Welcome to San Pablo Smog. We provide Berkeley motorists with full
service smog tests – we are the premier STAR Test Only Smog Station.
For your convenience we are open Monday through Saturday, and can
smog test passenger cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, as well as diesels and
even Recreational Vehicles – yes, RVs need to undergo smog testing as
well.
How does a STAR station differ form a regular smog station? STAR
certified smog station conforms to the high standards established by
the Bureau of Automotive Repairs (BAR). You will encounter two kinds
of STAR smog stations in Berkeley: Test Only station and Test & Repair
station.
The difference between these two is pretty much in the name – STAR
Test Only station can perform STAR tests, but does not do repairs.
STAR Test & Repair stations can do the smog test and perform repairs is
such turn out to be necessary.
At San Pablo Smog we are a STAR Test Only facility, and as such we do
one thing and do it very well – we smog test vehicles. We are totally
objective – we have no monetary incentive to pass or fail your vehicle,
since we do no repairs.

If you reside in Berkeley and your vehicle needs a smog test – give us a
call or simply come and get your vehicle tested. We can do both regular smog test as well as STAR smog tests.

Most vehicles require regular smog tests. Some, though, will get a STAR
test notice. Why would a given car be selected for the STAR smog test?
State of California has a few rules that decide when a car will have to go
to the START test station:
1) Vehicles which have failed a previous smog inspection with very
high emission readings are considered “Gross Polluters”, and will
end up at the START test station.
2) There are vehicles that BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair) has
classified (based on its data) as being likely to fail a smog
inspection – they are called High Emitter Profile vehicles.
3) Every year, some number of vehicles is randomly selected to go to
a STAR smog station, even though they do not fit any pollution
profile – purely random selection.

When you do receive a notice to take your vehicle to a STAR smog
station, simply bring it to San Pablo Smog. We are conveniently located
on San Pablo, close to Berkeley, Emeryville and Oakland. Whether you
are driving from home or from office, we are just a few minutes away
(and we are open until 6pm so you can get a STAR smog check after
work). We are also open on Saturdays for your convenience.

1. Adhere to the oil and maintenance schedule recommended for your car’s owner manual. The maintenance schedule for your car is focused on knowing what your car needs to run cleanly. Running cleanly over a long period of time is going to make your smog test easier, as your car will be clean and in good shape.

DO change your oil and perform regular maintenance as recommended by the owner’s manual. This is the key to getting your car to pass smog. But…

2. If you had your oil change and maintenance done recently don’t get your car smogged right away. Give it a few miles and several days.  This is because the the mechanic probably disconnected your battery for a while which can reset the memory chip inside your car. The memory chip relays its most current data to the smog machine. If it doesn’t have any data, it won’t be able to give an accurate reading. So make sure you do both city and freeway driving after a maintenance.

3. The best place to get your smog test done is at a test only smog check station. We are dedicated to only one thing. Checking your car’s smog. We don’t have any vested interest in doing repairs. Our machines are calibrated to the highest caliber to make sure you have the best experience in smogging your car. We do not do repairs, so we will not engage in any kind of repair recommendation.

4. Make sure your tires are properly inflated. If the tire pressure is low or uneven, the dynamometer readings will not be fully accurate.  Inaccurate tire stability can lead to higher emissions readings through unstable load. If your car is an older car this is even more important.

5. The quality of the smog shop makes a difference. If a smog shop promises to charge you the lowest rate and have you in and out within 9 minutes, they are most likely not doing the full range of tests that are available to evaluate your car. If a shop is focused on short cuts, there is a good chance your car won’t be given the full battery of tests that determine its viability. San Pablo smog offers the best combination of experience, service, speed, and value.

If a quickie place shortcuts things like inspections, you are not getting a full value. Hoses, computer readings, engine wiring and more are all part of the CA inspection.

6. Before you bring your car in, run it around town on the day of the test. Cold engines pass harder, and warm engines have the best opportunity of giving us an precise reading that provide a true and accurate passing grade. Drive it for at least 20 minutes.

7. Go to someone you can trust. You know that San Pablo Smog here in Oakland/Emeryville has the highest level of honesty and trustworthiness. We have the experience you need for your smog check and we take our dedication to you very honestly.

Thanks for being part of our community. Read our reviews here!

Call us at (510) 655 – 1888 with any questions.

What is the California Smog Test Program?

We are often asked what is a “Test Only” Smog Check Center.

Technically it is called “The California Smog Check Program”.  It’s purpose is to lessen air pollution in California by checking that cars with large amounts of pollution causing emissions are repaired in a timely manner and meet the state guidelines for not being a “gross polluter”.

The program mandates that vehicles manufactured after 1976 get checked every two years for their emissions levels, and if not fixed in a timely manner are taken off the street.  Exceptions to the 2 year check are:

• Vehicles under 6 years old (pay a smog abatement fee instead)
• Electric Vehicles (hybrid vehicles are required to undergo smog checks as of 2015)
• Diesel powered vehicles built after 1998 and less than 14k pounds.
• Certain “special cases” of cars built after 1976.
• Vehicles built before 1976

The program is governed by:

• The California Bureau of Automotive Repair
• The California Air Resources Board
• The California Department of Motor Vehicles.

All cars that qualify to be checked must be checked by the SELLER before being sold, unless the seller is selling or giving the car to a close family member (child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, sibling, or grandchild)

The Smog Check program started in 1984 as a result of bill SB 33.  In an effort to make sure smog checks were cost effective it especially licensed specific types of professionals to administer the tests.  The is also became known as the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair) program.

The current types of shops licensed to administer tests are:

Test-Only stations
Licensed specifically and only to perform Smog Checks and Tests. These stations typically focus like a laser on providing quick and comprehensive tests for car owners. Since they are setup for this one purpose, they are often the quickest and cheapest stations for getting your car smog checked. They do not do repairs and can often get you in and out within an hour.

Repair-Only stations
These stations are optimized to diagnose the smog problem and fix the issues. If you know your car is a gross polluter and want a shop that specializes in repairing just these issues, these are your best bet.

Test-and-Repair stations
Often these are fully registered car mechanics that provide a full service repair work, as well as being licensed to do both smog testing, diagnosing, and repairs.  If your car has multiple issues, and you want to get it smogged along with those repairs, you can book yourself into one of these mechanics.

What is a STAR station?

STAR stations are the highest quality of smog check station as licensed by the BAR. California state law has strict requirements saying that a large percentage of the states cars must be checked at a STAR station. Often on your DMV form you’ll see that the smog check requirement specifically says the vehicle must be checked at a STAR station.

STAR stations are directly administered by the state of California.

We hope this primer on the California State Smog Check program has been helpful to your smog test research. As always, know that we here at Oakland based San Pablo St Smog Test Only station will provide you the best service found in Emeryville or Oakland!

What is Smog?

1. How much does a smog inspection cost?

2. Do I need an appointment?

3. What do I do when my car fails the smog inspection?

4. Why am I being sent to a Test-Only or Gold Shield station. My car has never failed Smog check.

5. I lost and/or misplaced my DMV registration renewal paper. Can you still do a smog inspection for me?

6. I have a huge motor home that needs a smog inspection. Can your station accommodate large vehicles?

7. Why do I need a smog check on my vehicle?

8. I’m kind of confused between the different types of smog stations. What is the difference between a Test-Only Station versus a Test-and-Repair Station versus a Gold Shield Station?

9. What is the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) all about and how can I get an application?

10. Do you smog European cars? I have a Mercedes Benz.

Main procedures of a smog check includes:

1. Emissions inspection
2. Tailpipe excess smoke test
3. Visual inspection
4. Functional inspection
5. EVAP functional test (most 1995 and older vehicles)

It must be performed in that order as required by the California state.

The emissions inspection is done by an exhaust gas analyzer, also called a smog machine. The machine will test your exhaust gases for three basic chemicals: carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and hydrocarbons, all bad for our environment.

During the visual portion of the smog inspection, the smog technician must locate and verify that all emissions components are present and properly connected. Any defective, missing, modified, disconnected emissions components will fail the smog test.

The functional inspection is mainly conducted by the smog technician, and is hands-on. The smog technician will insure proper operation of ignition timing, check engine light, gas cap, filler neck, and exhaust recirculation system (EGR).

For most vehicles 1976 to 1995, an additional test (EVAP Functional Test) must be performed. A separate EVAP machine is used to apply low pressure into the evaporative system (fuel tank, charcoal canister, vapor hoses, etc) in order to detect any fuel vapor leaks.

Your car has to pass all of these tests in order for it to receive a certificate of compliance.