New CA law: Mandatory tire pressure checks at automotive businesses.

[Blind_Io]

From Autoblog:

Keeping your tires properly inflated is a very good idea. An under-inflated radial can increase wear while also decreasing performance and fuel economy. But if the state of California can help it, under-inflated tires may soon be a thing of the past.

California has passed a new law requiring most auto servicing sites to check tire pressure at each visit and add air when necessary. The law will affect 40,000 businesses in the state, although the mandate does not effect body shops, car washes, glass repair shops, or parts stores. The state's government will let the service stations, smog-check stations, oil change places, and so on determine how much to charge for the check, and they must have a high-accuracy pressure gauge on hand. The tire pressure monitoring law will go into effect in July 1, 2010.

California's Air Resources Board says the state-wide law will save 75 million gallons of fuel per year, while also eliminating 700,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses. That sounds mighty impressive, but if the Sacramento Bee is to believed, that's less than 0.5 percent of what California's greenhouse-gas reduction goals for 2020. Better is the CARB estimate that optimized tire pressure will save drivers about $12 per year (about six gallons of gas at today's prices), along with added safety and tire longevity benefits.

Those figures are based off statistics which show that vehicles lose 1% efficiency for every 3 psi a tire is low. Testing by Consumer Reports showed little or no impact on fuel economy when tire pressure is off by 10%, though most agree that low tire pressure will shorten the life of tires. Fewer tires in state landfills figures to be a good thing, too.

Check out CARB's official press release by clicking here, and find more information at the link below. Thanks for the tip, Mark!

[Spectre]

So, basically, every time you go to fill up (since they mentioned service stations), you'll have to pay a fee for someone to check your air pressure, the cost of fuel will go up to partially compensate, and the station owner will be forced to hire another person and perhaps cut back on hours of operation. Brilliant! Woohoo! Another unfunded mandate for business!

Do you hear that sound? It's the sound of business and money breaking the sound barrier as they leave the state.

[MadCat360]

Well hey, if you let people pump their own gas in the first place that wouldn't be the case would it? And since we can, it's not an issue.

[Bubs360]

I'm so glad I don't live there. It's one thing for them to go "Hey, we are going to check your tire pressure." It's a whole different ball game to go "We are now performing a government-mandated tire pressure check." Okay. It's outrageous to say "We are now performing a government-mandated tire pressure check. That will be $3.50. Please make checks payable to Terry's Corner Store..."

I don't like the idea of having a mandatory check, with a cash fee, for something I can more than easily do myself. Especially for something that is so incredibly simple to do. What would they charge for? An extra thirty seconds work and possibly some air?

[prizrak]

Its not a bad idea if you go to get your car serviced, like oil change or parts replacement or w/e but at every gas station...... I mean this used to be something they did in the 50's I think free of charge but I don't know. It would probably be better to just put TPMS and auto inflaters in cars. Though the latter is probably pretty expensive....

[bartboy9891]

There's nothing wrong with making sure that people's tires are properly inflated. I thought most auto service stations already checked without thinking twice about it.

[Dogbert]

California's Air Resources Board says the state-wide law will save 75 million gallons of fuel per year, while also eliminating 700,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses.

[citation needed]

Better is the CARB estimate that optimized tire pressure will save drivers about $12 per year (about six gallons of gas at today's prices), along with added safety and tire longevity benefits.

Yeah? And subtract how much more it's going to cost over the span of a year to have someone run out and check your tire pressures, and at best you'll break even.

[MadCat360]

Yeah? And subtract how much more it's going to cost over the span of a year to have someone run out and check your tire pressures, and at best you'll break even.

Dudes, calm down. Your not going to get swarmed by a pit crew just to check your tire pressure at a gas station. This is for servicing only.

[C53A_4G63T]

Every car is diffrent. How are they going to enforce that? Or how will the person doing the service make the judgement? I run 45psi in the tires on my Infiniti because they are low profile and stretched. How will the service individual know that and not deflate my tires to something else?

It's a steaming pile of bullshit. Another way to circle jerk over the residents of the state and make it look like they are really doing something important. If they put these brilliant minds to work on cancer, it would be cured in three days.

[Shawn]

Pfft, I don't see the big deal. Most places I've been to check your tire pressure anyway.

[2Billion]

CARB is, and always has been, a little ridiculous, but unless the station is very busy or very small, the attendants usually have enough time to check anyway. Hell, the station I usually go to would gladly offer to do it, along with checking the rest of your vital fluids.

As stupid as CARB trying desperately to be relevant is, this also isn't a huge deal. It's not even the most ridiculous thing they've done in the past several months.

[Dogbert]

Dudes, calm down. Your not going to get swarmed by a pit crew just to check your tire pressure at a gas station. This is for servicing only.

I interpret "service stations" as every fueling, and there is nothing in the article to suggest otherwise. Assuming minimum wage is $6.50, it's going to cost $156 a day to fund this. I mean, just to make it only $0.25 more to fill up, the gas station is going to have to see over 600 customers a day.

I am calm. I live in a free state.

[Blind_Io]

I interpret "service stations" as every fueling, and there is nothing in the article to suggest otherwise. Assuming minimum wage is $6.50, it's going to cost $156 a day to fund this. I mean, just to make it only $0.25 more to fill up, the gas station is going to have to see over 600 customers a day.

I am calm. I live in a free state.

Those are gas stations, they don't actually perform service in most cases.

[Hidden_Hunter]

Luckly California has enough money to be doing all these initiativ....


oh wait....

[Spectre]

Those are gas stations, they don't actually perform service in most cases.

IIRC, CARB interprets "service station" as "gas station." Anyone find a cite either way?

[H0nzik]

If anything, mandating TPMS would sound more sesible than that. I guess they also take it as an unemployment fighting measure.

[Spectre]

TPMS *is* mandated on all new cars sold in the US after 2007.

The reason they don't mandate retrofits is because retrofitted TPMS systems are expensive and don't work very well (else I'd have already fitted them to my cars) - and therefore taxpayers would likely burn down Sacramento if they got told they would have to pony up *another* $1000-1500 bucks to make their cars (and that would be *all* cars operated on the road, including antiques, because CA is just stupid that way) legal to drive on the roads.

[prizrak]

TPMS *is* mandated on all new cars sold in the US after 2007.

The reason they don't mandate retrofits is because retrofitted TPMS systems are expensive and don't work very well (else I'd have already fitted them to my cars) - and therefore taxpayers would likely burn down Sacramento if they got told they would have to pony up *another* $1000-1500 bucks to make their cars (and that would be *all* cars operated on the road, including antiques, because CA is just stupid that way) legal to drive on the roads.

TPMS is pretty stupid in most cars though. You get a little warning light if your tire is something like 5psi under what it THINKS it should be. Doesn't tell you which tire and doesn't tell you the actual pressure.

[Cobol74]

Over here:

I would expect this on every service and every MoT check anyway. On the MoT check you'd fail if your tyre is too high or too low against the recommended manufacturers pressure and you would have to correct the problem and re-submit the car for testing - expensive.

My normal procedure is to try to get the service done at the same time as the MoT then its not my problem but the service centres/dealers. You can get a pre test and that would highlight any issues which you fix and it should then pass, if it does not the service centre/dealer should then fix it free.

[airmenair]

I have absolutely no problem with having a service station check my tires (although I hardly if ever go to them). I do have a problem with having to pay a mandatory fee for them to do so. I can do it on my own!! Now this is a serious question...don't you think those who own a valid drivers license should know or be required to know how to check tire pressure??? It's not like tearing down an engine.

Anyway, they said they would leave it up to the shop to determine how much the fee will be...if I were a shop owner it would be a courtesy, law or no law.

Over here:

I would expect this on every service and every MoT check anyway. On the MoT check you'd fail if your tyre is too high or too low against the recommended manufacturers pressure and you would have to correct the problem and re-submit the car for testing - expensive.

Seriously??? They couldn't just inflate or deflate the tire? That is absurd, what bunch of crooks.