> Well, my collegue from across the hall came over to share some information
> supposedly gleaned from an acquaintance in the car smogging business.
> In California, according to this, the Smog stations are now directly
> connected to the AQMD central computer, and any failure is immediately
> reported. Any car failing cannot be retested at a smog station, but
> must go to a state-run referee station, of which there are only about
> four in So. Cal., so the waiting is interminable.
> Anyone else hear anything of the sort? Confirm or deny?
>
Good afternoon,
Very interesting! I'll stop by the Chevron on my way home tonight. I'm not
surprized at the connect, but I BELIEVE (That's differentiating between
knowledge
and belief.) the later part may be an exageration. I suspect the car is tested
and the test data is then submitted to the central computer by the operator.
This generates the Cert. I suspect that if the car fails and CANNOT be brought
into spec by the technician the option to apply or not exists, but if a failing
car is submitted it will result in elevating the issue to the next level. This
may result in the waiver, if all smog equipment is in place and operational, but
the car still fails. The law states something to the effect that the maximum
amount that must be spent by the owner of an "unmodified" (key word here.) car
is some nominal amount $75 to $150 ??. This waiver can only be issued by the
next level of authority, the referee.
I'll report back next Monday,
Cheers,
Ken Boetzer
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