[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by prithm

Everything here shows that they just scammed you guys.

The only one that got scammed here is the government. And I am pretty sure it is quite rampant.

If they see an old car coming in for PUC, they will most def put in the sensors in the exhaust and take the reading. If it is higher than the limits, he will show you and will ask you to cough up more money to get a cleaner PUC certificate. If you agree, now no sensors will be put up in the exhaust tip.

Witnessed this when I took my Enfield for the PUC and there was one other guy with a badly maintained rx100 (probably just bought it and wanted to transfer). His readings were way off the allowable readings for the model year of his bike.

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by prithm

Everything here shows that they just scammed you guys. In all sense, what was he measuring ... checking if manufacturer has charged your car batteries properly !!!!

Either you guys should report this guy or get it done in RTO itself (many are derelict).

Scammed? Yes
Me? No
Us? Yes

The reason I put this query here was coz of the ongoing debate on the steps to control pollution. The best way to control emission IMHO is to make sure that its controlled at the source - i.e. the vehicles themselves. But then looking at the ground reality I wasn't sure. Hence thought to verify before I jump the gun.

In a country where all HMV, LCV are running on diesel, with such a lackadaisical method of checking emissions and then taking about environment liabilities in the same breath is a joke, at best.

We have a water tanker which passes by our apartment every day.Its exhaust will put the best military smoke screens to shame.

The guys at the RTO are not aware of this? I doubt.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

The only one that got scammed here is the government. And I am pretty sure it is quite rampant.

If they see an old car coming in for PUC, they will most def put in the sensors in the exhaust and take the reading. If it is higher than the limits, he will show you and will ask you to cough up more money to get a cleaner PUC certificate. If you agree, now no sensors will be put up in the exhaust tip.

Witnessed this when I took my Enfield for the PUC and there was one other guy with a badly maintained rx100 (probably just bought it and wanted to transfer). His readings were way off the allowable readings for the model year of his bike.

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Scammed? Yes
Me? No
Us? Yes

The reason I put this query here was coz of the ongoing debate on the steps to control pollution. The best way to control emission IMHO is to make sure that its controlled at the source - i.e. the vehicles themselves. But then looking at the ground reality I wasn't sure. Hence thought to verify before I jump the gun.

In a country where all HMV, LCV are running on diesel, with such a lackadaisical method of checking emissions and then taking about environment liabilities in the same breath is a joke, at best.

We have a water tanker which passes by our apartment every day.Its exhaust will put the best military smoke screens to shame.

The guys at the RTO are not aware of this? I doubt.

Actually, this is a very good scam in Indian roads. There is absolutely no control agency which has overall control. Blame game move between each other.

I don't think there is anything that is passed on as benefit to environment from these taxes. Nothing.

Even if they use 20% of the money collected to plant tropical evergreen trees, we will have much less issue than what we are facing today.

All these machines are poorly maintained, not cleaned and readings are absolutely atrocious. A gas chromatography machine on back of a van filled with dust and grime. Sad we are fooling ourselves.

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by prithm

There is absolutely no control agency which has overall control.
All these machines are poorly maintained, not cleaned and readings are absolutely atrocious. A gas chromatography machine on back of a van filled with dust and grime. Sad we are fooling ourselves.

Here in Bangalore we get an sms from RTO within a few minutes of clearing the PUC. So, yes the data is being sent back to the agency.

However the whole process of checking the pollution is just a sham (unless I have missed some strange logic in the current process). If so, then the whole logic in having a Pollution Under Control goes for a toss, isn't it?

[prithm]

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Here in Bangalore we get an sms from RTO within a few minutes of clearing the PUC. So, yes the data is being sent back to the agency.

However the whole process of checking the pollution is just a sham (unless I have missed some strange logic in the current process). If so, then the whole logic in having a Pollution Under Control goes for a toss, isn't it?

That data is of no use vinjosep. What ever these guys do at the data collection point itself is wrong. Infact in Hyderabad, the certificates themselves are shabby sometimes. Sometimes there are no serial numbers, no official holograms, its just some color xerox type paper and not sure if these certificates are monitored by RTO anytime ever.

We are doing all these for the sake of it. How I wish I can get a portable gas chromatograph for doing this check myself and take corrective action.

[hothatchaway]

Does someone know if the 1st year exemption of carrying a PUC certificate (done from outside) applies to motorcycles as well? Unlike cars there arent any stickers on the bike which proclaim their clean chits

Also curious what emission norms do motorcycles currently sold in India meet? Do they meet BS IV?

[itwasntme]

Kolkata Police used to themselves randomly test vehicles on the road and found many of them to be polluting even though they were carrying valid PUCs issued by authorized testing centres.

There was a big hue and cry and the state government went after the centres themselves and found many machines malfunctioning.

Unsure what is the state now.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Does someone know if the 1st year exemption of carrying a PUC certificate (done from outside) applies to motorcycles as well? Unlike cars there arent any stickers on the bike which proclaim their clean chits

Also curious what emission norms do motorcycles currently sold in India meet? Do they meet BS IV?

When your vehicle leaves the dealer after PDI, it should have a PUC certificate and sticker with it. My car was missing this and I still drove it.

BSIV standards are not stringent with two wheelers. Four wheelers and above have to undergo that pain.

[RajeVenu]

I was maintaining a pollution check machine as part of my workshop, the sensors are very costly to replace and they do conk off quite fast depending on how much of pollution you subject them to. I don't think that these maruti omni based puc test center would be able to afford them. It's an eyewash for all parties involved. I don't know when our monitoring agencies would be as strict as the British or the Americans.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by RajeVenu

I was maintaining a pollution check machine as part of my workshop, the sensors are very costly to replace and they do conk off quite fast depending on how much of pollution you subject them to.

Great RajeVenu. Were you using one of those portable gas emission check machines or the standard large computerized analyzer ?

[RajeVenu]

Originally Posted by prithm

Great RajeVenu. Were you using one of those portable gas emission check machines or the standard large computerized analyzer ?

Cannot exactly call it portable as it was bigger in size than a 30L microwave oven. It was an imported model of some German company. It had a few sensors which were attached to the fuel line (from outside), spark plug leads (only for petrol vehicle), had a steel tube with some perforations which went into the exhaust and an attachment which sat on the tip of exhaust. It had its own printer and a small led monochrome screen. There were two checks possible a kind of mini check and a detailed check. Probably we were able to maintain it being a government organisation and used it to certify our own vehicles.
I think it had a built in spectrometer/ gas chromatograph and analysed it to give the contents of smoke. The sensors were imported and one of them costed us 1.25L, quite costly for that time.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by RajeVenu

I think it had a built in spectrometer/ gas chromatograph and analysed it to give the contents of smoke. The sensors were imported and one of them costed us 1.25L, quite costly for that time.

In your experience, were they accurate in reading or just indicative ?

The reason I am asking this is because, I am planning to get one of those portable ones and not sure if its a good investment.

[RajeVenu]

Originally Posted by prithm

In your experience, were they accurate in reading or just indicative ?

The reason I am asking this is because, I am planning to get one of those portable ones and not sure if its a good investment.

I don't know your intended use but the one I was associated with gave lots of details and the readings were in ppm and % and were accurate, New maruti gypsy had also failed in the pollution tests. You also had a keyboard and monitor interface (although it supported only monochrome) so you could get some graphical outputs of analysis.

I had read somewhere that Telangana police are going to be issued with handheld analysers as they are planning to fine 1k for first timers and 2k for repeat offenders failing pollution tests. I believe these would come along with a sim which would relay the data to a central database for effective enforcement. The report said that orders have been placed and would be seen in action shortly. They would be akin to the breath analysers used for alcohol tests.

The portable ones may only check for those particulates which are in a higher quantity and not check the low percentage deadlier ones. The amount of pollutants change with the engine temp, rpm and vintage of your catalytic converter.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by RajeVenu

I don't know your intended use

Mine is for same purpose that you quoted. Use it for my vehicles and check if everything is in place instead of getting a shock.

Hand helds are more ergonomical, but not sure if they will have the accuracy of the one that you had. I have worked with Gas Chromatography and I know how big a machine that is. These gas analyzers do the same, but only for few known particulates.

The challenge comes with cleaning the filaments and sensors. These need more hands on approach in cleaning with distilled and alcohol. I am not sure if you encountered these earlier in your old machine.

[Fstlndrive]

I have posted this in BMW 320d and 328i: official review also.

I want to get a pollution check for my BMW 320i (2016) car in delhi. I visited 3 centers. All of them have the same problem. That is, while the accelerator pedal is depressed, the rpm in the center's machine does not reach to 2300-2700 rpm, although my car's rpm crosses 5000. Hence, the pollution check could not be completed. If any one has any solution to this problem, I would greatly appreciate.