Hi-

I just bought a 96 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. The seller didn't smog it therefore I had to do it and obviously it failed the test.

Check Engine Light was on and had transmission problem. I don't want to spend the money to fix it since it's an old car and I just want to be able to drive it for a year at most.

Does anyone know any "friendly" smog stations?

Please PM me. Help would be much appreciated!!


Thanks.

 

I hate to tell you this but we have members that are DMV and CARB employees...you are new so you probably did not know this before you asked your question

you might also have found this info from DMV's website useful

When a car is sold, who is responsible for the inspection?

The seller is required to provide the buyer with a valid smog inspection certification at the time of the sale or transfer. Smog certifications are good for 90 days from the date of issuance.
The inspection is not required on a transfer if a biennial smog certification was submitted to DMV within 90 days prior to the vehicle transfer date (a vehicle inspection report may be required for proof of certification).
NOTE: Smog certifications are not required for transfers that occur for a gasoline powered motor vehicle that is four or less model years old. (Determine the oldest-qualifying year model by subtracting three from the current year) the four or less model years old rule does not apply to diesel powered vehicles. A smog transfer fee will be collected from the new owner.

 

how did it fail the smog? most of time, i would have it fixed. have the CEL scanned. could be a sensor which will make the car run much better and efficient when fixed. the so call friendly places charge a couple hundred bucks which is about the same as what the remedy would be. you'll be able to sell it easier if it's fixed.

 

in California the seller is responsible for the smog ...

 

Too late you're on the fail list at DMV. All test stations are tied in via computer. In Cali seller is responsible for smog. DMV will tell you that but won't take any action to enforce it. Chances are the seller is going to forget he even met you. Some smog shops give you some wiggle room on the visual equipment inspection, but if you can't pass the sniff test you're SOL. Although it is illegal (and therefore I admonish you not to do this) you could just keep driving it and never re-register it. You'll keep getting expired tag tickets which you don't need to bother paying since one day they will just tow the car away for you. Hopefully you can keep this game up for a year. A famous criminal defense attorney in San Francisco is rumored to buy beaters for cash, no reciept, and tells the seller he'll take care of all the DMV filing and everything else. He never registers them, parks where ever he wants to (excluding tow away zones) racks up $$$$$ of parking tickets. When the car finally gets towed and impounded for all the tickets, he just buys another one. DMV hasn't been able touch him since he never legally owned the vehicles.

 

It's a transmission issue. Rebuilding the transmission will probably take a grand or so.