Maryland expands self-service test for auto emissions

Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration is expanding a nine-month-old program that lets drivers perform their own vehicle emissions tests at self-service kiosks.

The idea is that the tests, required on vehicles registered in Maryland, should be quicker and easier than waiting in the lines for a technician at the testing station. It’s the equivalent of pumping your own gas or checking out your own groceries.

The self-service kiosks are open at all hours and all days at the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program stations and MVA offices in the D.C. and Baltimore regions. The cost for using the self-service kiosk inspections has been cut from $14 to $10. The full-service inspection still costs $14.

The initial program had two kiosks. The expansion announced Tuesday adds seven. The original two have been at the Glen Burnie VEIP station and the Gaithersburg MVA branch office since August. The new ones are at the Bel Air, Beltsville, Frederick and Waldorf MVA branch offices, and at the Annapolis, Edgewood and Owings Mills VEIP stations. Click here for a full list of testing station locations.

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The kiosks do the same test that the technicians do at the full-service stations. The driver plugs the testing device into the vehicle’s computer diagnostic system to test whether the engine is working properly and the vehicle’s emissions are meeting Maryland’s environmental standards.

These are the vehicle types eligible to use the self-service kiosks: light-duty vehicles under 8,500 pounds gross weight from model years 2005 and newer, and heavy-duty vehicles between 8,501 and 14,000 pounds gross weight from model years 2008 and newer. If the vehicle doesn’t fit those categories, or if the inspection is past due, go to a full-service station for testing.

The MVA says the two original kiosks have done more than 2,300 tests, with a customer satisfaction rating of 85 to 90 percent. But I think it’s a really good idea to watch the MVA video demonstration of how they work.

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At each step in the self-service test, you will follow the instructions displayed on a video screen, with touch button responses. First you will pay using a credit card, then extract a testing machine to hook up to your car. Then you will return the device to the kiosk and await the results. You will receive the usual printout telling you if the vehicle passed or failed. If it failed, you must have it repaired and retested, just as you would if you had used the full-service station.

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