the star test stations are more oriented toward visual inspections and this added criteria is now required on any car over 7 yrs old. though i have a feeling they will or already target turbos.

 

Next time go to a local mechanic who knows who you are. They are much more likely to overlook modifications assuming everything else passes the tailpipe test since they know you. I've got a guy at a gas station down the street from my house that has done work on my Mitsubishi for years, but I also let him do the smog test on my 996tt. Both cars have always passed smog and never questioned.

 

good advice. i have a test station that will tell me what's what

 

+1. That's exactly what I was eluding to in post 32.

 

I totally understand your pain... I've gone through that

 

ok. the cars that get flagged for "star" station testing ( which involves visual snooping, irrespective of the obd and sniffer portions of the test ) have this notation. it could be any cars with turbo. i'm not sure. but my latest renewal has the notation on the dmv paperwork "high emitter profile" and this was for my golf cart. not the tt. i went to one station, he said aftermarket exhaust with cat(s) now even requires a serial number from the mfg tied to your personal reg of the car. etc etc. i sh*t you not. this is what we have come to here. so i'm all good since all my papers are in order

good luck with anyone running catless ain't gonna happen.

so again, that was renewing my golf cart, but the pcar is even more stealth mode lol so that's gonna fly no problem too

my hunch was right. it is best to find a friend with a star on thars to test your carz

 

The mods will be overlooked at considerable risk to the business and its continued operation. While the local mechanic may be willing to take the risk the owner of the shop faces considerable exposure to fines, possibly the loss of his business.

CARB has to be aware of these ways to attempt to circumvent the law/rules. When it sees a trend at a shop it will send in an under cover vehicle.

(Years ago I went to a shop that had -- unbeknownst to me at the time -- just gotten raked over the coals for illegal exhaust mods. I asked about an exhaust mod for my car and you would have thought I asked the mechanic to let me sleep with his mother and sister. When he calmed down we talked -- it helped to calm him when I told him I was not aware of what I was asking was illegal -- and he told me what had happened. He thought I was some undercover investigator doing a follow up.)

CARB can also then note which vehicles were passed at this place and if not have them retested put the vehicle on watch list to be tested at some other shop that is not so willing to overlook things.

Also, I have known some mechanics to turn in report cars that are in violation of the emissions laws. The mechanics resent the flouting of the laws to help ensure clean air for all. They are not against mods for track cars but for cars driven on the street they are not willing to go along with this.

 

The cali smog system is real-time. Investigators can park up the street to watch what car is on the dyno, and what VIN is being submitted.

And cali is ruthless...My dad's friend used to do smog checks at his shop. They "busted" him with a camera on a telephone pole up the street because he was having an employee run the smog checks when he was the individual licensed for it. He lost his ability to run smog checks at the shop....and it's been like 10 years.

I've driven up on a few roadside checkpoints. Here is what I've learned:
- DUI checkpoints usually have a ton of cops sitting around, and all cars are stopped, so it's easy to know if you're approaching one of those.
- SMOG checkpoints usually have a "men at work" road sign up, one lane is closed, and there is a single police vehicle. You can sometimes see the rollers behind a truck, or a car on them. I always make a u-turn or take a side-street to avoid it.

 

In San Diego, most of the smog shops are owned by Vietnamese. A few years ago they popped a few shops for not doing visual inspections and the word travels fast. The DMV has a an entire website to printout exhaust systems to verify visual inspection that the test much now check. If the pass the sniff test, what's the difference, you comply with the intent of the law.