Automotive

Ontario Screwjob

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  • Oct 5th, 2014 11:01 pm
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Jr. Member
Feb 8, 2010
146 posts
112 upvotes

Ontario Screwjob

So I recently bought an 05 infiniti g35 6mt, with 107000km for $7000 from a friend of mine who moved to Calgary. The car is a real beauty. I got the car which had the check engine light on it. I figured it was no big deal and it wasnt.

However Ontario wont pass drive clean and transfer ownership with the check engine light on. Had the car checked by my mechanic and took it to infiniti who found nothing wrong with it. Had my own mechanic change it and had infiniti do a bunch of work on it too. Ran me up $1200. I cant even get a conditional pass!!!

All being said this has left the car sitting in my garage and me being $8200 short. Can someone please help me here. Is there any way I can pass drive clean. Or am I being screwed due to Ontarios greed. As far as I can tell my car is not harming the environment any more than my pickup which passed with flying colours.
49 replies
Deal Addict
Nov 12, 2004
2681 posts
1482 upvotes
Hometown
Grey area for drive clean testing. One part of the website says they can reject the car if the check engine light is on. Another part says your car can be tested but will "likely" fail if the check engine light is emissions related. Some codes are NOT emissions related though. Greedy garages will always say the light is on so PAY US a fortune, they won't even do a test in a lot of cases either.

So unless you know that the code is NOT emissions related and can find a garage that follows the actual law instead of abusing it you might be stuck. Was the car modded by the previous owner?

Show your mechanic this page from the drive clean website...

https://www.ontario.ca/driving-and-road ... gine-light
Deal Addict
Jan 30, 2012
1836 posts
1399 upvotes
TORONTO
nithanyo wrote: However Ontario wont pass drive clean and transfer ownership with the check engine light on. Had the car checked by my mechanic and took it to infiniti who found nothing wrong with it. Had my own mechanic change it and had infiniti do a bunch of work on it too. Ran me up $1200.
This doesn't make sense. If the car's check engine light is on, the car's computer thinks something is wrong.

Connect to the OBD-II port and see what the car's computer says the problem is - takes 5 minutes with the right tools. Then fix the problem.

Or, if the car's computer is mistakenly lighting up the check engine light, replace the computer.

I'm amazed that you paid $1200 for no results.
Newbie
Sep 30, 2014
3 posts
1 upvote
Toronto, ON
Hey man, can I suggest something. Have you tried Seafoam? Give it a shot, I heard a lot of people have had success passing emissions after they used SeaFoam.

If you don't know what it is look it up, but briefly it cleans out the engine of debris and other crap stuck in cylinders and all that. You just pour it in some of the valves and some into the gas tank and then just rev the car for a bit till all the smoke disappears. (much easier to do than it sounds)

Anyways I would highly recommend trying it, I kid you not people have actually passed emissions tests after doing this in your same situation, and its like 10 bucks a can.

Good luck!
Deal Expert
Feb 24, 2007
15169 posts
2743 upvotes
nithanyo wrote: So I recently bought an 05 infiniti g35 6mt, with 107000km for $7000 from a friend of mine who moved to Calgary. The car is a real beauty. I got the car which had the check engine light on it. I figured it was no big deal and it wasnt.

However Ontario wont pass drive clean and transfer ownership with the check engine light on. Had the car checked by my mechanic and took it to infiniti who found nothing wrong with it. Had my own mechanic change it and had infiniti do a bunch of work on it too. Ran me up $1200. I cant even get a conditional pass!!!

All being said this has left the car sitting in my garage and me being $8200 short. Can someone please help me here. Is there any way I can pass drive clean. Or am I being screwed due to Ontarios greed. As far as I can tell my car is not harming the environment any more than my pickup which passed with flying colours.
You need to expand on what work/tests has exactly been performed on the car? Change what?
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jul 22, 2006
22438 posts
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what is the obd code? Fix the obd code

Why the heck would you pay your mechanic $1200 and the obd code is still there?
Deal Fanatic
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Apr 15, 2011
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aGincourt
If the CEL is still there that means something is still wrong, get ELM327 + Android
Deal Expert
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Jul 29, 2003
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YVR
I've experienced 2 different Nissan vehicles with check engine lights and no issues. Both were my family's vehicles and our mechanic friend managed to reset it so that the light would stay off for a few days, long enough to get Air Care done.

Alternatively, you can sell that obviously messed up G35 to me for cheap. :razz:
R.I.P. Rick Rypien #37

For Sale:
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Deal Expert
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Jul 22, 2006
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Haz wrote: Alternatively, you can sell that obviously messed up G35 to me for cheap. :razz:
I'll beat his offer
Deal Addict
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Sep 1, 2013
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New Tecumseth, ON
Haz wrote: I've experienced 2 different Nissan vehicles with check engine lights and no issues. Both were my family's vehicles and our mechanic friend managed to reset it so that the light would stay off for a few days, long enough to get Air Care done.

Alternatively, you can sell that obviously messed up G35 to me for cheap. :razz:
They can tell if you just clear the codes and go for the test, it would be an automatic fail.
Deal Expert
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May 10, 2005
36997 posts
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Ottawa
What I find strange is he "and took it to infiniti who found nothing wrong with it." Exactly what did you ask of them. Surely if the CEL is on, the dealer would have done something to shut the light off or the very least upsell you a fix?? A light is triggered by a sensor or the computer, they can find out why the light is on and they can reset the light as well.
Something does not sound right about this.
“Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”
Member
Nov 13, 2013
213 posts
15 upvotes
NEPEAN
Please look for a drive clean certified mechanic, your mechanic probably isn't one.

$400 is the limit to get at least the car on the road as a conditional pass. $1200 with no results.... It pisses me off too.
Deal Fanatic
Jul 4, 2004
7430 posts
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Ottawa
onionautoservice wrote: Please look for a drive clean certified mechanic, your mechanic probably isn't one.

$400 is the limit to get at least the car on the road as a conditional pass. $1200 with no results.... It pisses me off too.
I believe the problem is that you cannot get a conditional pass with a new registration.

OP, one thing you might be able to do is reset the code, then immediately go do a DriveClean. You'll fail because of the reset (sensors not ready). Drive the car 30kms, reset the codes again and go do another test the next day, may pass but will probably fail again because of the reset (sensors still not ready) and then repeat a third time the next day. After 3 "not readys", you can do the old fashion tailpipe test and as long as the vehicle doesn't actually have emission issues, you'll get a full pass that way. This is a lot easier to do if you have your own code reader (the condition on the retest is that you CANNOT have more "not readys" on a subsequent test than you did on a previous test, you also can't have any 'fail' codes ("pending" appear to be okay))

As far as the Province screwing you, unfortunately, that's really more of buyer beware, as a used car buyer, you should know that you need a DriveClean to register the vehicle and if you do any research, you should know that a CEL is an automatic fail on DriveClean.
Deal Guru
Aug 14, 2007
12807 posts
3837 upvotes
--
Sounds like his friend wasn't much of a friend lol.

YOur mechanic also shouldn't be your mechanic anymore...
Member
Nov 13, 2013
213 posts
15 upvotes
NEPEAN
Under the new regulation, there is still condition pass with certified drive clean repair at a cap of the repair bill.
Jr. Member
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Jul 19, 2013
167 posts
43 upvotes
Toronto
$10 Elm 327 USB cable and you would have been fine. Or just unplug your battery.
Deal Addict
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Apr 22, 2009
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Scarborough
your mechanic just took you for a ride sadly

you could have just gone to partsource and let them read the code for free and even clear the code
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Aug 21, 2014
1041 posts
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Toronto, ON
Are you sure the car was driven daily before you purchase it? My cousin left his Acura (1st owner) in the garage for 7 years and it wasn't moved once.

Recently, he came back to Canada and the car was a huge mess. It can't pass the driveclean test. It only got a conditional pass after the 6th try. (had to replace everything)
A really inspirational quote should be here. But I haven't found one yet.
Deal Addict
Apr 2, 2008
1128 posts
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got ripped off either by your friend or by your mechanic
Deal Expert
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Oct 5, 2008
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Toronto
STCman wrote: your mechanic just took you for a ride sadly

you could have just gone to partsource and let them read the code for free and even clear the code
Partsource doesn't do that anymore.

OP, unplug the battery and that should clear the CEL.

Sounds like you got taken for a ride by your mechanic.

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