Smog test in Calif.?

Status
Not open for further replies.
E

Errtt

Joined
Nov 14, 2010
Messages
2,874
Location
California
Today I took one of the vehicles in for its 2-year smog/emission test. I noticed once it was in the bay, it wasn't long and it was out. I sat in the lobby area so didn't watch.
Then the fella came in to finish the required paperwork and take my cash. Since it was so fast (thinking a problem and abort the test) I asked how it went, and he said everything is fine. So I paid and off I went.
Home - notice the test was pretty much visuals. No actual readings (HCs etc.) running it on the roller at two different speeds with a sniffer up the rear.

What gives/changed? For years all my vehicles were ran on the rollers with a sniffer, so something has changed.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
i believe they just plug into the obd port. if no codes you pass


Yes the paperwork shows under Emission Control System Functional Check - OBDII, Liquid Fuel Leak check & Smoke check all pass. The other section with the most items is called "Visual Inspection Results".

Makes sense if everything looks intact, so smoke, no codes etc. About time someone came to sense about these things. Well.... it still cost me the same as before doing more (roller run with sniffer). But I'll pay the same to get in & out rather than waiting round more than I have to and just get the smog test done.

So the smog shops can run more vehicles in & out a day when not doing all the run tests. And if they all charge the same as past years tests = more $$ if they get more through.
 
So they're basically just scanning your car for codes? How much does this cost? I lived in CA from 95-97 and they ran my car and I had a printout of the emissions.
 
I had 1 of my cars smog test few months ago, they did the roller test and I had a printout of the test results.

What Errtt said is new to me too.
 
Originally Posted By: bvance554
So they're basically just scanning your car for codes? How much does this cost? I lived in CA from 95-97 and they ran my car and I had a printout of the emissions.


Paid $51.75, same as past years going to this place. Many others are cheaper, but this one is located close & easy to me, small, and usually no wait or maybe wait on one customer. I tried others where the wait was an hour or more, behind a few customers, sometimes leave the vehicle and they'll get to it later in the afternoon. Then I've had some booked for they day already.
I'd rather go to a less busy place and get in & out, done with, even if it might cost a little more.
How I found the place... spent a morning trying to find a place that wasn't booked (on a Friday), repeat the following week, couldn't get in. Then a fella told me about this place I go to now. Never a long wait and been going there for three vehicles.

In addition, had to go to a "STAR" station. Don't know what STAR stands for, but think it used to be called Gold Shield Station, basically a test only shop, no troubleshoot/repair.
The car tested (Camry) always did good and I could take it to any smog test station. Then one year it failed on a visual check before emission reading tests because the old man says the cruise control vacuum lines were improper connected and could affect emissions (what!).
Told him things are the same as always. He said was missed on past checks, cruise control taken from a wrong vacuum tee or something.
So ran home, basically unhooked/bypass the cruise control, cleaned up vacuum line routing with single hose, then ran back for a retest. Then one of the other techs happen to be there, got curious why retesting, and when I told & showed what happened, and what I done, next thing I know he had the old man out there and was yelling at him because nothing was wrong in the first place. Never seen the old man again since.
So since the one time failed, I'm guessing that's why I have to take it to a test only (STAR) station. All because the old man thought the cruise control vacuum line was a tamper to emissions via vacuum line(s) hooked different/changed from what it should have been. Sniffer test has never been close to max limits.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I thought it varied from county to county as well as from car to car.

Probably does, or did. I once asked if I could take it to such & such place by where I worked (over in another county) and was told no. But that was some years back.
 
Didn't read it all, but Goggle, found AB 2289 requires the smog test inspection to rely on data from a vehicle's own on board emissions computer to determine the vehicle's harmful emissions production as opposed to using a smog machine to sample the vehicle's emissions output from the tailpipe.
Authorize the use of On Board Diagnostic II testing to expedite the process.
Vehicles known to release large amounts of pollution must test at stations with the highest performance ratings.

That's just a part of it and to early for me to read much more into it.
So hoping when it comes next the wife's 2001 SUV I can get in & out. Then when it comes to my DD (2010 SUV) first smog test the same. I'm for time saving when it comes to going out to get things like this done.
 
The older vehicles are needed to go to test only station (STAR), the newer vehicles can to to any station including test only station. Usually test only station charges more for any test.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
They do not have test only stations in counties that only require the basic TSI test as opposed to the dyno test.

I didn't know that. Of all my cars, the 1994 Lexus LS400 required smog check at test only station for about the last 3-4 times. Other cars just need a smog check at any station.

So, Orange County and may be LA county have both types.
 
Smog guy here: CARB & BAR have rolled out a newer smog check system beginning this year. OBD-II equipped vehicles will no longer need to be run on the dyno with the sniffer. The new system plugs into the OBD-II port and the smog tech will do a visual under the hood. Apparently it is much more efficient and can even catch vehicles out there with modified ECUs/reflashed ECUs. We just got our new system at our shop but I've heard a few shops have theirs up and running already. Its basically a laptop on a roll around cart with a long OBD-II connector.

Hybrids will also require smog in the near future with this new smog check system.

You can read more at http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/

edit: NEW SMOG SYSTEM here's a good thread explaining the new OBD-II smog check system. The new system basically takes the readings from all sensors and compares them to the readings of a clean running stock vehicle of the same make/model/etc. if any variables are way off, it will assume you are polluting and fail
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: bvance554
So they're basically just scanning your car for codes? How much does this cost? I lived in CA from 95-97 and they ran my car and I had a printout of the emissions.

In 1996, OBDII became standard, and in some areas, reading for error codes was consider good enough.

Before then, all cars were OBDI, or something ever earlier. Those systems didn't self test the car for smog, so cars had to be tested by machines.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

I
Calif smog test results failed finally passed but don't understand NOX emissions
2
Replies
35
Views
2K
PandaBear
T
Ca smog issues any tech insight
Replies
19
Views
1K
PandaBear
Elkins45
Dealer won't allow road test of used car
2 3 4
Replies
61
Views
4K
Steve_Crewdson
Elkins45
Testing AC in cold weather?
Replies
11
Views
1K
demarpaint
T
Are vehicles exempt from inspections after 25 years of age in Texas?
Replies
4
Views
2K
wag123
Back
Top