This is the best, most helpful Smog Test station ever. WINNER! Highly recommended! 5 stars.
I just finished smogging 2 older Jeeps and I got a lot of helpful advice from the owner Michael. He really understands how the systems work, and he can communicate well. Would have been way, way more difficult without his help. He is a super-nice guy too.
My Jeep had a check engine light. Fine. I have the code reader so I turned the light off. (misfire cyl #1, no big deal). But you can't just turn off the check engine light & go pass a smog test. Michael showed me what to look for on my OBD code reader so I would know when I could come in & get it tested. It is under "Readiness". Anyway, after that self-test finally completed OK, I came in with the car hot & passed the test. Yay.
My GFs Jeep was a different story. Her check engine light demanded expensive repairs, which she had done. New catalytic converter, smog solenoid, replaced spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor, etc. Then she took it in to get smogged - her smog guy said to just drive it about 60 miles & come back. You can't just replace a bunch of parts & go pass a smog test. So she commuted to work for a couple of weeks, but that 12 miles a day didn't make it ready to take a smog test. So we drove her Jeep a few hundred miles to the desert & back.
And that is when Michael really helped me again. I took her Jeep in to him & ask why can't it get tested yet? He took time to explain to me. Check this out - valuable info.
After you reset the DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code, or check engine light) you can't take a smog test until your car passes a bunch of self-tests. Those self-tests only happen when your car has between 1/4 & 3/4 tank of gas, and the catalytic test only happens between 40 - 60 MPH. And the catalytic will need to be 600 degrees hot. So he figured she's never going to do that on her short commute, and we drove too fast to/from the desert so that is why the catalytic self-test was still incomplete. Poop!
HOWEVER- information is power! Now that I understand all of this, & knowing she has only a short commute, the only way to get this car ready to test was to drive it 40-60 mph (not too fast, not too slow), get it hot, and mind the gas tank didn't get too full or too empty. And keep checking the code reader for catalytic readiness = OK. So that was my project today. It had to be done.
Well it all paid off when I drove the freeways ocassionally pulling over & checking the ODB code reader. Until finally the it showed "OK" for the catalytic readiness - then I headed straight over to International Smog.
Got it tested,
It passed,
VICTORY!!!
and now we're just waiting for DMV to mail us the sticker. I'm so happy! You have no idea.
Now you understand why I'm so glad I took it to International Smog - Because until he explained all that to me, we were never going to get those self-tests accomplished, not even in a year. The other smog place my GF took it to didn't help like Michael helped. You'd think with all this extra help & service he would charge more. Nope. Same price as everybody else. Except he helped us understand what we needed to do to pass smog, legit.
PRO TIP: when your DMV registration comes due, mail the money in right away. Then get the smog test when you have time. That way you avoid any late fee if life gets busy or if your vehicle doesn't pass easily. DMV will mail you a notice of incomplete registration, which is proof that you paid. Keep that & the smog test results handy until you get the new sticker on your license plate. read more