Air Repair: May 2001

              Air Repair May 2001 1
Volume 4 Number 2 May 2001
On February 1, 2001, IM240
cutpoints were tightened for 1988
and newer vehicles, using the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s
final cutpoints. As projected, more
vehicles are failing the tighter
cutpoints.
When Illinois implemented the
IM240 test two years ago, the
start-up cutpoints gave the repair
industry the chance to gain experi-ence
and education on how to
Tighter Cutpoints = More Failed Vehicles
diagnose and repair transient
emission failures with such aids as
IM240 training (see article on Does
IM240 Training Help?), Colorado
State Phase I, II or the Outreach
Program’s Information Seminar.
CSU’s Phase III Catalytic Con-verter
seminar showed the impor-tance
of converters with these
tighter cutpoints. Other states found
that up to 50% of vehicles will need
a new catalyst under the tighter
cutpoints.
Data collected by the AIRTEAM
indicates that YES, IM240 training
does help! Repair data clearly
indicates that shops employing
IM240 trained technician(s) have a
much better chance of fixing a
vehicle correctly after an IM240
emission test failure. Technicians
can be successful at repairing
IM240 emission failures if they
have the right equipment, a good
background and the proper training.
Between July 1, 2000 and
December 31, 2000, there were
1,614 shops that did not have
IM240 trained technicians and did
five or more repairs. Only 381
(23%) of these shops had an REI
of 75% or better and made it into
the report. During the same period,
143 shops with IM240 trained
technicians performed five or more
IM240 repairs, and 96 (67%) of
these shops had an REI of 75% or
better, qualifying them for inclusion
Does IM240 Training Help?
in the Repair Facility Performance
Report (RFPR).
Taking it one step further and
looking at shops doing a higher
volume of IM240 repairs, the
numbers show a wider gap. Look-ing
at shops that performed 20 or
more IM240 repairs between July 1,
2000 and December 31, 2000, 192
shops did not have IM240 trained
technician(s) and only 36 (19%) of
them achieved an REI of 75% or
better, qualifying them for inclusion
in the RFPR. However, of the 46
shops that did have IM240 trained
technician(s), 35 shops (76%)
achieved an REI of 75% or better
and are included in the RFPR.
To put it another way, of the
shops performing 20 or more IM240
repairs, only 23% of the shops that
did not have an IM240 trained
technician(s) qualified for inclusion
in the RFPR, but 50% of the shops
that did have IM240 trained techni-cians
qualified to be in the RFPR.
Percentage of shops with 5 or more
repairs that qualified to be listed in
RFPR by having 75% or better REI:
Without IM240
Trained
Technicians
With IM240
Trained
Technicians
23% 67%
IM240 Failure Rate Statistics
Initial Pass Rate
Failure Rate 1st Retest
4th QTR of 2000 8.5% 58.3%
(Oct., Nov., Dec.)
Feb., March 2001 14.8% 52.7%
since tighter cutpoints
Training and Seminars are
always available through the
Outreach Program and IM240
Trainers. Contact the Outreach unit
at (847) 758-3434.
Percentage of shops with 20 or
more repairs that qualified to be
listed in RFPR by having 75% or
better REI:
Without IM240
Trained
Technicians
With IM240
Trained
Technicians
19% 76%
What group are you in, and
where do you want your business to
go?