How To Pass A Smog Test In Berkeley, CA

After many years of smogging cars on a daily basis, let us share our observations about California smog checks in Berkeley or Oakland. While we may sound a little biased, we can assure you that we do this with our best intentions for your benefit.

Tips For Passing A Smog Test

1. 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…

Make sure you let a few days go by between your last oil change and the smog test. Some oil changers may include a 10- or 15- or 20-point checks that may disconnect the battery for a while. This would temporarily erase the memory chip inside of your vehicle, which is needed to pass your smog check. An erased memory chip would need a few days of freeway and city driving for it to repopulate itself.

2. DO NOT use the cheapest smog station in Berkeley.

Not all smog techs trained equally, and not all stations are willing to go the extra mile for you. We have over 50,000 smogs under our belt, and we only use the best, most experienced techs available. We may not be the cheapest, but we give you the best overall value: price, expertise, service, speed, and convenience.

3. DO use your vehicle to run your chores first, and then smog the car.

By then your vehicle will be warmer. Warmer engines have a better chance at passing smog.

4. DO NOT go to a smog check station that does not offer a FREE re-test.

You may feel that your car will definitely pass, or is fairly new. While your engine emissions may seem fine, a California smog inspection covers more than what is coming out of your tailpipe. The computer on board of your vehicle, hoses, and wiring under the hood, are all part of a smog inspection as required by the State. If any of these components fail, you will be required to repair them and go through another full smog inspection (State law prohibits partial retests). Our FREE re-test gives you the peace of mind that you will not be double-charged.

5. DO business with someone honest and with high integrity like 7 Days A Week Smog Test.

While a car may fail a smog test on its own, we have seen way too many cars fail due to dishonest stations, inexperienced technicians who just graduated from tech school, or laziness. Our customers have come from as far as San Francisco, the Peninsula, Solano County, and Marin County, and they told us that, “Some places are just worth the drive.”

Thanks for reading. We hope these tips are helpful. As usual, just give us a call if we can be of further help. Feel free to call us at (510) 380-8796 anytime if you have any questions or browse our frequently asked questions section to learn more.