Smog check on a Boxster

My 08' Boxster finally got the inevitable notice from the California DMV that it's time for its first smog check. Does anyone know if the smog check guys will need to access the engine compartment on my car to conduct the test? On my other cars they seem to rest some type of "listening device" on the engine during the test. Will they need to do the same on the Boxster ? As you know, accessing the engine bay on the Boxster is a PITA, so I'm hoping someone out there has some positive news for me. Fingers crossed... TIA DaveGee

If your notice states "Take to a STAR station" or something similar then your Boxster will have to pass a visual inspection first meaning it will have to be opened up and it can only be tested at a STAR station which will be on the business sign. The visual looks for modifications and if there are any it will fail immediately in CA. If it says "Test Only" then you can go to a test only station and they will hook up the test computer to the OBD port and put the sniffer up the tailpipe, no visual is involved.

Just checked - no STAR requirement on my notice. Yay! Thanks for the info! DaveGee

Your Boxster will have to be about ten years old before visual inspection has to be done and as it is it is hard to find a shop that will take the time to open one up. Whomever decided on visual inspections for Boxsters has never owned one.

I didn't want any smog shop working on, sitting in, operating it, much less opening up the engine compartment on my 2007 Cayman S , which several shops in the San Francisco bay area said they would need to do. Mine registration was "test only". Most of the shops said they wouldn't touch it anyway. I had the Porsche dealership handle it. Expensive yes, but at least my blood pressure was normal. Phil

Caymans are not near the problem to get to as Boxsters. I had a shop turn me down because they wouldn't deal with the glass rear window claiming it was a potential insurance risk. I finally went to a well known Porsche shop in Marin and they got it done.

I was turned away by several just for the regular inspection. If and when I have to get the "Star, eye inspection," I will bite the bullet and go to the dealer. This is a joke, if the car would pass the sniff test there should be no need to inspecting the engine. Also be prepared, your car will throw some codes after the inspection. Speed Sensor is one which lights the CEL. It will clear after about 20 miles. Well at least mine did. Luckily because the dealership wanted $130. to clear it!!!!

Postscript. So I went to the local Smog City check station near my house today. The guy immediatly tells me that there's no need to access the engine bay. Cool. He takes me immedietley, drives the car into the service bay and starts looking for the factory emissions sticker - which I already know is inside the engine compartment cover. I have no idea why, but thats where we found it when I had the car regstered after I imported it from out of state a couple of years ago. Anyway, after some back and forth with his partner, the smog guy says, "dont worry about it". They proceed to hook the car up to the OBD port, bang on their keyboard a few times and declare the car "passed". No runs on the dynamomoeter, no sniff check. I didn't ask any questions. Paid my $60 and told the guy to have a nice weekend. Hope the rest of you in California are as lucky. DaveGee

Yeah, I forgot to mention the sticker issue. I was told it should be on the door (by the smog guy). He used a mirror to look at it under the car. At least he made the impression he was! Where are you in So Cal, I want to visit your smog guy the next time?

I am going to start by saying I joined P9 after months of reading because of this thread. I am a Service Manager of an Automotive Facility in CA and will be the first to tell you that a visual inspection is required by law on all Smog's in the state. As a STAR station and a former GOLD SHIELD Station, I have been dealing with the smog program in this state since BAR97 was instated. It does not matter if your vehicle is required to go to a STAR station or not. If the technician chooses not visually look at the car he is risking up to a 50k fine and 5 years in prison. With that said, many in the industry do not check visual on Smog. If you have found a shop that doesn't check, go back. You will notice at the top of the Smog Certificate copy you receive that there is a Visual/Functional portion of the test. If they technician puts Pass on all the visual components and doesn't remove your cover, it is considered an illegal smog. Just FYI to the community. I specifically quoted Cantrax due to the fact that it is fairly normal for those lights to come on. A good smog shop will either drive the vehicle the short distance to reset the system or will notify the customer that the lights will go off in approx. 10-20 miles. I am sorry to hear that the shop did not notify you as they should have. Boxsters are a pain to smog due to the visual requirements and that is why you will find many shops that will not do them. I luckily own a Cayman but I feel for you Boxster guys!

The "listening device" you are referring to is to check RPMs on a distributorless system. Due to ignition coil-over-plug set up, there are no ignition wires to hook for to get RPM signal. That is the point of resting said device on the motor. In order to Smog a vehicle in the state on the Dyno, an RPM reading between 700-900 at idle is required. As the new STAR program rolls out, newer vehicle will not require the Dyno portion of the test. As this happens, the device that measures RPMs will no longer be required for the test. A visual test is ALWAYS required however. Hope the info helps!

So, let me ask the question about engine swaps... If one puts in a "new" engine -- for whatever reason, and must get the car smog checked, then I suppose the visual inspection is required. The question is, "Does the law require the car's engine to be a stock, unmodified engine or does it require it to be a stock, unmodified -- identical engine to the original to be 'legal'?" Meaning, if I wanted to drop in a 3.4 for my 2.7 ... is it an illegal smog check even if it passes all requirements?? And by extension, does this mean that the 3.8 Carrera engines are totally off the realm of legality -- even if it is the cleanest running motor on record.. ?? D

I will first state that this may be a long replay. I apologize if it is. The visual portion of the smog test is in place for the exact reason you have questions D&D. It is to verify that the motor is a legal motor for the vehicle, and that all emissions systems are on said vehicle unless otherwise approved to be removed (via State Referee or C.A.R.B. approval - see further below). How clean a motor runs matters not to the State when it comes to the visual portion of the smog test. It is just that, a visual test. There are 3 parts to a smog test in this State and all portions must have a Pass rating in order for your vehicle to overall pass the emissions test. The portions are as follows; A visual inspection, a functional test, and an emissions test. As there are 3 questions asked by your previous post, I will address them individually: 1) What if I have to replace my motor due to old age, blowing the motor, etc? As long as the motor is a stock replacement, it is legal. Lets take the 2006 Cayman S (my car) for example. My vehicle came from factory with a 3.4L Flat-six motor (as all of you know). If I replace it with another 3.4L motor from Porsche or another source (Jasper, etc), then it is 100% legal and will pass a smog test no questions asked. The key here is stock to stock. If your motor is modified and all the mods are California Air Resources Board (C.A.R.B.) approved, it will pass smog. If you are running non-approved parts, it will fail a visual test as long as the Tech either knows what he is looking at, or catches it. It will not matter if said vehicle passes emissions, the overall result is a failure. 2) What if I want to swap in a 3.4L motor into my Base model Cayman / Boxster ? It is legal ONLY if the State Referee approves the swap and the motor is of the same model year or newer. After the referee approves said swap, the vehicle MUST pass emissions of said model year of the motor, no longer the vehicle. So, for example, you have a 2006 Cayman w/ the 2.7L and your motor blows. You can swap in a 3.4L from a 2008 Cayman S but, the referee must approve it, and the vehicle must pass emissions standard from 2008 there-on-out. The opposite however is not true. If you have a 2008 Cayman w/ the 2.7L and your motor blows, you CANNOT swap in a 3.4L from a 2006- 2007 Cayman S . It must be from a 2008 Cayman S or newer. How do you get the referee to approve the swap? You must change over all emissions parts from the 3.4L system along with the motor. So the computer, motor, and transmissions will obviously come over, but so will the EVAP system, the wiring harness, the EGR setup, etc. The referee will visually inspect the vehicle and clear it for legal use in the state. They will also preform the smog on it at that point and apply a sticker to the drivers side door jam stating the swap, that it is legal in California, and what model year emission the vehicle must be tested under going forward. Once again, this all is reliant on the smog technician noticing the swap. 3) What if I want to go all out and drop in a 3.8L 911 motor or even the new 4.0L from the GT3RS? Simply answer, know someone that will smog it for you. This actually is a HUGE grey area in the law. Technically, it is illegal. However, if you can prove that the engine is the same block as the original that came in the vehicle, I have seen referees approve similar swaps. For example, the 5.3L (305CI) GM motor shares the same block as the 5.7L (350CI) GM motor. The essentially only differences for many years was the intake manifolds, cylinder heads, vacuum setups, and carbs. I have seen a number of legal swapped 5.7's in vehicles that came with a 5.3 due to the state considering it a same motor to same motor swap. This type of swapping will depend GREATLY on who your referee is in your area. Remember that just because you swapped the motors, that doesn't mean it will immediately fail visual. The tech must first realize that it is a motor swap before they can fail it. The State does however instruct all smog stations to error on the side of caution. If we, at my shop, suspect a swap, we will usually tell the customer to take the vehicle to the State Referee. If I am forced to smog the vehicle, I will fail it for modified due to the states rule of "if you don't know, fail it". So to answer your question, can it be legal, yes. Can it be illegal, yes. All depends on your referee and your smog technician noticing. The smog program in this state is extremely complicated. There are many laws that contradict others, and many that just don't make sense. I personally am a proponent of "if it passes emissions, it should be legal" but I ultimately do not run the state, just answer to them. Once again, I hope this answers some questions on the matter. If you guys have more questions, keep 'em coming and I will try to get you answers. I do not claim to know all the laws or have all the answers, but I will help educate any and all as I can. If any of you know something I do not, please list it! I will be in the bay area this weekend and will be away from a computer. I'll try to answer responses and questions upon my return.

I know this is an old thread, but I've wasted so much time driving around L.A. to smog shops that say they can test a Boxster , but then refuse to when I get there. "I need to do a visual inspection" was the most common objection. I have a Fabspeed exhaust on the car but it's after the original catalytic converter , so is legal and shouldn't impact a smog check. But one shop told me "that's true except for Porsche ". So frustrating. Anyway, i wanted to post that Beverly Hills Porsche (the dealer) in West L.A. is now authorized to do smog checks. I'm going next week and expect there to be no problems.

Update on this: it was all false advertising by Beverly Hills Porsche . When I called the service department, they said "oh we don't do smog checks" and acknowledged that the website was incorrect. I was able to get the smog check done at A1 Smog Check & Test at 2100 Westwood Blvd. You need an appointment, but they'll make quick work of it.