Hello,

The widow of a close friend of mine asked me to revert to stock my old friend's AWD DSM for a smog check in Davis (Smog-II, even though it's AWD, has to be done by a Smog-II shop, which means a shop in Davis). Although I uninstalled everything (big turbo (20G), intake, exhaust, injectors, etc etc etc), the car still has at least one minor problem. The Idle Air Control motor ($260 for the part) is on its way out, so the car doesn't idle very happily (1-200 rpm fluctuations, within the spec range). I've tested it on a friendly local smog machine and the car is clean. It passes idle and high idle (2500rpm) smog well within spec and the car is visually good under the hood (EGR is plumbed back in, all the stock parts are there and functional, etc). The only potential problem is a tech complaining about the unsteady idle or the less-than perfectly clean look of the vacuum lines (I had to jerry-rig some stuff to get all the vacuum lines back installed according to the vacuum line smog-diagram under the hood).

So... does anyone have any suggestions on who is least likely to be **** during a smog check? What's a good smog place to go to in Davis? Any day in particular to go to any particular smog shop?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Joel

 

Its been a while since I lived in Davis (for almost 8 years), but pretty much anything having to do with smog, cars, police and DMV is on the up-and-up there. I would doubt you'd find places that aren't completely rigorous.

If there's any chance I would try to find a way to get it smogged in Woodland or even Sacramento if you want a place that's, not necessarily crooked, but can understand when "good" is "good enough"... like something that might not match a power module diagram, but is effectively correct.

I don't understand why it must be done in Davis. (?)

jason

 

Hello,

You too? Hell for 8 years? I went to undergrad (genetics, '91-'96) and law school ('96-'99) at UCD.

The reason it has to be in Davis is that Davis as a city, volunteered to be Smog-II, even though they are not required to be, by the state. Most of SoCal is smog-II these days, but the entire bay area, Sacramento, Woodland (and the rest of Yolo Co.) are all Smog-I. Smog-I is normal smog. Smog-II means all cars go on Dyno Rollers for actual load-based smog testing.

AWD cars are still exempt from dyno roller testing, but cars registered in Smog-II areas (Davis, included) must get their smog checks done at Smog-II certified locations. So basically, I need to get a Smog-I style smog check, but it has to be done at a Smog-II shop. I don't know of any in the Bay Area. Meanwhile, all of them in Davis are Smog-II by requirement of city ordinance.

Joel

 

bump
i go to UCD
but i dont have any suggestions on places. You might want to contact Hkbeef, he has been a davis native for a while, perhapse he can help you out

 

The 76 Gas Station on Mission Blvd, across from Tennyson is a Smog 2 shop... This in in Hayward

They got the Dyno roller unit, and only 1. So you can't get it dynoed there, AWD are exempt as you've stated. I told that they got it for the new smog regulations...


-Gagan

 

Hello,

Are they "nice"? It'll pass, I just can't have someone complaining about a poor, but w/in spec, idle.

Joel

 

i've never had to smog in davis. Davis is **** about EVERYTHING. 1 reason why i moved away. good luck.

 

Hello,

Davis prides itself in many misguided things. The "environmentally friendly" town used to have a bike lane on Russel, but they decided car traffic was more important, so they got rid of the bike lane. They didn't provide for a different bike lane, so now there is no bike lane way of getting from the East side of town to the West Side of town. Downtown stands in your way, no matter how you look at ut, unless you ride up to 7th or whichever street that is. Not so environmental, if you ask me.

When the time came to widen the underpass between downtown and South Davis (by Murder Burger and In-n-Out), the city posed the question like this: Do you want more downtown traffic or should things stay the same? Nice way to couch the problem, except "stay the same" means every morning around 7, 8, 9, and 10 AM, a line of cars sits idling for 15 minutes each, as a solid column of cars waits to go under the underpass. Guess what? Cars at idle get zero mpgs. Davis did not "discourage people from driving", rather, the city increased frustration and pollution.

Davis has had this dual-faced problem for decades. The environmentally friendly town still has a large tract of land that is radioactive and impossible to approach. Meanwhile, it's turning out that the radioactive beagle farm is an environmental nightmare, with contamination seeping into the water table. More smart environmentalism on Davis' part.

I can keep going forever on how Davis is not as environmentally wonderful as they attempt to portray themselves. Of course, the misguided town that it is, everything went to crap when Julie Partanski joined the city council in the early 90s. Then, when she became Mayor after Louis Wolk gave up in frustration over City Counsel's stupidity, there was no helping Davis.

I once thought I'd stay in Davis and make a life there. Seemed so promising. But I watched as the city made one dumb mistake after another and I just said 'f-it' and moved to the Bay Area. At least here, a 4 lane road with a center double yellow lane, bike lanes AND car parking on both sides (ie, wide enough to land a jumbo jet) doesn't get a 25 mph speed limit... Discourage driving, my @ss. Can anyone honestly say that they don't know someone who got a speeding ticket in 4 years in Davis? Discourage driving... how about making fat revenue?

Joel

 

Hello,

Bitter much?

Hmm. Welp, I guess Friday is the day for me. I'm going to attempt to get a car that drives clean, has a clean high and low idle, and in no way pollutes, to pass smog in Davis.

Joel