California Smog "STAR Inspection?"

Hey, CA 996 drivers: Anyone else gotten a renewal certificate requiring smogging @ a "STAR Certified" station? Google tells me that the STAR program is CADMV's new system of cheat-proof stations - seems like as long as the car is legal, it'll pass either way. I don't think my mufflers are CARB certified, but someone would really have to be motivated to clean them up well enough to determine that there is no sticker...

Yes I did a year ago and "STAR certified" is no different than the old "Smog Only" station. In fact, I went to the exact same shop where they were "Smog Only" before and now "STAR certified". As far as I can tell, they are looking for exact same things like visual inspection and tailpipe test. I think a lot depends on how strict the tech is but sounds like you should be fine. I think they mainly focus on the cats if they are looking.

Thanks. I haven't changed any emissions-related equipment since I purchased the car, so if it didn't pass for any reason, I'd be heading over to the dealership to ask some difficult questions. Apparently, the "STAR" thing is causing plenty of people to freak out...leave it to the DMV...

Good luck but I think you should be fine. I'm not taking any chances hence Gert's sport cats I still feel it's not loud enough even with the Fister's cans...

I'm going cat bypass after the inspection...one of the cats is rattly anyway, but I can't do anything until I get my piece o' paper from the State.

Ahsai, Did you pass the inspection with the 200 cell cats? S.

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I haven't tried it yet. My smog won't be up till next year summer. Will definitely report back one way or the other. Based on the current OBDII mode $6 data, the new cats perform really well and I have confidence they will pass. Besides, if you look at the tailpipe test failure emission thresholds, they are really high meaning your car has to be like 10x worse than the avg to fail.

I just took mine to the smog station last week. They no longer measure the emissions coming out of the tail pipe. The hook the machine up to the OBD port. As long as the car does not have a CEL, it is a pass. Unfortunately, mine failed the visual....EVO CAI, Billy Boat headers, and sport cats. I have to buy and install a factory air filter box, stock headers, and photograph the CARB exemption plate on the cats (the guy at the smog station could not find the stamp on the cats...I will put the car on ramps to find it). As soon as mine passes the visual inspection, I will reinstall the aftermarket parts....gotta love CA. Mufflers were not an issue. I called Billy Boat to see if the headers were CARB exempt. They were not. The gentleman at Billy Boat could not believe that the headers were an issue, since they have no impact on the car's emissions.

My '02 Boxster's headers each have a converter as part of the header assembly. Those are the converters that are monitored. Had my Boxster in at a Star station back in early May and the tech made a half hearted inspection of the exhaust system from behind the car. He did check the tail pipe emissions at 1500 RPMs and 2500 RPMs with the car on rollers. The car failed. As soon as I could I drove over the dealer and spoke with the two top/senior techs and both advised me to take the car out and drive it. Even though I drive the car a lot it hasn't been on the open highway for a half an hour's worth of uninterrupted highway high speed driving in a long time and the techs said the converters can get loaded up some from this type of use. Anyhow, I took the car out and about 2 hours after the 1st test I had the car back for its 2nd test and it passed with its emissions levels 1/2 of what they were at the 1st test. Recently (about a month ago) I replaced the converters with used ones sourced from a salvage yard. What I thought were heat shields buzzing was a converter with a loose brick. The new (used) converters (headers/converters) are quiet and so far appear to be working just fine. No CEL (one original converter used to generate a P0430 error every so often) but I don't know how good they'll be come next emission test time, but I think (hope) they'll do better than the original ones.

I had to use a STAR station for my Hyundai about 6 mos. ago. The non-star place a few doors down does the smog checks for $19.95. Had to pay the STAR place about $65. I asked the tech what different tests they do. He said" "none." Government morons once again with another money grab.

Hey Cuda, your cat situation has been resolved?

^^^ Nope.... Fabspeed says they will replace the cats.... but their follow-up is horrible.... still waiting, waiting, waiting....

Argh, thought they have good customer service...

Nope, their cust service reeks... there's an active thread about it going now (I think maybe in the 997 forum). No one from Fabspeed ever follows up, even when I was buying the exhaust.

Catalitic converters need to be hot enough to work properly. That's why its a good idea to get tgem out on the highway for a 20min. run in 3rd gear just before taking it in for an emission test. They don't "load up" from slow driving. Those techs are full of it. Also, if your converter is failing and marginally good, a good warm up is even more important.

^+1. I lived in San Francisco for 7 years and every time you sell the car in CA you have to get it smogged for the buyer. If you are not taking it to the station with a tech you know, you MUST have the running ***** out on the freeway before pulling into the station. If you can't get the car on the rollers immediately, don't shut the car down. Keep it running with 3k RPM 30 seconds holds every few minutes. I never had an unmodified car fail the smog regardless of the mileage.

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The converters were quite warm. I am well aware the converters have to be plenty hot (up to 600C) to work most efficiently. I drove the car a lot that day which included some hard acceleration runs through the gears. To cover all bases I picked a warm day and kept the A/C off so the engine (and thus maybe the converters) would be as warm as they could be and even kept the engine idling while I got the process going. This is what I've done in the past and always with success. The car has always passed its emissions test. But the car failed this its first Star station test with readings just over the fail level. The drive at highway speeds (and on an isolated road even higher) with a 30+ mile drive back to town on the freeway though following a CHP cruiser and straight to the Star station for a retest found the car passing with ease. I do not know for sure the converters load up from around town driving but based on my experience I'd say the techs are not as full of it as you are.

You had a failing converter and unless it was nice and hot, it wasn't workng well enough to pass. You are aware of lots of things that techs tell you. This is pretty clear because most of your long winded posts.mention this quiet often. And there is the problem, recycling information that you hear from others. Those tecs told you the loading up story to get you off their backs. A customer that constantly keeps askng all kinds of weird questions must be as anoying as $hit on a shoe.

The '99 passed with flying colors. No dyno - just OBDII scan, two pulls on the tailpipe sniffer (one at idle, one at 2500RPM), and the most comprehensive visual exam I've ever seen @ a smog joint...not that there's a lot you can see with 4" ground clearance... Here are the test results, in case anyone ever needs benchmarks for a '99 C4...

Thankfully, the tech sniffed the side on which the cat is not getting rattly; I might have gotten worse numbers had he sniffed the driver-side outlet. Now to find some cat bypass pipes and put the cats on the shelf for July 2016's smog test...

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There was no sign of the techs wanting to get rid of me. They can go months not seeing me. Once in a while I have stopped in and found them too busy but either I recognize this right off or the tech says something, but always with the offer to have me come back later (or communicate via email). BTW, had they told me the converters would hosed I might have just had them install new ones. While some owners do annoy the techs -- showing up demanding to know how many failed engines the techs have seen is one sure fire way to annoy them -- or while some techs are more easily annoyed I've never had any problems in that area. And I relate/pass on what I'm told as since I find it helpful and useful and I think others might as well. I'm sorry but the converters were nice and hot. I'm well aware of how hot they have to be and I'm quite in the habit of getting the converters nice and hot prior to a smog test. The failed test was the first one since the car has been tested starting back in 2004. BTW, I found time yesterday to take the Boxster for a 40+ mile drive and arranged for the return leg to be though some mountain twisties. Now the engine has been running just fine with the new (used) converters performing just fine and remaining quiet but I found the time and needed the drive. After the drive the engine was remarkably better running, more responsive. I do not find it hard to believe that if some bit of running helps the engine it can also do something positive for the converters.