Tunes and state emission testing....

c17chief

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2010
Location
NJ
TDI
2011 Golf 2dr
I recently had my F150 inspected here in NJ which is the first time I've gone through with the new emissions only standard they changed to a couple years ago. It appears that the ONLY thing they do is hook up to the diagnostic port to check for codes....no sniffer at the tail pipe or anything. Well they also had a big screen with an undercarriage camera fed to it right near the diagnostic screen (which I'm sure to check for mufflers/cats) but they didnt even glance at that. The same inspection process is also supposed to apply to diesels, in fact they dont even have a seperate lane for them any longer.

Anyhow, how would a tune affect this sort of inspection? Is it simply no codes = good to go, even with the most extreme modding we know not to talk about on here? Or would just a simple stage1 reflash with nothing else changed somehow cause some grief? I have no intention of ever considering the extreme route unless the dpf/egr stuff appears to be problematic as a whole across the board with these cars over time given the cost and amount of work for that, but do plan on getting a reflash when the warranty is up. If it's just a code check and reflash doesnt affect it, it may mean the difference between a mild everything else 100% stock flash vs maybe a more aggressive flash with some light (non-emission related) mods to support it.
 
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740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
*a proper tune
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
A proper software change will still allow for the OBD2 readiness monitors to be intact. We have been doing OBD testing here in the STL area for years, no issues.

However, I should note a couple things: first, some software changes allow for certain devices to be disabled, such as EGR, yet the readiness monitor will be in a permanent state of 'pass'. Some areas are now doing a test where they first check for the monitors to be passed, THEN they clear the ECU memory to see that they do not come back 'pass' right away. If they do, it will fail, because they know it has been tampered with. A readiness monitor should not come back 'pass' right away, as it normally takes some time.

Right now, we do not have this newer, more clever testing in place, but I know some places do and it will be coming to more places in the future. Also, SAE and most governments are now requiring VIN placement in the ECU, so that will be checked as well, but won't likely be for older cars that did not have it already. Probably on 2005+ and certainly on 2010+ though.

For a while there were a lot of tuners simply over writing the Federal software with a European one, which blitzed all the readiness monitors out of the ECU (since those tunes were not OBD2, but OBD-E, as Europe did not use the same protocols as we do). Those cars would either fail right away because the stupid system could not tag them as OBD2 compliant, or would fail them for no readiness support. I think that is all in the past, though, as the more common OBD testing across the country has made the tuners make software OBD2 compliant, plus Europe has come closer to the same setup as we have.

Our little Volkswagens have enjoyed easily slipping through the cracks for a while now, but with so many people immediately tampering with diesel trucks' emission control devices the EPA is cracking down. And to be honest, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I mean, come on, every other page of Diesel Power magazine has some ad for DPF delete kits and power tunes, often with a picture of some redneck beast belching out a soot cloud behind it. You cannot really expect them to quietly stand by while so many owners thumb their noses at Federal laws.
 
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