Smog Tips

Six tips to consider before taking your next California Smog Check:

If your car is not in a good condition, (ie. blowing out black smoke, leaking oil or coolant profusely) do not get a smog check. It may fail the test and your money will be put to waste. Take it to your local mechanic instead and have it inspected for any problems. You will save yourself some time and money.
Take your car for a 15-20 minute drive to warm up your car. Warming up your car at the optimum level will ensure that your car run at its best condition. Every engine needs at least 10-15 miles worth of driving to ensure proper combustion.
Any car battery issues (jump start), battery replacement or repair work done on the vehicle which requires resetting or re flashing of the engine computer will require you to set the drive cycle in order to pass the emission test. A typical drive cycle will take 50+ miles of driving to complete.
Tire pressure is pretty critical while running a smog test. If your tires are below specs, it may be harder to stabilize your vehicle while on the dynamometer, which can alter the accuracy of your readings. To maintain a reliable overall emission output, check your tires for their proper pressure.
If you haven’t had an oil change in a really long time, now’s the time to do it. Through wear and tear, the oil in your car’s engine car can get contaminated from dirt, component shavings and burnt particles. The more contaminated your oil gets, the more rich your oil mixture will be, which will cause an increase in one of the main gasses being tested, HC (hydrocarbons). It has been proven to be effective, get your oil change before your next smog test.
Having your check engine light on is an automatic failure. Whether it’s a glitch in your cars computer, or your mechanic says its okay, by law you will still fail your smog check. To find out the main cause of the problem, you will need to bring your car to a certified smog test and repair shop that has the proper tools to scan your cars system. There are also after market products on the market that you can buy that will help give you this information as well.