Biennial Smog Check

Craig Naylor · Post by **Craig Naylor** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 4:09 pm

When did the biennial smog check become annual?

This is the third year in a row I'm going to have to take the Integra in to a Test only station. Last year was the "off" year, DMV claimed we were were reported as a "gross polluter" (not the case, passed with the best results the car has ever had, why exactly I don't know) and had the privilege of an extra test. I figured we would get a pass this year. Just received our renewal, and it's not the case.

Is there a curtain age of car that causes the "test only" more expensive, no penny saver / mailer coupon location requirement too? When did the "Gold Certified" repair station requirement to have a failed car fixed at happen?

Doug Teulie · Post by **Doug Teulie** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:06 pm

Craig Naylor wrote:When did the biennial smog check become annual?

This is the third year in a row I'm going to have to take the Integra in to a Test only station. Last year was the "off" year, DMV claimed we were were reported as a "gross polluter" (not the case, passed with the best results the car has ever had, why exactly I don't know) and had the privilege of an extra test. I figured we would get a pass this year. Just received our renewal, and it's not the case.

Is there a curtain age of car that causes the "test only" more expensive, no penny saver / mailer coupon location requirement too? When did the "Gold Certified" repair station requirement to have a failed car fixed at happen?

Uh,

You got taken. Biennial Smog Check is still Biennial.

Steve Ekstrand · Post by **Steve Ekstrand** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:46 pm

Unless you own a '91 Civic or Integra. Mine too. Every year... Test only station.

Its targeted as a car that often is a gross emitter or modified vehicle. Profiling.... Too bad we're white males.

Doug Teulie · Post by **Doug Teulie** » Sat Sep 26, 2009 10:21 pm

Steve Ekstrand wrote:Unless you own a '91 Civic or Integra. Mine too. Every year... Test only station.

Its targeted as a car that often is a gross emitter or modified vehicle. Profiling.... Too bad we're white males.

? Modified vehicle ?

Smog check is every other year unless your car is too new or if it is a 75 or older.

This was in review last year:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=641&p=11016&hilit=smog+check#p11016" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Steve Ekstrand · Post by **Steve Ekstrand** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:51 am

I know what the law is Doug. I know its supposed to be biennial.

But there is a special program that profiles cars likely to be offenders. Those cars can ONLY go to test only stations. Sometimes they are required to go more often than every other year.

Doug Teulie · Post by **Doug Teulie** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 5:55 pm

Steve Ekstrand wrote:I know what the law is Doug. I know its supposed to be biennial.

But there is a special program that profiles cars likely to be offenders. Those cars can ONLY go to test only stations. Sometimes they are required to go more often than every other year.

Hmm.

I trust you after all you are the pro! Some others told me that they were tagged for every year but then I looked them up online and they only smoged ever other year.
You can look up the smog history of any car online.

Thomas Smith · Post by **Thomas Smith** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:20 pm

Steve Ekstrand wrote:I know what the law is Doug. I know its supposed to be biennial.

But there is a special program that profiles cars likely to be offenders. Those cars can ONLY go to test only stations. Sometimes they are required to go more often than every other year.

My 91 Civic seems to still be every other year as opposed to every year but I definately have to do "Test Only". When I had the Integra Type R it was "Test Only" as well. My 99 Miata can go anywhere which worked out nicely recently as they didn't pick up on the fact I only have 1 out of 2 cats...

Larry Andrews · Post by **Larry Andrews** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:41 pm

AFAIK, If the car ever fails, it'll get pulled in every year thereafter. Doesn't matter who owned the car when it failed. Learned that one with my old CRX. Dono if an SCAQMD complaint makes a difference or not.

Lesson: buy a new cat and swap it back in every time you need smog cert. in order to make real damn sure the car never fails smog in the first place.

Just did it this morning with the miata - barely passed (NoX was 779 vs 786 max @2500) two years ago and made it with flying colors today (NoX is 320 now) at just over 200k.

Jonathan Lugod · Post by **Jonathan Lugod** » Sun Sep 27, 2009 9:22 pm

My car has failed smog MANY times even before I owned it. Ever since i bought it I have had to smog EVERY year. I hate california smog laws.

John Coffey · Post by **John Coffey** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 8:13 am

Contact the BAR Consumer Assistance Program and see if they can remove the annual requirement for your car. I know a couple people who ahve done that but I don't know what they went through.

Mako Koiwai · Post by **Mako Koiwai** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 8:31 am

I had a work colleague wonder why he hasn't gotten a smog notice on his car and it's been five years now! Bought it new. Can't remember what it was but it was just some boring DD.

George Schilling · Post by **George Schilling** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:28 am

Mako Koiwai wrote:I had a work colleague wonder why he hasn't gotten a smog notice on his car and it's been five years now! Bought it new. Can't remember what it was but it was just some boring DD.

He'll get one soon. I just smogged the Honda for the first time and it's an '03. Haven't had to smog the Mini yet. It's an '05.

Michael Smith · Post by **Michael Smith** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:54 am

George Schilling wrote:
Mako Koiwai wrote:I had a work colleague wonder why he hasn't gotten a smog notice on his car and it's been five years now! Bought it new. Can't remember what it was but it was just some boring DD.
He'll get one soon. I just smogged the Honda for the first time and it's an '03. Haven't had to smog the Mini yet. It's an '05.

Owners of vehicles six or less model years old will pay an annual smog abatement fee for the first six registration years instead of being required to provide a biennial smog certification. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm#BM2535

Michael Smith · Post by **Michael Smith** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:23 am

Don't forget that you can check your smog history online:
http://www.autorepair.ca.gov/applicatio ... stQry.aspx

Art Rinner · Post by **Art Rinner** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 1:37 pm

Craig,
Even though your car passed with flying colors, if it ever tested as a Gross Polluter it will be required to get a smog check every year. This is according to our "Test Only" Smog guy.

Rick Brown · Post by **Rick Brown** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 3:18 pm

Too bad it isn't really about smog. My Tribute easily passes the emissions test, but it has a check engine light and I'm told there are 4 or 5 separate errors and they want a ridiculous amount of $$$ to actually find the problem(s). The car runs fine, gets great mileage for a small SUV and is well within the emissions limits. That's all they should care about.

Craig Naylor · Post by **Craig Naylor** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:16 pm

The Integra has NEVER failed.

The Online Vin/plate check only has the biennial smog's listed (last years is not there).

I have a copy of the registration stapled to the smog report for every year back to it's first in 1997.

The word "biennial" does not show on either the 2009, or 2007 they just say SMOG Certification Required at a Test Only Station (this years added or Gold Shield station), the 2008 says Gross Polluter - Smog Certification Required (See reverse side for details)

Will Kalman · Post by **Will Kalman** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:57 pm

Rick Brown wrote:Too bad it isn't really about smog. My Tribute easily passes the emissions test, but it has a check engine light and I'm told there are 4 or 5 separate errors and they want a ridiculous amount of $$$ to actually find the problem(s). The car runs fine, gets great mileage for a small SUV and is well within the emissions limits. That's all they should care about.

OBDII can detect and log mis-fires and other anomalies. Because it passes emmisions at 15 and 25 mph at low load on a warm afternoon doesn't mean that its emissons controls are working at all other times such as cold running, high-load, higher speeds/RPM, etc or that it has an intermittant problem.

I've read that recent cars can even detect a single misfire by its effect on crankshaft acceleration. Pretty impressive, actually. And a single misfire is a gross pollution event that can negate a huge number of normal cylinder firings, emissions-wise. Too many of those and the code is thrown.

Michael Smith · Post by **Michael Smith** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:47 pm

Just had to smog the hatch (90 Civic Si) and it passed the first time. The only thing I did was drive it for 25 minutes (street and fwy). I left the car running while other cars were being tested.

2 more years, woohoo!

Mike Kazmierczak · Post by **Mike Kazmierczak** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:56 pm

I'm in biennial Test Only (Honda) crew.

Neither have ever failed.

Earl Merz · Post by **Earl Merz** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:28 pm

Are all pre 76 cars exempt from smog tests? What if the car was once tagged as a gross polluter? How far back do they keep records? Car was tagged gross polluter in 96, put on non-op and hasn't been registered since. But I hope to change that by may 2010.

Q V · Post by **Q V** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:41 pm

Earl Merz wrote:Are all pre 76 cars exempt from smog tests? What if the car was once tagged as a gross polluter? How far back do they keep records? Car was tagged gross polluter in 96, put on non-op and hasn't been registered since. But I hope to change that by may 2010.

You can see if they have any public info on it still: http://www.bar.ca.gov/applications/VehT ... stQry.aspx

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