How to Pass a Smog Test
How to pass your next smog test
1. Make sure your tires are in good condition
and properly inflated.
2. Make sure the "check engine" light
or any other dash board warning lights are NOT on.
3. Make sure that your vehicle has no fluid leaks
and no safety issues. Remember, your vehicle will be strapped
down on a dynamometer and required to perform flawlessly under
stressful conditions.
4. Don't change the size of the tires from the
original specifications. The dynamometer test equipment is
calibrated to the "stock" tire size. Over-or under-sized
tires will alter the speed calculations performed by the test
equipment and may prevent your vehicle from going through the
test since the machine won't sense the correct speed for your
vehicles' tire size.
5. Make sure your vehicle has a clean air filter
and fresh engine oil.
6. Make sure your vehicle's gasoline cap fits
your vehicle, isn't damaged and is turned tightly in place.
A vehicle without a gas cap is an automatic Smog Check test
failure.
7. The week of the Smog Check test, take the
vehicle out for an extended drive, preferably on the freeway
and especially if you're regularly a 'short trip' driver. Drive
approximately 30 minutes or longer at varying speeds on freeways,
surface streets and up hills.
The Day of the Smog Check Test
8. Fill the gas tank of your vehicle with the
grade of fuel stated in the owner's manual.
9. Make sure all fluids are topped off and that
all non-essential items are removed from the trunk or the rear
of the vehicle. The dynamometer weighs your vehicle before
the test, and if the vehicle is heavier than it should be,
the weight will make it harder to pass.
10. Drive at least 30 minutes before arriving
at the Smog Check test facility to ensure the car or truck
has reached full operating temperature. Ask the repair facility,
if they can perform the test within 15 minutes of your arrival.
This will let the vehicle return to normal operating temperature
quickly. Remember to bring the DMV renewal notice with you
to the repair facility. The paperwork has a bar code on it
that needs to be scanned for the Smog Check test. If you don't
have the paperwork, the repair facility may charge you for
the extra time it takes to input the vehicle identification
number that they could pick up from the bar code.
—AAA Automotive Club of Southern California |