STAR smog laws in CA?

[BlackStar]

Just ran across some talk on another forum about the new smog laws in CA. I did some reading and research, yet I am still a bit confused about them. Think anyone here could explain them to me? My car needs to be smogged, and I haven't had any luck(it fails the 15mph according to a pre-test). I'm afraid these new smog laws will whittle away my options. Can anyone explain the new laws, it sounds like they are trying to root out certain shops that we enjoy.

http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/PubWebQuery ... R_QA_7.pdf

[SidekickChuck]

Did you get selected to go to a star smog facility?

In a nutshell, a STAR Smog shop is one that is specifically selected by the state which the BAR closely monitors standards and practices. Meaning, they do things by the book and dont let things slide. Meaning, not good for the tuning community.

Who gets chosen? Those who have previously scored high emissions in the past. So basically, if the state is concerned that you may be a gross polluter, they send you to a star smog station so they mitigate risk of falsely passing a test. Its just another way they are forcing older or modified cars off the roads.

How to get around it? NO CLUE. There is a petition going around to stop the Star program, but I highly doubt it will affect anything.

Here is their criteria of getting selected:

Gross polluters (vehicles which have failed a previous smog inspection with very high emission readings)
High Emitter Profile vehicles. These are vehicle types designated by the Bureau of Automotive Repair as having high chances of failing the smog inspection.
A random sample of all vehicles registered in California and being driven on public roadway

The first one is somewhat understandable....sort of but you get the point.
The second one I consider to be a kind of "car profiling". Who are they to say who "might" be likely to fail. Thats BS!
The third is supposed to sound like a sample of the cars on the roads, but I think its their scapegoat clause to get out of anyone calling them on their BS tactics.

[BlackStar]

Thanks for clearing that up, it sound awful! I haven;t been told to go to a star smog center, since I only have had pre-tests done. I am trying to look for a freindly smog shop. My carb'd 4AC does not want to pass the 15mph test(does the 25 mph fine though)

[Illegal_Garage]

SMOG shops have to PAY more to be STAR certified
They are not forced by the state to become STAR

its just another way for the state to squeeze money out of small businesses

I am waiting for the day where a gasoline powered car is antiquated and they will be no more SMOG laws

Max

[BlackStar]

So this STAR business really is aimed at the smog check business. That's lame.

[ethergore2]

Does anyone in CA with an AE86 ever not have to go to a smog only station? I always have to go and my car has been compliant for over 6 years!

[ryceboy_124]

My smog is due in March and it states I need to go to a STAR Station...SO DUMB! I failed due to my TRD header so I put my stock back in and passed...I'm betting that's what raised a red flag and now I have to go to a STAR station. FML!

[EJ86]

Too bad you guys can't get classic plates. Here in NV it's:
-25 or older
-Smog exempt
-a limit of 5K miles a year

[SidekickChuck]

You have to assume that all older cars that aren't deemed classics or are exempt will eventually get singled out and get sent to STAR. Its their way of getting these cars off the roads. Its not looking good.

Anyone in Florida know of job positions for a Systems Engineer currently working for NASA/JPL? (somewhat kidding, but not entirely)

[SidekickChuck]

I really have to consider my options here in the next year or so. Probably best to get a carb legal engine swap done. Thought about an s2k or usdm 2jzgte with all emission hardware. Hate the thought of removing the 4age in there now...

[Jacare]

Seriously. My car failed big time. I don't even know what to do.
Go to a mechanic and they charge you a bunch. Do it yourself and you risk filing multiple times, and that's money out the window because even the pretest costs money, or just get rid of the car, which is almost my only option. Sucky California

[ethergore2]

Seriously. My car failed big time. I don't even know what to do.
Go to a mechanic and they charge you a bunch. Do it yourself and you risk filing multiple times, and that's money out the window because even the pretest costs money, or just get rid of the car, which is almost my only option. Sucky California

Why did it fail? Do you have all of your smog equipment? If so, it shouldn't be too difficult to pass.

[BlackStar]

Even my carb'd sr5 was close to passing. Take a look at the inspection sheet and see what parts need to be replaced. Just because the car is knew to you, doesn't mean its new to the road. Btw, save money and get a pre-test.

[Deuce Cam]

I'm surprised CA hasn't changed their policies regarding emissions testing facilities by now.

In AZ our actual emissions test isn't as strict as CA, but AZ only contracted one company to carry out state emissions testing, and all stations carry out the same procedures for testing. This system makes getting 'around' the test to pass very difficult.

[VitriumGTS]

It may seem like car profiling to send our cars to these star stations, but thats what it really is. The truth is all your results as well as other car owners results are saved away in a large database. Certain cars are more likely to fail or get near failures (older, popular unmaintained models mostly) so they get "profiled" as HEP or High Emitter Profile. Unfortunately a lot of ae86, s13, and other tuner cars are owned by those who don't have the financial means or set of skills to maintain their project car they probably couldn't really afford in the first place. So what happens? They go to smog it and it fails big time (either from their cheap mods, smog workarounds or general inexperience). Well, now that record has been saved and even though your well maintained ae86 blows zeros all day...johnny n00b in his clapped out and leaking SR5 isn't doing you a favor by trying to smog his border line high mileage cobbled together 4ag. Congrats, that guy just skewed the average emissions baseline for the rest of us.

[Jacare]

Seriously. My car failed big time. I don't even know what to do.
Go to a mechanic and they charge you a bunch. Do it yourself and you risk filing multiple times, and that's money out the window because even the pretest costs money, or just get rid of the car, which is almost my only option. Sucky California

Why did it fail? Do you have all of your smog equipment? If so, it shouldn't be too difficult to pass.

My posy is in the corolla specific.technical forum. I don't know why since I am one of those inexperienced owners. But the corolla is one of the easier platforms to learn basic mechanics on. I guess I need to "back probe" all my sensors which I don't know what is. after that I have no clue what else to do honestly.

[ethergore2]

Just start with basics. Check o2 sensor, EGR, charcoal canister, etc and make sure timing is correct. Maybe even switch out your cat and go test immediately.

[Autonerd]

I really have to consider my options here in the next year or so. Probably best to get a carb legal engine swap done. Thought about an s2k or usdm 2jzgte with all emission hardware. Hate the thought of removing the 4age in there now...

I just bought a 20V-swapped car before knowing about these new smog laws. UGH! alot of my old smog shops closed down and now I'm thinking I'll be selling the car out of state, or looking for a totaled S2K, or... gulp.. getting another chassis altogether. Lets have an F20C swap-party.

[HASport AE86]

I guess I'm not seeing the big deal here with STAR. I've read the info on the system, from what I can tell:

-Before we had Smog Test and Test-Only Centers and Gold Centers
-We just merged Test Only and GOLD centers together to make STAR centers
-Test only centers need to get higher certification to meet the previous GOLD Center standard (now STAR), GOLD centers get a facelift and renamed STAR
-Forces Test-Only centers to pay to become STAR centers or fall behind and become smog-only, really just screws over small businesses so the state can make money.


From what I can tell we just changed the setup/certification process. I don't read anything about different testing procedures, changing how they target cars for Test Only (now called STAR), or anything else. They target cars the same way they always have. Gross emitters, probably gunna fail due to age, or at random. Most of us get popped due to failing smog before OR because our cars are old and probably WILL fail.

Remain calm. Where there is a market, there will ALWAYS be smog hookups.

[mikeyee]

biggest issue i see are those that are 'running dirty', and finding a STAR shop that'll hook them up...

especially so since smog hookups (in my area atleast) have been getting shut down left and right. now not only is it harder to come across a shop that'll "let you pass", you gotta find a shop that has paid the state extra money to do their smogs with a fine comb.

kinda iffy on how this will pan out for everyone.

one thing is forsure for me though. definitely going to make sure my corolla will pass smog with ease. this only strays me further from swaps/big mods (itbs, turbo, etc).
which means ricer life for mee; wild style, stock motorrr. not worth going through losing the ability to drive the streets with ease for little power gains.

[ga_goosh]

so is this STAR smog test only for those who have previously failed? or is it a randome selection? you cali guys have it hard with the state emissions testing. my 86 has been exempt here in Texas for 2 years now.

[ronny]

Smog is easy to deal with as long u have all the components.

[Stock4AG]

my AE86 was sent to test only station for a decade now.

This time it says I need star, I just looked up the test only station I used to go to is now a star station.

I don't think this is much different, they just changed test only station call it star?

instead of regular , test only , gold shield. There is now regular and star.

[HASport AE86]

^^^^ this.

As I said previously, reading over all the info, nothing has changed. Test only is just now renamed "STAR". No testing has changed, you don't get profiled/chosen any differently than before. It really just screwed over the smog stations that had to pay more to be STAR. It's a Cali budget cut thing. We had three types of smog stations before, now we only have two and the state tacked on some registration fees for the shops.

[ryceboy_124]

Smog bed my 86 last month at a STAR station...passed pretty super clean and my timing was advanced. Prob would have ran even cleaner if the timing was not as advanced. lol! Guess I'm keeping my baby even longer...

[BOOGS!]

the gov. supposedly monitors the star test stations more carefully

[wolf45]

The more times your vehicle has failed previously over the years there's a good chance it'll have to Smog through a STAR CERTIFIED STATION next time. It doesn't matter what year your vehicle is. You're chosen by how many Fails the vehicle has it in it's record. How can you get such information? Ask the smog station by looking on the dmv site by your License plate or last five digits of your VIN Number. Before you purchase a used vehicle check if it failed before. Now this is a good Opportunity for the Star Certified Stations to make more profit out of you if you like to pay your way instead of fixing ur vehicle. Price range from $250- $800 depending if the vehicle failed so many times before.

[BOOGS!]

so whether or not you have to go to a star station depends on each individual car? not model/year?

[alfun]

The more times your vehicle has failed previously over the years there's a good chance it'll have to Smog through a STAR CERTIFIED STATION next time. It doesn't matter what year your vehicle is. You're chosen by how many Fails the vehicle has it in it's record. How can you get such information? Ask the smog station by looking on the dmv site by your License plate or last five digits of your VIN Number. Before you purchase a used vehicle check if it failed before. Now this is a good Opportunity for the Star Certified Stations to make more profit out of you if you like to pay your way instead of fixing ur vehicle. Price range from $250- $800 depending if the vehicle failed so many times before.

My vehicle has never failed a smog check and it was assigned to a STAR certified station. You don't need the smog station to look up the history of your past smog checks, you can do it yourself.
http://smogcheck.ca.gov/pubwebquery/Veh ... stQry.aspx

so whether or not you have to go to a star station depends on each individual car? not model/year?

Read the thread that SidekickChuck posted about the criteria. When you get the letter from the DMV that says you have to go to a STAR station to get smogged there's also some information about why your vehicle was chosen (basically the same information that SidekickChuck posted).

[BlackStar]

Just idle thinking, what does happen if you get assigned to a Star smog, and fail? Same usual 'fix this' and just return? Do they offer to fix it? Might be good to have a thread that included a lot of information.