OT: Smog check hell (just venting).

[Guest Anonymous]

So my wife's 91 318is runs flawlessly, always passes smog with flying colors. Well she left to visit relatives in December, leaving me with the task of last-minute smog check. I made an appointment with the place we usually go to, on the appointed day I burn part of my afternoon going there, only to be told that they're not allowed to do my car this year, I've been randomly selected to be required to go to a 'smog test only' station.

It seems that when the state of California brought in Smog Check II, which requires a $60k dyno machine, the places that don't do repairs lobbied hard to have the system changed so that they're guaranteed a certain amount of business, to justify the extra capital expenditures that the new law forced upon them. Socialism at work, I say.

So after being turned away by my usual place, I look at the list they gave me of local 'test only' places, and I call and make an appointment at a place in Petaluma, the Washington Street Union 76 station that does smog checks. Seems to me they also sell gas and do other repairs, so I'm not sure what this smog-test-only bullshit is really about, but whatever.

I go there today, 30 mins early to do the paperwork and other crap that goes along with this, and the asshole there tells me rather rudely that I don't have an appointment, and that they don't have any 12:45 appointments today. I look on his schedule and see my name next to 12:45, 'That's me', I say. 'You're the '97 Town and Country?' "No I'm not, say I, "that description refers to another appointment. My car isn't written here, but this is my name." The asshole starts to explain this to another technician, making it out like it's my mistake and my problem, and they basically tell me that I can wait around all afternoon for a cancellation, or I can fuck off.

I was a good boy, I told them to just forget it and walked out, rather than exercising my vocal cords and penchant for colorful language.

You know, the sad thing is that I really have no problem with the idea of smog checks per se. I like knowing that the car is running in top form, and the air around here is certainly much cleaner with all the modern fuel injected cars than it would be with unregulated smokers everywhere. How can the system be this screwed up that I've wasted two afternoons and a few gallons of gas trying to get my wife's car cleared.

I just told her it was her problem now. She get's to deal with it, I'm done.

Don't buy gas at the '76 on Washington Street in Petaluma, and don't get any work done there either. They're incompetent assholes.

Mike

[Guest Anonymous]

a test only center opened up up the road from my house. . and the owner's got a e36 schnitzer of some type, i've been meaning to chat him up (psst mind if i take the tii for a spin on the dyno???)

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://www.winnsecurity.com/norcal02

Damn, if you went by there you were like a mile from my house! Well if its the station that I'm thinking of...anyway, we still gotta show off eachothers non-running 02s lol. Also, has aything been heard from whoever that was that recently bought an 02 that lives in SR? I dont remember who that was.

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

Weird that the place also works on vehicles, because they are suppose to be completely smog-check only. Fortunately, the place I go to suggests a very good smog-check only shop and I've never had a problem with them.

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

Saw a red roundlight in Rohnert Park today. Faded paint, not rusty. Let me know next time you're coming to SR.

Mike

[Guest Anonymous]

One local bike shop kind of sluffed me off years ago. Hell, I already had the insurance check in hand and was ready to make a $3500 purchase. They wouldn't give me the time of day so I left. Haven't been back in there in over 6 years.

The dollar is mightier than the tongue.

[Guest Anonymous]

My usual shop, that I chose of my own free will, was forbidden to me arbitrarily by state law. These 'test only' joints have a captive audience. There are only 5 within an hour's drive of me, and regarding one other I was advised never to go. This makes two out of 5 that are crap. There are dozens of shops with the right equipment, but because of this 'test only' lobbying bullshit, I can't exercise my freedom of choice. That's not a free market.

Mike

[Guest Anonymous]

As you have probably figured out, smog testing has as much, if not more, to do with revenue generation than keeping the air clean. Otherwise, there would be a limit on the number of miles you could drive in a year (this is the way the EPA "regulates" factories, etc, why not automobiles?) and something would be done about the clot of SUVs idling away at the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza every morning.

(Why they are only now getting around to FastTrak and don't even bother with an exact change lane (as there are on toll roads in the Eastern US) has long puzzled me. Can the toll takers union really be that strong?)

E Washington Union 76 probably has some pull somewhere. This seems to be how Sonoma County operates. Rat them out to Sacramento.

[Guest Anonymous]

Our truck (93 Nissan)had to go through smog II in Sonoma County (Dyno machine, etc). So much for the 29.99 smog check! It was about $130 for a smog II cert. Justin, just last weekend, I was down in Pet-town driving my 72 Agave through the pot hole capital of California. Good thing my uncle rebuilt the front end!! It loved swerving around the big holes!!

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

an '02 in Aug. Live in RP. I know that there was an '02 for sale in SR recently.

[Guest Anonymous]

on Thurs night, around 7pm, I was driving the 101n and saw a Sahara beige '02, probably a model '71. Anyone???? If you saw a green '02 blaze by as you were getting off at Pet. Blvd, that was me!!!! Cheers