A need to rationalize our country’s Emission Testing

It’s about time we put some order into our "emission testing" lest we find ourselves in some situation in the future where we shall be in the midst of all the pollution despite having all vehicles given clean bills of health by "dime-a-dozen" emission testing centers.

I think there are now just too many Emission Testing Centers in cutthroat competition making the business no longer viable unless a player resorts to trade malpractices, which eventually result to corruption and inefficiency of the program.

Reports have reached us that some unscrupulous operators of testing centers are even advertising for "non-appearance" of vehicles for testing while others have resorted to counterfeiting of official forms in order to get a viable share of the business.

We found out that the present scenario is an offshoot of the government’s deregulation of the industry leading to what the industry players themselves term as the "irrational proliferation" of these testing centers.

The PETCOA (Private Emission Test Center Owners Association) believes that prudence should have been exercised as well as careful and cautious planning by the Dept. of Trade & Industry and the Land Transportation Office in the processing and approval of the applications for these testing centers. If you recall the government, having no funds to implement all the provisions of the Clean Air Act, called on the private sector to put up these testing centers to ensure that vehicles have accepted emission levels prior to registration. However, it now appears that it failed to properly regulate it that the industry has over expanded and that the present developing scenario is proving top be a "no win" situation for all.

The best solution that the industry players are suggesting to the government is to immediately put into effect a moratorium of three years on the processing and issuance of new permits to establish and operate additional testing centers.

Admitting that a moratorium is best at the moment to arrest the developing scenario, it should also be imperative on present industry players to police their ranks and get rid of the unscrupulous by helping in the prosecution of erring operators.

Whatever, something needs to be done and done fast or else the Clean Air Act’s emission level control provisions will go up in smoke — black smoke.

Make way for the Chevy Optra

Last week I wrote here some of the highlights of the General Motors ASEAN Media Ride & Drive for the Chevy Optra held recently in Pattaya, Thailand. Today, allow me to describe to you some of the features of this newly launched compact sedan that motoring journalists from the region got to explore and discover after almost 200 kilometers of riding and driving.

The Optra 1.6, which is the present model available in the country, comes either in 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic variants. Having similar DOHC-MPFI engines both have a maximum power of 107 hp @ 5,800 rpm and maximum torque of 150 Nm @ 4,000 rpm. Gasoline consumption for the manual is averaged at 14.8 kilometers per liter while the automatic runs 12.34 kilometers on a liter. For the speed freaks the manual accelerates to 100 km/h in 12.4 seconds with a maximum speed of 180 km/h while the automatic does it in 14.4 seconds with a top speed of 172 km/h.

For safety both variants have 4-sensor, 4-channel ABS with EBD on their brakes, which have ventilated discs up front and discs on the rear wheels. Aside from driver side airbags and anti-theft immobilizer, other safety features include the energy-absorbing sandwich construction of the bulkhead and dashboard, and impact-absorbing rigid foam elements in the front doors. The three-piece construction of the bumpers is designed to withstand collisions of up to 8 km/h with little or no damage to keep repair costs down.

There is still a mouthful to say about the Optra but we suggest you check it out yourself at any General Motors AutoWorld dealership nearest you. But judging by the very confident smile of our good friend Nicky Mariano, the top marketing honcho of General Motors Automobiles Philippines is flashing everyday, I will not be surprised if a long line of reservations is in the making.

Pit Lane Notes

One point is all Michael Schumacher needs to score in Suzuka and the world title is his once again. Old record books may very well be discarded and altered because it will be the 6th championship of his career. He said in a recent chat with the press that although he may not win the battle of the Japanese Grand Prix, his ultimate goal is to win the war and be declared the world champion this season. He brushed aside persistent rumors that Williams and McLaren might conspire against Ferrari in the upcoming race because the two teams have entirely different goals — Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher are gunning for the Constructor’s Championship while Kimi Raikkonen wants the Driver’s Championship. He chided that they, on the other hand, want both. Another rumor that has been going around the pit lane is that F1’s living legend will be retiring at the end of the year. His manager Willi Webber said that it is extremely unlikely — in fact, his exact words were "You can put that one in the realm of fairy tales". However, Schumi’s contract with Ferrari will be ending in 2006, and even his manager thinks that Michael probably will hang up his helmet then.

Former Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has been scrapped from BAR Honda’s roster, and it may take effect in the next race weekend. Takuma Sato will probably take his place in Suzuka, as Honda is very eager to let a Japanese driver race there. Many are saddened by the turn of events because the Canadian has been a massive asset to the team. A lot of other teams tendered offer sheets to Villeneuve in the past to leave BAR but his loyalty never wavered. Though he said he is not planning to retire anytime soon, he admitted in a recent interview that F1 was starting to become "unenjoyable". He said that he was thinking of trying Le Mans and be the first person in history to win F1, CART, Indy 500 and Le Mans. However, he also disclosed that it would be hard to imagine racing in any other league but Formula 1.

The format of the qualifying system has been changed once again. In Suzuka, the Friday will be scrapped and there will instead be an extended Saturday qualifying run.

Motoring Tip of the Week

Maintaining the correct tire pressure makes your driving safe and your tire maintenance more economical. Safe because correct tire inflation gives you better grip of the road while economical simply because having over-inflation (too much air) or under-inflation (little air) causes uneven wear and tear on your tire.

Tire pressure gauges are readily available in hardware stores and auto accessory shops. Having one can always keep you updated. Almost all service stations have air pumps where you can have your tire pressure checked and corrected if need be.

You can also determine if you have been running with incorrect tire pressures with a cursory inspection of your tire thread’s wear. If the wear is visibly on the thread’s inner or outer edges, then you have been running with under-inflated tires while if it’s the middle portion, then you have been having too much air in your tires.

To find out the correct tire pressure, check the vehicle’s door for the manufacturer’s recommended inflation. The recommended tire pressure is more often than not on "cold roll", meaning that the vehicle has not run or has been on a standstill for a long period of time.

Happy Motoring!!!

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