California Smog Rules September 03, 2016, 04:10:35 pm Color me Curious...Have any of our members with rigs registered in CA had a smog check done recently (2015/2016)??If so, what was your experience?Here's my situation: Since year 4 when my rig was first subjected to the Overlords in Sacramento I had been using a local smog station that had good access. Unfortunately they were forced to move and have relocated to a smaller facility and no longer perform smog checks on motor homes. They referred me to a place just down the street that had great access. However, the technician there said because of a change in the rules it would be a much more stringent test than those in the past. He then outlined what had to be done... including the removal of the engine cover (Dog House). This had never been necessary with prior tests.He was reluctant to proceed but allowed as how he would go ahead in my case. He struggled mightily but was not able to remove the dog house and claimed he found what he was looking for with a flashlight and inspection mirror. When I asked if he would do the test again in two years he gently declined!
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #1 – September 03, 2016, 05:16:58 pm With tongue in cheek: I hope this insane change is painful and those of you holding on to your LD rvs will now want to sell them ..... I am still looking.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #2 – September 03, 2016, 05:17:57 pm I had a smog check done about a month ago on my 1999 TK (E-350 with 6.8L V10, 265hp). They did not need to remove the dog house for the test, but had no problem removing it later when some hoses and one part needed to be replaced. There was no mention of a more stringent test.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #3 – September 03, 2016, 07:14:25 pm I just had my 2010 RB smog done last week in San Jose. They did take off the dog house and looked in there with a flashlight for awhile. I didn't think to ask what they were looking for as this is the first time my rig had to have a smog done, so I thought it was normal procedure. Total cost of this California cash grab, $110.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #4 – September 03, 2016, 09:23:55 pm I just had my 1994 mid bath done last Saturday and they didn't remove the dog house it pass and it cost me $50 dollars very happy. Joe in California.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #5 – September 03, 2016, 09:35:59 pm [They did take off the dog house and looked in there with a flashlight for awhile. I didn't think to ask what they were looking for...][/quoteI did ask if he found what he was looking for and he said it was one of the 'emission Valves', unspecified which.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #6 – September 03, 2016, 10:22:02 pm For what it's worth, Texas requires an Annual Safety Inspection which costs $7.50 and proof of insurance. A few weeks later, the Texas DPS mails a cute blue sticker for the inside of the windshield. The least painful of all the regulations that seem to be part of the modern existence.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #7 – September 03, 2016, 10:38:11 pm Quote from: camper2831 - September 03, 2016, 09:23:55 pmI just had my 1994 mid bath done last Saturday and they didn't remove the dog house it pass and it cost me $50 dollars very happy. Joe in California.Where in CA Joe? Can you share the name of this place?
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #8 – September 03, 2016, 11:03:39 pm We don't have the smog testing thing here, but Missouri requires a Safety Inspection ($12.50) at the time tags are renewed, though a few years back they changed tag renewals--an optional two-year tag for $55 means the inspection is good for both years, so it brings that down to $6.25/yr (can't remember the single year tag fee)--one must also provide proof of insurance & personal property tax receipts (immediate two previous years' tax receipts required for two-year renewal)--vehicles are considered personal property, as opposed to real estate/farm machinery/livestock/etc.. Oddly, my active-duty Army son at Ft. Hood, who registers in MO because it's cheaper (& does it online), told me he doesn't have to provide the safety inspection--just insurance & tax receipts.There aren't many places in our dinky town that do the inspections (I've been told they don't make any money, so don't like to mess with the inspections/paperwork/etc.), & it can get dicey if one waits 'til the end of the month...the Highway Patrol is in charge of checking their logs--a proper inspection is supposed to take longer than the 2-3 minute lick-&-a-promise that most places give (& one guy did actually get suspended from doing inspections for a while), so even if the guys are sitting there gabbing, they won't do an inspection because they've already done their "quota" for the day. Grrr-Arrgh. They have me honk the horn, turn on the headlights/step on the brake/put it in R to check the backup lights/check the turn signals & flashers front & back/check the front wipers (they never check the back one on the minivan. I've also been told they're supposed to check things like brakes/tie rods/etc. When Merle Kelley Ford did the re-alignment/etc. last July, besides showing me the part that Midway Ford in KC didn't tighten properly, they told me it should have been caught by the inspection when I was getting tags renewed in December 2015, plus the wear on the brakes that was also apparently overlooked in December...but that's partly on me because I had gone to the lick-&-a-promise guy since it was at the end of the month. My dad used to tell me "You pay for your education one way or another." Fortunately, it wasn't with the tie rod falling apart or the brakes going out...Good luck to all of you dealing with the smog inspection thing--at least it's not Beijing & ya'll can see across the street.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #9 – September 04, 2016, 02:03:59 am "subjected to the Overlords in Sacramento"Best thing I have read all day. 1 Likes
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #10 – September 04, 2016, 04:27:37 pm As someone who grew up in Los Angeles, during the fifties, I'm happy the " Overloards" require the smog inspections. The air is so much cleaner and as an air breathing mammal, I'm grateful.At the last inspection, the doghouse was not removed. There isn't much to inspect and the engine still must pass the OBDII and tail pipe tests. The procedure changes from shop to shop.Larry 1 Likes
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #11 – September 04, 2016, 04:42:01 pm Quote from: Jerry - September 03, 2016, 10:38:11 pmWhere in CA Joe? Can you share the name of this place?Jerry, in the SF Bay area there are a number of places that will smog a Class C RV for $50-70 including the certificate. You can call around or just drop by smog check places that look like they have room and ask in person. It helps to have a photo of your LD so they get an idea of the type of RV you have. I usually make an appointment to get there when they open.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #12 – September 04, 2016, 05:51:16 pm Quote from: Larry Wade - September 04, 2016, 04:27:37 pmAs someone who grew up in Los Angeles, during the fifties, I'm happy the " Overloards" require the smog inspections. The air is so much cleaner and as an air breathing mammal, I'm grateful..."+1The LA basin was a real mess when I was a kid. Growing up in Long Beach, we didn't have it too bad as the coast kept the smog at bay somewhat. It still stung the eyes quite a bit, though. Looking toward the foothills of Pasadena and the surrounding mountains there always seemed to be a thick brown haze telling you to "stay away".Things are sooo much better now. Very few, if any, smog alerts that I can think of recently. Thank the "Smog Lords"...whoever they are.Kent 1 Likes
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #13 – September 04, 2016, 06:13:06 pm Yes, and knowing some of the stuff that was hauled to "the ditch" by farmers, the Atrazine that made its way into the groundwater of a nearby community, and the fish kills caused by manure run-off into the creeks from the Chinese-owned factory hog farm in Mercer County (where my dad grew up, near the Iowa line), I'm thankful for the Clean Water regulations, even though there are those who grinch. To quote & add to Larry, "as an air breathing [& water-drinking] mammal, I'm grateful..." 1 Likes
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #14 – September 04, 2016, 07:05:47 pm I had smog test done on my 2000 RK last month, at my usual place. The rules have indeed changed. Inspection took about twice as long and involved removing the dog house so that the tech could make visual inspection of various components. Apparently this is to catch people who make non-approved changes to the emissions system. According to the manager, the state sends inspectors with 2000 and older vehicles and the station is given a hefty fine if they haven't run the more thorough inspection.What I found interesting is that the charge was the same as previously, and the same as my 2005 Honda, even though it took twice as long. /noel/
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #15 – September 04, 2016, 10:24:36 pm Quote from: cyberskier_98 - September 04, 2016, 07:05:47 pmThe rules have indeed changed. Inspection took about twice as long and involved removing the dog house so that the tech could make visual inspection of various components.We're tied at 3-3 in the dog house removal "poll". Someone care to break the tie? Maybe the new rules were written in above-8th-grade level English. 1 Likes
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #16 – September 05, 2016, 01:47:23 am I suspect it depends on where you are in Calif. LA Basin and SF Bay Area have stricter smog controls than the rest of the state.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #17 – September 05, 2016, 08:58:41 am As well as the Central Valley. Hmmm . . . not much of the state left!
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #18 – September 05, 2016, 01:56:50 pm Located another Smog Station with good access even closer to my house. Stopped in to chat and was told; "Yes, they would have to remove the Dog House." Man said it was more for checking for cracked hoses, particularly on older units, than anything else. Related my recent experience wherein the Dog House could not be removed and he just grinned. 1 Likes
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #19 – September 05, 2016, 06:40:06 pm Quote from: bearthio - September 04, 2016, 04:42:01 pmJerry, in the SF Bay area there are a number of places that will smog a Class C RV for $50-70 including the certificate. You can call around or just drop by smog check places that look like they have room and ask in person. It helps to have a photo of your LD so they get an idea of the type of RV you have. I usually make an appointment to get there when they open.thanks, but that would be a bit of a drive from socal just for a smog check, but thanks for the info as I am sure there are folks up your way that can use this information.\\Jerry
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #20 – September 06, 2016, 10:36:38 am I didn't find anything on the DMV website about "doghouse removal"; my 2003 (registered in Santa Clara County - stringent smog rules) is not due to be smogged again until 2017, but the only time the doghouse was ever removed was at its first smogging. The guy insisted that "the law" required removal; he took off the doghouse, peered around, and spent another half hour and several tries, mumbling and cussing, to get the thing back on and snapped into place. No subsequent smogging ever "required" the doghouse to be removed; the smog shop just stuck the computer-hooked up "smeller" into the tailpipe. I don't know if doghouse removal is currently a "requirement", and/or if it's location dependent, i.e., smog region/county, and/or if the rules are open to interpretation (and subsequent "removal or not" action) by each of the literally hundreds of smog check stations. I plan to call the one I have used for the past four years/two checks and ask them. (And, if they say "Yes, it has to be removed", for a cite reference for the "rule".) I will post what I find out, if anything definitive!
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #21 – September 06, 2016, 12:10:25 pm I called the smog check station (Santa Clara County, CA) mentioned in my previous post; according to the shop owner, there is no new CA rule that requires removal of the doghouse to do a smog check. He said that removal of the doghouse is at the "discretion" of the shop or individual tech doing the testing, and depends on the age and type of emission system, e.g. "coil packs" or no, on the vehicle. He also said that the state sends frequent updates to all shops on any changes in smogging test procedures and requirements, including through the check computer even as a test is being done, to ensure compliance. I don't know if the "doghouse rule" might apply in another CA county with possibly even more stringent smog standards; the rules here are among the toughest in CA. But it would seem that calling smog check stations in the county of registration would be the way to find out if such a "law" may exist in that specific location, and if such a "law" (if it exists) applies to one's particular vehicle. (I can't think why any shop would choose to remove that thing unless they had to[/i; it can be a real bugger to get snapped back on correctly and not all "geewhoppered"!)As ever, YMMV.
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #22 – September 06, 2016, 12:20:34 pm When we had our '83, it WAS required that a physical inspection be done, which required the doghouse removal. This, though, was because that vehicle had no computer and was carbureted. I always disconnected it and left it in place to control any possible damage too the seal, etc. Newer vehicles with the OBDII port should not need this, because any mods that would cause an emission problem should show up in the read-out. It is true that some non-CARB-approved equipment could be installed that would NOT show up, because it does not affect operation in any way, but then the only way it would be discovered by the DMV is if a tester pulls the doghouse. Since the tester can claim he fulfilled an inspection by simply peering under the hood, my guess is that a stubborn tester would only pull a doghouse ONCE before realizing he is wasting his own time...Note: disconnecting the chassis battery before a smog test might not only cause it to fail, but since it erases memory, will require you to return at a later date for a retest anyway.Steve
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #23 – September 06, 2016, 12:39:52 pm "When we had our '83, it WAS required that a physical inspection be done, which required the doghouse removal."----Steve, the vehicle example the smog guy used in his explanation to me for when a doghouse removal would be necessary was a "1985 Chevy"!
Re: California Smog Rules Reply #24 – September 07, 2016, 04:35:33 pm Same experience as Steve. Our 1983 always required the doghouse to be removed since it had a lot of dedicated smog devices that could be removed or modified. Newer engines have few, if any, dedicated smog devices, other than the catalytic converter(s). Emissions are controlled at the combustion level with very accurate mixture and ignition timing.Doghouses can be extremely difficult to remove and reinstall. LD adds carpeting around the perimeter of the doghouse. The carpeting often fills the gaps around the doghouse, using the space originally provided for working the doghouse in and out.Often, a little trimming of the excess carpet can ease this task.Larry
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