- Warm Your Car Up
When an engine is cold, it does not run as efficiently and emits more pollutants than after it is warmed up. Drive your car for a minimum of 20 minutes prior to reaching the inspection station. This will ensure your vehicle is appropriately heated up and is performing at its best level. Operate your automobile for a minimum of 10 to 15 miles before the inspection.
- Ensure your Vehicle is Tuned Up
Do take your car to a smog test if it does not run right. It is likely that it will fail a smog test and you will lose your smog test cost. First look for assistance repairing your automobile. This will save you time and money, and improve the chances of your automobile pass the inspection.
- Check Your Tires
If you live in an Enhanced Test Area, part of the test is to drive your car on a dynamometer. The tech will insert a sensing device in your cars' tailpipe. Ensuring that your cars' tire pressures are the same and correct will permit the automobile to be driven with greater efficiency which will reduce the general emissions from your automobile.
- Change Your Oil
If it's close to your next oil change, go on and do it before the smog check. The PCV (positive crank ventilation) system of your automobile works more effectively with fresh oil. The PCV system causes your engine to breath fumes found in the oil compartments of your automobile in the combustion chamber. The fumes which have partially burned hydrocarbons are then burned again reducing pollution. If the oil in your engine is polluted due to insufficient oil changes it may impact your automobiles' test.
- Make Sure Your Check Engine Light is Off
If your cars' Check Engine Indicator is on you will not pass your smog check. A qualified repair shop can detect the cause for the MIL light illumination. An inspection pre-test is often performed to determine the issue. The majority of post 1996 cars have an on-board computer will provides engine codes that diagnose the reasons for mechanical problems. The tech will hook up to this computer in order to retrieve the engine code values. An illuminated MIL light need not be an expensive repair. For example, a faulty gas cap, which typically costs less than 20 dollars can cause a Check Engine light to go on. It's not fun to have a car that could fail a smog test and a completely different thing to be unable find out why. A smog professional cannot decline to check your vehicle based on your Check Engine light. The smog technician is required to do the smog test and fail your car and provide you with the print out that identifies the cause.