AB 2289 - New Smog Check Law

Set to begin January 01, 2013; Model year 2000 and newer vehicles will no longer require the tailpipe emissions test portion of the smog check process. AB 2289 will require late model vehicles be administered the smog check's visual and functional tests only.

The implementation of AB 2289 is expected to reduce the time and cost of the smog check. The program will now take better advantage of a vehicle's OBD II technology by eliminating tailpipe testing and instead using the vehicle's own OBD II emissions monitoring system.

This new smog test system is already in place in 22 other states. "This new and improved program will have the same result as taking 800,000 old cars off the road, also resulting in a more cost effective program for California motorists." said ARB Chairman, Mary D. Nichols.

Currently California's smog check procedure requires all vehicles undergo a tailpipe emissions inspection to measure harmful pollutant output from the tailpipe, a visual inspection for present and properly installed emissions components, a functional test to insure the proper operation of various emission components; and as part of the functional test, an OBD II computer diagnostic check.

Under AB 2289, the tailpipe emissions portion of the smog inspection will be eliminated for 2000 model and newer cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs.
Background on the OBD II system - All vehicles imported into the United States as of 1996 have had to be equipped with an On Board Diagnostics system referred to as OBD II. The OBD II diagnostic system is designed to monitor all aspects of your engine's emission conditions and report this information to a central database within it's computer. This information is processed and checked against the computers pre-determined values for various input levels and performance patterns.

If any problems are found, the computer will determine whether to alert the driver or not. If a decision has been made to alert the driver of an emissions problem, the "Check Engine" or "Engine Malfunction" light will illuminate on the vehicle's dashboard. In more serious emission conditions the computer may even begin to rapidly flash the "Check Engine/Malfunction" light indicating to the driver, that the vehicle needs immediate diagnosis/repair attention.
AB 2289 now requires the smog test inspection to rely on data from a vehicle's own on board emissions computer to determine the vehicle's harmful emissions production as opposed to using a smog machine to sample the vehicle's emissions output from the tailpipe. This design is expected to reduce the cost of equipment at the smog station, reduce the amount of time it takes to smog check a vehicle, and reduce the cost of the smog inspection to the consumer.


AB 2289 - Makes changes to the following smog inspection procedures and guidelines:
A. Authorize the use of On Board Diagnostic II testing to expedite the process.

B. Vehicles known to release large amounts of pollution must test at stations with the highest performance ratings.

C. Stricter fines structure for improper inspections.

D. Permit the state to contract with the private sector to manage franchise-like networks of independently owned Smog Check stations.
E. Encourage community colleges and other training institutions to develop technician-training programs.

smartest thing they have done in years, really.

They still do the visual check though?

ie) need and air pump bolted up to plumbed exaust manifolds even if they don't work

pretty much.

Explain to me how "taking 800,000 old cars off the road" is a "more cost effective program for CA motorists" ???

That's nearly a million owners replacing their car because of this blatant effort to make them unregisterable. Should not the goal of a smog program be to reduce smog independent of other factors? ...and not to place benchmarks of how many cars they can force people to replace? Are any natural resources consumed in producing a new car to replace old cars prematurely? I had to remove my 85 ford LTD from the road because of the "check guages" light didn't light up with key on, and no smog tech would pass it, despite that it was made this way from the factory (light not tied to the computer, not a code indicator, etc). It sniffed fine and had all emissions items intact and in working order. But I guess that doesn't matter.

If anyone thinks this will reduce smog check prices they are sorely mistaken. The smog shop has already invested in all that equipment and has to pay for it to smog those cars on the road older than 2000. If anything it's another excuse to increase the costs again for older car owners. I spent $75 last smog check to get my Corvette done. $25 of that fee was for the evap and pressure test on my $5 gas cap.

And to presume that my car is a higher polluter based on other people's lack of maintenance and punish me by sending me to selective stations is pure bullshit too. If anything they should send owners there based purely on their own previous smog test pass/fail rate independent of what other people do or don't do to maintain their car, of any year.

The other doozie is this so-called STAR program that is replacing Gold Shield. They are now scoring stations based on their pass/fail rate compared to the statewide average. If a station is passing cars at a higher than average rate, their score will be reduced, and their STAR eligibility may be in jeopardy. In short, these smog stations now have an incentive to fail a certain percentage of cars for their own survival.

/RANT OFF

Illinois only does smog checks on 96+ vehicles with OBDII....pull in to the state run station, they check your mileage and check engine light, plug in to the port, and you pass and drive away. No sniffer test at all. If you don't pass because the MIL is on, you have to fix it before you can renew your plates. Check require every 2 years.

Car older than 96? No emissions check.

Also, the test is free.

It's telling that with all this BS we don't even have safety inspections in CA. I'm guessing they would if it was profitable.

Yeah, it's all about money.

Also, I don't understand the 800,000 cars on the road comment, either. Makes no sense.

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Same thing here in NoVA... OBDII = all they do is plug in the machine to the ADL port.

Now up here, cars older than 96 have to do a Dyno test where they check the car at idle and then at steady mph... unless it's registered with "Historic" plates but then there are restrictions on when you can drive it and the car has to be a certain age.

We went the historic route with the 79 but I set up an LLC and registered the 92 (to the LLC) in Ga using my fathers Engine shop address because they don't have emissions testing in BFE.

It's a money game to make people buy new "more efficient" cars. There are tons of C5 and C6's with huge cams, blowers, turbos, ect running around here that get a free pass at inspection because the tuner turned off all the codes in OBDII.
Will

We are very fortunate not to have any of that inspection stuff out here on the open range.....I just wonder how long it will last....

Inspections in general are a scam. Delaware has them, and the test lights, signals, brakes, check tires... things like that, inside an inspection lane. unlike other states that make you go to a service station to get nailed in questionable repairs.

Florida did away with inspections 30 years ago... That has led to a huge portion of the cars being unsafe. I have seen some pigs on the FL roads that are just not safe.

They also did away with drivers ed!!

CA has 2 factions, those that love cars and those that loathe them.

It seems more often than not that the loathe faction keeps winning.

This will not help anyone... except lowers wear and tear on the expensieve test equipment. and might speed up tests for those with a qualifying car...

but explain to how buying something newer is supposed to save me money?

CARB is trying to follow the Japanese model... tax older cars into submission!!!

so do older cars ie 1992 still have to pass the sniffer test ?

yes. pre 1996 are ODBI, and that won't change... all the way back to 1975, fixed. Unless they start a rolling 30 year or something.

Hey at least you guys had CARB

MA didn't even have that!

you make it sound like CARB is a good thing.

I will say this, LA in particular, has unique properties. To the north, east and south there are mountains... to the west, a cold Pacific Ocean that has this thing called an "inversion layer" that acts like an air wall. This is what traps all the gook in.

Native Americans, c1500 or so, noticed the way smoke just collected in the basin... as did early Spanish settlers.

My Mother-In-Law grew up near the USC campus, not far from the Colosseum, and she remembers as a girl in the mid-1960s, walking to the bus and being winded and her lungs burning from the pollution.

All these emissions laws have cleaned up LA... and Pittsburgh... and makes sure that rivers don't catch fire again... they may be annoying, but they sure do improve the quality of life.

My only concern, especially with CARB, is that their success has gone to their heads.

The EPA has a nation to take care of... CARB one state... and it just gets weird at times the way they handle things.

Look on the bright side if you're clever enough you can conjure up some type of OBD2 simulator which calculates values and converts them all to within factory spec. Meanwhile your blower sticks out the hood on your new C6.

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It's like cash for clunkers. You know, trickle down, we take your tax dollars, then piss them away on stupid wasteful invasive programs. At least this program is slightly less blatant about their motives.

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You know what else has probably cleaned up LA even more, is all these factories packing up and moving to Mexico.