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.

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