The annual inspection of private cars after six years has always been controversial. After spending hundreds of dollars and having to wait for several hours, many car owners are distressed.
In order to save time and effort, some car owners choose to go to scalpers to have their annual inspections done. They would rather pay an extra 200-300 yuan to enjoy more conveniences. Even my girlfriend who is ignorant of the car industry wants to go to scalpers quickly. Click done and hit the road.
However, as a real experienced driver, the editor will certainly not do this. Taking advantage of the fact that the annual inspection is about to expire, the editor specially photographed the entire vehicle inspection process to share with you the key points, difficulties and pitfalls in the annual inspection process.
A trick to get a one-time annual inspection
Prepare information and check vehicle condition in advance
Regarding what preparations are needed for the annual inspection, the editor asked 10 car owners and 9 of them looked confused.
The editor's experience is that it will be easier to pass the annual inspection if you prepare the documents and do a "fundamental check" of the vehicle's condition.
①Document preparation
Handle the violation and bring a copy of your driving license and compulsory traffic insurance. These three are the most basic documents to prepare.
②Do a vehicle condition check in advance
The editor has previously explained the increase in annual inspection fees. The main reason is the addition of OBD testing. A simple understanding of this test is to connect your car to a computer, check whether there are fault codes in the vehicle, and detect exhaust emissions. After the new regulations were introduced, many car owners failed the annual inspection and failed at this level.
Therefore, just like doing simulation exercises before taking an exam, go to the shop to check the vehicle condition in advance so that you are well aware of it. The editor drove his car to Tuhu Car Maintenance Shanghai Technical Center, and found out two problems.
One of the problems is abnormal engine oil return pressure. This is a common problem in Volkswagen. If the oil is usually filled too full, the canister solenoid valve on the fuel tank will easily get stuck, and there will be a distinct smell of gasoline in the cabin. .
Although such a fault is not harmful to the engine, it is a failure in the OBD test. Since it was an accidental situation, the technician immediately cleared the fault code after confirming that there were no other faults.
Another problem is that this car has always had a burned-out taillight bulb. The editor has repeatedly repaired this problem before, but the root cause has not been found. During this inspection, it was discovered that the cause was actually a crack on the top of the inner lampshade of the rear light.
Basically, I have to burn out the light bulb once a month
There is no external injury, but the inside is cracked and melted. This should not be the case.
Under normal circumstances, the taillight bulb will not cause the plastic parts on the top of the taillight to crack and melt. However, the quality of Volkswagen is so high, the lampshades on both sides were burned by the bulb. This is a common problem with Polo. Therefore, when it rains, water enters the taillights, causing the circuit to short-circuit, eventually causing the lights to burn out.
In order to eradicate this hidden danger of failing the exam, the rear light assembly could only be replaced to eliminate subsequent hidden dangers, which cost 500 oceans.
The old one has no external injuries, it’s just useless.
Real shots of the annual inspection process
The legendary violence detection was not found
After changing the lights, the editor finally hit the road and went to the nearest Qinchun Road Monitoring Station No. 26 to inspect the vehicle. It has to be said that there are also long queues in the annual inspection waiting area on working days. The first preparation at this time is to take out the car's warning triangle and place it on the engine cover to wait for inspection. The subsequent inspection process is also very simple.
It is mainly divided into 6 steps: appearance inspection → driving inspection → brake inspection → vehicle weighing → light inspection → OBD exhaust gas inspection.
①Appearance inspection
Submit the paid vehicle inspection form and the original vehicle driving license to the vehicle inspector, and then check in sequence as required whether the engine compartment has been modified, all lights, wipers, etc.
②Driving inspection
The vehicle inspector first runs around the test track to check whether the vehicle has any abnormal chassis noise, deviation, and whether it can accelerate and decelerate normally. Strictly speaking, it's just a circle, there are no high-risk items.
③Brake inspection+④Vehicle weighing
First, drive the car onto the roller machine, then apply the brake twice on the front wheel and tighten the handbrake once, and do the same for the rear wheel. This project is mainly to test the braking yaw and braking strength. If the brakes are too soft or aged, or the braking effect of the wheels on both sides is very different, it is likely to fail here.
Of course, such a test may cause an ABS warning for cars with electronic handbrakes, but this will be eliminated in subsequent OBD inspections.
Weighing will also be carried out while testing the brakes, and any excessive modifications will be discovered.
⑤Light detection
The end of the detection line is the light detection. This project detects the height and luminous intensity of the high beam. If your headlights have been modified or replaced but not adjusted properly, it may fail here. According to the inspection standards on the vehicle inspection report, in fact, as long as it exceeds 15,000cd/m², this indicator can reach 19,000cd/m² even for normal halogen bulbs.
Important note: If the color temperature exceeds 6500K, it may fail the annual inspection, so everyone must pay attention to the color temperature when changing lights.
⑥OBD detection
This is a new project that was just implemented last year. The principle is also very simple. It is to drive the car on the dynamometer and connect the OBD trip computer to read the parameters and fault codes. Then idle normally to check whether the exhaust emissions are normal, and finally shift into gear and accelerate normally to continue testing the exhaust.
As long as there is no abnormal data in the middle, it will basically pass. However, the editor is a little worried about the OBD test, and is afraid that the carbon canister solenoid valve will occasionally malfunction again. Fortunately, the little Polo is up to the task.
Develop scientific maintenance habits
No need for scalpers to intervene at all
The editor actually filmed the entire car inspection process this time. There was no particular difficulty during the whole process, and I did not see many car-destroying violent inspections exposed on the Internet. While waiting, I learned from the communication with the vehicle inspector that the legendary violent double-idling method is generally only used for rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles. As long as the vehicle's water temperature is normal, the likelihood of engine damage is extremely low.
As mentioned on the Internet, OBD detection is not friendly to "old cars", but it is a little difficult for this German model Volkswagen Polo, which is particularly fond of jumping fault codes. But if the vehicle is well maintained, there will generally be no problems.
If you suspect that your car cannot pass the OBD test, the editor recommends going to the Tuhu car maintenance workshop for inspection like me. If necessary, simple cleaning of a few parts can be done.
1. Clean the three-way catalytic converter
This project requires professional technicians to use a three-way catalytic cleaner and a special three-way catalytic maintenance agent.
Three-way catalytic cleaning should be a must before the annual inspection, because the focus of the annual inspection is to check whether the emissions meet the standards, and the three-way catalytic converter is the key to meeting the standards. Generally, it is recommended that you clean the three-way catalytic converter every 20,000 kilometers or 2 years. If the three-way catalytic converter cleaning has not been done on the day of the annual inspection and it is passed on the annual inspection line, then you can only choose the nearest repair shop to handle it. The processing method cannot be stated clearly, and the price... I pay for the fish and the knife for everyone, that's about it.
2. Clean carbon deposits in the cylinder
Before maintenance, add a bottle of internal engine cleaning agent to the engine oil port, pour the entire bottle of detergent (mixed with old engine oil), cover the engine oil cap, and turn off the engine after idling for 10 minutes. Clean the carbon deposits inside the engine and use detergent to dissolve deposits such as sludge, colloid, moisture and metal debris inside the engine to reduce contamination of new engine oil and extend the service life of the engine.
3. Clean the throttle valve
Under normal circumstances, the cleaning cycle of the throttle valve is 20,000 kilometers. The construction process is roughly to remove the engine cover, remove the throttle valve, clean it with carburetor cleaning agent, wipe it dry with cotton cloth and then install it.
Missing the annual inspection time will have serious consequences
Article 49 of the "Motor Vehicle Registration Regulations" clarifies that the owner of a motor vehicle may apply for an inspection mark to the local vehicle management office within three months before the expiration of the motor vehicle inspection validity period. This time can only be advanced, not postponed.
If the annual inspection is not completed by the due date, you may face a penalty of 3 points and a fine of 200. In addition, if a traffic accident occurs without annual inspection and the party concerned is responsible, the insurance company will not pay compensation.
Finally, the cost varies from place to place. The editor’s annual inspection in Guangzhou cost 400 oceans, which is quite painful.
