Heads Up for those with Modern Cars + STAR/Xentry/DAS

[gerryvz]

Just a heads up for folks with newer cars (not really applicable to anything before the W210).

Last Sunday, I used my Super Star M6+ "tablet" system to pull and review any and all codes from my 2007 E63 AMG. Nothing of import came up, other than a recurring code that signals that the passenger side door mirror heater is inop. This is a minor niggle that I'll get around to diagnosing in the future -- nothing too important. I cleared and reset all codes after pulling and reviewing things. I didn't drive the car again from Sunday afternoon through Thursday this week. Current mileage is 25,950.

Took the car in for its bi-annual emissions test per the State of Maryland. They plugged into the OBD2 port under the dash, and were unable to get any reading from the car's systems in terms of emissions-related data.

The tech asked me if I'd recently had the car worked on, or had changed out the battery. I told him no, but then thought of the scan and delete I'd done with the Super Star M6+ system.

He told me to drive the car normally for a week or so, and then bring it back in. The slip from the Maryland OBD Readiness Report says, "Your vehicle is not ready to be tested. Multiple diagnostic monitors have not had an opportunity to run. Drive normally for one week, then return for testing. You do not need to make vehicle repairs at this time. If your "Valid Through" date is within two weeks, please speak to a Customer Service Representative in the station office about getting an extension."

My expiration date is March 26th, so I have plenty of time and will drive the car for a week or two and then bring it back in for the test.

I hadn't though that the STAR/DAS code reset, would also erase/reset all of the emissions-related pointers in the system. So, for those with a more modern car that uses the OBD2 port for emissions reading/testing purposes, make sure you drive your car for a few days before having it tested, if you pulled and erased your codes using the MB diagnostic equipment.

 

[nocfn]

Thanks GVZ, I had considered running my system on the Wifes 2019 cabriolet. One issue on that E450 is that if she doesn't drive it daily for 20-30 mins at a click, the battery can run down. I have narrowed it down to basically just ensuring the car is locked while in the garage and not being used. What happens is the car continues to signal the internet MBRACE system to say the car is not locked even though we have told the system its location is secured. Do not care the why, just keeping the car locked while in the garage has saved the battery.

 

[Glen]

This is normal for all OBD2 cars (1996 and newer). Clearing codes automatically resets “readiness” monitors. There is a drive cycle (varies by make/model) that you can do to speed things up if necessary.

 

[gerryvz]

Just a heads up for folks with newer cars (not really applicable to anything before the W210).

Last Sunday, I used my Super Star M6+ "tablet" system to pull and review any and all codes from my 2007 E63 AMG. Nothing of import came up, other than a recurring code that signals that the passenger side door mirror heater is inop. This is a minor niggle that I'll get around to diagnosing in the future -- nothing too important. I cleared and reset all codes after pulling and reviewing things. I didn't drive the car again from Sunday afternoon through Thursday this week. Current mileage is 25,950.

Took the car in for its bi-annual emissions test per the State of Maryland. They plugged into the OBD2 port under the dash, and were unable to get any reading from the car's systems in terms of emissions-related data.

The tech asked me if I'd recently had the car worked on, or had changed out the battery. I told him no, but then thought of the scan and delete I'd done with the Super Star M6+ system.

He told me to drive the car normally for a week or so, and then bring it back in. The slip from the Maryland OBD Readiness Report says, "Your vehicle is not ready to be tested. Multiple diagnostic monitors have not had an opportunity to run. Drive normally for one week, then return for testing. You do not need to make vehicle repairs at this time. If your "Valid Through" date is within two weeks, please speak to a Customer Service Representative in the station office about getting an extension."

My expiration date is March 26th, so I have plenty of time and will drive the car for a week or two and then bring it back in for the test.

I hadn't though that the STAR/DAS code reset, would also erase/reset all of the emissions-related pointers in the system. So, for those with a more modern car that uses the OBD2 port for emissions reading/testing purposes, make sure you drive your car for a few days before having it tested, if you pulled and erased your codes using the MB diagnostic equipment.

Following up on this, as I had forgotten to earlier.

I drove the car for a week and then brought it in for a re-test to the emissions facility. It passed with flying colors, no issues. As I expected it to. So, I'm good for another two years, at least with the E63.

All of my other MBs are >20 years old, so are exempt from emissions testing in Maryland. Of course, the state just recently doubled the registration fees to a crazy level.

 

[gsxr]

All of my other MBs are >20 years old, so are exempt from emissions testing in Maryland. Of course, the state just recently doubled the registration fees to a crazy level.

Yikes. How much is registration per year? Is it a flat fee, or variable based on vehicle value?

 

[gerryvz]

Yikes. How much is registration per year? Is it a flat fee, or variable based on vehicle value?

It's a flat fee, based on the vehicle's gross weight. It's $191 PER YEAR.

 

[gerryvz]

That is a new increase that was made official very recently. It is possible to register a vehicle in Maryland for one, two and three years at a time. But ~$200 a year is a very onerous cost. I know that in some states (as my home state of Washington) they used to base registration fees on a car's value, so if you had a new car it was much more expensive than if you had an older car that was worth less, but at least that was for a two-year registration. Maryland is just using this, and MANY other recent fee increases, to increase revenue at the expense of ordinary people.

Then there's the newly mandated COUNTY fee for all homeowners who sell their house at a price of $1M or higher -- you are assessed an extra 1.5% "tax" on the sale price of your home that supports housing for low-income and homeless residents. I'm going to love paying that tax when we sell our house and move to a more tax-friendly state in the next few years.

The previous two-term Maryland governor Larry Hogan left office with a multi-billion SURPLUS. The new governor, who took office in 2024, took well under a year to burn through that surplus, and created a budget deficit, which they raised taxes and fees to attempt to mitigate.

============

Maryland has enacted several new taxes and fee increases that will take effect in 2025, impacting individuals and businesses across the state. These changes are part of a broader effort to address a projected budget shortfall.

Here's a summary of the key changes:

• New Tax Brackets for High Earners: New income tax brackets will be implemented for high-income individuals, with rates of 6.25% for those with income between $500,001 and $1 million, and 6.5% for income exceeding $1 million.
• Capital Gains Tax: A 2% surcharge will be applied to capital gains exceeding $350,000.
• Sales Tax on Vending Machines: A 6% sales tax will be applied to all vending machine purchases.
• Sales Tax on Information Technology Services: A 3% tax will be applied to various information technology services, including software, data processing, and cloud storage.
• Increased Cannabis and Sports Betting Taxes: Taxes on cannabis sales will increase from 9% to 12%, and taxes on sports betting will increase from 15% to 20%.
• Vehicle Excise Tax Increase: The vehicle excise tax will increase from 6% to 6.5%.
• Increased Vehicle Registration and Title Fees: Fees for vehicle registration and titles will increase, with some registration fees going up by $10 or more, and the certificate of title fee doubling.
• Increased Vehicle Emissions Testing Fee: The fee for vehicle emissions testing will double from $14 to $30.
• New Tire Fee: A $5 fee will be imposed on each tire purchased.
• Reduced Itemized Deductions: For individual taxpayers, itemized deductions will be reduced by 7.5% of the amount by which their federal adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 (or $100,000 for those filing separately).

These changes will take effect on different dates, with some beginning July 1, 2025, and others taking effect for taxable years starting after December 31, 2024.


================

Anne Arundel County, Maryland imposes both recordation tax and county transfer tax on home sales.
Here's how to calculate the tax on a $1 million home sale in Anne Arundel County:

• Recordation Tax:The rate is $7 per thousand, rounded up to the nearest $500.
  • For a $1,000,000 home sale, this would be: ($1,000,000 / $1,000) * $7 = $7,000.
• County Transfer Tax:For transactions of $1,000,000 or more, the county transfer tax rate is 1.5%.
  • For a $1,000,000 home sale, this would be: $1,000,000 * 0.015 = $15,000.

Therefore, the total Anne Arundel County taxes on a $1 million home sale (excluding state transfer tax and any other fees) would be: $7,000 (recordation tax) + $15,000 (county transfer tax) = $22,000

 

[nocfn]

Gerry - The Great State of Texas would welcome you back, and you should do this soon as the NYSE and others are coming to Houston and Dallas