Starting on January 1, 2013 there are new smog stations call "Star Stations". They are to replace test only stations. To become a Star station they pick stations with the highest fail records. Logic being they are more careful doing their test and catch more "Mods" to the exhaust/smog systems. I'm wondering if anyone has been to one these stations. If so how did it go. I'm more concerned about the visual inspection.
Thanks
Andy

 

Yeah, I noticed the "jerk" down the street from me has the "star" plaque on the front of his building. I have a legal K&N air filter assembly and smog legal shorty headers with the EO# on my Tahoe and the guy would not pass me. Just more government encroachment. What ever happened to a car just blowing "clean?

 

That's not good. I've a year to decide on what to do. Maybe need to swap in my 305 motor and exhaust pass the test and switch back. What a crock of @#$%?.

 

My normal smog guy is a Star Station Just passed my Camaro SS and you've seen that one

 

I might have to go over there.

 

Its getting ridiculous.First guy i took my car to wouldnt even bother.He said my headers were'nt legal.Even after showing him the eo#.
Tech: i cant verify the # cause were're not allowed, said i would have to verify it myself.
I ask him, how do i prove to you i verified it afterwards.
Tech: you have to go to the c.a.r.b web site & look up the eo#! How does that prove anything i ask.
Answer, i dont know but i cant look it up anymore, they (carb) wont let us.Then just walks away.I called him a wuss as i shut the hood, dont think he heard me though.

Second guy: Looks at my engine, then says your snorkles/ducting are missing.
Me: the ducting broke apart years ago & are discountinued from GM.
Tech: i understand, but this means i have to question your legality & i dont want to chance it.
Me: whats to question! The snorkle/ducting are NOT even an emission device!
Tech: I understand, but i have to question anything that is missing & that is not something i want to chance.Let me give you the ph number to the c.a.r.b.They will refer you to a referee station......Gee thanks.

The first tech never noticed the missing snorkles & the 2nd tech NEVER even "questioned" the legality of the headers.Luckly i found a smog tech with some common sense...still.BTW, this was back in late december.

 

My guy ask are your headers smog legal and I said yes. They are SLP. He said ok and continue to smog the car. It failed because it had 2bad cats. Don just installed two new California cats this past weekend. I'll be going back this weekend to try it again. Oh by the way, since it didn't past they didn't charge me.

 

As far as I am concerned this whole smog check thing is out of control. It all started out trying to clean up the air. All well and good and I am behind it as I remember the days when my eyes would water from the traffic fumes. IMHO if a car blows clean that should be enough after all it's about a clean atmosphere.

Common sense has taken a back seat. It has become about money an revenue for the state. There are many reasons people are leaving California and this is just another straw on the back of the camel. People are saying they have just had enough and are leaving. As a native California I don't blame them for leaving the state.

Edit: This one of the reasons I bought my 1965 Buick Skylark so I would not have to worry about smog. Just my luck they will change the law and move it back to 1964 or some such thing.

 

When I smogged back in December, I pull in to the stall, pop the hood, the tech starts looking under the hood. I gather my paperwork (took about 5 seconds) and get out of the car. The tech says, "I found the e.o.# for the supercharger, but not for the intake and exhaust."

I ask him to point out the supercharger (the car is n/a....), he starts to point to the alternator...I start to laugh. He says ooopsie, it's not supercharged. I show him the sticker for the headers, point to the e.o.# on the throttle body He says OK. Then I proceed to pass the sniffer.

He had a cellphone app for carb e.o.#s and the years they are valid for.

Now I'm thinking about going back to a certed LTR set-up, with a blower....maybe.

 

"with a blower....maybe."

Yep, disguise it as an alternator and you will be good to go. Hahahahaha.

 

Unfreaking believable, these are the assclowns who decide weather our cars stay on the road. I hope you told him you couldn't show him what a supercharger looked like because you didn't bring crayons and construction paper with you.

 

YAY! I'm in the middle of a T5 swap and I need to pass by mid March. The only thing that worries me is I can't seem to find a stupid VSS for a 90-92 car. that might be enough to fail me if the speedo doesn't work.

 

Oh jeez... sounds like I'm in for some fun in a couple months...

 

The refs usually arent that bad but having more info than they do helps

They can locate you a snorkel if its available

State is really cracking down on them and they dont know if youre there as a part of a sting so some run a little scared.

Im sick of fuggin California. Mines a 67 and supposed to have all the smog on it working or not. If CHP pulled me over and wanted to they could impound the car as it has no smog pump on it.
Between the high cost of living crappy wages and traffic its really hard to drive the car anymore.
First half decent job I find Im outta here!!

 

Yeah the smog laws in California are a bitch but there is a positive here. At least our cars won't rust away to nothing like some I've seen from back east.

 

"At least our cars won't rust away to nothing like some I've seen from back east."

So California has to use other tactics to get the older cars off the road.

 

Unless something has changed recently then all pre cat cars do not need to be smogged.

My 67 Camaro doesn't need to be smogged...

FWIW, even though I've been living in AZ for the last 10 years the 67 has remained titled in Cali as I'm originally from LA.

 

Cars from 1975 and back to not have to be smogged. However there is nothing to prevent them from changing the law.

 

The So Cal smog rules will get worse. The state just spent a few million to increase the filtering in the HVAC systems in all the schools around the LA/LB harbor due to increased air pollution from the harbor - well duh. Of course this only helps when the kids are in a classroom sitting not outside playing. double duh

Among the So Cal specials are the new ultra low emission natural gas water heaters required here, about $90 more than you pay in Victorville.
The green tax on oil went from 4cents a qt to 7 cents last year.
And now there is the carbon tax in CA that affects everyone and everything.
And if anyone noticed last week Bejing shut down their airport because the air pollution was so bad it was like a fog and planes could not see to land. Our politicians seem to ignore the fact that Chinas polluted air floats right here to the western USA. how CARB expects us to clean our air polluted by China while allowing chinese imports is beyond me.

DEFUND GOVT

 

Are cars older than 1976 and newer than 1954 all exempt from smog equipment checks on resale now?

 

Sure the air quality in So Cal needs works, but I remember the 50s and 60s. It'a 1000 times better now. Smog alerts were common place. After a game of baseball on hot summer day my chest work actually hurt and my eyes would tear up. Driving To Pomona on the Brea canyon highway before the 57 was built you could barely see The fair grounds down below.
So all in all the air here is great compared to years gone by.

 

no not yet but we are still supposed to havethe smog stuff on there
If you get pulled over and they tell you to pop the hood they can impound the car if its missing. Refuse to pop the hood bye bye car mandatory 30 day hold which will run about a grand. Plan on the car getting beat to hell if not stripped in the lot its happened to me and you dont got a leg to stand on

Smog doesnt have to be functional just there. Thinking about hanging an old pump from the head by a bolt lol.

Actually next yr for the hell of it Im going to put a small pump on down low out of the way polish it make some stainless lines tucked away etc. Just to do it.

They will not keep me from driving my car
If we ever have to have them tested ...may have to buy a junker stock motor/swap...or ifall works out right just get out of here all together.

 

"So all in all the air here is great compared to years gone by."

I don't think anyone is arguing against that. It is way better. The question now is the state turning this into a scam with all the carbon taxes etcetera and revenue enhancement? I believe they are.

 

Are the pre-1976 cars required to have the same year engine or does "anything go" under the hood?

 

There are no smog inspections for cars made in 1975 and earlier. So anything goes. Not to say that can't change down the road.

 

Yes you will need a VSS, as it will set the SES light without one, and the car will try to stall a lot as the computer doesnt know the car is moving when you step on the gas, and then release to hit the brakes.

Technically, you're supposed to keep everything under the hood legal, so its not "anything goes." But if they're not checking, then.....

 

You know where can get a VSS? I've tried website after website and jy after jy. No such luck.

 

I might have one that will work, it's a 2000 pulse per mile.

 

PM sent, Don.

 

The stations with the most "failures" would probably be the crooks that offer a smog inspection for a "lowball" price and then always fail you for something to give them an excuse to sell some parts and labor on top of the smog test. Seems like the state is now going to reward all of the crooks!

 

Russ, I think you have a good point. I have ran into those types.

 

Those stations are test only so they can't do any repairs by law.

 

Would never have thought it's so bad over there.
It's bad enough over here in Germany with all the taxing and smog tests.

 

Actually, I'm not sure that "Star Stations" are test only. The one that I took my wife's Saturn wagon to was test only in the corner of a tire shop that does repairs. The smog tech may be "test only", but if a car fails does he recommend that it be repaired by the shop that he shares space with? I don't know.

 

Yeh, I couldn't take my '66 Chevy Impala SS with me when I went to Germany in '87. Broke my heart.
I did get a piece of the wall when it went down in '89 though.

 

Shame... I like those cars.
We also don't have an exception for old cars. ALL need to go through with the sniffer test :/

 

Both Test Only and Test & Repair can be Star certified. It's just the new qualification CA requires. It replaced the old Gold Shield rating.

 

Last time, my car required a "test only". this year a "star". the closest "star" to me was a "test-and-repair" last year, but I took it there, and they passed me. No crazy testing or inspecting... actually, it almost looked like less inspection than the test onlys...

who knows with california... place is so backwards!!

 

You're lucky. The one I went to this past Saturday tried to find something wrong with my car desperatly. They couldn't but I still didn't pass. 5 HC's over the 83 limit at 15 mph.

Now let me ask you all this, is there a reason why some cars limits are set higher than 83 such as in another thread it was 105 max HC's at 15 mph? Carb and fuel injection specific maybe?

 

Levels depend on the county, year, model, trim, and engine....

my VIN reads 91 RS L03 in LA county...
actually am a L98 tho...

Here is my results:

 

The limit last year for my camaro was 80. I hit 80 on the nose. I have an 89 IROC,. and as far as the smog guy knew it was a 305.

 

i just took the snorkel off mine and the entire intake sys is perfect condition...super clean all original ducting, inlet allum piece that tranfers heat from manifold and the air cleaner itself if anyone is interested...im never smogging the bird again so im about to sell all good emissions equip.

 

I lived in San Diego for over 20 years, One of my drinking buddies was a smog tech. When my my car needed smogging, I'd give him the paperwork and he'd hook up his car to the machine, put in my information, and "mine" would pass with flying colors. You guys just don't have the right friends...

 

The Star Station I went to does repairs. My 89 passed the smog but failed the gas tank check because the old hose he pinched off was brittle and broke, he didn't notice it until it caused a fail on the test. He noted the repair on the test form after replacing the hose, so the repair is listed on the paper work. I'll post a pic later.

Then it passed.