saw two Subarus which were both all-wheel-drive vehicles side by side at a local emission test. This is something that should never happen because they are the same they should receive the same test. One was on the correct all wheel drive test and the other was on the two-wheel-drive test. When the vehicle that was on the two-wheel drive test, it showed that there were no problems with the emissions because Subaru lines their transmissions with a line of couplet which is a large silly putty device that is inside the transmission that helps torc the front and rear end of the vehicle just in case the front slips or visa versa. When an All wheel drive Subaru gets placed on the two-wheel drive test there is no resistance on the front wheel tires when the inspector sees this they direct all of the power to the rear wheels tires. Having this happen to a car causes too much stress onto the vehicle which makes the fluid overheat inside the transmission and almost always leaves the car in failure.
These emissions tests in Colorado take up to 6-10 mins to perform after having your engine running after a hot day, this is very easily a way to destroy your vehicle’s transmission. Please pay close attention when you arrive to get an emission test for your vehicle if it is a Front Wheel Drive, All Wheel Drive, or a Rear Wheel Drive. We provide free service diagnosis and would be happy to look at your vehicle.
Come bring your vehicle to us! Call us at 303-919-7769
Bring in your car to us for a FREE diagnostic. Call 303.919.7769.
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