Five More Inspection Stations Begin Offering Free Onboard Diagnostic Checks For PA Inspection And Maintenance Pilot Program

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 20 -- On behalf of Gov. Mark Schweiker, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) Secretary Bradley L. Mallory and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary David E. Hess today announced that five additional inspection stations have begun offering free Onboard Diagnostic (OBD) Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Checks as part of a new, voluntary emissions-testing pilot program in 17 Pennsylvania counties.

The additional stations now offering the free inspections are:

Faulkner Ford-Mercury, 1531 Park Ave., Quakertown, Bucks County; Extra Mile Auto, 330 Strode Ave., Coatesville, Chester County; Infiniti of Willow Grove, 1510 Easton Road, Willow Grove, Montgomery County; Calabro Tire Service, 1476 Bower Hill Road, Pittsburgh; and Farabaugh Chevrolet-Olds, 469 N. Market St., Ligonier, Westmoreland County. Worldwide Environmental Products is loaning these five pilot stations the necessary OBD equipment for the duration of the pilot program.

The pilot program, launched in Harrisburg on May 1, offers free OBD checks to people who volunteer to have their vehicles tested.

OBD I/M Pilot Program Checks can be performed on 1996 and newer passenger vehicles, vans and light-duty trucks weighing 9,000 pounds and less, and fueled with gasoline, since these vehicles were required to be manufactured with the OBD systems. Motorists in the Southcentral and Lehigh Valley areas with vehicles older than model year 1996 are still eligible to participate in the pilot program. Cars, vans and light-duty trucks that are model year 1977 through 1995 can receive a free gas-cap check and anti-tampering visual inspection as part of the pilot program.

During the free tests, an inspector will attach a cable to a vehicle's onboard computer to see if any emissions equipment is damaged or otherwise malfunctioning. If the OBD system detects a problem, a diagnostic trouble code will be stored in the vehicle's computer helping the inspector to properly diagnose and repair the problem, if necessary. Vehicles also will have a gas-cap check conducted free-of-charge. A gas-cap check is a functional check that determines if harmful evaporative fumes are escaping from the gas cap into the atmosphere.

The I/M program is part of the state's plan to reduce air pollution and to keep the air clean for future generations. Vehicles are a major source of air pollution in Pennsylvania. Vehicle emissions contribute to health and environmental problems such as smog, air toxics and global warming. And a third of Pennsylvania's ground-level ozone pollution comes from gasoline- powered vehicles and refueling operations.

The pilot program is being implemented in four areas of Pennsylvania. They are: Philadelphia area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties); Pittsburgh area (Allegheny, Beaver, Washington and Westmoreland counties); Southcentral region (Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties); and Lehigh Valley (Lehigh and Northampton counties).

For more details about the OBD I/M Check Pilot Program and a list of stations that are testing vehicles, visit the PA PowerPort at www.state.pa.us, PA Keyword: "Drive Clean."