Arden-Arcade Smog Check

How frequently does my vehicle have to get tested?

Arden-Arcade Smog Checks are required biennially (every other year) on vehicles more than six model-years old. Furthermore, a Smog Test is required if you sell a car that is more than four model-years old and when registering an off-road car for the very first time in California.

How can I assist my automobile pass a Arden-Arcade Smog Check?

Performing routine and appropriate maintenance depending on your owner’s manual rather than tampering with the emissions-control equipment will help improve your vehicle’s chances of passing a Arden-Arcade Smog Check. When the “Check Engine” light comes on, take your car to a certified repair station as soon as you can to have the issue diagnosed-do not await the vehicle’s next scheduled Smog Test. A blinking or flashing light indicates a malfunction that should be addressed immediately to avoid serious damage to the engine or emission-control systems. Check your owner’s manual for repairs that might be covered under your vehicle maker ‘s emissions warranty.

Which are the elements of a Arden-Arcade Smog Check?

Arden-Arcade Smog Checks are intended to assess the quantity and type of pollutants that your vehicle is emitting. A Smog Test may contain any of the following tests:

• Visual examination of emission control systems and components
• Functional review of the vehicle’s On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) system
• Tailpipe emissions inspection

What vehicles need a Arden-Arcade Smog Check?

Gasoline-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and alternative-fuel vehicles that are model year 1976 and newer need a Arden-Arcade Smog Check, together with the following exceptions:

• Four model-years and newer don’t require a change-of-ownership inspection.

To ascertain the first year a car is subject to a biennial or change-of-ownership Smog Check, include four or six, respectively, to the model year of a vehicle. As an example, a 2010 model-year automobile will initially be subject to a biennial Smog Evaluation in 2016 (2010 6 = 2016) plus also a change-of-ownership Smog Test in 2014 (2010 4 = 2014).

Diesel-powered vehicles 1998 and newer with a gross vehicle weight rating of 14,000 lbs and less need a Smog Test.

Motorcycles and electric-powered vehicles are exempt from the Arden-Arcade Smog Check Program.

Is the Arden-Arcade Smog Check Program biased against older automobiles?

No. Even though California law requires the Smog Test Program to concentrate on high-polluting vehicles, the Arden-Arcade Smog Check Program also does not require older vehicles to satisfy the very same emissions standards as newer vehicles. Smog Test emissions standards take under consideration the age, make and model of each car, so that a car is never held to a standard that applied when the vehicle was originally manufactured.

I have a car that is six model-years old. My DMV registration renewal note says it should possess a Arden-Arcade Smog Check, but I believed it had been exempt from the biennial Smog Test requirement.

A gas-powered automobile is excused from Arden-Arcade Smog Check till it is seven model-years old. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) computers are made to recognize the exemption and process your renewal accordingly. Contact DMV if you think there is an error. If you cannot solve the issue with DMV, a state Referee facility may be able to provide help.

What is the Enhanced Area?

An Enhanced Area is an urban area designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as not being in attainment with federal health standards for ozone. Vehicles registered in an Enhanced Place are subject to a treadmill emissions test on a dynamometer and might require testing in a STAR-certified station.

Have California auto emissions standards changed?

Yes. BAR periodically corrects some standards to raise their fairness. Because of this, some standards become marginally more strict than they were previously and a few slightly more lenient. California’s emissions standards consider the model-year, automobile make and model, and gross weight of the vehicle. Older cars have less stringent standards than newer ones. No elderly vehicle is ever held to the very same standards as a newer, more technologically innovative vehicle. Allowances are made for ordinary wear and tear in a vehicle’s emissions control system as it ages. The previous adjustment occurred in 2010.