Excellent and sensible concept.  Implementing such a procedure as law would
require two things.

1.  Intelligence on the part of significant numbers of the CA legislature.
2.  Intestinal fortitude on the part of significant numbers of the CA
legislature.

Don't hold your breath.

David Marshall wrote:

> They should make the system like is in southern British Columbia...
>
> - Look at vehicle determine year, make and model (88 VW Vanagon)
> - Look at the chart to see what the vehicle is supposed to do (X% CO and Y%
> NOX at such an RPM on the dynometer).
> - Check for a catalytic converter - if missing fail.  If present continue.
> - "Drive" vehicle on the dynometer.  Check to see if the CO and NOX are at
> or below the limits on the chart. - If yes then pass, if no then fail.
>
> This test makes perfect sense to me... have a polluting pig and make it
> better - you pass!  Let's also look at it like this.  Compare a 5.8L 2001
> Chev Suburban to a 2.0L 2001 VW Golf CL - I think (don't know for sure) that
> it would take 5 Golfs to equal the pollution per 100km that one Suburban
> produces... If you really want to get down to politics and "fairness" why
> does the Suburban and Golf get looked at the same way if they fail the
> test... A Golf can fail by quite a bit and still not be at the same level as
> a Suburban.
>
> David Marshall