Smog test failure

[zensius]

Does anyone know if it's easy to make a car fail a smog test by making the EGR valve fail it's test? I took my girlfriend's Toyota Paseo in for it's CA smog test and the place was a little shady if ya know what I mean. Anyway I saw him tinkering around with a pair of long nosed priers and he said the EGR failed. He said it was a solenoid or actuator or something else that only happens at highway RPM's. I'm thinking that he made a simple hose disconnect and blammo a quick $70 repair for the shop. Anybody have this kind of experience? It pisses me off 'cause I can't verify that there's actually anything wrong. If I take it to another shop for a second opinion it automatically costs another $30 to look. If it fails again I'm right where I started. Help.

 

[BRacing]

ouch!

I don't know what to tell you, besides to have it checked by a different shop. But, you were right, it will just cost more money.

Let me know how it turns out!
-Brad

 

[SteveW]

I'm sure that disconnecting the EGR could make it fail a smog. Go to a "pass or don't pay" test station. They will do a pretest to determine if the car will pass or not. If it fails the pretest, the info will not be sent to the DMV. An honest repair shop will give good advice what to do. If you want to make sure you pass the test, make sure you have new 02 sensors, filters, 92 gas, clean your intake real good also the throttle body, and take the car to the shop with a hot engine - it will run cleaner if you drive it for a while first !!!

 

[zensius]

I'm backin my X today. I'll probably take it in Sat. I'll keep you updated.

 

[zensius]

Well, it's few weeks later and I took the Toyota to a different place. It was a "pass or don't pay" place so I felt safe. Well, the car passed! I don't know which place has the crooks; the first guy who failed it to try and get more money, or the second place that passed it so they could get paid. Either way, it's done. In the future I would recommend always taking a car to a "pass or don't pay" place for smog. That's what I learned.