Failed Emissions

[exe36m3]

Agree with both of you. Tailpipe testing is part of the process, fail the OBD or tailpipe and you are done.

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[swrdply400mrelay]

I imported my Supra new into CA and it was required to have smog.

There was no tailpipe testing only OBD. Not sure if my guy was lazy but didn’t do a visual. When I brought my WRX in to CA, they did run a mirror underneath.

 

[Eastwood]

Yes, but when I posted this question to Bing's AI:

You
Sent by you:
Does a California smog test technician insert an exhaust test probe into a vehicle's exhaust pipe as part of the emissions test?


Copilot
Sent by Copilot:
Yes, during a California smog test, a technician typically inserts an exhaust test probe into the vehicle’s exhaust pipe to measure emissions. This is part of the tailpipe emissions test, which checks for pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted by the vehicle

I never watch the test being done, so I can't verify what was listed above. I did once try to drive only 1.5 miles to the smog test. It failed me due to a "not ready" status I went back the following weekend, and after driving 10 miles to the shop, my car passed without issue.

California does 2 types of SMOG.

STAR - using OBD2 only and visual, used for newer cars, forgot what year it starts at
Sniffer - tail pipe probe and dyno, used for older cars, forgot what the cut off year is. Newer cars with constant failed emissions may also be subject to a sniffer test or be sent to a state reff

 

[Eastwood]

I imported my Supra new into CA and it was required to have smog.

There was no tailpipe testing only OBD. Not sure if my guy was lazy but didn’t do a visual. When I brought my WRX in to CA, they did run a mirror underneath.

When they run the mirror on a cat, they’re looking for an EO number on the catalytic converter to make sure it’s CA state approved. Can’t just use an EPA approved one.

CARB is so damn extra.

What's funnier, it's not really even emissions testing either.
I talked with the SMOG guy when he did my 435i. He just plugged in the OBD2 connector, checked the 6 or 8 "ready" categories on his display (I saw them and they looked A LOT like the Torque app). He then looked under the hood, ran a mirror to see the exhaust system, and put the tail pipe sensor in there - but said on the newer cars they don't measure anything anymore. Tailpipe is now if it smokes or not - if so, immediate fail.

I supposed the *assumption* is if the car is newer, it should pass emissions.

Depending on the model year, you're either doing STAR (OBD) or a regular tail pipe emissions Smog. The idea is that the OBD will tell you if all systems and sensors are working within tolerable parameters. So in theory, if there are no CEL, all systems are ready then the car is working within SMOG parameters and doesn't need a sniffer and dyno roll. But sensors can easily be fooled by defoulers or coding out on the ECU, which is why CA is checking for CVNs and CID and why techs are required to do a visual check.

A car with basic bolt ons like aftermarket intake, HF Cat or HF Catted down pipe can easily pass an OBD test as long as there isn't a CEL and all systems ready but in reality it's a fail because of the visual inspection.

 

[Eastwood]

Agree with both of you. Tailpipe testing is part of the process, fail the OBD or tailpipe and you are done.

Not necessarily.

You can retest until you pass. A lot of shops are no payment unless you pass, so you can test a few times My dad owned a smog shop for years before retiring recently.

If you pass and your CVN does not match OE spec they’ll send you a state ref notice later for another inspection.

CARB constantly monitors shops and will send out mystery shoppers to investigate shops for illegal activity like passing failing cars or not doing visual checks. They can be stripped of their license.

And for what it's worth, a lot of car guys freak out about the random SMOG tests on city streets. CHP will ask you to test, but it's 100% voluntary, you can decline and move along. If you are modified, up to the CHP if he wants to do anything about it. These random smogs are used to collect data and to check on the shops that passed their last test. For cars that are deemed gross polluters, they'll offer a buy back voucher to help the owner get a new car and get that gross polluting vehicle off the road.

 

[frankenm]

CA with emissions and vehicles overall is a huge slow moving cash cow machine for the auto industry and state of CA.

New vehicles purchased in CA have 6 years of "SMOG ABATEMENT FEE" which is around $20-30 must be purchased new in CA though, basically if you can afford a new car every 6 years no smog checks.

The checksum verification is being done for vehicles starting around year 2006+ but I do not know how accurate this is, I had to have this done on my 2013 super duty which gets a star emission check

Not saying I am against smog and we should all be driving around with catless 4in straight pipes but the problems are not going anywhere and only getting more red tape added. It really makes you feel handcuffed when modifying cars for the street by the rules, when on the track you only care about decibel limits and your vehicle class rules.

 

[lucky phil]

CA must be the looniest state in the US. I bought this 6 months ago from CA. Check out the warning label! For a tire inflation adaptor!
Phil

 

[Evolution]

In CA, tail pipe probing is only for 99 and earlier vehicles. If it’s not a permanent awd vehicle, it doesn’t go on the rollers. They test at 2 different rpm. If it’s 2wd, it goes on the rollers and test the output at 2 different speeds. Any 00 and up just gets plugged in to check the cal ID and a visual.

Not that it helps us Supra owners but from what I heard, if you buy something like a smog legal supercharger kit, your cal ID no longer matters. Meaning you can tune your car after you get the carb eo # assigned to your car.

 

[razorlab]

CA must be the looniest state in the US. I bought this 6 months ago from CA. Check out the warning label! For a tire inflation adaptor!
Phil

Says the guy living in Australia, a place were I lost track of how many jokes there are about it.

 

[Eastwood]

CA must be the looniest state in the US. I bought this 6 months ago from CA. Check out the warning label! For a tire inflation adaptor!
Phil

CP65 is such a pain in the ass. People literally will go into stores looking for products without the warning label, have it tested and if it fails they sue the manufacturer and retailer.

All that crap says is this product is made with materials that have been known to cause cancer. Unless you're melting it and injecting it into your blood stream, you're fine but people think they can get cancer by touching it. You know what else can possible cause cancer? Stepping into the sun, sitting in your car on the freeway, living life, etc etc.

 

[J29DB03]

CP65 is such a pain in the ass. People literally will go into stores looking for products without the warning label, have it tested and if it fails they sue the manufacturer and retailer.

All that crap says is this product is made with materials that have been known to cause cancer. Unless you're melting it and injecting it into your blood stream, you're fine but people think they can get cancer by touching it. You know what else can possible cause cancer? Stepping into the sun, sitting in your car on the freeway, living life, etc etc.

So does every “Welcome to California” sign also have the warning label on it? Sounds like just living in CA will give you cancer.

https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/exposure-wildfires-increases-risk-cancer-339499

 

[Eastwood]

So does every “Welcome to California” sign also have the warning label on it? Sounds like just living in CA will give you cancer.

https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/exposure-wildfires-increases-risk-cancer-339499

No joke. But you’re likely to see a CP65 warning near the entrance or cash wrap at most retailers.

 

[lucky phil]

CP65 is such a pain in the ass. People literally will go into stores looking for products without the warning label, have it tested and if it fails they sue the manufacturer and retailer.

All that crap says is this product is made with materials that have been known to cause cancer. Unless you're melting it and injecting it into your blood stream, you're fine but people think they can get cancer by touching it. You know what else can possible cause cancer? Stepping into the sun, sitting in your car on the freeway, living life, etc etc.

When I got it I went to the website to try and figure out what about it was a risk to my health but found nothing obvious so came to the conclusion it was only CA "stuff".
Phil

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