Arden Smog Check

What is the Arden Smog Check Program?

The Arden Smog Check Program is an important part of the Condition ‘s efforts to improve the air we breathe. Smog Testing reviews are designed to identify vehicles with excess emissions so they can be properly repaired. The Program has significantly decreased air pollution created by millions of automobiles in California.

Who administers the Arden Smog Check Program?

Vehicles are inspected every year by more than 7,000 State-licensed and independently owned stations across the State.

How often does my vehicle have to be tested?

Furthermore, a Smog Test is required if you market a car that’s more than just four model-years old and when enrolling an out-of-state vehicle for the first time in California.

How can I help my vehicle pass a Arden Smog Check?

Performing routine and appropriate maintenance according to your owner’s guide and not tampering with the emissions-control equipment will help improve your car or truck ‘s odds of passing a Arden Smog Check. If the “Check Engine” light comes on, take your car to a certified repair station when possible to have the issue diagnosed-do not await the automobile ‘s next scheduled Smog Test. A blinking or flashing light indicates a malfunction which needs to be addressed immediately to avoid serious damage to the motor or emission-control systems. Check your owner’s guide for repairs which may be covered under your car or truck manufacturer’s emissions warranty.

What are the elements of a Arden Smog Check?

Arden Smog Checks are designed to measure the quantity and type of pollutants that your motor vehicle is emitting. A Smog Test can include any of the following evaluations:

• Visual inspection of emission control systems and components
• Tailpipe emissions inspection

What vehicles need a Arden Smog Check?

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

• Six model-years and newer don’t require a biennial (every other year) inspection.
• Four model-years and newer don’t require a change-of-ownership inspection.

For example, a 2010 model-year vehicle will first be subject to a biennial Smog Test in 2016 (2010 6 = 2016) plus a change-of-ownership Smog Test in 2014 (2010 4 = 2014).

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

Is the Arden Smog Check Program biased against older automobiles?

No. Even though California law requires the Smog Test Program to focus on high-polluting vehicles, the Arden Smog Check Program also does not require older vehicles to satisfy the very same emissions standards as newer vehicles. Smog Test emissions criteria take under consideration the age, make and model of every car, so that a car is not held to some standard which applied when the vehicle was originally manufactured.

I have a car that’s six model-years old. My DMV registration renewal note states it should have a Arden Smog Check, but I thought it had been exempt from the biennial Smog Test condition.

A gas-powered vehicle is excused from Arden Smog Check until it is seven model-years old. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) computers are designed to recognize the exemption and process your renewal accordingly. Contact DMV in case you think there’s an error. If you are unable to resolve the issue with DMV, a state Referee facility could have the ability to provide help.

What is the Enhanced Area?

An Enhanced Area is a metropolitan region designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as not being in conjunction with federal health standards for ozone. Vehicles registered in an Enhanced Place are subject to some treadmill emissions test on a dynamometer and may require testing at a STAR-certified channel.

Have California auto emissions standards changed?

Yes. BAR periodically adjusts some criteria to increase their fairness. As a result, some criteria become marginally more stringent than they were previously and some slightly more lenient. California’s emissions criteria consider the model-year, vehicle make and model, and gross weight of the motor vehicle. Older cars have less rigorous criteria than newer ones. No older vehicle is ever held to the very same criteria as a newer, more technologically innovative car or truck. Allowances are made for normal wear and tear in a vehicle’s emissions control system as it ages. The previous adjustment occurred in 2010.