2002 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: Smog Check

Judging by the significant improvement from the 15 to the 25 mph test, your catalytic is just getting old. Once it got some heat into it on the second test, the results cleaned up dramatically. If you were keeping the car for a few more years I'd tell you to be prepared to have to put new cats on it, but you won't have to worry about that.

@leftnose - CA is considering going to that, but only if they have a system in place to ensure the car's ECU calibration has not been tampered with. There are plenty of cheap, or even free software tools out there that let you alter the ECU including the OBD2 code reporting and readiness codes.

I love living in an inspection free state. Should be putting LT headers on the mustang here this summer.

I just paid $85 to have my 99 boxster emissions and smogged (passed both). I pay it also for 2 other cars.

It bothers me to pay $255 a year in these fees + $108 a year in registration fees just to keep my cars on the road (not including insurance).

But it is a privilege...

Yeah, another IL reader here (near Chicago) and they just used the OBD port for testing these days. About a decade ago you might have gotten the tailpipe sniffers, but not as of late. Although I'm pretty sure if you had an egregiously bad case they'd pull you aside, OBD or not.

in MA pre-2000 (or so) cars are sniffed, newer cars are plugged in. either way it's a cost of $29/year above state registration (every two years) and local excise (every year) fees.

"I'm surprised CA doesn't have a similar system."

Really, I'm surprise CA doesn't just scrap our cars after a couple years as nuts as they all are.

They setup roadside checks here where the CHP flags you over and they put your car on rollers and give it an extensive check on the spot.

That's right, in some areas they police may not respond when you call them but we have them at roadside smog checks....

@tmanz. Wow. Nice use of State funds!

Our emissions testing is actually free.

PA does the OBDII plug-in for smog. It replaced the roller/sniffer system a few years back. On one hand it's kind of a pain to have to do it every year for each car (if you're in one of the counties that mandates it -- not all do). On the other, PA does exempt some cars from compliance for age/mileage reasons. For example, I put well under 6,000 miles a year on my Miata so that car escapes the emissions test (not the safety one though). It saves nearly $50 from the $75-$80 total annual inspection fee (I make it up on the other two cars since each exceed the 6K/yr).

In Tennessee, we do OBDII testing as well. Downside is we have to do it annually, regardless of the vehicle's age.

Upside is our vehicle registration fees are cheap- $75 plates, $10 emissions testing per year. Not too shabby.

"It bothers me to pay $255 a year in these fees + $108 a year in registration fees just to keep my cars on the road (not including insurance).

But it is a privilege..."

Is that all you got to pay per year? No more fees?
Cause if it is, then you are right Mr Joe, it is a privilege.
That is NOTHING compared to what I have to pay per year.

It wouldn't be California if it wasn't antiquated, arbitrary, oppressive, and expensive.

NC does the OBDII test also, sadly it is scary what will actually pass. Cars are allowed to smell like 20 year old lawnmowers as long as the engine light stays off and the cats are connected. The CA method might be rather severe, but cars also don't smell like lawnmowers in CA.

When I was a resident of VA, not only did I pay registration, safety inspection, and emission inspection, I also had to pay yearly property tax on my vehicles. Most towns in VA also require a yearly "city sticker" -- I lived in one of the rare places that did not require it. In VA's defense, one pays a lower sales tax rate at the time of vehicle purchase.

Now that I'm in PA, I am in an emissions-exempt county. I also have a great relationship with the dealership -- they don't charge me for safety inspections (and I didn't even buy from them).

I also recall when emission testing was first introduced to PA. "E-Check" stations sprouted up all over -- yet they never opened. THAT was a waste of tax payer money.

I love living in Kansas just saying.

Sorry for the double post but what tmanz just described is one of the most distubing stories I have heard come out of California in long time.

I love how everyone immediately rips on California as soon as the words "smog" and "California" appear in the same webpage. New cars are exempt from smog checks for 6 years, with a token fee in place of that. Nobody points out that California, with no chassis inspections, does not impede your freedom of driving with rusted out floorboards.

@joefrompa Registration for my one car cost almost as much as yours for three cars. If paying $363/yr is a financial burden, you have three cars and one is a Boxster, might I suggest evaluating financial priorities?

@hybris I like living in California because there's somewhere worth driving to. Most of the cars pulled off the road at smog checkpoints are ill-maintained jalopies and catless ricers looking for 2.5hp by installing a test pipe. A friend of mine from IL told stories of people with extremely modified Evos that belched unburnt gas at idle, "passing" IL smog because they tweaked the ECU to read 100% readiness no matter what. Ever gotten stuck behind one of these on the freeway? Not cool.

"They setup roadside checks here where the CHP flags you over and they put your car on rollers and give it an extensive check on the spot. "

Is this a SoCal thing? I have never seen or heard of them up here (Sacramento)?