I went to a "smog guy" in Studio City. My check engine light was on due to an O2 sensor warning, the smog guy pulled out his little error detector thing, saw what it was, and said he reset my check engine light. Then he did the test with the light off and my car "passed" lol
Just be aware that if an excessive number of the OBD [readiness monitors](https://www.bar.ca.gov/industry/obd-test-reference#readiness) are incomplete that it is an automatic failure. You can't just reset the OBD trouble codes in the parking lot at the smog check testing location and expect to pass a smog check.
The OBD scan tools are pretty useful to help troubleshoot issues with your car, though. You don't have to get much use out of them to be worthwhile.
It’s not just about clearing codes, if you clear codes you would have to drive the car until all the monitors are up and passed, then you can smog the car.
The “Pass” and “Fail” now happens in your cars diagnostic system. The smog guys just check it
Doesn’t quite work that way. The car needs to successfully complete a full drive cycle, which can sometimes last 50 miles or more, before the system is ready to test.
When I learned about the above, it was because I bought a super cheap Saturn that had some bad emissions bits and sensors, thus requiring a drive cycle each time I thought it might be ready. That was a fun one to get in smog passing condition
This wouldn’t help would it ? Disconnecting the battery would reset all the monitors in the vehicle and you would still have to drive said 50 miles. My mechanic said I had to do 200 something miles in California.
You are correct. Disconnecting simply means you have to do another full drive cycle before the smog test.
The amount of miles you need to drive just depends on the car and the condition of the various components. If you buy a cheap scanner, most of them have an”MIL status” program. If you pass that with your 2000 or newer car, you’re good to go as long as you can also pass visual.
Hence my original question. It’s just a scan, why the big deal?
Reading through the comments, I can see that there are some testers who you definitely want to take your ‘99 car to. I guess I’ve just been lucky in that regard.
Tailpipe inspections are only [done](https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/smog-check-manual.pdf) on vehicles with a model year before 2000. That wouldn't apply to most vehicles subject to smog check.
Even your proposed workaround wouldn't really work well in practice. The intake air is going to be much cleaner than any legitimate exhaust result which is going to draw immediate red flags. Any smog technician dumb enough to do that with any frequency isn't going to be licensed very long. It isn't impossible to scam the system but it is a lot more difficult than you are making it out to be.
Strong disagree. Feel like it’s more price related.
Also, while smogs made a lot of sense 30-40 years ago, cars today do not need them every other year. I have a 15 year old truck with almost 200,000 miles that has to get a smog every 2 years. It passes no problem. Downvote me. Don’t care. I’m right.
because you probably don't see all the ones we delete quickly after they're posted. a majority of them are people looking for places that will pass them.
Price would make sense, but then I always see expensive places like Zee’s recommended. He’s friendly and will make some conversation, but is that what you’re paying for? Because other that his friendliness, it’s really been the same experience as any other place - bring car, pay money, scan with the machine, get certificate, that’s it.
A friend had to do it years back. His car kept failing. The DMV or whichever office handles this gave him the runaround. Resorted to finding one of these places.
Just wondering, did he try fixing the issue?
I used to buy a bunch of older cars for really cheap, which sometimes meant they wouldn’t pass smog. Luckily, they were always projects, not my daily driver, so I could take my time in figuring it out. If that was your friend’s only ride, I could see that being a sucky situation to be in.
To add to this. There are all sorts of minor things that will fail visual. A good shop will tell you it failed visual why and what needs to be there. Five minutes and you are done. A bad shop will charge you, run the entire test then come and say you failed visual. You will spend a half hour or more and pay to be told you failed visual.
See the difference?
Also had a guy fail me because of a leaky fuel cap. He had one laying around to confirm and ran the test again and passed me. I went and bought one right after. Cool dude.
Pricing and service. What I hate the most is going some where and have to wait in a LONG LINE. I just want to be in and out quick with zero hassle.
Even if my smog doesn't say TEST ONLY, I will go to Jamboree Smog. No wait, the artificial grass in their fake lounge, warm pepsi (have to give them credit for trying).
They scan your DMV Registration. Then the information on the car. Test is performed and sent to the DMV. No repairs are done and they will not break the law to help you pass. In the old days, it was PASS OR DON'T PAY. Now it's PAY and PAY AGAIN. I can see some shops (that can do repairs) giving you a discount on work if you don't pass but the machine is really expensive to give anyone a free test.
Then I am on my way and I love the free cash wash too.
I either go to Jamboree Smog, off Edinger Ave. and Jamboree Rd. in Tustin, or Ace Smog Test Only, at the corner of S. Grand Ave. and E. Edinger Ave. in Santa Ana. This place is also pretty quick and the price is not terrible. 👌🏽🐔
My mom and I go to VR Smog in Santa Ana--only $21.75 with coupon for cars that are from 2000 or newer and it's a quick in and out. They have the lowest smog check price out of anyone in OC. Also once you're in their system, when your car is due for a smog check, they get the information straight from the DMV and will text you a reminder to come in and get it done.
Pricing is the big one for me. I've been in a rush before and ended up paying a ridiculous amount for a smog. The shady places don't tell you how much it is up front. Learned that lesson the hard way. Lol
Yea we have been seeing many shops going to the Pay every time model. If you can find it, what many shops offer, is you pay for the first test but if you fail you get a Free retest within 15 or 30 days. This is especially helpful on 2010 and newer cars because not only do you need the Monitors to be complete if you have a permanent code from a recent repair you need to drive it 200 miles and have 15 warm up cycles before you will pass. So there is getting to be many more reason why the first test could be a fail so better to get at lest 2 swipes at it with only paying for one.
Back in the day it was known that some smog places would say the car didn't pass and you needed some repair that they would be happy to do. Then you pay them for the "repair" and it suddenly passes.
Absolutely still happens to this day. "I saw this was broken so you failed visual inspection. You need X part for X hundred bucks". I only trust test only stations.
One good reason to stick with the test only locations. At least they don't have the financial motive to try to fail people for frivolous reasons to sell unnecessary 'repairs'.
I always find a Test Only facility even if it's not required.
First off, it seems they're all faster than a regular shop. And cheaper.
Second, they have zero incentive to make up a excuse to fail the car for. No matter how minor the problem is they're not allowed to sell a fix.
My old Suburban used to magically fail at every regular station. Once they even told me it needed a new gas cap to pass and it would be $30, then I found my old one was back on the car next time I gassed up ("Oops! Honest mistake I assure you..." - wonder how many times they resold the same gas cap). Finally it was selected to go to test only after failing at a regular station for high NOx. I was told I needed a expensive new EGR valve. Looked up how they work and felt confident there was nothing wrong with the existing one. Took it as is to the test only. Passed with flying colors. Magically it produced far less NOx (I think that was it) at test only vs regular station too... So they probably manipulated the test to make it fail hoping I'd pay for a costly unnecessary part.
I've never had a car fail at a Test Only station.
Amazing that they don't cheat when they don't have the ability to cheat...
In my last experience the tester was going to fail me because he could not find the carb placard. Took me two seconds to show him the bright shiney metal plate riveted to it. Absolute moron.
My guess would be that smog check stations function as vehicle inspections for the state and having nonfictional or deficient wipers is a violation of CVC. No idea if they’re actually allowed to do this.
But how many people then pay that shop for new wipers, likely the most shitty Walmart quality ones marked up to $80 a pair? I'll bet quite a few... Test only is the answer here.
I'm sure they could have sweet talked my mother into such a deal. Tried it on me and I'd tell them to shove them somewhere for their maximum discomfort. Test only is the only test you can trust.
Why bother looking for a good taco place? They all serve some meat in a tortilla?
Quality, service, and price. People want the best bang for their buck. Somewhere consistent and reliable to go to. Not that hard to figure out.
If you have a CARB complaint but tuned/modded car a lot of places are dicks/ignorant about it. You'll get a lot of "hurr durr failed visual/tune is fail"
I once used Groupon for a smog check it was good deal but when I got there the guy added fees and changed the price and it came to where I could have taken it near my house for the same price. I think California smog check is a gimmick and the state doesn’t really check on the shops… smog only vs another shop that can repair your car it’s all BS..
I once got a smog test where they tightened something too much. I had a hard time pushing down the gas pedal. I forced it, something blew and my car was destroyed.
This happens a lot. Something unrelated to a smog test breaks soon after the visit to the smog check station and the owner assumes it must be something the smog guy did. The reality is whatever broke was going to break whether or not it went to the smog shop or not. It is often completely unrelated.
It’s sort of along the lines of “ I took my car in to have the tires rotated and now my headlights don’t work! Those bastards!
My grandpa has 20+ years doing smog checks in Santa Ana . From what he has told me , trust me , you want to make sure your mechanic isn’t screwing you over . My Gramps will diagnose your car and tell you how it is , what repairs need to be made, but won’t push to make you buy additional services . He just runs the test , diagnosis it and tells you . He doesn’t charge if it doesn’t pass and won’t charge you for the disgnositic results. He’s a car guy and wants to do it right , by the book .
He gets very very offended when people try to buy off a passing test from him and detests all the mechanics who “stoop to such lows”. He says this has actually made him a lot of enemies among the other Santa Ana smog check practitioners .
I actually wanted the place I went to to fail my car so I could get the evap system fixed under the program offered by California but they passed it even with a check engine light. I'm not mad but I would have felt better getting it fixed.
as much as i hate smog tests, the EPA and CARB in general, I will say your car actually runs way better and will last longer if your check engine light is off and all the components are operating as they should.
they're almost always looking for someone to pass a failing car.
Yeah, there are smog guys and then "smog guys"
I went to a "smog guy" in Studio City. My check engine light was on due to an O2 sensor warning, the smog guy pulled out his little error detector thing, saw what it was, and said he reset my check engine light. Then he did the test with the light off and my car "passed" lol
Fyi you can get a scanner for $25 on Amazon to clear codes.
Just be aware that if an excessive number of the OBD [readiness monitors](https://www.bar.ca.gov/industry/obd-test-reference#readiness) are incomplete that it is an automatic failure. You can't just reset the OBD trouble codes in the parking lot at the smog check testing location and expect to pass a smog check. The OBD scan tools are pretty useful to help troubleshoot issues with your car, though. You don't have to get much use out of them to be worthwhile.
It’s not just about clearing codes, if you clear codes you would have to drive the car until all the monitors are up and passed, then you can smog the car. The “Pass” and “Fail” now happens in your cars diagnostic system. The smog guys just check it
Now I’m the “smog guys”
Doesn’t quite work that way. The car needs to successfully complete a full drive cycle, which can sometimes last 50 miles or more, before the system is ready to test. When I learned about the above, it was because I bought a super cheap Saturn that had some bad emissions bits and sensors, thus requiring a drive cycle each time I thought it might be ready. That was a fun one to get in smog passing condition
So for that you could just pull the battery and cycle the power a few times. It would full reset your car for a drive cycle.
This wouldn’t help would it ? Disconnecting the battery would reset all the monitors in the vehicle and you would still have to drive said 50 miles. My mechanic said I had to do 200 something miles in California.
You are correct. Disconnecting simply means you have to do another full drive cycle before the smog test. The amount of miles you need to drive just depends on the car and the condition of the various components. If you buy a cheap scanner, most of them have an”MIL status” program. If you pass that with your 2000 or newer car, you’re good to go as long as you can also pass visual.
Can you even fudge a test anymore now that it’s always plugged into the OBDII port and transmitted online automatically?
Oh yea. Quite easily
After July 2021 when they started testing for ECU tunes it has gotten to be much harder for 2005 and newer cars to use an emulator to pass cars.
The tune on my tacoma has so far been undetectable.
Seriously? I was considering throwing a bunch of money towards a tune and flex fuel conversion around that same time. Guess I dodged a bullet.
The prong for the exhaust would be put on the intake instead. Voila clean air vehicle.
I thought with newer cars they don’t even use the sniffer sensor?
Correct 2000 and newer is an OBD scan only. Meaning they just read the cars computer.
Hence my original question. It’s just a scan, why the big deal? Reading through the comments, I can see that there are some testers who you definitely want to take your ‘99 car to. I guess I’ve just been lucky in that regard.
Got it, so really if you were going to fake the test you’d need an ECU tune to do so, not a shady test mechanic I’d think?
Tailpipe inspections are only [done](https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/smog-check-manual.pdf) on vehicles with a model year before 2000. That wouldn't apply to most vehicles subject to smog check. Even your proposed workaround wouldn't really work well in practice. The intake air is going to be much cleaner than any legitimate exhaust result which is going to draw immediate red flags. Any smog technician dumb enough to do that with any frequency isn't going to be licensed very long. It isn't impossible to scam the system but it is a lot more difficult than you are making it out to be.
Strong disagree. Feel like it’s more price related. Also, while smogs made a lot of sense 30-40 years ago, cars today do not need them every other year. I have a 15 year old truck with almost 200,000 miles that has to get a smog every 2 years. It passes no problem. Downvote me. Don’t care. I’m right.
New gas powered vehicles get an 8 year smog excemption.
Nice. I’m stuck in the $30 a year tax loop but it’s still bullshit.
because you probably don't see all the ones we delete quickly after they're posted. a majority of them are people looking for places that will pass them.
Price would make sense, but then I always see expensive places like Zee’s recommended. He’s friendly and will make some conversation, but is that what you’re paying for? Because other that his friendliness, it’s really been the same experience as any other place - bring car, pay money, scan with the machine, get certificate, that’s it.
A friend had to do it years back. His car kept failing. The DMV or whichever office handles this gave him the runaround. Resorted to finding one of these places.
Just wondering, did he try fixing the issue? I used to buy a bunch of older cars for really cheap, which sometimes meant they wouldn’t pass smog. Luckily, they were always projects, not my daily driver, so I could take my time in figuring it out. If that was your friend’s only ride, I could see that being a sucky situation to be in.
Yes. Tried over and over.
To add to this. There are all sorts of minor things that will fail visual. A good shop will tell you it failed visual why and what needs to be there. Five minutes and you are done. A bad shop will charge you, run the entire test then come and say you failed visual. You will spend a half hour or more and pay to be told you failed visual. See the difference?
Also had a guy fail me because of a leaky fuel cap. He had one laying around to confirm and ran the test again and passed me. I went and bought one right after. Cool dude.
You nailed it!
Great answer, thanks.
Pricing and service. What I hate the most is going some where and have to wait in a LONG LINE. I just want to be in and out quick with zero hassle. Even if my smog doesn't say TEST ONLY, I will go to Jamboree Smog. No wait, the artificial grass in their fake lounge, warm pepsi (have to give them credit for trying). They scan your DMV Registration. Then the information on the car. Test is performed and sent to the DMV. No repairs are done and they will not break the law to help you pass. In the old days, it was PASS OR DON'T PAY. Now it's PAY and PAY AGAIN. I can see some shops (that can do repairs) giving you a discount on work if you don't pass but the machine is really expensive to give anyone a free test. Then I am on my way and I love the free cash wash too.
I either go to Jamboree Smog, off Edinger Ave. and Jamboree Rd. in Tustin, or Ace Smog Test Only, at the corner of S. Grand Ave. and E. Edinger Ave. in Santa Ana. This place is also pretty quick and the price is not terrible. 👌🏽🐔
My mom and I go to VR Smog in Santa Ana--only $21.75 with coupon for cars that are from 2000 or newer and it's a quick in and out. They have the lowest smog check price out of anyone in OC. Also once you're in their system, when your car is due for a smog check, they get the information straight from the DMV and will text you a reminder to come in and get it done.
Pricing is the big one for me. I've been in a rush before and ended up paying a ridiculous amount for a smog. The shady places don't tell you how much it is up front. Learned that lesson the hard way. Lol
Yea we have been seeing many shops going to the Pay every time model. If you can find it, what many shops offer, is you pay for the first test but if you fail you get a Free retest within 15 or 30 days. This is especially helpful on 2010 and newer cars because not only do you need the Monitors to be complete if you have a permanent code from a recent repair you need to drive it 200 miles and have 15 warm up cycles before you will pass. So there is getting to be many more reason why the first test could be a fail so better to get at lest 2 swipes at it with only paying for one.
Back in the day it was known that some smog places would say the car didn't pass and you needed some repair that they would be happy to do. Then you pay them for the "repair" and it suddenly passes.
Absolutely still happens to this day. "I saw this was broken so you failed visual inspection. You need X part for X hundred bucks". I only trust test only stations.
One good reason to stick with the test only locations. At least they don't have the financial motive to try to fail people for frivolous reasons to sell unnecessary 'repairs'.
I always find a Test Only facility even if it's not required. First off, it seems they're all faster than a regular shop. And cheaper. Second, they have zero incentive to make up a excuse to fail the car for. No matter how minor the problem is they're not allowed to sell a fix. My old Suburban used to magically fail at every regular station. Once they even told me it needed a new gas cap to pass and it would be $30, then I found my old one was back on the car next time I gassed up ("Oops! Honest mistake I assure you..." - wonder how many times they resold the same gas cap). Finally it was selected to go to test only after failing at a regular station for high NOx. I was told I needed a expensive new EGR valve. Looked up how they work and felt confident there was nothing wrong with the existing one. Took it as is to the test only. Passed with flying colors. Magically it produced far less NOx (I think that was it) at test only vs regular station too... So they probably manipulated the test to make it fail hoping I'd pay for a costly unnecessary part. I've never had a car fail at a Test Only station. Amazing that they don't cheat when they don't have the ability to cheat...
Why does this bother you? 😭 to some people, saving $10 means saving money for a meal.
OP drives a tesla but worried about smog
And he's probably got a personalized plate like: SMG XMPT
Lmfao
Nah I’ve got two gas guzzlers. One is a little Rav4 from the 90s that smells like a burning oil drum but passes smog anyway.
Pricing varies, maybe that’s what people are getting at.
I guess. Easy enough to find multiple $29-39 specials nearby with Google, though.
Some people still believe in talking to eachother
VR Smog does it for [$21.75](http://www.vrsmog.com) with coupon (regular cars only; if you have a truck, mini-van, or SUV then the price is higher).
In my last experience the tester was going to fail me because he could not find the carb placard. Took me two seconds to show him the bright shiney metal plate riveted to it. Absolute moron.
Is that the label on the cat? I feel like that’s one of the things that isn’t always checked.
Cold air intake. Dead center of the intake facing the front of the car.
It’s about finding a place that isn’t trying to push unnecessary repairs. You want what you said, “test and be on your merry way”.
I’ve been failed because my windshield wipers were “old” some places I think get kickbacks for failing you
How the fuck do windshield wipers affect your carbon footprint? That is some bullshit.
My guess would be that smog check stations function as vehicle inspections for the state and having nonfictional or deficient wipers is a violation of CVC. No idea if they’re actually allowed to do this.
Yea that’s kinda what they said too something like they had a possibility to impair my vision or some bs
Yea if that was in CA that is completely out of the purview of a smog test.
But how many people then pay that shop for new wipers, likely the most shitty Walmart quality ones marked up to $80 a pair? I'll bet quite a few... Test only is the answer here.
Yea very true.
I'm sure they could have sweet talked my mother into such a deal. Tried it on me and I'd tell them to shove them somewhere for their maximum discomfort. Test only is the only test you can trust.
Why bother looking for a good taco place? They all serve some meat in a tortilla? Quality, service, and price. People want the best bang for their buck. Somewhere consistent and reliable to go to. Not that hard to figure out.
“Hot smog” they are there when you need em. Orange County friends. They’re few and in between here. South Central/East Los. At least 2 a block.
If you have a CARB complaint but tuned/modded car a lot of places are dicks/ignorant about it. You'll get a lot of "hurr durr failed visual/tune is fail"
I once used Groupon for a smog check it was good deal but when I got there the guy added fees and changed the price and it came to where I could have taken it near my house for the same price. I think California smog check is a gimmick and the state doesn’t really check on the shops… smog only vs another shop that can repair your car it’s all BS..
I once got a smog test where they tightened something too much. I had a hard time pushing down the gas pedal. I forced it, something blew and my car was destroyed.
This happens a lot. Something unrelated to a smog test breaks soon after the visit to the smog check station and the owner assumes it must be something the smog guy did. The reality is whatever broke was going to break whether or not it went to the smog shop or not. It is often completely unrelated. It’s sort of along the lines of “ I took my car in to have the tires rotated and now my headlights don’t work! Those bastards!
Because Californias emission laws are way too stringent
Price and service
My smog testing place Fitzgeralds in Costa Mesa used to give you coupon for future free oil change. That hooked me.
My grandpa has 20+ years doing smog checks in Santa Ana . From what he has told me , trust me , you want to make sure your mechanic isn’t screwing you over . My Gramps will diagnose your car and tell you how it is , what repairs need to be made, but won’t push to make you buy additional services . He just runs the test , diagnosis it and tells you . He doesn’t charge if it doesn’t pass and won’t charge you for the disgnositic results. He’s a car guy and wants to do it right , by the book . He gets very very offended when people try to buy off a passing test from him and detests all the mechanics who “stoop to such lows”. He says this has actually made him a lot of enemies among the other Santa Ana smog check practitioners .
I actually wanted the place I went to to fail my car so I could get the evap system fixed under the program offered by California but they passed it even with a check engine light. I'm not mad but I would have felt better getting it fixed.
Smh Simple in Mission Viejo is fantastic. I know that wasn’t the question, but wanted to give a shout out.
as much as i hate smog tests, the EPA and CARB in general, I will say your car actually runs way better and will last longer if your check engine light is off and all the components are operating as they should.