Will My Car Pass Emissions???
 

So I just got my Emissions notice in the mail the other day, and I am kind of worried.

The main reason I am worried is because of my starter issue. I know that they will turn my 8 off and then turn it back on at least twice (I took both my parents vehicles to get their emissions done and they did the same thing twice). With my starter problem now, once the car is warmed up, it takes a good 30 minutes before I can start it again.

Along with that, I do have a Racing Beat exhaust system (muffler and tips), I am not sure if that would make me fail my emissions either.

Has anyone been through a similar situation/have any advice for me? I am not sure what to do regarding my starer issue and the emissions. Can I just tell them not to turn my car off? Or would that automatically fail my car, even though that has nothing to do with emissions?

Anyone thoughts/comments/ideas would be great!

racing beat exhaust shouldn't affect testing. As long as you have oem cat.
Starting issues (by the way you describe it) is probably lack of compression. I'd get that checked. And I'm not sure if the inspectors would have an issue with that. You could ask them?

As far as I know I only have the Racing Beat exhaust, I haven't really gotten under my car to look at it (no garage or anything in a condo :/ ). But do you think if I say I have problems with my starter they would be able to run the tests without turning my car off?

if you tell them you have problems with your starter, they're not going to be more lenient. Otherwise people would just say, "oh, I have problems with_______" in order to not get things tested.

These tests are designed to inspect certain criteria, they wont skip one just because you're having an issue, they'll most likely say 'get it fixed and come back'.

Have you replaced your starter?
does it only struggle to turn on when the car has been run for a while? How does it start in the morning?
ever had your compression checked?
how old are your coils, plugs, and wires?

I have replaced the starter. It wasn't purchased by a certified Mazda place, but it is still the upgraded starter.
In the morning it starts up fine, especially after it has been off for awhile, but after it has run for awhile it struggles to start unless I wait 30-45 minutes.
I have never had my compression checked, but once I get the money saved up I really want to.
I know I had AT LEAST my coils changed almost a year ago, but I am not sure about the plugs and wires.

sounds to me you are showing symptoms of low compression.
how many miles are on your '04?

another possible reason is a weak battery.

if ur battery is good *for sure*, then hmm, time to check that warranty on ur engine by calling MNAO

I have around 48,000 miles on my '04.

I just had a new battery installed when I had my new starter installed at the same time (about a year ago).

What is MNAO and what would I ask them about?

MNAO = mazda north america operations
do a search for low compression, time to start researching your options.

Just go in for the test and let them know that you have a hard start problem. Not that it will affect the test, but it will warn them they may get jammed up if it doesn't start.

Does MD do a tailpipe test for everything? Modern cars self-test, and these days most places just plug into the OBD port and read the data. (They still charge as much as for the whole deal.)

If the tests are done by private garages (like they are here in VA as opposed to government facilities like in DC), you might consider going to a Mazda dealer for the test.

Ken

I just emailed Mazda USA about my car, hopefully I can get a good answer.