XPost: alt.home.repair   
   From: scharf.steven@geemail.com   
      
   On 9/13/2010 11:35 AM, notbob wrote:   
      
   > CARB II restrictions in CA are beyond insane.  There's two tiers of   
   > smog testing.  Regular testing, where a mechanic can diddle yer car   
   > while testing and "test only" stations where you must go when the   
   > state determines your car may be borderline, based on the previous   
   > tests and/or age of vehicle.  A "Test Only" notice from the state is   
   > pretty near a death warrant for older cars.   
      
   Not at all. We have one vehicle that's 14 years old with 140K miles and   
   has been "test-only" the last three times. It always passes with very   
   high margins. The exhaust system is all original. A lot depends on the   
   vehicle make and the design. Some makes have problems at high mileage,   
   but Toyotas are not one of those makes.   
      
   > At a Test Only station, you get hooked up to a multi point test   
   > computer that's connected directly to the state's computer/database.   
      
   At the regular test locations it's the same thing. They even now want   
   pretests to be done while the vehicle is hooked up to the state's computer.   
      
   > There's even a test point for yer gas tank/cap, ferchrysakes.  The   
   > smog cert tech hooks up about two dozen leads and backs away from the   
   > keyboard and the state inspects your vehicle remotely.  There's almost   
   > nothing the tech can do to fudge the test.  Most operators who get a   
   > license for a Test Only station won't risk losing it for any reason.   
      
   The state sends out undercover inspectors to check up on smog check   
   stations. They also look at strange patterns of smog checks, like an   
   inordinate number of smog checks at one station with registrations that   
   are very far from the location of the smog check station. There are huge   
   fines and they'll confiscate your test equipment as well. There are also   
   specific things that the test station needs to make clear to the vehicle   
   owner if the vehicle fails, including that they are free to take the   
   vehicle elsewhere for repairs. The inspectors will ding you if you don't   
   do everything by the book.   
      
   > I forget, but I think it's illegal to even have tools on the premises   
   > of a Test Only station.  The one time I passed, it was on the 2nd $100   
   > test after I'd failed the first time and was advised to get a new gas   
   > cap, which did the trick.  Swear ta god!   
      
   Yep, a gas cap with a bad gasket can cause problems. They'll test the   
   gas cap off the car. Of course usually it will cause the Check Engine   
   light to come on and you can't pass with the Check Engine light on.   
      
   > It's real simple.  You pass or you don't.  No degrees of good/bad.   
      
   That's an over-simplification. The limits for emissions are so high that   
   only a vehicle with some real defect in the exhaust system will fail.   
      
   > You gotta have a good cat or you don't get licensed.  Where I now live   
   > in CO, I could probably drive a AA fuel funny car and not be hassled,   
   > but that's not CA, whose testing is 2nd only to Japan's for anal tight   
   > requirments.   
      
   When I first moved to California I had a 49 state VW Rabbit with no CAT   
   that still used leaded fuel. I was only legally required to pass the 49   
   state limits for smog since the car was more than six months old when   
   brought into the state, but I had no problem passing even California's   
   lower limits.   
      
   My brother-in-law has an Arco Smog Pros franchise. I can't bring the   
   test-only vehicle to him anymore, but I bring our other vehicles to him.   
   I've heard lots of good stories. One guy was failing by a very small   
   amount and they offered to do the repairs to get him to pass, for $40.   
   He declined, and said he would do the repairs himself, then come back   
   for a retest (the policy is "Pass or Retest Free" though it used to be   
   "Pass or Don't Pay"). When he came back for his retest and he was hooked   
   up the machine, whatever he had done had turned his vehicle into a   
   "Gross Polluter" which requires repairs at specific shops, and then   
   requires testing yearly (rather than every two years) at a Test-Only   
   station. He then wanted to pay the $40 for the repairs but it was too   
   late as the information is automatically sent to the state's computers.   
      
   The CARB II rules are an outgrowth of the state figuring out every way   
   people will try to cheat on the smog checks and designing ways to   
   prevent those cheats. They do seem insanely complex though.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)