A Discussion of Reported Maintenance and Repair Expenses in an I/M Program 861547
Emission Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) programs have been implemented to help meet our nation's goal of cleaning its urban air. They have been shown to be effective, working programs. They are a reality in over 30 states in this country.
In the battle for cleaner air, the motorist often says “I'm all for clean air, but…” The “but” is usually “what is it going to cost.” This paper takes a look at a period in March 1986, and examines the responses of individuals who returned their cars and trucks to the centralized Oregon I/M stations after failing the I/M test. In this survey, motorists were asked a series of questions about the maintenance and repairs performed on their vehicles.
The paper reports the findings of this survey. There is a discussion of average costs associated with repair to meet emission standards. The paper reports which segments of the service industry performed the repairs. It discusses the level of customer satisfaction with the perceived driveability after those repairs. The types of repairs reported are presented, as is a discussion on the results of past surveys. This paper examines the differences and similarities between an area that has had an on-going I/M program and an area that has just started an I/M program. There is a discussion on the the concept of a cost of repair cap.
