Heh, gotta love the inspection states. So glad to have left NY. I have a friend back home who is now forced to look for a new vehicle, because his post-1996 vehicle won't pass emissions tests in NY.
Not because it's polluting. But because it has a 'check engine' light on, which means the state automatically fails it when hooking it up to their machine. And fixing it would cost about what the car is worth. Back in the old days, you'd have a mechanic 'friend' who would charge you double for an inspection sticker. Now, it's all computerized, with a machine that communicates directly with Albany. No cheating now.
Nanny states for you.
I had a vacuum leak in the filler pipe that set a code. Changing the filler looked to be a nuisance.
Code reader on EBay, $50.
Cleared the code a couple of times, got the sticker, and fixed the filler when the weather was nicer.
It's easy.
My BIL was down last week. SAME CODE!
He has borrowed the code reader.
things are different though if its a pre computer car - like a classic or hot rod - you can still find a friendly mechanic here and there
A 45$ code reader can reset it. As long as the cause doesn’t trip it too soon it can possibly get by.