Palumbo: Emission testing system flawed

It’s a problem without a solution, a frustrating reality I discovered when I attempted to register my 2019 Honda HRV. Since moving to Sun City, our driving distances have significantly decreased, with most destinations falling within a 5- to 20-mile radius. Yet, this seemingly straightforward registration process turned into a labyrinth of complications.

My car was due for registration renewal on May 31. I received my registration materials and went to the Emissions Center in Surprise because it needs to be tested when a vehicle reaches 5 years old. The first time I went there, the car “was not ready” to be tested. It had 27,000 total miles on it, and apparently, the car had to “reset” to be tested.

So, I go to the office to find out how to get it “ready.” I get a sheet of paper with nine instructions on it. Something like take the car on the highway going 55 miles an hour and take your foot off the accelerator for 90 seconds. After 10 minutes of highway driving, they tell you to go to the street, accelerate, take your foot off the accelerator, and coast, along with other similar instructions.

So, off I go back to the testing site, and again I get a white slip of paper that says to come back next week because the car was not ready to “test.”

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, and May 31 is getting closer. Before taking it in for the third time, we decided to put some highway miles on it and drive a 200-mile round trip to a state park near Tucson. Come back, and again, head to the emissions station. Again, the tester happily informs me that the car is still “not ready.”

My next test date is May 22. In a panic, I go to my car dealer and say, what can I do about this? He said, “Well, take it on the 101, go to the 103, get off, and,” I said, stop. I have done all that, and he said, “Sometimes it takes 1,200 miles to reset.

Then it hit me. I will never be able to get my beautiful 2019 HRV registered by May 31st in the state of Arizona. So, I returned to the dealer, traded in the car, and bought a 2024 HRV. Even though my 2019 would have probably gone another 150,000 miles without breaking a sweat.

There is something wrong when there is no solution to this problem. The testing system is flawed because many folks trying to pass the test were getting the same white “not ready to test” notice I received. Someone must figure this out. I don’t want to buy another car in 2029.