Well, not me exactly. A friend recently moved from MI to Denver (downtown near Coors Field), and needs to get her 2012 Impala inspected and registered. Current issues we know about are a P0420 and a cracked windshield. Looking for shop recommendations. Thanks!
Don't know any shops down there, but Colorado only has emissions inspections in the more populated Front Range, which includes Denver.
There is no sort of required safety inspection of any kind by the state.
I can recommend a place or two in Longmont, one of the northern exurbs, but seems unnecessary to travel that far.
If windshield, Safelite is popular and here is a link to a $80 savings promo when setting appointment online. With that, windshield replacement should be under $300
Yeah like BoulderG says, beyond the VIN verification and an emissions test there isn't really an inspection requirement. Denver - where I am - will need the emissions check. Shouldn't be a problem if the car is in good shape. My 2004 Tundra passes with flying colors every two years (knock on wood...)
I've had decent luck with South Denver Auto. They're a little independent shop near I-25 and Colorado Blvd. They do pretty well with the basics, though I've not always followed their advice. It's about 15 min from downtown unless the traffic is bad (which can be often).
Windshields are a consumable in Colorado.
I can ask my step-daughter who's near there. She has been keeping an old Nissan going for way too long.
Can't help with a shop, all the ones I know are German car shops. As posted, windshield doesn't matter
Many thanks to Angry for getting this discussion started for me!
So I'm trying to help my girl get her car registered. I read into the VIN inspection and am wondering how that will go, as the car has a Michigan salvage title. Will that prompt a full inspection? Would the windshield then get called out?
The P0420 is a cat efficency code, so it will likely need a new cat, but suppose there is some chance it's just an O2 sensor. I'm assuming if we clear the code before the test, even without an active light on the cluster, it would still fail because the DTC is set in permanent status?
Man, Michigan makes this so much easier!
Thanks for any insight!
In reply to TVR Scott :
Would you go to them for a cat replacement, or is there another shop you'd target for exhaust work?
All the readiness monitors need to be set to pass. If you clear the code before the test, they won't be and you'll fail. VIN inspection is just making sure the VIN on the car matches the title. So not a big deal in other words. Highly unlikely a cat inefficiency code is the O2 sensor.
IIRC if the car already has a salvage title from another state it will be no different than a clean title.
VIN inspection can be done by dealers, by the DMV or by the state patrol. My local DMV can do them very quickly and easily at a negligible price. State patrol involves an appointment and a less friendly individual. Dealers are dealers.
For 2000+ vehicles, supposedly you can have the evap monitor not ready and still be okay, but otherwise all monitors need to be ready. 96-99 supposedly can have any single monitor not ready. If the CEL is on, it's instant fail. On a 2004 diesel, you can have pending codes but so long as the CEL stays off, you pass...
Trying to do "The Drive Cycle" in one shot must be basically impossible in any kind of urban setting. Maybe it always requires multiple repeats even if you follow every stupid step of "The Drive Cycle" exactly.
Everyone probably knows what everyone means, but CO has two types/levels of "someone official looks at your VIN"
- VIN Verification: this is the standard level for an out-of-state vehicle, $25 or whatever at any emissions test place (AirCare or diesel e-test) or auto dealer or local law enforcement/ DMV. I agree that a car with a "rebuilt from salvage" branded title probably would go this route, but you could call/chat and find out: https://dmv.colorado.gov/out-state-titles.
- Certified VIN Inspection: this is the level for weird stuff (rebuilder's title, bonded title, inoperable vehicle, assigned VIN, etc) and requires "roadworthiness"; $53, done only by the State Police during a scheduled appointment.
https://csp.colorado.gov/services-we-provide/get-a-vin-inspection
To go back to the original question, I had really good luck with Mancinellis just off Speer right down town. https://mancinellis.com/ They did the AC on my old Xterra and was quick and did a really good job.
In reply to Oapfu :
A drive cycle involves multiple drive events. The factory manual usually gives the full procedure - or you just drive the car for a few days after resetting the codes.
Keith Tanner said:A drive cycle involves multiple drive events. The factory manual usually gives the full procedure - or you just drive the car for a few days after resetting the codes.
I've found it really varies by car. My CA emissions NB will set all the monitors in a single 15 minute drive, assuming a cold start with the right amount of fuel in the tank. Our old Odyssey, on the other hand, required no fewer than 5 cold starts to set one of the monitors so it wasn't practical to do it in less than 3 or 4 days.
39 minutes and they could be at PFI Speed in Lupton. Brett is a stand up dude.
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:Keith Tanner said:A drive cycle involves multiple drive events. The factory manual usually gives the full procedure - or you just drive the car for a few days after resetting the codes.
I've found it really varies by car. My CA emissions NB will set all the monitors in a single 15 minute drive, assuming a cold start with the right amount of fuel in the tank. Our old Odyssey, on the other hand, required no fewer than 5 cold starts to set one of the monitors so it wasn't practical to do it in less than 3 or 4 days.
There are cheats that some manufacturers build in to expedite running monitors. A typical one is clearing the codes and starting your drive cycle on the same ignition-on cycle.
Usually you need to do things like drive around as normal, coast down from highway speed without touching the brake, and such. If it's a Cali emissions car, it should have an air pump and that needs a cold start to test.
Evap generally will never run unless the fuel tank is between 15% and 85% full, so start with 3/4 tank or less but not under 1/4. Clear the codes when cold because a lot of tests require that the coolant temp and manifold air temp are within 10 degrees when you start. That's the usual indicator that it's a "cold start" as opposed to warmed up.
My step-daughter got back to me and said they haven't found a shop they like/trust yet. That's not a good sign; they've been there 10 years. I feel that way about the car dealers up there.
JT said:In reply to TVR Scott :
Would you go to them for a cat replacement, or is there another shop you'd target for exhaust work?
Yeah they'd be fine at doing that work, assuming that it's just OEM parts replacement. I don't really think of them as a fab shop, but fixing up emissions codes and that kind of thing is right up their alley.
At least in the past they definitely would shy away from doing an "tuner" work, as they called it. They refused to put Bilsteins on my Focus ST, but that was a different service manager. The new one used to work at a Porsche/Audi shop, so they might be more easy going about that kind of thing now.
The Denver area Miata people are big fans of Coyote Motors in Boulder. That's all I know.
A bit dated but this old car talk page has never steered me wrong on a mechanic. I've used it through living in 5 states.
Thank you all for the info, it's very much appreciated!
Update: She took it to Autozone and had the DTC's cleared. Then proceeded to a test site, of Autozone guy's recommendation, where emissions test and VIN check were performed and passed. Seems to me like it shouldn't have been that easy, but I'm glad it was. Thanks again for all the help, now we know where to go for future work.
JT said:Update: She took it to Autozone and had the DTC's cleared. Then proceeded to a test site, of Autozone guy's recommendation, where emissions test and VIN check were performed and passed. Seems to me like it shouldn't have been that easy, but I'm glad it was. Thanks again for all the help, now we know where to go for future work.
she's a 9. if she was a 4 it wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
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