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Thread: Cant pass smog - Need a "Guaranteed" pass in CA, PLEASE HELP!!

  1. #26
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    You aren't the first person who tried this and it used to happen all the time back in the day. In modern times the results are passed electronically and immediately once the test is administered. It's a close loop so not much you can do to work around it.

    Not to mention a measly $200 is nothing to a shop owner compared to the tens of thousands he will lose if they yank his license. I don't know for certain but a zero-tolerance policy is probably the rule of thumb.

    In order to pull something like this you would have to know someone. And even if you did, it's clearly not worth the financial risks to help you. In essence your plan is flawed. However, you're not out of options.

    The only solution I can think of is to pass another car off as your car. Stake out a shop and see where they read the VIN from. Maybe one guy does the windshield while another reads the door. So then you need a BMW similar to yours but with your VIN and plates on it.

    If I were you, I would sell the car in a neighboring state and use the money to buy a different beater that would pass smog here.

    Good luck. If you need help with any other crimes, let me know.
    Last edited by Moop; 03-16-2010 at 02:12 AM.

  2. #27
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    The best advice i can give u is what i would do in your situation, and that is SELL that thing! It has caused more problems to u than it is worth and, will cause even more financial headaches to u in the near future. That is why your "friend" dumped it -sorry- gave it to you. Sell as fast as u can and use money to by a car more in your budget.

  3. #28
    nathancarter is offline Stretch Haters Club #1 BMW CCA Member
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  4. #29
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    I've given up all hope. I'm just scrap the car. I LOVE driving it. (Who DOESN'T LOVE driving a manual 3-series???) But alas, this thing is a bottomless money pit, and money aint what I got.

    Oh well, thanks for the help anyway guys.

    Quote Originally Posted by Moop View Post
    You aren't the first person who tried this and it used to happen all the time back in the day. In modern times the results are passed electronically and immediately once the test is administered. It's a close loop so not much you can do to work around it.

    Not to mention a measly $200 is nothing to a shop owner compared to the tens of thousands he will lose if they yank his license. I don't know for certain but a zero-tolerance policy is probably the rule of thumb.

    In order to pull something like this you would have to know someone. And even if you did, it's clearly not worth the financial risks to help you. In essence your plan is flawed. However, you're not out of options.

    The only solution I can think of is to pass another car off as your car. Stake out a shop and see where they read the VIN from. Maybe one guy does the windshield while another reads the door. So then you need a BMW similar to yours but with your VIN and plates on it.

    If I were you, I would sell the car in a neighboring state and use the money to buy a different beater that would pass smog here.

    Good luck. If you need help with any other crimes*, let me know.

    ****Victimless crime.

    Seriously. ONE state in the Union (California) has these Nazi smog laws... I believe in global warming and saving the environment and all that.. but COME ON!!! Jeeez... the laws on smog here are a joke. I hate our beauracracy. Thanks anyway guys. Some of you have been really helpful.
    Last edited by ATClarke; 03-17-2010 at 02:21 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by ATClarke View Post
    Sorry, I should have been more specific. My friend moved to Chicago and gave his broken '94 318i to me. He said I could have it if I fixed it. I've already put a couple grand into it (far more than the vehicle is worth), and I was told that I would need to drop another $1,200 for a catalytic converter in order to pass smog.

    I recently lost my job and I'm surviving off savings right now and cannot afford to pay that price. I need this car to get to job interviews and whatnot, but I'm scared that if I get pulled over the cops will impound it for good (because of the smog.) Hence why I want to get this done immediately.

    I don't care if I have to spend $200, I just need it smogged. Someone please help!
    Doubting your resolve here.... you aren't trying hard enough to figure out why it won't pass. The M42 is quite simple. You probably need one or more of the following to get it running properly:

    Intake boot post MAF
    One or more coils
    Vacuum hose(s)

    If you took your whatever money and put it in the right place by even getting most of these parts refreshed I'd bet it probably pass.

    Putting a new cat on it is just fattening the wallet of the repair shop who sells you the part and the labor for the install.

    For being in college you need to get street smart, educate yourself and learn to play within the system; its the only way to true success.

  6. #31
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    Thanks reaper.. I actually started a new forum where I posted the failed test results and I'm asking people what their opinion on what I should do to fix it based on the results are

  7. #32
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    I empathize with the poster of this thread BUT pretty much everyone in her is correct; do it right or don’t do it at all.

    As you said it has already cost you more than the car is worth. There are really only a few options:
    1) pay to fix it
    2) sell/dump it as a parts car for a few hundred buck to who ever will take it. Then get a metro pass or bicycle.

    There are programs as mentioned where CA will give you time or money to fix it (or credit) so that you can drive legally while making repairs.

    OR CA will let you junk it as a gross polluter to get it off the road. Last I saw going rate was between $900-1500. I believe $1500 was for people who fell below a certain income level.

    The people who said buy a cat from a salvage yard are incorrect. Other states may allow it and you may be able to find someone that will BUT it is illegal to resale used emissions equipment in CA.

    Recent legislation states that you must get cat work done with factory replacement by licensed service center. All the dealers are charging $1k plus for this. And they must document and tag component as compliant. You can buy a generic replacement from Summit or online that is 50 state legal for $100 or so but against supposed to be installed and tagged by certified emissions folks and not owner. You can do it yourself and claim that it was like this when you bought it BUT CA requires a smog cert within 90 days of sale/transfer between owners and a chance questions will be asked based on scenario given earlier.

    Some muffler shops can do this and are far cheaper to add aftermarket than dealers or mechanics but you will need to shop around. Ask questions, talk to them like they are experts, not try to whine/bully/bribe them to do it cheaper or let it slide. These guys are governed by CA B.A.R and can be fined or even closed down if busted.

    These shops (and SMOG checks) have been cracked down on since 2014 when BAR started sending polluters with bribes as part of sting operations to audit “less credible” centers.

    No matter what you say, do, or post here, you are generic, nameless, faceless person posting on a public forum. Nobody knows or trusts you. The ONLY way to find this info is if you have an “in” or buddy who can direct you with word of mouth. Plus then, if it was once considered a gross polluter, eyebrows will be raised. CA has started doing roadside checks, just like sobriety checkpoints, to find polluters who had clean smog and cert but now won’t pass and dig into to find who passed it and when.

    If you Keep driving it, getting tickets, and possibly get it impounded, you have gained nothing but added cost/fines and back to where you started. Without a car and broke, plus even further in debt from dicking around and not fixing it the right way or cutting your losses and walking away.

  8. #33
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    Shoot me a PM. I know a guy near SoCal


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  9. #34
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    This thread is eight years old.

    Chris Powell
    Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
    Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
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    German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471

  10. #35
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    To be fair to Mpython, it looks like he just joined, and that is a wealth of information! Of course, I am biased here because I suspect that "M" stands for "Monty." We still have the $12.60 inspections in McDowell County... no emissions testing, for better or worse.
    H&R Sport Springs, Bilstein B8s, and poly bushings (Thanks Chris!); Valeo SMF & non-SA Clutch, CDV delete, and E60 Shifter w/ ZHP knob; Beisan System VANOS Seals...
    Mtech-II Front Bumper (PO got bumped in parking lot!); Eagle Eye LED Tail Lights... Lots of PM!!!

  11. #36
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    Cheap advice from my experience people who can weld are common ...why not take the advice get a passable exhaust from say a junk yard an plee for help from any old timer , who can weld (they cant fine an individual for doing it right?) I have no idea about ca emission standards but its an option

  12. #37
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    Interesting and amusing old thread here.
    Most remarkable(aside California emissions Nazis and some profoundly stupid suggestions from the members) is that someone paid ~$1k to get back a '94 318i after it was towed. I hope the OP has since learned something about economics while in college.

    If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue

  13. #38
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    What's your Snapchat or number

  14. #39
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    In Maryland, you can only sell a used convertor to a specially licensed scrap dealer, the thieves ruined it for all of us, A German convertor was worth big money compared to Japanese/American.stuff..

  15. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmwdirtracer View Post
    This thread is eight years old.
    strange, 8 people joined this thread thinking it is fresh.

  16. #41
    MauiM3Mania's Avatar
    MauiM3Mania is offline Observer/Master Skeptic Moderator
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    Quote Originally Posted by jamin325i View Post
    strange, 8 people joined this thread thinking it is fresh.
    What is more significant is that the discussion was moronic eight years ago.
    04M3 TiAg 69k slick-top 3 pedal
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  17. #42
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    Really, folks....IF there were a shop that could somehow finagle a California emissions pass, "guaranteed", how long do you think they'd be able to do that, if some moron posted their info on a public forum?

    Even in North Carolina, it can't be done....the car gets hooked up to the main DMV in Raleigh - the VIN is read, the codes are recorded, the "readiness" is noted.

    In southern California? Be serious!

    And, again: IF it CAN be done.....STFU ! Don't ruin it, for those who may have figured out a way to keep their old boat on the road!

    I keep my cars legal, and polluting as little as possible. I do NOT encourage pollution. But life happens, and an occasional circumstance may engender drastic measures.

    But let's all please acknowledge that the moment you put such circumvention on a public forum, you just killed it, AND landed the guy who was trying to help in DEEP trouble. Like a $15,000 to $40,000 fine!!!

    Just please end this damned discussion, because further discussion is only going to hurt people.

    Chris Powell
    Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
    Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
    BMWCCA 274412
    German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471

  18. #43
    MauiM3Mania's Avatar
    MauiM3Mania is offline Observer/Master Skeptic Moderator
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmwdirtracer View Post
    Just please end this damned discussion, because further discussion is only going to hurt people.
    Done.
    04M3 TiAg 69k slick-top 3 pedal
    99M3 Cosmos 61k S50B32 euro 6Spd

    88M3 AW 43k miles Project FS


    WTB: 3.5" Eurosport/Conforti CAI

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