Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure

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Wed 14 Oct 2015 12:16
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - frankfurtjones40

hi there,

my car failed its emissions test for mot it is older than my great grandchildren i do not want to get rid of it. the man at halfords suggested cataclean can anyone recommend this or suggest anything else. i do not want to waste money im 15 years into my pension i can't afford it

thanks

frank jones

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Wed 14 Oct 2015 12:29
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - skidpan

First you need to go to a real garage and not Halfords.

They should be able to diagnose where the problem is, it could be as simple as a sensor or worst case it could be the cat.

To suggest Cataclean as a cure shows their incompetence, its just a waste of money.

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Wed 14 Oct 2015 13:25
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - Railroad.
Personally I would suggest Cataclean. For the sake of £15 it's definitely worth a try. It's an old car and the objective here is not so much to cure the problem, which may be not be so easy in any case, but to get it through the MOT test.

Add Cataclean to the fuel as stated on the bottle and then give it a serious rag up the road before presenting it for retest. You may be surprised at what difference it makes to the exhaust analysis.
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Fri 16 Oct 2015 14:10
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - frankfurtjones40

thank you for your advice i did this and it passed thank you again

cheers

frank jones

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Fri 16 Oct 2015 14:09
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - frankfurtjones40

i took it to a real garage an they said i should just scrap it so i ignored that i used a full bottle of cataclean and it passed its mot today so i am much happier

cheers

frank jones

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Wed 14 Oct 2015 22:31
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - Big John

How far out were the emission figures? Is the exhaust blowing at all?

I would take it somewhere else and give it an Italian tune on the way

Edited by Big John on 14/10/2015 at 22:32

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Thu 15 Oct 2015 00:10
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - bathtub tom

I'd iterate Big John's reply.

You indicate you're aged. Do you ever give it a good blast - I mean taking it to the red line for a minute or so?

If you're not aware, an Italian tune-up means taking it to a de-restricted dual-carriageway or motorway and once it's warm, accelerating hard and driving at around 80MPH in third for a minute or so. Only do this if it's been regularly serviced, with oil and filter changes within the manufacturer's recommendations.

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Thu 15 Oct 2015 10:30
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - Falkirk Bairn

No details from OP as to what it failed on BUT this cannot do any harm and might just do the business

I'd get the plugs cleaned / changed. oil & filter (if not done in the last 6 months or so), Redex added to fuel, give it a 5 mile run and then give it an "Italian Tune-up"

My last Civic in 2006 @ 91K failed Mot on emissions, the above was carried out by my local Indie and passed.

If this works and it passes I would suggest V-power fill-ups regularly as it makes, in my experience, the car run better and has "cleaning powers"

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Thu 15 Oct 2015 12:10
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - Peter D

"de-restricted dual-carriageway or motorway" no such thing. The max limit is 70 and you suggest he drives at 80. 3 points and £100 fine for that dumb idea. Regards Peter

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Thu 15 Oct 2015 12:59
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - bathtub tom

OK. I'll put my pedant's hat on.

An NSL dual-carriagway or motorway. I'll be reading your posts very carefully and raising any minor issues. ;>)

An indicated 80MPH in an old Micra is probably around 75MPH. I can't see plod pulling you over for that.

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Fri 16 Oct 2015 14:12
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - frankfurtjones40

thanks for responding i used the cataclean and drove it back to the garage it passed its mot

thanks

frank jones

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Fri 16 Oct 2015 14:11
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - frankfurtjones40

thank you for explaining an italian tune up i was quite confused i dont think my car could make it that fast it hates the motorway but the cataclean seems to have worked and it passed

thanks

frank jones

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Fri 16 Oct 2015 14:48
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - Railroad.

That's good to know. Shame you can't post your before and after CO, HC and Lambda figures so we can see quite how much difference it has made.

At least now you know. Predominantly short trips will over time have a detrimental effect on emissions caused by clogging injectors and more. A product like Cataclean has done what it said and helped your problem. Don't be too surprised if your car feels a bit nippier too, and personally I would avoid supermarket fuel.

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Fri 16 Oct 2015 17:14
Nissan Micra 1999 - Emissions test failure - FP

".... personally I would avoid supermarket fuel."

Nooooooooooooo... Not that again!

I shall die from boredom if someone takes the bait. :-)

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