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View Full Version : Got turned away at a smog shop?



zstryder
02-13-2009, 06:43 PM
So I just moved to CA, went to try and get my smog done... I wanted to do a pre-test just in case my car got marked as a gross polluter. So the mechanic took a look at my engine bay (I have nothing modded there 'cept the BOV), brought it inside and started doing his thing. He didn't say anything about my O2, downpipe, but did notice my high flow cat. I said the high flow cat was installed by another shop I went to because the dealership wanted $1000. Mostly I played dumb and said yeah, that's stock, when asked. I thought all was going well, but then he told me he had to take it to another shop because they were "more familiar" with my car? :huh:

So he takes off, comes back 5 min later and says sorry, the other shop is closed and he can't do my car. Rather, he refuses to do it and told me to go to another shop. :eyecrazy: Jigga wha? Anyway, that was a shop in Milpitas.. are there any shops you guys have had good recommendations with Smog testing that don't have overly anal assistants? (I've read a few horror stories here about those...) Thanks!

Incidentally, I saw an EvoX parked in the same lot, white, lowered, and looked like it had rims and an exhaust. It was sitting outside this place called EmotionGarage - I asked around the guys in the EmotionGarage place but nobody seemed to know who owned the car?

Huys evo
02-13-2009, 08:55 PM
welcome to cali. smog suck here. they are suppose to fail u for the bov and i dont think that high flow cat is goin to pass the sniffer u are not goin to get by it unless u pay some one for a smog. there are people on the board that pass smog but they all have use a stock cat and a dv not a bov. in the book it says u cant have anything vent to the air. that is how cali is.

warpspeed
02-16-2009, 08:43 PM
You are out of luck if you car is modded unless of course you know someone and since you just moved here, not alot if not any will take the "pay off" because Cali. is very very strict on smog and no shop will take a chance on losing their license.

marq
02-16-2009, 09:00 PM
Don't sweat the hi-flow cat. I threw on a 3" magnaflow hi-flow cat on the GSX last summer, got it smogged a day later and passed with flying colors. Being in Cali, and how we have to get smogged, I would ensure I can easily swap obvious thing on my car. I'd have a stock bov ready to throw on before I smog it. Either that or a quick pipe swap with the stock bov. Welcome to Cali!

zstryder
02-18-2009, 12:10 PM
My car was ok with the HF cat in VA (we had emissions/sniffer testing too) - though it's likely CA emissions are even tougher. I am having trouble locating a stock downpipe/cat, as well as a stock BOV. Anybody know where I could borrow one? I called Speed Element but they don't have any stock exhausts lying around. I left mine back home on the east coast...

nightferret
02-22-2009, 03:16 AM
ive got a stock 8 bov if your intrested in it.

rocinevoIX
02-23-2009, 01:09 PM
Dam i gues norcal is tough just like socal....

I have a guy in socal that would smog your car no questions asked even if you have a 35r in it for 100 bucks....So if your ever in socal hit me up....