I need Smog Test prices for Calif.

For the first time since I bought my car in 2001, the DMV is asking for a Smog Test.

In calling around, I'm getting prices in/around $60 (including the Smog Certificate). Are these reasonable?

The other question is, why do I need a certificate if the results are automatically (electronically) transferred from the shop to the DMV?

Marty Weiner said:

For the first time since I bought my car in 2001, the DMV is asking for a Smog Test.

In calling around, I'm getting prices in/around $60 (including the Smog Certificate). Are these reasonable?

The other question is, why do I need a certificate if the results are automatically (electronically) transferred from the shop to the DMV?

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yeah, my renewal is coming up in feb. and i need a smog check too. (every two years in think) $60 is about what i've paid every time so thats accurate. as far as the certificate goes, i think thats just for your records since, as you said, the approval is sent straight to sacramento electronically.

Also, in California, after your car is 6 or so years old, they will send you to a "Test Only" smog station (read the DMV renewal notice very carefully to make sure that you know what type of test station you need)... They charge even more (and no service provided to help fix problems).

Got to love those scams.

-Bill

BB said:

Also, in California, after your car is 6 or so years old, they will send you to a "Test Only" smog station (read the DMV renewal notice very carefully to make sure that you know what type of test station you need)... They charge even more (and no service provided to help fix problems).

Got to love those scams.

-Bill

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I double-checked the renewal and it's not asking for me to go to Test Only station.

I believe the test prices are set by state law, so there should be no difference. Also, the "certificate" is just a receipt. The "certificate cost" is just the fee that your wonderful state government gets, and by calling it a "certificate" they hoodwink you into not realizing that it's another tax. California is infamous for not "raising taxes" but adding "fees" up the wazoo.

I did some research years ago into the "certificate" as I wondered the same thing. Turns out there used to be an actual certificate before everything went to electronic reporting, and according to the original law, the $10 certificate fee was supposed to be dropped once this happened. Those nice gov. folks decided instead to keep imposing the fee for the phantom certificate. I wrote the state to complain without any result. You could argue with the smog check person that you're not going to pay for what you don't receive, but the state is expecting him to pass along the $10 so you won't get anywhere that way.

When we moved to California from Washington state we were required to pay the state of Ca. a $250 fee to bring in our out of state cars which passed the Smog test. This was in 1999. This fee in no longer imposed on incoming vehicles.

What kills me about the California smog test is that they still dyno-test 1996+ model year cars (OBD-II). Most states only check the OBD-II fault memory... if it's clear, the car passes. It makes perfect sense, because if the car is running outside of the pre-programmed (ie. smog legal) parameters, an error code is set.

I once owned a 1985 Dodge Omni GL-H that smoked like a train.... still passed a smog check. I guess a cloud of choking smoke isn't on the offical regulated pollutants list.

I worked in the automotive industry for six years and never once saw an OBD-II car fail a tailpipe inspection. (Have seen them fail the visual inspection though.)

SheDevil said:

When we moved to California from Washington state we were required to pay the state of Ca. a $250 fee to bring in our out of state cars which passed the Smog test. This was in 1999. This fee in no longer imposed on incoming vehicles.

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$250!! Thats It!! When i moved to Cal in '96 I had to pay around 600 bucks! To be fair, years later I got most of it back because of Swartzanator or a court rulling or something. Glad they did away with that fee. It was ridiculous.

It was a court ruling that got your refund. I got one too.

The rational for the fee was to "compensate" for extra polution caused by cars that were not made to California standards. In reality, they were taxing people who had not paid the initial sales tax. My mom's1976 Ford passed with lower numbers than my california certified 1986 mazda, but hey still charged $525 to bring it to California. I got most of that back.

Daniel

gadget_lover said:

It was a court ruling that got your refund. I got one too.

The rational for the fee was to "compensate" for extra polution caused by cars that were not made to California standards. In reality, they were taxing people who had not paid the initial sales tax. My mom's1976 Ford passed with lower numbers than my california certified 1986 mazda, but hey still charged $525 to bring it to California. I got most of that back.

Daniel

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thanks for clearing that up Daniel. i too was curious how i could be penalized for driving a (then) new 4 cylinder honda accord. was it really about the emissions? now i understand why.

Smog check prices are not set by the state. Only the certificate fee is set.

Everything is electronic: the bar code on your DMV reg. renewal is transmitted to the state through the smog test machine. The test results are electronically transmitted, and tied to your vehicle's VIN. One time, there used to be a printed certificate, but DMV did away with those several years ago.

Currently, about 70% of all cars are sent to the referee station.

I have a family member who has his own shop and smog license, so I can answer any questions, if needed. Cali. smog laws are a joke, IMO....

--dan

I guess I am lucky. I paid $40.00 for my smog test and certificate.

FlashKat said:

I guess I am lucky. I paid $40.00 for my smog test and certificate.

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Was it a chain or a small, local shop?

Make things easy on yourself: just buy a classic
http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/StdPage.asp?Body=/Smogcheck/doineed.htm
"Beginning April 1, 2005, the 30-year rolling exemption has been repealed. Instead, vehicles 1975 model-year and older will be exempt. Therefore, 1976 model-year and newer vehicles will continue to be subject to biennial inspection indefinitely."

Small local shop. It was actually a referral from another repair shop. The funny thing is that I would never have gone to this place just because it looks rundown, but they are good and honest.

Marty Weiner said:

Was it a chain or a small, local shop?

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I bit the bullet today and went to a local smog shop.

They advertised (of course) in the yellow pages and, coincidently, the phone book had a coupon for 10% off from the same place.

I got there at 8 AM and realized that it was a Test Only shop. I was ready to leave and the guy said that he was sure that I would pass without any repairs needed. When he wrote up the service paperwork, he took $10 off for a total of $49 with the certificate.

I actually passed without a problem. My CO2% was 13.97, O2% was .44, CO% was .00, HC was 1 and NO was 0000. I guess my car runs very clean.

I'll try to keep it running good for another year.

That is great to hear you passed the smog test without any problems, and at a good price.