Let's hug some trees, Emissions...how bad are these cars? Options

[ehick72]

I was reading an article on Mexico City banning the use of the Mexican VW bettle because of safety and emissions. That concerns me because I try to keep my 1.7 engine well tuned. I know my car is extremely fuel efficient but is it bad for the environment in another way? Does anyone know have any info on this?

[914GT]

Your car has much higher emissions than new cars do. But as long as you keep it tuned up and control the oil leaks I would not worry about it polluting the environment. There are not that many 914s on the road. If you're really concerned you can take it somewhere to have an exhaust gas analyzer check it, and they can tweak it to further lower HC and CO emissions. But it may not run as well. On the other hand, those of us forced to have annual emissions checks have to keep our engines tuned and running properly. Sometimes it reveals a vacuum leak or other problem that affects performance and fuel economy too.

I bet Mexico City had to take action because there are millions of those old dirty cars still on the streets. The engines are likely worn out, burning oil due to worn rings and valve guides and suffer from low compression. Also I think they still sell leaded gas down there. Think of a place with more cars than Los Angeles all polluting more than our cars did in the 1960s. Some days their air is unbreathable.