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Re: Smog Test 2 in Ca

"Yaptinchay, Herb@G&S" <HYAPTINC@domain.elided> writes:
>As you may or may not know California is on the brink of passing a tough smog
>test.  Supposedly, it supposed to catch the 20% of cars that cause 50% of the
>pollution or so says State Assemblyman Quentin Koop.  I would suspect that the
>test is similar to the one in New Jersey.  Currently they are field testing the
>program in the Sacramento area.
>
>My question is, has anyone had any experience with getting either a '79-'80 528i
>or '83-'87 533/535 to pass?  I was thinking of purchasing one of these types of
>BMWs as a project car in the near future. I'm apprehensive because the cars may
>not pass the Smog Test.  Any experiences from people who have undergone the
>tests in New Jersey or the Sacramento area would be appreciated.

A lot of hype has been floating around about this.  From what I've heard,
it comes down to this:

 - If any of the measured components are more than the limit, it flunks.
 - If any of the measured components are more than twice the limit, it's
   labeled a "Gross Polluter" and must be fixed and then retested by a
   state run station.
 - They will NOT take your car.  You just can't get it registered until
   it passes the smog test.

Now, here's the IMPORTANT part:

   When they do the smog check, the computer dials the DMV in Sacramento
   and logs it in their records.  If it flunks and is a gross polluter,
   it's on their records for a LONG time (5 years?).

   It's recommended that when you get your car smog checked, have them
   first do the check in MANUAL mode.  The system does NOT dial up to
   DMV in Sacramento.  So, if your car doesn't pass, even if it's a 
   gross polluter, then you can still get it repaired and then re-checked
   anywhere.

Also, as all of you should know by now, make sure the car is THOROUGHLY
warmed up before the test.  A cold car is FAR more likely to fail.