Ok, I'm probably going to be buying my first maxima tomorrow. .. Where I live we don't have emissions testing so I'm a little confused by my research results. It is an Illinois station.
This is what I have found
Sold in 10/2000
No emissions testing from original owner
Sold to dealer 10/03 23000 miles
Sold to owner 12/03 23150 miles
Emissions test done 2/2005 48000 miles.

Now I am wondering aren't emissions suppossed to be done every year that the vehicle is on the road????
Wouldn't the DMV add something to carfax if test wasn't done, like "emissions testing past due" or something? Unless it was wrecked and not registered?????
I guess what I don't understand is (I'm paranoid) how could he have bought the vehicle in 12/03 with no test and not have done a test for 14 months lf registration is every 12? I just want to make sure there was a way this could be done. He said he just didn't have time, so he waited until February???? Maybe his registration is in February and since he bought it in 12/03 he didnt have to do one that year??????? Input is great thanks.

 

My car has never been tested, 2003 w/ 60.5k.

 

Okay, I don’t know how emissions are run where you are but I can answer your questions based on my experiences. Where I live (Portland, OR) you have to go to DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) every time your tags expire, or if the car is a new register in Portland. So to answer your questions.

No, it’s only done when your license plate tags expire, or when you transfer into an emission required city. Its every 2 years here.

Nope, they only add it when you go through the process. So if the person who owned it lived in a city that required emission testing then moved to an area that didn’t require it, the records would only show the times they did test. If they didn’t do it when required it basically means he drove around with expired tags or moved to an area that didnt require emission testing.

Hope that helps

 

you get 2 years until you get your next emission test. Everyone of my car that gets tested pass and gets a 2 year pass. You don't have to do it every year

 

MA used to have just a probe that sat in your tail pipe and it read hydrocarbons and that stuff. That was once a year when your reg was renewed. Then they went to a dyno type machine with emissions equipment on it and that was every 2 years but still safety every year. In NH we didn't have emissions just safety every year when renew reg on your birthday. Now the state is getting high tech and we have a computer that plugs into the cars computer and sends the info to the state using the cars emissions sensors. This system is not fully implemented in NH yet though. Every state will be different and in some states it may differ by the town.

 

Yeah what he said for MA.

 

in chicago you, if you have an OBD they just plug that in run through the test and then done. If you don't got OBD they'll use the tailpipe. Obviously your car will use OBD. My mom's 91 MPV gets 2 years and it uses tailpipe. They don't really do any inspecting.....never had it inspected before.

 

Here in GA, a new car doesn't have to be tested for emissions. After a few years, you have to start getting yearly emissions tests. I don't know how old your car needs to be before testing is required, but I know that my 2001 Sentra and my 2003 Maxima have never had emissions tests done, and they are both totally legal and up to date.