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From a present perspective, environmental protection occupies a position of supreme importance, especially with regard to pollution levels due to motor vehicles. To reduce environmental pollution, the limits for pollutant emissions from cars have been gradually lowered over the past few decades in the type approval procedure and series inspections. The emissions characteristics of vehicles in use are, however, crucial for the pollution level. To check the emission characteristics of vehicles in actual traffic and to monitor observance of the endurance requirements of the exhaust gas regulations, it is absolutely essential to introduce an informative and practical field inspection system on a legal basis. That means that emission measurements have to be carried out in the complete licensing test on the roller-type tester on the basis of the type approval procedure, and this to be done on vehicles with differing mileages from private customers.

In the Netherlands a lifetime requirement entered into force since July 1, 1990, in combination with a recall regulation. Both are dealing with automotive emissions. Three parties play a role: the car manufacturer, the owner/operator of the car and the garage. This paper deals with the surveillance program, commisioned to TNO by the Ministery of Environment of the Netherlands. In this program is checked whether the car manufacturer has done his job - delivering cars meeting the lifetime requirement and thus meeting the in use compliance standards. A report is given of the experience so far and an insight to the system.