NJ Inspection Failure

[isthatacop]

I have a 2003 Boxster with no known issues. I went to the state inspection facility the other day and the car failed. All of the OBDII system readiness tests came back "Unsupported". I have never heard of this. As a backdrop, the car sat without being driven for 10 days as I was on vacation and I drove it for 10 minutes from my house to the inspection center. There was no line so I was waved right in.

Any insight is appreciated.

[BYprodriver]

Sounds like you just need to drive it more prior to going to the inspection. Be sure the engine is fully warmed up before you get there.

[ddb]

Hi isthatacop,

Welcome to the forum.

Is this your first time trying to get the car inspected?

The first time I tried to get mine inspected in NC the inspector told me they couldn't get their computer to communicate with the car. They never told me if they received an "unsupported" (or other) message. They said they've seen this problem on other cars and it may be a fuse, and that they could look at it for a fee. I told them no thanks; I would look at it myself and bring it back. I called my local Porsche dealership and they told me they sometimes experience this and the problem is usually not properly (forcefully enough) connecting the cable to the car. I went back to the same inspection station and told them what I found and they were able to get it to work. I've been going to the same place for 6 or 7 years now without a problem.

I hope it is something simple like this for you as well.

Best of luck,

ddb

[isthatacop]

Thanks for the feedback!

I figured it was an error on their part. I had the car inspected two other times at this facility with no issues.

Incompetence is extremely annoying...

[ddb]

[QUOTE=isthatacop] I had the car inspected two other times at this facility with no issues.
QUOTE]

Since they've been able to communicate with your car previously, I don't think you are experiencing the same problem that I had. Maybe it is the same or something similar to what stephen wilson reported below.

Let us know what you find once you get it sorted.

[texomawaves]

Did you recently disconnect the battery, or was the battery "jumped"? If so you'll need to drive it 50 miles or so where the OBDII takes time to acquire its data (EGR, O2, etc..). This recently happened to me, but on a chevy truck. It's a fairly common thing at inspection stations.

[sd_boxster]

^ What he said. If you lost power to the ECU/BCM/whatever the computer in a Boxster is referred to as, you have to complete a drive cycle before OBDII emissions readiness. Since the drive cycle varies, wait a few days...

...or buy an OBD-II scanner that will tell you if you're emissions ready. Life without a scanner sucks - the peace of mind immediately KNOWING why your check engine light just flickered on is worth the $50 or so the scanner will cost you.

[stephen wilson]

I had non-communication issues with my '06 also, and was told by the dealer that it's a software update issue that NJ refuses to correct. My local dealer took it thru inspection for me with no charge.